The forest on the small hill was silent, with the work-study students and Boss Xiao's group locked in a tense standoff.
All the work-study students stood behind Xiao Wu, glaring at Boss Xiao's team with anger.
Boss Xiao's team consisted of over twenty senior students, all with formidable strength.
On the work-study students' side, the grades were mixed. Aside from Xiao Wu and Ao Tian, only Wang Sheng could be considered a capable fighter.
It was no wonder the work-study students had been bullied so badly by Boss Xiao in the past.
Boss Xiao was tall, already reaching a height of one meter seventy at only eleven or twelve years old.
His originally handsome face was bruised, making people's gazes linger on it.
Xiao Wu spoke first, "Boss Xiao, you haven't changed at all. Didn't that fall make you sober up? People like you will get their comeuppance."
Xiao Wu, having her sore spot poked, Boss Xiao said hatefully, "That day's business, you lot did it, didn't you? Otherwise, how could the eight of us have all tumbled down the stairs? You must have ambushed us from behind!"
Xiao Wu was taken aback, and angrily said, "Don't you go spewing nonsense! We were quite a distance from you at the time, how could we have pushed you?"
Boss Xiao turned to look at two of his underlings and asked, "You two were at the back that day, did anyone push you?"
The two underlings hurriedly nodded, saying, "Yes, yes! We felt a strong push on our backs, it was Wang Sheng and the others."
The two underlings pointed at Wang Sheng, looking utterly certain.
A look of smugness appeared on Boss Xiao's face. "Since that's the case, we'll settle the old and new scores together. If you lot lose today, that little kid there, all his Gold Soul Coins are mine. And this little girl will become my pet rabbit."
Xiao Wu's pretty face flushed, her left hand on her hip, her right hand raised, pointing at Boss Xiao, trying to look fierce, but she just looked a little cute. She said:
"Boss Xiao, since you're so shameless, today I'll let you see how amazing the work-study students are. If you lose, you'll have to go around us from now on."
"No problem," Boss Xiao readily agreed. "I won't bully you. I see you have eleven people, so we'll also send out eleven. It'll be one-on-one battles. If you win, you can fight the next opponent until one side is completely defeated."
Wang Sheng knew Boss Xiao very well. After a moment's thought, he saw the cunning in Boss Xiao's plan. He immediately said to Xiao Wu,
"Xiao Wu, don't agree to this. They're all senior students over there. One of them can almost crush everyone except me, you, and Ao Tian. The three of us will definitely be subjected to a war of attrition. This isn't good for us."
"War of attrition? I love it! I'll beat them all down," Xiao Wu said, showing excitement instead of concern. "That settles it. Stop being so wishy-washy. Let's begin."
Boss Xiao's smile grew thicker, looking as if his scheme had succeeded. He shouted to the back, "Liu Long, you go first."
"Yes, Boss," a young man named Liu Long walked out.
He was tall and was already a sixth-year student, one of Boss Xiao's strong subordinates.
Wang Sheng's expression changed slightly. He gritted his teeth and said, "Xiao Wu, let me handle this one."
Xiao Wu was surprised. "Do you have a grudge against him?"
Wang Sheng nodded. He and Liu Long were in the same class. They'd fought many times, and each time, Wang Sheng had been utterly defeated, beaten quite miserably.
The reason was that Liu Long's Martial Soul was a staff, while Wang Sheng's War Tiger Martial Soul hadn't yet been able to manifest. He couldn't beat Liu Long, who wielded a weapon.
Xiao Wu nodded. "Alright, go ahead. If you lose, I'll avenge you."
Wang Sheng went to the front. Liu Long, his opponent, also stepped forward.
"You're a defeated general. Why humiliate yourself?" Liu Long sneered.
Wang Sheng's expression was grave. Without a word, he directly activated his Martial Soul's power.
He roared softly, and his body glowed with soul power. His entire aura became much more ferocious, like a tiger.
Seeing that Wang Sheng didn't respond, Liu Long felt slighted. His expression turned cold, and a two-meter-long staff appeared in his hand.
The two fell silent, locked in combat.
Ao Tian walked over and stood beside Xiao Wu, watching the battle.
From the very start, Wang Sheng was at a disadvantage.
Liu Long's long staff defended with impenetrable density, preventing Wang Sheng from getting close. Each strike carried immense force, leaving blood and bruises on Wang Sheng's body.
Wang Sheng roared continuously like a tiger, fighting back with all his might, but his disadvantage became increasingly obvious.
Xiao Wu, worried, asked, "Ao Tian, do you think Wang Sheng still has a chance of winning?"
Ao Tian showed no concern, and smiled, "Why not? As long as you want him to win, he can win."
Xiao Wu glared at Ao Tian, displeased, "What kind of time is this for jokes?"
"At this rate, Wang Sheng can't win." Tang San's voice suddenly cut through the air. Xiao Wu turned to look and saw him standing beside her.
"For Wang Sheng to win, he needs to break through their defenses and get in close. But with his fighting skills, he can't get past them." Tang San spoke with conviction, making it easy to believe his assessment.
He glanced at Ao Tian, then at the opposing team, and continued to say to Xiao Wu, "You were too hasty in challenging them today. You should have waited for me to return; it would have given you a better chance. But fortunately, I made it back."
"Are you saying we would have lost if you hadn't returned?" Ao Tian asked.
Tang San didn't look at Ao Tian, responding calmly, "The chances of losing were high. Although you are strong in both power and speed, the other side has many strong opponents, and Boss Xiao has already become a Soul Master. The power of Soul Skills is beyond your imagination. Being a Soul Master and not being a Soul Master are two completely different worlds."
Ao Tian laughed, "Is that so? In my opinion, Soul Masters are nothing special. Wang Sheng might not lose."
Xiao Wu said angrily, "What is wrong with you two? Why are you arguing at a time like this?"
Tang San ignored Xiao Wu, shook his head, and said, "Ao Tian, you lack my insight."
After losing to Ao Tian last time, Tang San couldn't help but want to win a round back.
"Really? I say Wang Sheng will win, so he will win," Ao Tian said with his usual confident smile.
Seeing that Wang Sheng was about to lose at any moment, Tang San already had a small stone in his hand, ready to secretly help Wang Sheng.
But hearing Ao Tian's words, he suddenly couldn't help but compete with Ao Tian, and put the stone back in his pocket.
"Then I'll wait and see how Wang Sheng wins," Tang San said lightly.
"Tang San, how can you say such words that boost others' morale and diminish our own?" Someone behind him said, displeased.
Tang San stood there unperturbed. Even if Wang Sheng lost, so what? He still had Xiao Wu and himself. Ao Tian would probably take action too. They would still come out on top in this match.
He just wanted to deflate Ao Tian's arrogance and see the look on Ao Tian's face when he failed.
On the battlefield, Wang Sheng was already covered in wounds, finding it increasingly difficult to parry Liu Long's attacks.
"Wang Sheng will lose within five moves," Tang San stated firmly.
Ao Tian said, "Wang Sheng will win within five moves, I'm telling you."
(End of this chapter)