Right after successfully registering, Wang Li packed his belongings and headed to the dormitory. Notting Academy was located in a small place like Notting City, so the number of talented students it could recruit was naturally limited. Among them, work-study students were even fewer, since true geniuses were rare among commoners.
Room Seven was where all the work-study students lived. There was no distinction of age or gender. Everyone lived together under unified management.
So when Wang Li arrived near Room Seven, it was obvious at a glance that although the surroundings were fairly clean, they were extremely run-down. From inside the dormitory, there was also a burst of noisy chatter.
Wang Li had already prepared himself mentally for this situation. As he walked into the dormitory, he saw a spacious room filled with forty or fifty beds, but only eleven of them had bedding laid out. At that moment, eight or nine youths were sitting on the beds, chatting and laughing.
As Wang Li entered, their gazes immediately focused on him.
Even though he had expected it, Wang Li could not help complaining inwardly when he saw the living conditions. Even a prisoner-of-war camp would not be much worse; perhaps only a ruthless factory could compare.
However, when he thought about the fact that he had not even paid tuition, he felt relieved. Looking at everyone, he smiled and said,
"Hello, I'm a new work-study student this year. My name is Wang Li."
As soon as he finished speaking, a very burly boy among them stood up, one hand on his hip and the other pointing at himself as he said,
"Your name is Wang Li? My name is Wang Sheng!"
He grinned and continued,
"I'm currently the boss of Room Seven. Now I'll give you a choice. Fight me once. If you win, you become the new boss. If you lose, you acknowledge me as the boss. Don't think that just because your surname is also Wang I'll go easy on you. This fight must happen."
Wang Li originally had no interest in pointless conflict, but when he thought about the panel he had, which still showed no experience at all, he decided it might be worth trying a battle to see if anything would change.
So he glanced around, chose a bed, placed his belongings on it one by one, then faced Wang Sheng and said seriously,
"In the world of soul masters, combat is unavoidable. Although I have only recently awakened my martial soul, I will never be afraid. Wang Sheng, let us have a battle belonging to soul masters!"
What Wang Li said sounded a bit over-the-top, but he had thought it through. Rather than throwing out harsh words and letting the fight spiral out of control, it was better to guide it and turn it into a sparring match between soul masters.
Although Wang Sheng looked tall and imposing, he was still only an eleven- or twelve-year-old boy. Hearing this, he froze for a moment, then quickly reacted, excitement flashing across his face.
After all, one is not truly young without a bit of passion. Wang Li's words hit his excitement perfectly. He became fired up and shouted loudly,
"Wang Sheng, a level nine soul apprentice. Martial soul: Battle Tiger. Please advise."
Wang Li spread his legs slightly, one forward and one back, forming a bow stance as he began to gather strength, and said,
"Wang Li, a level three soul apprentice. Martial soul: Mutated Blue Silver Grass. Please advise."
As soon as these words were spoken, not only was Wang Sheng shocked, but the other work-study students were equally astonished. They looked at each other in disbelief.
Since when could Blue Silver Grass be cultivated? After all, it was a famously useless martial soul.
Standing opposite Wang Li, Wang Sheng now knew Wang Li's martial soul and soul power. Confident in his higher cultivation, he lifted his head and said,
"Come on. I'll let you attack first."
Wang Li steadied his mind. The traits and passive effects of Blue Silver Grass, vitality and toughness, could not directly enhance his combat power, but he still guided his martial soul, letting his soul power circulate through his body.
Feeling the warm current inside him, Wang Li almost shot forward. Since Wang Sheng had given him the first move, he did not hesitate to seize this advantage.
Seeing this, Wang Sheng let out a tiger-like roar and swung his fist toward Wang Li.
Wang Li bent his knees and lowered his body, dodging Wang Sheng's punch. He had never intended to clash head-on. After quickly closing the distance, he grabbed Wang Sheng around the waist with both hands and, using the momentum, slammed his shoulder heavily into Wang Sheng's chest.
Wang Li's strength was not small, but it was not granted by his martial soul. It was the result of his own training. Even though Wang Sheng's Battle Tiger martial soul enhanced his physical abilities even more, he was still forced backward by Wang Li's charge.
Wang Sheng felt intense pain in his chest and was driven back, regretting his arrogance. But it was too late for regret. He tried to break free, yet Wang Li held on tightly.
"Martial soul, possess!"
With no other choice, Wang Sheng activated his martial soul. Yellow energy surged out from his body, and his physique began to change. His nails and teeth sharpened, and fur grew across his body. However, since he had no soul ring attached, the degree of tiger transformation was not very deep.
Even so, his strength increased significantly. After stabilizing his stance and planting his feet firmly, he could finally unleash his full power.
With an angry shout, he exerted force with both arms, grabbed Wang Li, and threw him away.
Wang Li felt his body lift into the air. Just moments ago, Wang Sheng had underestimated Wang Li; now it was Wang Li who realized he had underestimated Wang Sheng.
After the martial soul possession, Wang Sheng's strength had increased tremendously. Wang Li's original physical power was no longer enough to contend with him.
Wang Li did not know any lightness skills and could only crash heavily to the ground. Fortunately, he knew how to disperse the impact, rolling several times before getting back up.
His chest, back, wrists, and arms all hurt so badly that he bared his teeth. But he soon noticed that within his body, the previously warm soul power now carried a trace of coolness. This cool sensation appeared only at the injured areas, and the pain there began to subside.
At the same time, Wang Sheng looked at Wang Li. Feeling that he had regained his dignity, he lifted his head again and said,
"Wang Li, you actually forced me to use my martial soul. I admit that you are a strong soul apprentice, but if you want to defeat me, you are still far from it."
Wang Li seemed not to hear him at all, because in the space between him and Wang Sheng, a few words suddenly appeared out of nowhere: Experience +5.
He felt both surprised and excited. At last, he had found the correct way to gain experience. When he looked at Wang Sheng again, his gaze had completely changed, and he said dramatically,
"Wang Sheng, you are the first opponent on my path as a soul master, and also the strongest opponent. Even though your strength is terrifying, I will never give up. Come on, let us fight with everything we have."
Hearing this, Wang Sheng's blood boiled. He often fought with the fee-paying students, but he had never felt this excited before. Laughing loudly, he said,
"I, Wang Sheng, acknowledge you. I will definitely defeat you using all of my strength."
The other work-study students watching from around them had not expected things to develop this far. They were just as excited, almost wishing they could join the fight themselves.
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