Chapter 5: The Carrot War and the First Ring
The cafeteria at Nuoding Academy was a battlefield of a different kind.
"I'm just saying, Xiao Ling, the ratio of rice to vegetables here is a crime against humanity," Ye Chen said, poking at his tray with a look of genuine betrayal. "I'm a growing boy. I have cells that require premium fuel, and they're giving me... what is this? Cabbage? It's basically crunchy water."
Xiao Ling sat across from him, elegantly nibbling on a carrot. She had a way of moving that was unnervingly graceful, like a predator pretending to be a housecat. "It's food, Ye Chen. Stop crying. Besides, carrots are good for your eyes."
"My eyes are fine! I can see the dust mites on your ponytail from here!" Ye Chen countered, leaning in. "And don't get me started on your sister. She's currently trying to trade Tang San's soul for a radish. The man is a genius, and she's treating him like a grocery store clerk."
Across the table, Xiao Wu was indeed pestering a very stoic Tang San, while the rest of the Room 7 boys watched in awe.
"So," Xiao Ling said, her violet eyes locking onto his. "The Grandmaster says we're going to the Spirit Hunting Forest tomorrow. You and Tang San already hit Level 10. Are you excited to kill your first beast?"
Ye Chen paused. As a man from Blue Star, the idea of "hunting" felt a bit weird, but as a Kryptonian, he felt a strange pull toward the wild. "Excited? I'm mostly worried about the commute. If we have to walk another ten miles, I'm gonna retire. But yeah... I need that first ring. My body feels like a pressure cooker that's about to whistle."
The Hunting Forest
The next day, under the guidance of the Grandmaster, the group arrived at the iron-fenced Spirit Hunting Forest. The air here was thick with the scent of damp earth and ancient energy.
"Remember," the Grandmaster warned, his eyes darting between Tang San and Ye Chen. "A Spirit Ring is not just a trophy. It is a burden. Choose a beast that matches your soul's attribute."
"My soul's attribute is 'Winning,' G-Master," Ye Chen chirped, stretching his arms. The morning sun was hitting him perfectly through the canopy, and he felt like he was glowing. "Just find me something sturdy. I don't want to break it just by looking at it."
They hadn't walked far when the bushes exploded.
A Mandala Snake, over four meters long with scales like obsidian, hissed at them. Its venomous fangs dripped with a green fluid that sizzled when it hit the grass.
"A four-hundred-year Mandala Snake!" the Grandmaster shouted, stepping back. "Tang San, this is perfect for your Blue Silver Grass! Its toughness and poison will—"
"Wait, wait, wait!" Ye Chen stepped in front of them, his 40% Kevin Hart energy peaking. "You want San to wrestle a giant spicy noodle? Look at that thing! It hasn't brushed its teeth in a century! I'll take the lead on this one. San, hold my jacket—or I would say that if I had a cool jacket, but I'm a work-study student, so just hold my spot!"
Ye Chen didn't summon his soul. He didn't need to. He just walked toward the snake.
The snake, sensing an easy meal, coiled and launched itself like a spring. Its jaws opened wide enough to swallow Ye Chen's head whole.
"Ye Chen, get back!" Xiao Ling cried out, her hand reaching for her own hidden power.
Ye Chen didn't move until the snake was inches from his face. Then, with a speed that made Tang San's eyes widen, he reached out and caught the snake by the throat.
CRUNCH.
The sound of the snake's scales grinding against Ye Chen's grip echoed through the woods. The beast thrashed, its powerful tail whipping around to crush Ye Chen's ribs, but it was like hitting a pillar of solid diamond.
"Is that all you got, Slither?" Ye Chen grunted, his feet digging into the dirt. "You're all hiss and no bite! You're basically a very angry belt!"
With a roar, Ye Chen swung the four-meter snake over his head like a jump rope and slammed it into a massive oak tree. The tree snapped. The snake went limp.
A shimmering yellow ring began to rise from the beast's body.
"My turn," Ye Chen said, sat down cross-legged, and beckoned the ring toward him.
The First Evolution: Super Strength
As the yellow ring merged into Ye Chen's body, the air around him began to distort. It wasn't like Tang San's absorption, which was a struggle of wills. For Ye Chen, it was like a key turning in a lock.
His muscles didn't get bigger—they got denser. His bones, already incredibly tough, underwent a molecular shift. The solar energy he had stored for years finally found a channel.
[First Spirit Skill: Super Strength - Unlocked]
Ye Chen opened his eyes. He felt light. Too light. He stood up and accidentally cracked the stone beneath his feet just by shifting his weight.
"Whoa," he whispered. He looked at a nearby boulder—one that would take five grown men to move. He walked over, put one finger under the edge, and flipped it like a coin.
The boulder soared twenty feet into the air before crashing back down, burying itself halfway into the earth.
The Grandmaster stood frozen. Tang San was speechless. Even Xiao Ling looked a little pale.
Ye Chen turned back to the group, a massive, slightly panicked grin on his face. "Okay... so... good news: I'm officially the strongest person in this forest. Bad news: I think I just broke my 'gentle' setting. If I give any of you a high-five today, you're gonna end up in the next province. You've been warned!"
Xiao Ling walked up to him, poking his bicep as if checking if he was still human. "You... you're a monster, Ye Chen."
"I'm a stylish monster, Ling-Ling," he winked, though his heart was racing. If this is just Level 10... what am I gonna do when I can fly?