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As soon as Ning Tian opened his mouth, every head turned his way–Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, even Tang San. They leaned forward, hanging on his every word, eager for any hint he might drop.
Who wouldn't want a higher-year soul ring? The older the ring, the more soul power it added, and the stronger the skill it provided.
Xiao Wu, though, crossed her arms, her cheeks puffing out slightly. She wasn't happy seeing Ning Tian steal the spotlight, especially with the girls.
Oscar looked just as sour. If this kept up, he'd lose any shot with Ning Rongrong for good.
Ning Tian kept his face straight and started talking. "It's simple. You just need to do special training every day."
Tang San swallowed, his voice tight. "What kind of special training?"
Despite his resentment over Xiao Wu's bond with Ning Tian and old grudges about insults to his teacher, Tang San couldn't ignore Ning Tian's strength. Those two thousand-year soul rings were hard evidence. If he could figure out the trick, maybe he could outpace Ning Tian before switching to his second martial soul.
Ning Tian's tone grew firm. "A hundred push-ups, a hundred sit-ups, a hundred squats, and a ten-kilometer run. That's all."
The table went quiet.
Then, skepticism set in.
'That's it?' They'd been expecting some deep secret, not a plain exercise routine.
Tang San frowned, mulling it over. Ning Tian 'did' train like that, just more intensely. 'Maybe I should give it a shot.'
At that moment, Oscar nudged Ma Hongjun. "Fatty, look there's a girl."
Outside, eight soul masters stepped into the inn, each with "Cang Hui" stitched on their left shoulder. A middle-aged man led them, probably their teacher and among the seven students was a girl who didn't look half bad.
Oscar, itching to shake off the awkward mood and live up to Shrek's 'not causing trouble is mediocrity' creed, kept his voice low. "Just a minor academy. If you like her, go for it."
Neither he nor Ma Hongjun bothered to whisper, and with soul masters' sharp hearing, the Cang Hui group picked up every word.
Worried Ning Rongrong might misunderstand, Oscar added, "It's part of our training. The dean says not stirring things up is for the weak. And picking on other academies is safe–just a fight at most."
Tang San let out a quiet laugh, thinking it suited Shrek's 'monster' reputation.
Ning Tian wasn't laughing. "And if we run into an academy stronger than us, with tougher teachers? Would you still 'go for it'?"
Oscar shook his head fast. "No way. We're not stupid."
"So you only mess with the weak and avoid the strong," Ning Tian said. "That's just picking on easy targets. And honestly, I don't like the idea of bothering girls."
Xiao Wu nodded hard. "Right! Targeting the weak and bothering girls? That's awful."
Tang San kept his thoughts to himself, glad he hadn't jumped in, or Xiao Wu might've turned on him too.
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing both wrinkled their noses at the mention of 'bothering girls,' their disapproval obvious.
But the words had already landed. The Cang Hui group was bristling with anger.
One of the young men stood and marched over. As a waiter passed with a tray of food, he bumped into him on purpose, sending a dish flying toward Ning Tian.
Ning Tian didn't even glance back. His left hand darted out, snagging the dish mid-air, while his right steadied the waiter. In the same breath, he swung his foot into the attacker's jaw.
The man didn't have time to react. He flew backward, spinning a full 360 degrees before slamming face-up onto his teacher's table, splintering it to pieces.
Oscar sucked in a breath. "I thought you said no picking on the weak or bothering girls?"
"I didn't start it, they did," Ning Tian said coolly. "I don't cause trouble, but I don't back down either."
He set the dish on the table without spilling a drop. Though he fought with a sword, his close combat skills were just as deadly.
The Cang Hui teacher, Ye Zhiqiu, snapped the young man's jaw back into place and stormed over, his face stormy. "Which academy are you from?"
Ning Tian didn't miss a beat. "We're from Tiannan Academy."
Tang San and the others blinked, thrown off by the lie.
Ning Tian pressed on, calm as ever. "I'm Han Li, chief student of Tiannan Academy. Your student attacked me for no reason. Shouldn't you owe me an explanation?"
Ye Zhiqiu's face darkened with fury. He'd met bold people, but this was something else—claiming the victim's side after starting the mess. "There's no Tiannan Academy among the advanced soul master schools. You're just some nobody academy. Teach them a lesson!"
The Cang Hui students, already eager for a fight, rushed forward, except for the girl and the injured guy.
Ning Tian didn't hesitate. He kicked the empty table in front of him, sending it crashing into the first attacker's face. The man dropped, blood pouring from his nose.
Before the others could blink, Ning Tian charged, slamming a fist into another student and sending him crashing into the wall with a heavy thud.
In seconds, two of the five were down. The inn's patrons stared, wide-eyed at the blur of action.
Ye Zhiqiu's jaw tightened. "You fools! Use your martial souls!"
Ma Hongjun, watching in awe, muttered, "He's brutal even without a soul skill."
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