"Are we really going to fight?"
Frightened by the power of Zhou Qing's first soul skill earlier, Liu Long had lost all of his previous arrogance. A trace of fear appeared in his eyes.
If they had to face Zhou Qing, this wasn't something to take lightly!
If they got hit by his soul skill, it wouldn't just be painful—it could cripple or even kill!
"We have to fight. That guy definitely has a Soul Master clan behind him. There's no way he could have such a powerful soul skill at his age otherwise," Xiao Chenyu said firmly, convinced Zhou Qing came from a powerful background. "If we back down now, things will only get harder for us later. My father might even be affected."
This was the weight carried by sects and Soul Master clans.
Even as the son of a city lord from a small city, Xiao Chenyu had no choice but to give way when faced with someone suspected to be from such a background.
However—
When he saw the three people stepping forward to fight them, Xiao Chenyu finally let out a sigh of relief.
Wang Sheng, Song Si, and this year's new student—Xiao Wu.
Zhou Qing wasn't among them.
Now, Xiao Chenyu truly felt at ease.
Fighting against work-study students? That was nothing.
"Just as you said, it's a best-of-three format. That's fine with you, right?" Zhou Qing asked Xiao Chenyu.
"No problem at all!"
Xiao Chenyu responded immediately, then turned to one of his lackeys beside him. "Ling Feng, you go first."
The student named Ling Feng was rather quiet. He didn't say a word, took four steps forward, and faced Xiao Wu and the others.
The tall and skinny Song Si was the first to step onto the field.
"Since both sides are ready, I'll serve as the temporary referee," Zhou Qing said formally as he stepped between the two fighters. "This is a friendly duel—remember to stop before causing serious harm!"
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
"Begin!"
As his voice fell, Zhou Qing quickly backed away to stand beside Tang San, while Song Si shouted and unleashed his spirit: a frying pan—which he immediately swung at Ling Feng's head.
But Ling Feng reacted swiftly. Without even activating his Martial Soul, he leapt back a large step, dodging the blow. At the same time, he instinctively swept his arms downward.
"Ling Feng's Martial Soul must be a bird," Tang San analyzed based on his reflexes. "A Beast-type spirit."
"His Martial Soul is a swallow," Wang Sheng revealed directly. "But he hasn't obtained a soul ring yet. His soul power is the same as mine—rank nine. Song Si is only rank seven, two levels lower."
"At the Soul Master stage, small gaps in soul power don't make a big difference in real combat," Zhou Qing shook his head. "What makes Ling Feng stronger is his noble background—he eats well, has a good physique, and has had someone to spar with. His combat skills are much better than us commoners."
"But we're all around the same age. That little bit of extra technique doesn't matter too much. If Song Si can hold out for a while and then go all out, he can still intimidate him."
The reason was simple:
No matter how good Ling Feng's techniques were, he was still a kid—not a calm, experienced adult. Once he started panicking, he wouldn't be able to win easily.
And sure enough—
Song Si, while lacking attack technique, simply flailed his frying pan around, using basic moves like smashing, bashing, and swinging wildly. It only consumed stamina and the soul power needed to sustain his Martial Soul.
But Ling Feng, constantly dodging at high speed even without fusing with his Martial Soul, ended up burning through more soul power than Song Si.
You could say, if the match dragged on, Song Si still had a chance to win.
However, Ling Feng clearly understood this. While dodging, he took the opportunity to close the distance and began punching Song Si in the waist, causing the boy to cry out in pain again and again.
At this rate, it was only a matter of time before Song Si lost.
Tang San couldn't stand watching anymore. He subtly bent down and picked up a fingernail-sized pebble—but just as he was about to secretly help Song Si, Zhou Qing, who had been watching him closely, grabbed his right hand.
"Hm?" Tang San looked puzzled.
"I told you before—we can't help them for a lifetime," Zhou Qing said softly, his lips barely moving. "If Song Si wins today because of your help but doesn't know the truth and thinks he's stronger than he really is, what do you think will happen when he sets out on the path of a real Soul Master? He might make a fatal misjudgment."
"And if you tell him afterward that he only won because you intervened, it could damage his self-esteem."
"And once someone loses their pride, that's worse than losing a match."
Tang San hadn't expected that his good intentions could lead to such serious consequences—but after thinking it over, he realized Zhou Qing was right.
If someone misjudged their own strength, they might end up throwing eggs at a rock—facing a situation they weren't ready for.
And even if you told them afterward that you secretly helped them, it might not hurt their pride, but it could make them overly reliant on you.
That wouldn't do anyone any good.
After all, he truly couldn't help Song Si forever.
"As expected, with Brother Qing here, I can avoid making big mistakes. Still, I need to learn to think carefully before acting in the future..."
Tossing the pebble aside, Tang San said, "Understood."
Wang Sheng, having overheard their quiet exchange, also said to Tang San, "Tang San, when it's my turn to fight Xiao Chenyu or Liu Long in the second match, I hope you won't help me either. If I lose, I want to lose with dignity."
"Alright." Tang San felt a sense of admiration for Wang Sheng's resolve and asked, "I won't help directly, but I can still give you some advice. Do you know what Xiao Chenyu and Liu Long's Martial Souls are?"
Since Song Si was bound to lose, Wang Sheng would be facing either Xiao Chenyu or Liu Long next. Tang San couldn't offer actual assistance, but he could at least help him prepare.
Wang Sheng nodded. "Liu Long's Martial Soul is a staff. Xiao Chenyu's is a wolf, and he's already a rank eleven Soul Master."
"What about your Martial Soul?"
"A tiger."
"If you go up against Liu Long, aim for his lower body—his thighs, shins, and feet. Just make sure not to get hit by his staff."
Wang Sheng's Martial Soul was a tiger, but without formal training in punches or kicks, Tang San figured he was limited to the tiger's three basic moves: leap, pounce, and swipe.
Liu Long's Martial Soul was a staff, and since he came from a noble family, he had probably trained in some basic staff techniques—at least the fundamentals.
But at their age, their lower bodies weren't stable. Having Wang Sheng target his lower limbs was the most effective strategy. Once Wang Sheng got in close, Liu Long's ability to swing the staff would be neutralized.
"If you end up fighting Xiao Chenyu, your chances of winning are slim. My only advice is to attack his waist."
Xiao Chenyu was a rank eleven Soul Master with a Beast-type Martial Soul. While a wolf wasn't as ferocious as a tiger, the fact that he'd already reached the Soul Master rank—and had soul skills made him stronger than a Soul Scholar like Wang Sheng.
So if Wang Sheng faced Xiao Chenyu, Tang San could only advise him to aim for the waist.
Copper head, iron tail, tofu waist.
But Zhou Qing understood—it wasn't just wolves. All vertebrates had relatively vulnerable waists and abdomens, lacking the protective rib cage, and their internal organs were shielded only by layers of muscle, fat, and skin.
"I got it. Thanks, Tang San," Wang Sheng said gratefully.