During the days when Tang San had gone out to obtain his Spirit Ring, Chen Ming sparred with Xiao Wu every single day.
And as time went on, their sparring sessions gradually changed. What had once been Chen Ming mostly passively defending while getting beaten up turned into him frequently using defense as a foundation for counterattacks, even to the point where he could sometimes restrain Xiao Wu—or even take the initiative to launch attacks against her despite her superior agility.
This visible progress made Xiao Wu both impressed and a little jealous. She couldn't help but wonder whether the Soft Skills she had painstakingly trained were really as effective as she had believed.
Yet because of these repeated physical clashes—each one filled with sweat, energy, and intensity—the relationship between Chen Ming and Xiao Wu was also quietly drawing closer. At the very least, Xiao Wu had already come to regard Chen Ming as a friend, a rival… and a little brother she absolutely needed to "tame."
However, during these same few days, tensions between the work-study students and the regular students—already long-standing—began to escalate rapidly due to Xiao Wu's temperament. The hostility between the two groups soon became obvious in the open, to the point where they nearly came to blows right inside the classroom.
In the end, under the mediation of the Director of Education, Xiao Wu—representing the apparent leader of Room Seven—and Xiao Chenyu, the leader of the regular students, were arranged to settle things with a battle three days later at the back hill.
Yes, the Director of Education personally stepped in to organize a structured group fight between the students. In the Spirit Master academies of the Douluo world, this was a perfectly normal occurrence.
The discrimination regular students held against work-study students was never a hidden issue, nor was the conflict between the two sides something new. If not for the teachers keeping things under control, they would have fought long ago.
Now that things were getting out of hand, yet the academy also didn't want either side to suffer uncontrolled losses, the teachers simply stepped in and set a time and place for an official "competition."
Chen Ming wasn't particularly surprised when he heard the news. Over these past few days, he himself had been constantly harassed by a group of brainless troublemakers, and if not for the fact that most of the conflicts broke out inside the classroom, the two sides would have already come to blows.
He truly couldn't understand these people. Were they even human? Why did every single one of them seem like they were missing a brain? What did "standard villain behavior" even mean? Over the past few days, he had genuinely gained some real-world experience in what it meant to deal with completely irrational antagonists.
Whether it was for the sake of gaining combat experience or simply from his own perspective, Chen Ming—after so many days of sparring with Xiao Wu—was honestly itching to hit someone.
As Xiao Wu began to rest and conserve her energy, Chen Ming continued his usual cultivation. In the blink of an eye, three days passed, and both the work-study students and regular students gathered at the back hill, split into two opposing sides.
The work-study group was small—originally only eleven people, and even with Chen Ming and Xiao Wu added in, it was just thirteen in total. Meanwhile, the regular students numbered over a hundred. Even if only a portion of them showed up, there were still more than fifty people present.
Even though Xiao Wu and Chen Ming were both strong fighters, without any special tools, thirteen people on their side simply stood no chance against over a hundred opponents. In the eyes of the teachers, this so-called "match" wasn't really an opportunity for the work-study students—it was more like a chance for the school delinquents to vent their aggression.
Under the agreed rules, the two sides with such a massive disparity in numbers took their positions in the back hills.
"If I win, you'll obediently become my pet!" Xiao Chenyu said, staring at Xiao Wu with a lecherous grin, shamelessly voicing his filthy words. And yet, instead of disgust, the students on his side burst into laughter and jeers.
"Yeah, a pet rabbit!"
"What a waste for a girl like that to be a work-study student. Wouldn't it be better as Boss Xiao's pet rabbit?"
"Heh heh, I want to touch her ears too later!"
Xiao Wu was already baring her teeth in fury, looking ready to bite someone, while even Chen Ming—watching this group that was clearly full of nothing but small-time villains despite their age—couldn't help but clench his fists.
"First round, we're sending out Liu Long," someone from the opposing side announced.
A slightly taller student stepped forward arrogantly, summoning his Martial Soul. A wooden staff shaped like a willow branch appeared in his hand.
"Liu Long is one of our best fighters. The work-study students are doomed this time."
"I…" Wang Sheng, who had long-standing grudges with Liu Long, instinctively stepped forward despite knowing he was likely no match. But just as he opened his mouth, he saw Chen Ming quietly walking out ahead of him.
"Chen Ming, Martial Soul: Heavy Armored Earth Dragon."
With the release of his Martial Soul, Chen Ming transformed into his half-human, half-beast form, his ten sharp claws glinting with a cold light. His tail struck the ground, sending mud flying in all directions.
"Dragon... a dragon..."
Staring at Chen Ming's draconic, armored appearance, Liu Long looked down at the willow wooden staff in his own hand. His expression twisted into something indescribably complicated.
Me? Fighting a dragon-type Martial Soul Spirit Master? Am I actually supposed to win this?
…Can I even win?
Before he could think any further, Chen Ming began walking forward step by step, steadily closing the distance. Panic rising in his chest, Liu Long swallowed hard and suddenly raised his staff, swinging it straight toward Chen Ming's head.
But Chen Ming only shifted slightly to the side at an unhurried pace. The strike passed harmlessly through the air and slammed into the ground instead.
Liu Long quickly tried to pull his staff back up for another attack—but in that instant, Chen Ming's hand shot out and seized the other end of the staff.
A subtle twisting force traveled along the weapon, transmitting directly into Liu Long's grip. Even though the willow wood staff was his own Martial Soul, born from his bloodline and intimately connected to him, he still felt his hand go numb and loosen involuntarily.
In the blink of an eye, the staff was already in Chen Ming's grasp.
Just as Liu Long had done to others before, Chen Ming didn't give him even a moment to recover or retract his Martial Soul. With a single motion, he swung the staff down onto Liu Long's shoulder.
A dull impact rang out, and Liu Long cried out in pain as he dropped to one knee, his body trembling.
"Next."
Chen Ming looked down at Liu Long on the ground and calmly issued his challenge.
"I'll do it."
A figure shot forward—it was Ling Feng, attempting to rely on his speed advantage to circle and harass Chen Ming. But before he could even properly move into position, Chen Ming's fist had already arrived.
The punch curved through the air in a bizarre arc, landing squarely on Ling Feng's face.
To the onlookers, it looked almost as if Ling Feng had voluntarily stepped forward just to slam his face into Chen Ming's fist.
Less than ten seconds later, Ling Feng was clutching his face, rolling back to the side of their formation together with Liu Long.
Watching Chen Ming effortlessly take down two opponents in a row, Xiao Chenyu swallowed nervously.
Even though he had a Spirit Ring, he couldn't confidently say he could defeat those two so easily either.
If he went up himself… could he actually win?
"Boss Xiao, teach him a lesson!"
"Yeah, Boss Xiao, you're a Spirit Master—don't lose face!"
Hearing the waves of encouragement around him, Xiao Chenyu finally forced himself to regain a bit of courage. He stepped forward, summoned his Martial Soul, and a white Spirit Ring flickered beside him—proof of his status as a Spirit Master.
"Let's just spar… just a spar, don't hurt the harmony," he said nervously, swallowing hard as he prepared to test Chen Ming's strength.
But in the next instant, the Chen Ming who had been standing still like a stone statue suddenly erupted with explosive speed, charging straight at him.
In that brief moment of hesitation, Xiao Chenyu lost all chance to react. Before he could even release his soul skill, Chen Ming had already slammed into him with a shoulder charge, sending him flying backward and knocking down several students behind him.
Yes, the Heavy Armored Earth Dragon wasn't known for agility—but that weakness mainly referred to turning speed and fine control. His straight-line burst power, however, was completely unaffected.
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DROP SOME POWERSTONES GUYS!!