After returning to Nuoding Academy, he had barely taken a few steps when a notification suddenly popped up before his eyes:
[Special story quest triggered: protect Wang Sheng and defeat Xiao Chenyu! Reward: 500 gold coins!]
Lin Gu paused. There were quests like this too? Not bad. Just as he was wondering why it was Wang Sheng, he noticed a commotion on the academy's sports field.
Lin Gu looked ahead and saw a crowd of students gathered around, egging them on!
"Fight, fight, fight! Come on, start fighting!"
Lin Gu looked over and saw an upper-year student bullying Wang Sheng with his gang of lackeys.
That person was Xiao Chenyu, the son of Nuoding City's city lord. He was used to throwing his weight around at the academy, especially against the work-study students.
And Wang Sheng had angered him simply because he had not heard something he said and had failed to answer.
Wang Sheng's face was already bruised and swollen as he pleaded desperately, "I was wrong, boss!"
But they paid him no heed. Xiao Chenyu gave a mocking chuckle and continued:
"Beat him up! A work-study student? You think you're worthy of being a Soul Master? Hmph! Get him!"
His lackeys surrounded Wang Sheng, punching and kicking him. Lin Gu, standing nearby, could not bear to watch any longer. They were truly despicable. A purple Soul Ring quietly lit up, and he murmured:
"Solid as a Rock!"
In an instant, Lin Gu pointed with one hand, and an orange shield appeared around Wang Sheng, with over fifty thousand HP. They would not break through that much HP even if they attacked all day.
Besides shielding himself, Lin Gu's First Soul Skill could also grant a shield to one designated person.
And so Wang Sheng, whose cries to heaven and earth had gone unanswered, suddenly realized he could no longer feel the attacks.
He looked sharply down and found an orange shield around himself.
The group beating him up kept swinging until they were panting with exhaustion. When they stopped and looked closely, they found Wang Sheng completely unharmed, with an orange shield around him.
No wonder it had felt like punching a rock. Their own hands had swollen from hitting it.
Everyone stopped and stared at Wang Sheng in astonishment. Not knowing where the shield had come from, they told their boss, Xiao Chenyu:
"Boss, this shield came out of nowhere. It's as hard as a rock! We can't break it no matter what!"
Xiao Chenyu, who had been watching the show from the side, gave a disdainful snort. As a One-Ring Soul Master, he could naturally tell that this was a Soul Master's skill.
He looked around and called out:
"Who is it? Who dares meddle in my business?"
Lin Gu stepped out calmly and said slowly, "Me!"
Xiao Chenyu stared at him, looking him up and down. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and he snorted disdainfully before saying:
"So it's the new work-study student. You? Hahaha! Do you even have that kind of ability?"
Lin Gu said nothing, watching it all calmly.
Wang Sheng had been startled by the shield around him. Seeing that it was Lin Gu, he hurriedly said, "Lin Gu, go get the boss!"
"Boss? You work-study students have a boss too?"
Xiao Chenyu spat. "Kid, I'll give you this: you've got guts, coming straight out like that. Then I won't hold back. Everyone, get him! Beat him up too!"
Seeing this, the dozen or so lackeys at his side had no choice but to rush forward together. They were all upper-year students, and most already had their first Soul Ring.
But they naturally thought nothing of the six-year-old child before them. Rather than using Soul Skills, they simply charged in with punches and kicks.
At that moment, Lin Gu calmly said once more, "Solid as a Rock!"
Now both Wang Sheng and Lin Gu himself had orange shields around them, keeping everyone at bay. They had not harmed so much as a single hair on Lin Gu's head.
As everyone struck Lin Gu's shield, it felt as though they had been hit by a rock, and their hands began to ache.
"Ow, my hand! Why is this guy so hard?"
Looking closely, they saw that Lin Gu indeed had an orange shield around him too, along with a purple-glowing Soul Ring floating around his body.
The sight left them all dumbstruck!
"A purple Soul Ring! A thousand years!"
"A six-year-old work-study student with a Thousand-Year First Soul Ring?"
"This!"
For a moment, everyone attacking him was stunned by the sight. They froze in place, cold sweat streaming down their faces.
Wang Sheng was dumbfounded too. "Lin Gu, you've become a Soul Master? And your First Soul Ring is a thousand years old?"
"Boss, wh-what do we do?"
At the sight, Xiao Chenyu's mouth twitched. He had never expected this six-year-old work-study student to have actually become a Soul Master. He himself had cultivated for so long.
And Xiao Chenyu's Soul Ring was only a level-eighty white Soul Ring, not even a hundred years old.
He clenched his fists and roared:
"Impossible! How could your First Soul Ring be a thousand years old? That's impossible! It must be fake!"
He looked around. His lackeys were already retreating without a fight, slowly backing away.
"What are you doing? Get him! Get him!"
"But, boss, that's a Thousand-Year Soul Ring!"
These people all had Soul Rings less than a hundred years old. Faced with this unbelievable sight, they were naturally dumbstruck.
"What are you afraid of? There are so many of us! Are we supposed to be scared of one person? I'm the son of Nuoding City's city lord. Even if I kill you, no one will dare touch me!"
As he spoke, he activated Martial Soul Possession. A Lone Wolf possessed his body, and a white Soul Ring appeared. Glaring at Lin Gu, he told his lackeys:
"Summon your Martial Souls! There are so many of us. Attack together and beat him to a pulp!"
Seeing that their boss, Xiao Chenyu, had revealed his Martial Soul, the others nodded and activated Martial Soul Possession too. All their Soul Rings were white.
Lin Gu glanced around at the dozen or so people and smiled disdainfully. Then he actually sat down cross-legged on the spot, gave a lazy yawn, and watched them at ease.
"Kid, what are you doing? Looking down on me?"
Seeing this, Xiao Chenyu shouted the question.
But Lin Gu only smiled faintly and said:
"I'll sit right here. Come at me. If you can hurt a single hair on my head, I lose!"
At those words, Xiao Chenyu ground his teeth noisily and immediately ordered:
"Too arrogant! Follow me! Kill him!"
Xiao Chenyu had already revealed his intent to kill. Proud and haughty since childhood, he could not tolerate someone more dazzling than himself existing right before his eyes.
Everyone charged together, unleashing their Soul Skills.
Attacks instantly came hurtling at Lin Gu from every direction.
But Lin Gu merely smiled calmly, sitting cross-legged and watching leisurely as his shield lost a thousand HP under everyone's attacks.
Yet it still had fifty thousand HP left.
By the time you finish beating down this shield's HP, it looks like I'll be able to cast another one. Come on!
Seeing Lin Gu's expression, which showed he did not take any of them seriously at all, Xiao Chenyu's fury soared to the heavens. He called everyone over to attack together.
He led the charge with Wolf Claw Assault, and they all launched their attacks.
Thus, more than a dozen people surrounded Lin Gu and attacked him continuously for a full ten minutes.
"Look, his shield is about to disappear!"
One of Xiao Chenyu's lackeys hurriedly spoke up at the sight.
"Quick, take this chance to kill him!"
After attacking for so long, Xiao Chenyu was already exhausted. Finally seeing the shield about to dissipate, he launched Wolf Claw Assault again, aiming straight for Lin Gu's neck, intending to kill him in one strike.
But Lin Gu said calmly, "Solid as a Rock!"
Instantly, he granted himself another shield, blocking Xiao Chenyu's attack once again!