Blame My Big Mouth
But just as Xie Xie was about to rise, at the very instant his Martial Soul fully unlocked, a figure suddenly lunged at him.
Tang Wulin reacted extremely quickly. Knowing full well how terrifying Bai Yushan was, he did not dare let Xie Xie clash with him. Given Bai Yushan's strength and ruthless nature, if they really fought, Xie Xie would definitely be gravely injured. The consequences were unthinkable.
Relying on physical strength far beyond that of his peers, he launched himself forward and slammed the furious Xie Xie back onto the ground. His arms locked tightly around Xie Xie's shoulders as he used every ounce of strength to suppress his struggles.
Xie Xie struggled desperately. His Soul Power was considerable, and his explosive strength far surpassed that of ordinary new students. But before Tang Wulin, who possessed the Golden Dragon King Bloodline, all his struggles proved feeble and futile. Tang Wulin's strength was domineering and immense, pinning him firmly in place, unable to move an inch.
"Let go of me! Tang Wulin, let go! I'm going to teach him a lesson today!" Xie Xie roared through clenched teeth, his eyes filled with defiance and fury.
Tang Wulin completely ignored his struggles and turned toward Bai Yushan in front of him, forcing a stiff smile onto his face, his tone brimming with apology.
"Sorry, sorry! We're really sorry. We were the ones who spoke out of turn first. Could you please forgive us?"
His voice carried an anxiety and fear he could hardly conceal, and his body was slightly taut. No one knew that beneath his seemingly calm exterior, towering waves had already surged through his heart.
Bai Yushan rose with interest and lowered his gaze toward the frightened Tang Wulin. His narrow eyes narrowed slightly, and a hint of curiosity entered his voice.
"You seem to know me?"
Tang Wulin's lips moved, but he did not dare answer.
The shadow of the past surfaced again, leaving the fear in his heart impossible to dispel. He did not dare meet Bai Yushan's eyes, much less respond.
Bai Yushan waited quietly for a few seconds. Seeing that Tang Wulin remained silent, his eyes holding nothing but lingering fear, while the tightly restrained Xie Xie still struggled endlessly with a face full of rage, he instantly lost all interest.
Bullying two newly enrolled students was far too boring. There was no challenge in it at all.
He still had to return to the underground fighting arena tonight and needed to stay in peak condition. There was no need to waste his strength on such a trivial matter.
"Boring."
With that single, indifferent word, Bai Yushan spared neither of them another glance. He turned and walked straight out of the cafeteria, his steps casual and unhurried as he headed toward the academy's athletic field.
Only when that tall, straight figure disappeared completely through the cafeteria entrance did Tang Wulin's tense body suddenly relax. His back was already soaked with cold sweat. He let out a long, stale breath, the enormous stone weighing on his heart finally settling to the ground.
He hurriedly released the arms restraining Xie Xie and slowly stood up.
Freed at last, Xie Xie instantly sprang into a sitting position. Clutching his reddened cheek, his eyes still burning with anger, he spat through gritted teeth, "Who the hell was that? He went too far! Hitting someone for absolutely no reason-this isn't over!"
As far as he was concerned, the other boy was simply relying on being slightly older and taller to bully new students at will, arrogant and overbearing to the extreme.
Watching his indignant expression, Tang Wulin shook his head helplessly and said softly, "Don't provoke him. We can't afford to."
Xie Xie froze, his face full of defiance. "Can't afford to? We're all new students. At most, he's just an upperclassman. Can he really blot out the sky with one hand? Does Eastsea Academy have no rules?"
Tang Wulin fell silent for a moment before slowly saying, "He's not an upperclassman. He's a new student in our year. Bai Yushan."
Xie Xie instantly froze at those words. The anger on his face stiffened in place, his eyes filled with incredulous confusion, and he blurted out, "So what?"
In his understanding, new students in the same year shared the same starting point. Even if the other boy was bigger, at most his Soul Power cultivation was slightly higher. There was no need to be so wary. He had only suffered because a sneak attack caught him off guard. In a head-on fight, his rank-eighteen Soul Power paired with the Light and Dark Twin Dragon Daggers might not lose to the other boy.
Tang Wulin drew a deep breath, the gravity on his face not diminishing in the slightest, and said earnestly, "Xie Xie, although we're not exactly close, for the sake of that meal you owe me, I still have to tell you..."
With that, Tang Wulin stepped half a pace closer of his own accord, his eyes locking onto Xie Xie's. His gaze was utterly solemn as he said seriously, stressing every word, "Do not provoke him!"
At that moment, the wariness and fear buried deep in Tang Wulin's eyes were laid bare without reservation. It was a shadow rooted deep within his heart, by no means something he had deliberately put on.
Seeing him so solemn, as though facing a formidable enemy, Xie Xie felt an inexplicable, icy panic shoot through his heart. More than half of the stifled anger he had just suppressed instantly dissipated. He instinctively leaned back and raised a hand, gently pushing the approaching Tang Wulin a little farther away. His lips twisted as he spoke with feigned nonchalance.
"All right, all right! I'm not stupid. That guy's even stronger than you. He only landed a sneak attack. I just won't hold it against him."
Xie Xie found himself a way to back down, forcibly smoothing the defiance from his face as he offered a few face-saving words.
"Just blame my big mouth. I made a stupid joke and deserved to hit a wall. Let's turn the page."
But only he knew that the inexplicable panic in his heart continued to linger. For that new student named Bai Yushan to inspire such fear in Tang Wulin, whose physical strength far surpassed his peers, he definitely was not as simple as he appeared.
Seeing that he had finally reined in his desire for revenge, Tang Wulin's suspended heart settled completely, and he inwardly heaved a great sigh of relief. He knew Bai Yushan's temperament all too well: he did whatever he pleased, acted without any discernible pattern, and struck ruthlessly and decisively, knowing nothing of holding back. Merely slapping Xie Xie in public today was already the utmost leniency on his part. If Xie Xie insisted on seeking him out to provoke him, his eventual fate would definitely be a hundred times more terrible.
"Just remember that. Stay away from him," Tang Wulin reminded him quietly. Without mentioning the matter again, he turned and walked out of the cafeteria.
Xie Xie followed behind him, rubbing his still-hot, swollen red cheek. He still felt a stifled grievance inside, but no longer dared entertain even the slightest thought of provocation.
Meanwhile, on the academy's athletic field.
Bai Yushan had long since cast the minor incident in the cafeteria completely out of his mind. His nature had always been casual and unrestrained, and he never took inconsequential people or matters to heart.
He had indeed noticed Tang Wulin's unusual fear earlier, but he could not be bothered to expend the mental effort to trace his hazy memories and investigate who the other boy actually was. In his eyes, a minor entanglement with two new students was beneath mention, nothing but a waste of time.
The fierce midday sun hung high in the sky, scorching sunlight spilling over the broad athletic field and heating the ground until it was slightly hot. A fair number of students were scattered across the field cultivating, each focused on honing their Soul Power and basic techniques. No one noticed Bai Yushan's quiet arrival.
Bai Yushan walked straight to the most open area at the center of the field and came to a stop. His casual bearing receded slightly as he entered his own cultivation state.
He did not rush to circulate his Soul Power to cultivate, instead beginning his daily training to push his body to its limits.
For him, possessing the Bioelectricity Martial Soul and the Electric Current Push ability, the body was the foundation that bore all power. Absolute control over his body was far more important than simply piling up Soul Power cultivation.