Another Sparring Match (1)

Jiang Zhu, hiding behind Tai Long, had already seen Lin Chen.

When she saw Lin Chen's face clearly, her cheeks flushed instantly. Her fingers clutched the hem of her clothes, her head lowered slightly, only daring to steal glances at him out of the corner of her eye. Her voice was barely audible. "Lin... Lin Chen."

She had previously gone to watch Lin Chen's Soul Fighting matches with Tai Long and the others, and had long harbored some admiration for him. Now that he was standing in front of her in person, even more handsome and composed than he appeared from afar in the Great Soul Arena, her heart couldn't help but beat a little faster.

Lin Chen nodded slightly in response, glancing indifferently at Ma Hongjun without saying a word.

Xiao Wu rushed to Jiang Zhu's side, gently supporting her arm, and whispered, "It's alright, we're here. If he dares to touch you again, I'll twist off all his fat."

Jiang Zhu was stunned for a moment, the tears welling up in her eyes mostly dissipated by those playful yet sharp words. "Th-thank you..."

"Don't be so polite." Xiao Wu patted the back of her hand, then glanced back at Ma Hongjun, her gaze as if she were weighing a piece of stale meat. "Some people don't even look in the mirror. They look like that and yet they try to send flowers. Even the flowers would be ashamed of them."

Ma Hongjun's face flushed red and then turned pale. He opened his mouth, but didn't dare to reply.

"You fatso, did you see that?! My good brother Lin Chen is right here!" Tai Long straightened his back even more, pointing at Ma Hongjun, "You'd better apologize to Jiang Zhu right now! Harassing a female classmate in broad daylight, acting like a hooligan, and you still have the nerve to say that?"

"Apologize? Impossible." Ma Hongjun stiffened his neck, completely unconcerned. "It's only natural for me to pursue girls. What's there to apologize for? Tai Long, are you bored? If you want to fight, just say so. Don't use girls as an excuse."

He was already dissatisfied with Tai Long, and now, in front of Lin Chen, he was even less willing to lose face.

"Fine, let's fight! You think I'm afraid of you?!"

Tai Long, who has a short temper, was provoked by these words and his anger flared up instantly.

"Martial Soul, Great Strength Gorilla!" With a low roar, the Martial Soul was instantly released.

His body swelled up, muscles bulged, and dark brown hair sprouted from under his skin. Three Soul Ring, two yellow and one purple, rose from his feet, and the aura of a level 35 Power Attack System Soul Elder exploded out. His fists clenched so tightly they cracked, carrying a fierce gust of wind.

"Hmph, who's afraid of who!" Ma Hongjun was not to be outdone. He shifted his feet and released his Martial Soul.

"Evil Fire Phoenix!" Blazing flames erupted from his body, fiery red feathers covered his arms, and a phoenix phantom appeared behind him, along with three Soul Ring —two yellow and one purple—that lit up.

Although his level was slightly lower than that of a level 33 Power Attack System Soul Elder, the domineering aura of his Phoenix Flame was by no means weak.

"First Soul Skill: Phoenix Fire Line!"

Ma Hongjun struck first, unleashing a stream of fire from his mouth, the intense flames distorting the air slightly.

"Good timing!"

Tai Long neither dodged nor evaded, and threw a punch.

The fist, carrying the immense power of Great Strength Gorilla, collided with the fire line.

boom--

Tai Long took a half step back, his fist blackened by the smoke, but he didn't care. Ma Hongjun was also shaken by the force of the punch, his face turning slightly pale.

The two instantly engaged in a fierce battle.

The wind from the fists collided with the flames, producing a series of dull thuds. The Great Strength Gorilla was known for its strength, its punches were powerful and fierce, making the air tremble; the Evil Fire Phoenix Flame were domineering, with extremely strong burning power, and each move brought waves of heat.

Tai Long was two levels higher and had the advantage in strength, but Ma Hongjun's flames were tricky, occasionally scorching Tai Long and forcing him to dodge. For a time, the two fought evenly, neither gaining the upper hand. The rose bushes in the garden suffered, their branches broken and flowers falling, and dirt flying everywhere, all swept away by the force of the punches.

The sounds of fighting grew louder and louder, and could be heard from a great distance.

On the training ground not far away, Tang San was practicing crowd control and teamwork with Oscar and Ning Rongrong when he suddenly heard a commotion from the direction of the garden, along with the sound of flames exploding.

"Huh? What's going on?" Ning Rongrong stopped and looked curiously towards the garden. "That sounds like Ma Hongjun's voice? Are people fighting?"

Oscar, munching on Sausage, mumbled, "Fatty's definitely gotten into trouble again. Let's go check it out."

Tang San frowned slightly, put away the Blue Silver Grass, and walked towards the garden first.

The three of them walked through the flower fence and immediately saw the two people fighting fiercely in the arena, as well as several other figures standing nearby.

When Tang San saw Lin Chen standing at the front, he stopped abruptly, his eyes instantly turning cold.

Lin Chen.

How did he get here?

Tang San walked straight to the center of the arena without stopping. A faint light flashed from the Blue Silver Grass at his fingertips, and several thin vines silently shot out, deftly binding and pulling to separate the two who were locked in combat.

"Stop it, all of you."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried his usual composure. Ma Hongjun withdrew his Phoenix Flame, panting heavily as he retreated to the side; Tai Long also withdrew his Martial Soul, glaring angrily at the other man, his chest heaving.

Tang San's gaze swept over the messy rose bushes on the ground, then landed on Jiang Zhu, whose eyes were slightly red behind Tai Long, and he understood what was going on.

He knew Ma Hongjun's personality best; he was probably going to relentlessly pursue the girl again. He was in the wrong, but he couldn't show weakness in front of outsiders.

He turned to look at Lin Chen, his eyes calm yet concealing a sharp, confrontational edge. "Lin Chen, this is an internal matter for the Shrek Academy. What is the meaning of your people from the Heaven Dou Royal Academy barging in here?"

The question wasn't exactly polite, but it wasn't wrong either. The air in the garden tightened slightly, and a few jacaranda petals swirled and fell onto the bluestone ground between the two of them.

"Internal matters?"

Lin Chen spoke softly, his voice not loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

He tilted his head, gesturing to Tai Long beside him. "My brother Tai Long got beaten up by you, Tang San, at your academy a few days ago. Does that count as internal or external?"

After saying that, he glanced at Jiang Zhu and said, "Also, Miss Jiang Zhu is Tai Long's friend, which means she's my friend. My friend was being bullied in the garden; shouldn't I intervene?"

Jiang Zhu stared blankly at Lin Chen's retreating figure, her eyes suddenly welling up with tears.

Lin Chen took half a step forward, his tone calm yet steady, like a boulder pressing down on fallen leaves, without the slightest wavering. "I'm here today for no other reason than to have a friendly spar between peers. I'm here to avenge my brother. Tang San, do you dare to accept?"

After he finished speaking, the garden fell silent for a moment.

Tang San's eyes narrowed.

Back in the battle in the Star Dou Great Forest, Lin Chen overwhelmed them with his first move. He had been holding onto that grudge for a long time, and now that the other party had taken the initiative to come to him for a duel under the guise of standing up for Tai Long, if he didn't accept, he would be seen as a coward.

Moreover, he might very well want to take this opportunity to learn from them directly.

"What's there to be afraid of?"