Xu Shaoyang

The moment the boy in the white martial arts uniform spoke, everyone on the field heard him.

Zuo Tianchang, the homeroom teacher of Class Seven, Grade Twelve, frowned in displeasure. He recognized the newcomer as Xu Shaoyang, a student from the elite Class One, Grade Twelve, who ranked tenth in the school.

He started forward to reprimand Xu Shaoyang, but a practical combat teacher stopped him.

"Old Zuo, it wouldn't be appropriate for you to get involved in the students' affairs. Don't you trust the students in your class?"

Zuo Tianchang stopped in his tracks. He knew his students well enough. As for their academic and martial arts results... better not to bring those up.

As academic underachievers, every last one of them was trouble. If someone really pissed them off, they were perfectly capable of having the whole class gang up on one person. With Liao Dong, the school's ninth-ranked student, leading the charge, they could take down not just Xu Shaoyang in tenth place, but even the school's number one.

"Xu Shaoyang, looking for a fight?" Gan Xiaomei, who was closer to Xu Shaoyang, demanded angrily.

At the same time, the students of Class Seven gathered around without anyone directing them, surrounding Xu Shaoyang and his four companions.

"Gan Xiaomei, move aside. I don't hit women," Xu Shaoyang said calmly. Being surrounded made him a little nervous, but he refused to lose face even if he was outnumbered.

"Grrr! Hff, hff."

The people surrounded by the crowd managed to remain calm, but the vicious dog with them grew angry. Its eyes turned red, and it lowered its front legs, assuming an attacking stance.

The vicious dog was enormous, one of the variant breeds of dogs that had appeared after the spiritual energy resurgence. It was said to be comparable to a martial artist once fully grown.

If a great deal of resources were spent raising one, it was even possible to bring it to the seventh or eighth rank.

But no one would waste resources on a pet beast. After the spiritual energy resurgence, pet beasts had rioted on more than one occasion, leading humanity to generally uphold the principle of "putting people first."

Only families with exceptionally favorable circumstances would raise pet beasts as toys for their children.

Xu Shaoyang's vicious dog was a pet his parents had given him. Once fully grown, it would be comparable to someone in the Martial Dao First-Rank Realm.

"Xu Shaoyang, how dare you look down on women?" Gan Xiaomei said angrily.

She was strong-willed, and her wish was to reach the Seventh-Rank Heaven-Human Realm, slaughter fierce beasts, and avenge her grievances.

For that reason, she worked harder at martial arts cultivation than most of the boys. That was also why her martial arts cultivation ranked among the top hundred in the school.

But because she spent so much time cultivating martial arts, she neglected her academic classes and ended up in the class for underachievers.

"Xu Shaoyang, I know you came looking for me. Go on, do you want another duel?" Liao Dong said, walking over.

At the sight of Liao Dong, Xu Shaoyang's expression turned serious, and his eyes filled with fighting spirit.

"I didn't come to duel you this time. I came to issue a challenge. In two days, we'll settle the score at the school-wide martial arts mock exam."

"I accept," Liao Dong said evenly.

In his heart, Xu Shaoyang was an opponent, but not a good one. In three years of high school, he had never beaten Liao Dong once. Liao Dong had always had his sights set on the school's top three.

Seeing that Liao Dong didn't take him seriously, Xu Shaoyang burned with anger.

Liao Dong, you'll pay for your arrogance. The third year isn't like the first two. It's no longer a contest of talent, but of resources.

In two days, just wait for me to defeat you.

Suddenly, Xu Shaoyang felt the leash pull taut in his hand, and the vicious dog broke free of it.

"Vicious dog, how dare you hurt someone!"

A shout rang out across the field, followed by the vicious dog's snarls and the sounds of a fierce fight.

When he looked over, he saw five students ganging up on his pet dog. He also saw several bloody scratches on Gan Xiaomei's arm, obviously inflicted by his pet dog.

Ning Yue and the others were attacking the vicious dog together. The four brothers joined forces, and then Gan Xiaomei charged in, murderous intent radiating from her. After several exchanges, they knocked the vicious dog to the ground.

"Stop!"

At the sight, Xu Shaoyang breathed a sigh of relief, but he was also worried about the vicious dog getting hurt. It was his eighteenth birthday present, worth several hundred thousand.

Li Feng and the others hesitated when they heard Xu Shaoyang.

But Ning Yue didn't stop. Seizing the opportunity, he swung his fist like a pounding hammer into the vicious dog's neck. With a crack, he broke its cervical vertebrae.

The vicious dog whimpered a few times, then fell silent.

"If you've been wronged, say so. Your big brother has your back," Ning Yue said comfortingly, patting Gan Xiaomei on the shoulder.

He had seen it clearly just now: the vicious dog had gone straight for Gan Xiaomei's neck. If she hadn't dodged quickly, she might have lost her life.

Even so, her arm had been scratched in several places.

A vicious dog that hurt people couldn't be allowed to live.

"Thank you, Big Brother, Third Brother, Fourth Brother, Seventh Brother."

Gan Xiaomei thanked them quietly. She hadn't actually attached much importance to becoming sworn siblings with Ning Yue and the others. In her heart, it had just been a game they played for fun in high school, and she hadn't even planned to stay in touch after graduation.

She hadn't expected that when she got into trouble just now, they would be the quickest to react, immediately stopping the vicious dog from biting her. Otherwise, the consequences... she didn't dare imagine.

In that instant, Gan Xiaomei was deeply moved, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Blackback..." Xu Shaoyang cried out and ran to the vicious dog's side. Seeing that it had stopped breathing, he said furiously, "You..."

Before he could finish, someone cut him off.

"Xu Shaoyang, this was a match between classmates, and you dared let your pet beast hurt someone?"

Zuo Tianchang walked over, his face full of anger, and shouted.

"Mr. Zuo, I didn't let the dog loose to hurt anyone. It broke free on its own," Xu Shaoyang hurriedly argued.

If the incident was classified as him letting his pet beast hurt someone, it would be a major obstacle to his college entrance exam.

A pet beast was only ever a pet beast. Compared with a human life, it wasn't worth a penny.

"And you still deny it? Are you blind to the wounds on Gan Xiaomei's arm?" Zuo Tianchang ignored his explanation and continued, "It seems I should report this to the principal. Students of poor character should have their college entrance exam eligibility revoked."

"Mr. Zuo, I..." Xu Shaoyang was startled and instinctively tried to stop him.

"What? Do you have an objection?" Zuo Tianchang glared at him, giving off an intimidating aura.

Zuo Tianchang was in the Third-Rank Realm, and his combat strength was far from low. Under his glare, Xu Shaoyang, who had yet to break through to the First-Rank Realm, felt intimidated.

It was like an ordinary man of 1.7 meters being glared down at by a two-meter-tall muscle-bound giant: nine out of ten people would be intimidated.

"I'll pay compensation."

The matter ended with Xu Shaoyang paying fifty thousand yuan. He gave Ning Yue and the others a long look before leaving, unwillingness and resentment in his heart.

Of course, he wasn't deemed to have "let the dog loose to hurt someone."

But Ning Yue knew the matter wasn't over.

Not to mention that Xu Shaoyang's family had power and influence. If he really pulled strings, their homeroom teacher Zuo Tianchang wouldn't be able to withstand it.

Even if he didn't pull strings, Xu Shaoyang and his crowd might gang up on them at the next mock exam.

In short, Xu Shaoyang hated them now and had them in his sights.