After several days of training in spirit combat, everyone's spirit power improved by leaps and bounds.
That morning, Oscar's soul power suddenly fluctuated, and two yellow soul rings slowly rose up—he had successfully broken through to level 30!
Flander and Zhao Wuji were both surprised and delighted. They immediately decided that Zhao Wuji would escort everyone to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for Oscar's third spirit ring.
Before setting off, Zhao Wuji looked at Yang Chen and said in a deep voice, "Yang Chen, you are the most reliable in terms of strength. You will lead the team this time and be fully responsible for the team's safety."
Yang Chen nodded slightly, already realizing that Zhao Wuji, while saying he would lead the team, would actually be secretly following behind to protect him.
After setting off, he deliberately slowed down, so as not to appear deliberate, but to allow Zhao Wuji to keep up for a distance. Around dusk, the group arrived at a town on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest and checked into a hotel specifically for Soul Masters.
As soon as they entered the lobby, they bumped into a group from Canghui Academy.
Ma Hongjun immediately spotted the female student in the opposing team, his eyes gleaming. He subtly nudged Dai Mubai's arm. Dai Mubai, already arrogant, immediately stepped forward, his tone flippant and provocative. Ma Hongjun joined in the jeering, arrogantly shouting, "A coward who doesn't dare cause trouble is a fool!"
Yang Chen stood to the side, his temples throbbing with rage, wishing he could kill these two troublemakers on the spot.
Caught up in the atmosphere, Xiao Wu clenched her little fists, eager to try. Just as she was about to step forward, Yang Chen glared at her and stopped her.
"sit down."
His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority. Xiao Wu stuck out her tongue and obediently sat down on the chair next to her, not daring to move again.
The students from the opposite Canghui Academy were completely enraged and immediately started fighting with Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun.
Yang Chen did not step forward immediately. Instead, he crossed his arms and spoke slowly and deliberately, his voice clear and cold, echoing throughout the hall:
"If you dare to bully even the weak, then your so-called 'strength' is nothing more than something built on the suffering of others."
Today you can bully those weaker than you, but tomorrow when you're weaker, others will treat you the same way. This isn't courage, it's barbarity.
Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun paused for a moment, but still did not stop.
With their strength, dealing with ordinary students from Canghui Academy was a piece of cake. In no time, they had beaten their opponents black and blue and left them lying on the ground in a sorry state.
Just then, a teacher from Canghui Academy roared and rushed out, his soul power surging. He was a Soul King level expert and attacked Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun without saying a word!
"You dare to hurt my student? You're asking for death!"
Everyone's expression changed, and just as they were about to offer their support, a figure stepped forward first.
Yang Chen flashed forward, blocking the two. Protected by the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, he didn't even use his soul skills. With just his physical strength and simple fists and feet, he captured and pinned down the Soul King teacher in a few moves. The other party didn't even have a chance to resist and was directly subdued on the ground.
Clean and efficient, it stunned the entire audience.
After dealing with the outsiders, Yang Chen turned around, his face turning cold.
Before Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun could speak, he stepped forward and kicked them both, not too hard but enough to bring them back to their senses, making them stagger and look completely bewildered.
"Didn't you just say that those who are afraid to cause trouble are incompetent?"
"According to your logic, since I'm stronger than you, does that mean I can bully you at will?"
"Think carefully about what true strength is and what it means to bully others by abusing one's power."
The two were rendered speechless by the reprimand, their heads bowed, their faces devoid of any arrogance, filled only with shame.
Yang Chen didn't bother to look anymore. He turned around, took Xiao Wu's hand, and said to Oscar, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and the others, "Let's go back to the room."
The group went straight upstairs, leaving Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun standing there, their faces turning pale and then red, speechless for a long time.
In a corner on the third floor of the hotel, Zhao Wuji silently watched all of this. Looking at the two students who had been reprimanded, he shook his head and sighed softly.
This kid is not only strong, but he's also much more insightful in his dealings with people than these other kids.
Having entered the Starry Sky Forest early in the morning, less than half an incense stick's time later, a fishy wind suddenly swept through the forest, and a bright red and gold figure streaked through the air, its long tail snapping several trees that were as thick as a person's embrace.
"It's a thousand-year-old phoenix-tailed crested serpent!" Oscar's eyes lit up instantly. The attributes of this soul beast were a perfect match for his food-type martial soul, making it the candidate for his long-awaited third soul ring.
I immediately shouted in a low voice, "Form ranks!"
Tang San, Ma Hongjun, and the others quickly took their positions, their soul power weaving into a simple trapping array, firmly locking the thousand-year-old soul beast in the center. Zhao Wuji stood guard to prevent any accidents. The group cooperated seamlessly, and in no time they had blasted the Phoenix-Tailed Crested Serpent to the ground, leaving it barely alive, waiting for Oscar to finish it off.
Just as Oscar was about to step forward to absorb the soul ring, two figures, one old and one pretty, emerged from the depths of the dense forest. The old woman in the lead, leaning on a snake-shaped cane, possessed a powerful soul force; she was none other than Snake Granny Chaotianxiang. Beside her was a pretty girl with a haughty look in her eyes; she was none other than Meng Yiran.
"Stop! This crested serpent is my prey that I've been eyeing for a long time!" Meng Yiran stepped forward, her tone domineering.
Snake Granny Chaotianxiang glanced at the soul beast on the ground and said calmly, "The rule in the soul master world is that first come, first served doesn't count. Whoever has the ability to capture it gets the soul beast."
Since your team has a food-type Soul Master who's set their sights on it, you can't just outnumber them. Send one of your members to fight my granddaughter; the winner takes the ring. What do you say?
All eyes turned to me. Oscar was a food-type character and had no fighting ability. Tang San was strong but still young. I took a step forward and said calmly, "In that case, I will accept the challenge."
Meng Yiran scoffed upon hearing this: "You? I am a level 30 Battle Soul Master, with the Martial Soul Serpent Staff!"
As soon as she finished speaking, a cyan snake staff appeared in her hand, and three yellow and purple soul rings slowly rose up, showing the confidence of a battle soul master.
I raised my hand and summoned my martial soul. A cold, sharp three-pointed double-edged sword was held horizontally in my hand, and three yellow and purple soul rings rose up. The fluctuations of my soul power steadily overwhelmed my opponent.
"Martial Soul, Three-Pointed Double-Edged Sword, Level 36 Battle Soul Master."
A simple sentence caused Snake Granny Chaotianxiang and Meng Yiran to change their expressions drastically, filled with shock.
They never expected that this seemingly young team would actually have a Battle Soul Master far exceeding level 30, whose Soul Power level was six levels higher than Meng Yiran's, a difference that could be described as enormous.
Snake Granny's face darkened. Her fusion skill with her husband, Dragon Duke, was quite powerful, but she was alone at the moment. If they really fought, she might not be able to gain the upper hand.
When the competition began, I deliberately suppressed my soul power to around level 30, showing him some leniency. After all, Snake Granny was a well-known figure in the soul master world, and pushing her too far would only cause trouble.
Meng Yiran swung her snake staff at me, the tip of which was covered in poisonous mist and spikes of soul power. Her moves were cunning and ruthless. I calmly countered with my three-pointed double-edged sword, parrying, dodging, and counterattacking with the blade. Each move was back and forth, seemingly evenly matched, but in reality, I had everything under control.