"That's it?"
Li Chang'an gave the group of weaklings a glance, not even bothering to speak. They weren't worth his attention.
"Mu Bai, Tang San, Fatty—you've got ten minutes to finish this," he said casually, then sat down, leisurely watching Lan Yue.
Lan Yue noticed his gaze and let out a cold snort, saying nothing. She didn't believe a few kids could possibly defeat students from a top-tier advanced Spirit Master academy.
But the next moment, her expression changed.
Tang San and the others had perfectly optimal spirit ring configurations—and that slightly older boy was already a Spirit Elder!
'How could that be?!' Lan Yue had always considered herself the number one genius of Cang Hui Academy, and even she had only reached the Spirit Elder rank at sixteen. That boy looked clearly younger than her, yet he had already surpassed her!
What happened next didn't need much explanation. The trio completely overpowered their opponents, flattening them effortlessly. Lan Yue frowned—this wasn't just a loss, it was a total collapse.
'No... it's not over yet. My teacher is still here. He's a Spirit King. This isn't decided yet.'
Some people can't accept failure, not until the very last moment. Lan Yue was one of them. In her eyes, Li Chang'an had insulted her. A man like that deserved to be crushed!
"Stop!" The Cang Hui Academy teacher finally stepped forward, waving at his students.
"All of you, fall back."
Earlier, Lan Yue had whispered to him that if he taught these brats a lesson, she'd let him "be on the bottom." So whether it was for the sake of that seductive offer or the academy's pride, he had to step in and act tough.
"I'm Ye Zhiqiu, Director of External Affairs at Cang Hui Academy. May I ask which Clan you're from?"
Ye Zhiqiu wanted to teach Li Chang'an and the others a lesson—but he wasn't reckless. He knew better than to provoke someone dangerous without knowing their background.
"We're from Shrek Academy," Fatty said smugly before Dai Mu Bai could speak.
Ye Zhiqiu paused, a thoughtful glint flashing in his eyes. "Shrek Academy? Never heard of it."
Dai Mu Bai let out a cold snort. "That just proves how little you know."
Realizing they weren't affiliated with any major clan, Ye Zhiqiu felt somewhat relieved, though also disappointed. He had always believed Cang Hui Academy's students were top-level. This trip to the Star Dou Forest was to help one of them reach Level 30 and obtain a third soul ring.
But now that things had escalated, he no longer hesitated. His eyes lit up as he released his martial soul.
"Xuan Turtle, Possession!"
A beast-type martial soul—Xuan Turtle.
Black ripples surged from his body, suppressing the aura of Tang San, Dai Mu Bai, and Fatty. His limbs shrank by a third, and a massive turtle shell rose from his back.
A total of five soul rings rose beneath his feet: one white, two yellow, and two purple. Ye Zhiqiu was a Spirit King, a powerful Spirit Master above Level 50!
As his martial soul was unleashed, Lan Yue's expression relaxed. Even though she felt like she had missed something important, she couldn't afford to think too much—her pride needed to be restored!
The restaurant buzzed with astonishment. After all, Spirit Kings were rare across the continent and extremely powerful. In certain kingdoms, they could even receive noble titles like Viscount or Count.
Ye Zhiqiu's tone was calm but heavy with pressure. "You kids are too young to understand the consequences of your words. Have your teacher come out."
The group glanced at Li Chang'an and Zhao Wuji in unison. Our teachers are right here, they thought. You just don't recognize them.
Li Chang'an didn't look like a teacher, and Zhao Wuji's rural peasant attire made it nearly impossible to link him to a powerful Spirit Master.
Fatty cackled. "You, an old turtle, want to see our teacher? Please. We're more than enough to deal with you!"
"Please, honored Spirit Masters, not in my humble store!" The shopkeeper finally rushed out, panicked. "This is a small business—I beg you, don't fight here!"
Ye Zhiqiu had a long-standing pet peeve—he hated being called a turtle. It struck directly at the core of his martial soul.
And Fatty had just stomped right on that nerve.
Ye Zhiqiu's face twisted with anger, though he let out a cold laugh. "Very well. Since your teacher won't show, I'll teach you all a lesson myself. Let's take this outside."
He turned and walked out, his large turtle shell swaying slightly, making for a comical sight—but the thick spirit power he radiated was no joke.
The students of Cang Hui Academy followed, while Lan Yue shot Li Chang'an one last look.
Li Chang'an didn't even glance at her.
Dai Mu Bai quietly said to Tang San, "This old guy is over Level 50, and the Xuan Turtle is a strong beast martial soul. Be careful. I'll hold him off—strike fast. I'm not sure how long I can hold out."
Tang San replied, "We might not necessarily lose. His soul power is stronger, but his martial soul has some flaws."
Li Chang'an happened to walk over at that moment and overheard them.
"I'll handle this one," he said lightly. "This all started because of me. You guys just watch."
Tang San and the others immediately relaxed. With Li Chang'an stepping in, the outcome was no longer in question. Both sides might be Spirit Kings, but they were clearly not on the same level. The only question now was: how many hits would it take?
Granted, the opponent had a turtle martial soul and was a Spirit King—so this might be a bit tricky.
The students backed away, leaving only Li Chang'an and Ye Zhiqiu facing off.
"Just you?" Ye Zhiqiu frowned at him. "I don't want to bully a child."
To him, Li Chang'an looked no different from the others—at most, a three-ringed Spirit Elder. How could he possibly be a match?
Li Chang'an looked at him and sighed inwardly. This really did start because of him. Plus, this teacher is a bit pitiful—still chasing empty promises, like a loyal dog. Might as well take it easy on him. 'I'll use thirty percent of my strength.'
"Go ahead," he said calmly. He didn't offer any more explanation, but the look in his eyes made Ye Zhiqiu feel... uncomfortable. Was that pity?
"Hmph. Ignorant brat!" Ye Zhiqiu snapped, readying himself for combat. He waited for Li Chang'an to release his martial soul.
But a few seconds passed—and Li Chang'an didn't activate anything.
"What are you waiting for?" Ye Zhiqiu demanded.
"I don't need to use my martial soul," Li Chang'an replied, his tone calm—but the arrogance was staggering.
"You little—!" Ye Zhiqiu felt insulted. He was furious.
Li Chang'an smiled faintly. Then he stepped lightly on the ground, launching himself into the air like a feather. In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance and threw a punch.
No fancy techniques. No sneak attacks. Just a single punch.
Yet that one punch carried immense pressure—so overwhelming that Ye Zhiqiu's heart clenched with a sense of imminent danger.
With no hesitation, Ye Zhiqiu's body erupted with black light. His first and second spirit rings flared simultaneously as he spun and raised his back to defend.
—Xuan Turtle Shield and Mystic Water Freeze.
These were the two skills he used the most. One for defense, one for control.
Yet even with both active, Li Chang'an's punch passed through the defenses like they were nothing and slammed directly into his shell.
BOOM!
Ye Zhiqiu flew through the air like a turtle cannonball, tumbling over twenty meters before he finally crashed to a stop. Strangely, he wasn't injured.
Just one punch.
And that was with only thirty percent of Li Chang'an's power.
His body had been refined through the Pangu Axe's nurturing, and then tempered in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. His physical strength was terrifying.
As the system rewarded him with points, Li Chang'an felt very satisfied—and in the crowd, he spotted Lan Yue, now watching with regret in her eyes.
__
That night passed without incident.
At dawn the next day, before the sky had fully brightened, Zhao Wuji's booming voice echoed like thunder, waking everyone up from their dreams.
Li Chang'an, of course, was unaffected—he had long cultivated a habit of rising early and followed a disciplined daily routine. But for the others, especially someone like Oscar who loved to sleep, it was painful. Even as they sat down to eat breakfast, most of them still looked half-asleep, their eyes barely open.
The sun slowly rose from the east, the pale morning light gradually pushing back the darkness.
After leaving the town, the group quickened their pace. They were now very close to the Star Dou Forest. Everyone moved at full speed, but the most excited of them all was Oscar, who was about to obtain his third soul ring. He was eager to know what kind of ability it would bring.
He knew that even without asking, Zhao Wuji would definitely ensure they hunted at least a relatively normal thousand-year spirit beast for him.
What Oscar didn't know, however, was that Li Chang'an had already begun planning which five-thousand-year-level spirit beast to help Zhu Zhuqing acquire.
Finally, the group arrived at the outer edge of the Star Dou Forest. The towering trees stretched over twenty meters high—and this was only the outer perimeter. The dense forest was devoid of clear paths, the overlapping shadows of trees completely obscuring any view of what lay within.
As they approached the forest, the air grew noticeably cooler. The drop in temperature brought a refreshing chill, and the damp, earthy scent of soil and leaves filled their noses, making the environment feel calm and soothing.
"Everyone, stop here," Zhao Wuji commanded.
At that moment, Li Chang'an suddenly heard the familiar voice of the system in his mind:
[Ding! Host has entered the Star Dou Forest. Mission activated: Meet the Silver Dragon King!]
[Mission Objective: …]
___
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