Looking at the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Master Academy before them, Tang Wulin's six-member team was filled with bitterness.
They had endured countless hardships and moved as fast as they could, yet they still arrived in Mingdu more than four days later than Xia Yi's trio.
What frustrated them the most was that Xu Xiaoyan had just stumbled upon a video of Xia Yi and Gu Yue going wild in a bar—Xia Yi performing a pole dance.
They didn't find it funny at all. They were just jealous.
They were all soul masters.
So why was it that all they ever did was train and train…
While Xia Yi could indulge in romance and entertainment?
And that wasn't even the worst part—the worst part was that Xia Yi's strength was still utterly monstrous.
This was just too unfair.
As Tang Wulin and his group lamented the injustices of the world, Wu Zhangkong had already arrived ahead of them, standing at the entrance of the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.
Before they could figure out what was happening, a flash of light appeared in Wu Zhangkong's hand, revealing a peculiar object.
A flared mouthpiece with a metal box attached behind it.
This was…
Before they could react, Wu Zhangkong pressed a button on it, lifted it, and shouted toward the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Master Academy's main building.
"Students of the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, listen up! The six of us are from Shrek Academy, with an average age of fourteen. We challenge your strongest fighters under twenty years old. We are here today to show you the gap between you and the strongest academy on the continent."
His cold voice rolled like thunder, its powerful echoes carrying across several streets. The device in Wu Zhangkong's hand was clearly a soul tool loudspeaker!
After saying his piece, he pressed another button and then shoved the loudspeaker into Tang Wulin's hands.
Tang Wulin said helplessly, "Teacher Wu, isn't this a bit too ruthless?"
Wu Zhangkong said indifferently, "Do you think getting a perfect score is that easy?"
Tang Wulin was about to say something else when the loudspeaker in his hands blared again:
"Students of the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, listen up! The six of us are from Shrek Academy, with an average age of fourteen. We challenge your strongest fighters under twenty years old. We are here today to show you the gap between you and the strongest academy on the continent."
Damn it, this thing had a recording function…
Tang Wulin wanted to cry!
And then, Wu Zhangkong disappeared…
A chilly breeze swept past, carrying a touch of desolation!
Teacher Wu, what about leading the team?! What happened to trust between people?!
The loudspeaker blared for a third time.
Xie Xie looked at Tang Wulin and said, "I think we've been set up."
Xu Xiaoyan gulped and said, "So this is what they call 'extra value at no extra cost'? A perfect score really isn't easy to get…"
Ye Xinglan cracked her knuckles. "Then we fight. If it were me, I'd make the same announcement."
Xu Lizhi raised his chubby hand beside Ye Xinglan. "Agreed!"
Na'er walked up to Tang Wulin, took the loudspeaker from his hands, and examined it. "Doesn't seem like he said anything wrong, though."
Tang Wulin sighed. "I want to give Teacher Wu a nickname—'King of Pitfalls.' What do you think?"
Finally, he found the switch and turned off the loudspeaker, which had already blared its message four times.
But in just these few minutes, they had already drawn a crowd.
Some were students and staff from the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, while others were just passing by.
From within the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, a middle-aged man with golden hair stepped out, his face dark as he watched Tang Wulin turn off the loudspeaker.
"Shrek Academy?" The man walked up to Tang Wulin's group, his expression grim.
Tang Wulin put the loudspeaker away in his storage soul guide ring and said, "We are from Shrek Academy's outer court, first grade, Class One."
"You want a challenge, huh? Very well. Follow me." The middle-aged man finished speaking, and a powerful aura surged from his body.
The aura was razor-sharp, piercing the sky. Those nearby felt as if they were being sliced apart, and the crowd was stunned.
"Disperse. If you want to see the outcome, wait. There'll be a live broadcast on the big screen," the man said. Then he retracted his aura and turned to walk inside.
Tang Wulin and his team took deep breaths and prepared to follow him.
Just then—
WEE-OOO… WEE-OOO… WEE-OOO…
A blaring siren suddenly echoed. A police motorcycle sped in, coming to a stop between the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Master Academy instructor and Tang Wulin's group, blocking their path.
Xia Hong leaped off the motorcycle.
She was no longer in her auxiliary police uniform but in a standard Mingdu police uniform.
However, because she had been riding, she was still wearing a helmet, so Tang Wulin and his group didn't see her face or age.
Xia Hong didn't give them a chance to explain.
By the time she appeared in front of Tang Wulin, a pair of silver handcuffs had already materialized in her hands.
Before Tang Wulin could react, one end of the cuffs had already snapped onto his right wrist.
Tang Wulin felt dizzy.
When did he get handcuffed?! He hadn't even noticed!
Xia Hong didn't care what he thought. She grabbed the cuffs with one hand and his shoulder with the other, using his body as leverage for a graceful backflip over his head. The moment she landed behind him, she yanked his shoulder, flipping him onto the ground, and locked his left hand into the cuffs.
Just like Xia Yi, Tang Wulin had no chance to react before he was subdued.
The difference was that Xia Yi had been forced into a crouch, while Tang Wulin was slammed face-first into the ground.
One slight advantage he had over Xia Yi—he wasn't put in a soul-sealing helmet.
Only a soul-sealing handcuff.
As soon as Tang Wulin was fully restrained, Na'er reacted first, her Silver Dragon Spear thrusting straight toward Xia Hong.
"Starlight, Brilliance!"
Xu Xiaoyan's Star Staff shone. Thanks to her martial soul evolution during the exams, her domain effect was now absolute even in daylight.
Not just Na'er and Xu Xiaoyan—Ye Xinglan, Xie Xie, and Xu Lizhi all sprang into action.
They all rushed Xia Hong at once.
Four black soul rings flared around Xia Hong. Silver light flashed, and she instantly vanished, dodging all their attacks.
Na'er gasped. "This bloodline power… Silver Dragon's spatial control?! Your martial soul is the Silver Dragon Goddess? That's impossible!"
Xia Hong didn't care. Silver light flashed again, and she appeared behind Xu Xiaoyan.
The soul-sealing handcuffs snapped onto Xu Xiaoyan's right wrist, yanked her forward, then released her.
With inertia carrying her forward, she crashed into Xu Lizhi, who had been making buns.
The other end of the cuffs happened to snap onto Xu Lizhi's left wrist.
The two crashed together, and the cuffs locked.
"Freeze!" Xia Hong's icy voice rang out, her terrifying bloodline aura locking Xie Xie in place. She flung another pair of cuffs, accurately binding his hands.
Next, she reappeared before Ye Xinglan, who slashed at her with the Star God Sword. Na'er joined in, thrusting with her Silver Dragon Spear.
Xia Hong's own Silver Dragon Spear swept across, disarming them both.
Two pairs of silver cuffs locked onto their wrists.
A light push—
They landed face-first beside Tang Wulin.
The entire scene left the teachers of Sun-Moon Royal Soul Master Academy and the surrounding spectators utterly stunned.
From the moment Xia Hong made her move to the moment she subdued the six geniuses of Shrek Academy, the entire process lasted no more than two to three seconds. Her movements were fluid, full of grace, and aesthetically pleasing.
Looking at Tang Wulin and his companions lying on the ground, Xia Hong clapped her hands, then casually sat back down on her motorcycle.
Only at this moment did she take out her credentials, flashing them in front of Tang Wulin and the others as she said, "I am Xia Hong, an officer of the Third Squad, Royal District Police Force, Mingdu Police Department. You are suspected of disturbing public order and provoking trouble. I am now officially placing you under arrest."
Xia Hong removed her helmet, revealing a baby-fat-covered doll-like face. She tossed her long, jet-black hair back and continued, "Besides that, you are also suspected of assaulting a police officer. According to Federation law, officers have the authority to execute criminals who attack law enforcement on the spot. However, considering that you are all minors and simply misguided troublemakers lacking proper discipline, I merely subdued you instead of using excessive force. But if you provoke me again, don't blame me for not holding back."
In the Sun-Moon Federation, police officers had immense authority.
Under any circumstances, they were allowed to first subdue suspects before presenting their identification.
If they encountered resistance, they had full legal rights to execute the perpetrator immediately.
After all, in a world where Soul Masters existed, if officers had to show their credentials before taking action, criminals would have long since escaped or struck first.
By the same logic, if law enforcement officers did not have the right to kill resisting criminals, they would be the ones in danger.
Even with these privileges, being a federal police officer remained a highly hazardous profession.
To prevent the abuse of power, the Federation mandated that law enforcement officers must activate the recording function within their police badges when carrying out duties.
Thus, there was nothing wrong with what Xia Hong had just said.
She had indeed been within her rights to take lethal action.
Suddenly, Xia Hong let out a cold snort, drew the firearm from her waist, and aimed it directly at Tang Wulin's head. She said flatly, "Sir, times have changed. Want to see whether your sword is faster or my gun?"
Among the watching crowd, Wu Zhangkong's expression grew even colder. His icy gaze locked onto Xia Hong, but when he saw her finger resting on the trigger, ready to fire at any moment, he had no choice but to withdraw the Skyfrost Sword he had just summoned.
Now that Tang Wulin and his group had already been subdued, Xia Hong was no longer allowed to kill them. However, if Wu Zhangkong made another move, she would have full justification to pull the trigger.
Looking at Xia Hong's seemingly harmless doll-like face, her large, clear eyes, Wu Zhangkong had no idea what she was thinking, nor did he dare gamble on whether she would actually fire.
He could only obediently retract his martial soul and slowly step out from the crowd, though his gaze remained ice-cold as he stared at Xia Hong and asked in a chilly voice, "Who exactly are you?"
Xia Hong casually tossed a pair of soul-sealing handcuffs and a spirit-sealing helmet in front of him, pointed at Tang Wulin and the others, and said indifferently, "Put them on yourself. Go squat beside them before speaking to me."
(End of chapter)