Chapter 38: Bad Business

"No matter what you think, the fight is over."

Xiao Xiao shook her head gently.

The three great heavy tripods had already soared above Nanmen Yun'er's head, the massive shadow they cast masking the despair in her eyes.

"Tripod Tremor!"

Without any surprise—

Nanmen Yun'er was done for.

After all, even for a power-attack soul master, taking a direct hit from the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Tripods would leave one rattled; for an agility-attack soul master with no defensive capabilities, even a glancing blow from the tripod meant defeat.

Clearly, the only way for this type of soul master to survive against Xiao Xiao was to be fast enough to force her into a purely defensive stance, leaving her no room to attack.

"One down."

Xiao Xiao winced, drawing a sharp breath as she let her arms hang limp and walked toward Wu Feng, who was kneeling on the ground. "So, what is your choice?"

"I..."

"We surrender!"

Ning Tian hurriedly deactivated her martial soul, rushed over to embrace Wu Feng—whose arms were seeping blood—and reached out to intervene. "We stop here, we concede!"

Although she had the power-enhancing boost from the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, the Tripod Tremor was not something one could easily withstand. Now, Wu Feng's arms were immobile; if the fight continued, it would be dangerous.

The battle ended.

Ning Tian's team stopped at the round of sixteen.

"Young Mistress..."

Wu Feng offered a wretched, apologetic smile. "Am I useless...?"

It had been less than three minutes since the start of the battle!

They could be said to have been wiped out in a single wave the moment they crossed paths with the opponent. She had thought they could compete for the championship, had thought the opponent was just a little girl making up for her lack of talent with hard work...

In the end, it turned out she was the one who needed to hit the books.

If she could have kept up with Ning Tian's pace and successfully broken through to the third ring, they would never have lost so easily. If she could have created equally powerful techniques, perhaps they could have staged a spectacular duel.

"Yes."

Ning Tian looked at Xiao Xiao's back and spoke with a hint of stifled anger: "You are useless."

*Slap.*

Something shattered in Wu Feng's eyes. "Then... are you going to abandon me?"

"You idiot!"

Ning Tian was nearly stunned by this person's bizarre train of thought, and for the first time in her life, she cast aside her upbringing and swore.

"It's just one loss in a freshman tournament, and you put on this shameful display. Is that not useless enough? Or do you truly believe you're that impressive just because you're used to bullying those with inferior martial soul quality and lower cultivation levels?"

"How many times do I have to tell you? The world is filled with countless geniuses. Do you still think you're inside the sect? Do you feel a sense of accomplishment bullying your own sect members with your martial soul advantage? Is that all you're good at—bullying your own?"

The frustration Ning Tian had been bottling up for over three months was finally released.

Wu Feng was normal enough inside the sect, but once she reached the academy, her brain seemed to go haywire.

If Ning Tian tried to talk to a classmate, she would interrupt. If she walked with an acquaintance, she would interfere. When they finally found a teammate like Nanmen, who had a gentle temper and was easy to talk to, Wu Feng only escalated her behavior...

If the other party were a man, it might be one thing.

But they were all girls, so why was she trying so desperately to cause trouble?

"High and mighty, arrogant, and yet your spirit shatters at the slightest touch! How do you expect me to rely on you?"

The more Ning Tian spoke, the more heartbroken she felt. "Like this, how can you make me believe I can depend on you in the future!..."

*Future.*

*Depend.*

Wu Feng suddenly looked up, her eyes shining with a brilliance never seen before. "You said... you want to depend on me in the future?"

"...Yes."

Ning Tian, in the middle of her passionate outburst, stalled. She realized with a sense of sorrow that her entire lecture had been wasted. She could only continue as if coaxing a child.

"You are the battle soul master specifically assigned to me by the sect, the only protection for me, a support-type soul master. Unless something happens, you are going to be with me for the rest of my life."

"Really?"

Wu Feng found it hard to breathe for a moment.

*She, I...*

*A lifetime? What does that mean? Why is she saying this now? Could it be—*

"Ahem."

The referee reminded them, prepared to step in and clear the field if they didn't leave: "Can the two of you please leave the stage?"

"Sorry... we're leaving now!"

Coming back to her senses, Ning Tian hurriedly carried Wu Feng on her back.

"I'm sorry..."

As she swayed on her back, Wu Feng suddenly whispered in her ear: "Young Mistress, I will become useful."

Ning Tian paused her steps, then sighed with a sense of relief. "You are already useful enough~"

"Also, call me sister! There is no master and servant between us."

...

Meanwhile.

In another match.

Wang Dong looked at Huo Yuhao standing opposite him and sighed deeply. "Is there any need for us to fight?"

"Actually, you could... try?"

Huo Yuhao answered uncertainly.

Before this, he had never fought Wang Dong with real weapons; at most, they had engaged in daily sparring, and even then, it was always the latter who initiated it.

Of course, the other person lost every time, without a shred of resistance.

"Hmph! If you want a trial, you'll get one!"

Wang Dong was instead provoked by his indifferent attitude. "Butterfly Goddess's—"

In an instant, a flash of light crossed Huo Yuhao's eyes, and an intangible energy lashed out.

*Soul Shock.*

"Ugh!"

In mid-air, Wang Dong felt as if his brain had been struck by a heavy hammer; a sharp, skull-splitting pain surged instantly, throwing his form into disarray. The second soul ring that had just lit up on his body flickered out, forced into silence.

Yet the offensive continued; the light in Huo Yuhao's eyes reappeared.

*Mental Interference.*

"Eh? Ehh—"

The gently fluttering butterfly wings suddenly grew chaotic. Wang Dong, already dizzy, felt the world spinning before his eyes. He couldn't distinguish up from down, left from right, and even his limb movements and martial soul control began to malfunction.

The giant moth with blue wings twisted and tumbled in the air, wobbling as it plummeted toward the ground.

"Damn it!"

Wang Dong bit the tip of his tongue to shake off the stupor, then spread his butterfly wings and dove toward Huo Yuhao at high speed, deliberately lowering his altitude to accelerate further.

Once the distance closed, he reached out and gestured. The butterfly wings on his back suddenly vanished, and in his hand appeared a small, black hammer with a metallic luster.

"Take this!"

The Clear Sky Hammer had no soul rings attached, so Wang Dong naturally couldn't trigger any skills, but he used the momentum to hurl the heavy little hammer fiercely.

"Clear Sky Hammer?"

Wang Yan exclaimed in shock. "Another twin martial soul!"

What is going on with the freshmen this year? Three soul masters, two twin martial souls, plus a body martial soul with spiritual attributes; even the ratio of two-ring soul masters is among the highest in recent history.

Could this be the so-called golden age of emerging talent?

"Quiet!"

Elder Xuan scolded impatiently. After glancing at Wang Yan, who had shrunk back like a quail, he returned his gaze to the arena.

When he saw Huo Yuhao curl his hand and guide the incoming Clear Sky Hammer along a strange trajectory of force, his crimson eyes grew serious for the first time.

"Controlling Crane and Capturing Dragon... He is not a member of the Tang Sect, is he? Could he have stolen the techniques!"

A dark look instantly clouded Elder Xuan's face.

Although the upper echelons of Shrek were almost indifferent to the destruction of the Tang Sect, that did not mean they would sit by and watch the ancestral techniques of Tang San fall into the hands of outsiders.

"E-Elder Xuan?"

Feeling the sudden drop in pressure from Elder Xuan's aura, Wang Yan's heart skipped a beat, a vague premonition that something terrible was about to happen.