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"Senior Xu, you've lost again."
Chen Junting sent Xu Sanshi flying off the dueling platform, then spun and met an incoming dragon claw with a backhand slash of his Seven Kill Sword!
Thunder roared, engulfing Chen Junting and a vast area around him in crackling lightning. Bolts rained down like serpents, obscuring vision.
The searing electricity ignited his white robe—charred patches bloomed across the fabric.
In that instant, Chen Junting clashed head-on with Bei Bei!
A vast, majestic aura—laced with fierceness—rolled off Chen Junting, solidifying into tangible pressure. Under his sword flashes, the lightning serpents shattered, revealing the two locked in fierce combat.
Meanwhile, Qin Lan—amplified by Gao Ming—exchanged rapid blows with Jiang Nannan, whose power was restricted to Soul Grandmaster level.
Until a single sword beam shattered the stalemate.
The Seven Kill Sword in Chen Junting's hand blurred into a streak of light.
As the third pentagram—the purple one—ignited—
Swish—!
A white dragon of condensed killing intent coiled around the blade. With a flash of cold steel, the sword shot forward!
Bei Bei couldn't react in time. The dragon's edge grazed his dragon claw—scales shattered instantly. A deep gash opened on his torso, bleeding uncontrollably as killing intent seeped in. The surrounding lightning disintegrated under the white dragon's charge!
"Bei Bei!"
Tang Ya shot to her feet—but Ning Tian held her back.
"Senior Xiao Ya, don't worry. Look."
On the platform, Bei Bei broke into a cold sweat. He'd felt it clearly—that sword had deliberately grazed him. A direct hit would've been…
He touched his chest, a bitter smile on his lips. Still in martial soul manifestation, he clasped his fists.
"Junior Chen… I concede."
"Senior Bei Bei, my apologies for the roughness."
Chen Junting hurried over, dispelling the killing intent from the wound and handing Bei Bei a healing pill. The bleeding stopped quickly, and Bei Bei's pallor improved to healthy color.
Then Chen Junting turned to Jiang Nannan.
"Senior, your team has lost."
With only her left standing, Jiang Nannan didn't hesitate—she surrendered outright.
"Junior Brother Chen," Bei Bei asked, still awed as he pulled his coat back on, "what was that sword strike just now? I thought your third soul skill was 'Sword Wings, Soaring Flight'—a mobility-type skill?"
"It's a self-created technique," Chen Junting replied.
"One Blade to Sever the Throat, Hundred-Step Flying Sword."
"But…" He frowned slightly. "It hasn't reached my ideal effect yet. I still need my third soul skill to refine it."
Everyone's lips twitched.
What a show off!
Afterward, Xu Sanshi, Bei Bei, Jiang Nannan, and Tang Ya took turns sparring against Chen Junting's three teams. Through relentless combat, each team honed their synergy—patching weaknesses, refining tactics.
By dusk, the training concluded.
During the session, Wang Dong had even declared his intent to join the Tang Sect. Thrilled by the prospect of new blood for her dwindling order, Tang Ya immediately recited the sect's rules and accepted him—tasking Bei Bei with teaching him the Tang Sect's secret techniques.
…
After leaving Jiubao Pavilion, the group strolled through a night market, the mood light—except for one glaring exception.
"Nannan, this is the street's famous fruit tea! Nannan, this is the best barbecue here…"
Xu Sanshi, arms laden with snacks, beamed with obsequious eagerness. Jiang Nannan's expression remained glacial—she refused to acknowledge him, acting as if he were a stranger.
Chen Junting's group did the same.
"How embarrassing!" Bei Bei groaned, slapping a hand over his face. Even his usual cunning couldn't shield him from secondhand shame. "Let's go, quick!"
Chen Junting grabbed Ning Tian's hand, and they sped up, eager to escape Xu Sanshi.
"Xiao Xu."
A cold voice cut through the air. Xu Sanshi—who'd been clinging to Jiang Nannan like glue—shuddered violently. Fear and resignation replaced his fawning smile.
Chen Junting's group instantly sensed the shift. The market's clamor died. Patrons lowered their heads, silent as the grave.
A red-clad woman approached. The crowd parted instinctively, not daring to meet her gaze.
She was statuesque—voluptuous yet slender-waisted, with long, flawless legs radiating youthful vitality. A red veil obscured her face, but her elegant brows and eyes confirmed her beauty.
Chen Junting's brow lifted slightly.
Ma Xiaotao.
"The Inner Academy senior," Ning Tian whispered, recognizing the crimson uniform. "And Senior Xu Sanshi seems terrified of her."
Xu Sanshi kept his eyes downcast. "Senior Xiao Tao…"
"There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you."
Ma Xiaotao's gaze swept over the group, her arrogance plain—Chen Junting's team barely registered. Only when her eyes landed on Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong did she pause, scrutinizing them until they grew uneasy.
Then Chen Junting and Ning Tian stepped forward, blocking her view. While Chen Junting held Ma Xiaotao's gaze, Ning Tian turned gently to the two boys.
"Yuhao, Wang Dong—do you know this senior?"
After a hesitation—
Huo Yuhao nodded; Wang Dong shook his head—then quickly corrected himself when he saw Huo Yuhao's reaction.
Huo Yuhao then recounted their encounter by Sea God Lake—how Ma Xiaotao had nearly killed them, and their "compensation" had been two Soul-Advancement Pills.
Nearby bystanders hurried away. This wasn't their business.
When Huo Yuhao mentioned the pills, Wang Dong grinned—unaware Chen Junting's expression had turned icy, and Ning Tian's warmth had vanished.
"Two Soul-Advancement Pills… for two lives," Chen Junting said softly—but the chill in his voice made Wang Dong's smile die. He clapped a hand over his mouth and hid behind Huo Yuhao.
Ning Tian's smile was razor-thin as she met Ma Xiaotao's eyes. "Senior, that's awfully… cheap."
Ma Xiaotao frowned, but her thoughts weren't on their words—they were on the ice attribute she'd sensed that day.
"Which of you has an ice-type martial soul?"
She bypassed Chen Junting and Ning Tian, reaching toward Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong.
That did it.
Chen Junting and Ning Tian's patience snapped.
Was this just about Huo Yuhao?
Partly.
But more importantly—it was about the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's dignity.
Buzz—! ×2
The Seven Kill Sword's edge gleamed; the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda shimmered. The two martial souls froze Ma Xiaotao's hand mid-air.
"Nine Treasures… Glazed Tile Sect."
"And Wang Dong is also of my Tang Sect!" Tang Ya added fiercely.
Ma Xiaotao didn't even glance at her. As disciple of Martial Soul Department Dean Yan Shaozhe, she knew better than to provoke the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect—a sect richer and more influential than even the White Tiger Duke Manor. Its disciples were never ordinary: future sect masters, future Guardian Douluos, or elite talents.
Here, the heir and Guardian Douluo were obvious. That left Huo Yuhao as the "elite talent."
"Elite talent?" Ma Xiaotao sneered at Huo Yuhao. "A Level 18 weakling at eleven? Pathetic."
The contempt cut deep. Huo Yuhao flinched—and Wu Feng (who saw him as her little brother) and the prideful Wang Dong erupted.
"What did you say?!"
Ma Xiaotao ignored them, addressing only Chen Junting and Ning Tian.
"Name your compensation." She wouldn't let this escalate—over a minor issue—against the continent's wealthiest sect.
"Simple," Chen Junting said calmly. "Two soul bones."
As if soul bones were trivial.
"Impossible!" Ma Xiaotao's eyes flashed with suppressed fury. "One—and only a Secret Method soul bone!"
"Accepted," Ning Tian nodded. They'd wanted an apology in action, not value. Such a soul bone would be low-tier—worthless to their sect.
"Take it." Ma Xiaotao's finger brushed her ruby ring. A leather pouch appeared. She tossed it to Huo Yuhao and turned away without a backward glance. "Xiao Xu—let's go."
Xu Sanshi winced. "Senior Xiao Tao… go easy on me today, okay?"
Enraged, Ma Xiaotao seized his collar, unfurled her fiery phoenix wings—and shot into the sky, vanishing instantly. She couldn't bear another second here.
"Poor Senior Xu," Chen Junting sighed, hearing Xu Sanshi's fading screams. Then he smiled at Huo Yuhao, who stood dazed, clutching the pouch. "Keep that Secret Method soul bone, Yuhao. The sect won't ask for it back. But heed my advice: its quality is poor. Don't absorb it yet. Wait until you find two compatible soul bones, then use this to fuse them. Otherwise, you'll waste a precious soul bone slot."
"Yes, Brother Junting," Huo Yuhao whispered, tears in his eyes as he turned to Ning Tian. No one had ever defended him like this. "Thank you, Sister Xiao Tian."
"No need for thanks," Ning Tian said, looping her arm through Chen Junting's. He glanced at the deserted street—and at Tang Ya, heartbroken after Ma Xiaotao had utterly dismissed the Tang Sect.
"Today's good mood is ruined," he muttered.
"Let's just go back."
"Rest well. Tomorrow's Freshman Assessment awaits."
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