Chapter 27: Shikigami: Toad
Shrek Academy, Outer Academy Soul Dueling Arena.
In just half an hour, the previously empty spectator stands had become a bustling sea of people, with every seat occupied.
Tang Ya, Bei Bei, Han Ruoruo, and the others paid the entry fee and found a seat with a good view. As soon as they sat down, the excited chatter of the surrounding students surged toward them like a tide.
"Xu Sanshi is fighting a first-year freshman? For real?"
"Who knows? Xu Sanshi doesn't usually seem like the type to bully freshmen. Maybe we heard wrong? Is it actually against Bei Bei?"
"No mistake! The announcement said it clearly—it's a first-year freshman! This is going to be a good show..."
Tang Ya listened to the discussions around her and couldn't help but lean closer to Han Ruoruo, asking in a low voice,
"Sister Ruoruo, who do you think will win between Junior Lin Xuan and Xu Sanshi?"
Han Ruoruo pondered for a moment and smiled. "Junior Lin Xuan, probably. Didn't he say he would win? I believe him."
"Wow—"
Tang Ya's eyes instantly lit up, the fire of gossip burning brightly.
"Sister Ruoruo, the way you say that makes it sound like your relationship with Junior Lin Xuan isn't ordinary. It couldn't be that kind of relationship, could it?"
"What nonsense are you talking!"
A flush of red appeared on Han Ruoruo's cheeks. She raised her hand and gave Tang Ya a light flick on the forehead.
"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll have to 'guide' you properly."
"Ouch! What are you doing~"
Tang Ya clutched her forehead, feigning pain, but her eyes sparkled with mischief.
Her gaze suddenly flicked to the seats a short distance to the left. Her eyes lit up again, and she raised her hand to wave.
"Ning Tian! Wu Feng! Over here!"
Not far away, Ning Tian and Wu Feng, who were quietly sitting and waiting for the match, turned their heads at the sound.
Seeing it was Tang Ya's group, Ning Tian whispered something to Wu Feng, and the two of them stood up to change seats.
"Tang Ya, Bei Bei, you're here to watch the match too?"
Ning Tian greeted them with a smile, her temperament elegant and graceful.
"Yeah, just here to join the fun."
Tang Ya introduced them with a grin.
"This is Senior Han Ruoruo from the Inner Court. Ruoruo, these are Ning Tian and Wu Feng, classmates from the freshman class and friends of ours."
"Hello, Senior Han."
Ning Tian and Wu Feng greeted her politely, and Han Ruoruo responded with a smile and a nod.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Ning Tian turned to Tang Ya and asked the question most people were curious about.
"Senior Tang Ya, do you know which freshman Xu Sanshi challenged?"
"Well..." Tang Ya was about to keep her in suspense when a loud voice suddenly rang out in the Soul Dueling Arena, drowning out all the noise.
The referee for this match was the same male teacher who had presided over the Freshman Class Nine matches that morning.
He walked to the center of the arena, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, and spoke loudly.
"Silence!"
"Next is the Soul Duel match. Both students, enter the arena!"
As his voice fell, the entire arena went silent.
From the right tunnel, Xu Sanshi strode out with a dark expression and stepped onto the Soul Dueling Platform.
He stood tall, his face tense, his gaze sweeping toward the opposite side with unconcealed frustration and battle intent.
Next, everyone's eyes simultaneously turned toward the entrance of the left tunnel, waiting with bated breath.
"Clack, clack, clack..."
The clear sound of footsteps approached from afar, steady and unhurried, sounding exceptionally distinct in the silent arena.
A slender figure slowly stepped into everyone's view.
Lin Xuan's expression was calm, without a ripple of emotion in his eyes. He wore a simple white school uniform, yet he possessed a steady and profound aura.
After a brief silence—
"Whoosh—!!!"
The entire arena erupted in an uproar!
"It really is a freshman! Looking at the color of the uniform, he's definitely a first-year!"
"He's so handsome... wait, no, he's so arrogant! How can he be so calm facing Xu Sanshi?"
"Who is this guy? Which class is he in? I've never seen him before!"
Exclamations and discussions exploded like waves.
Meanwhile, the moment Ning Tian and Wu Feng saw Lin Xuan's face clearly, they both froze.
"Lin Xuan?!" Wu Feng blurted out, her face full of astonishment.
Ning Tian was also stunned for a moment.
"It's actually him..."
On the platform.
Xu Sanshi watched Lin Xuan walk step by step to stand opposite him. He took a deep breath and said solemnly,
"Lin Xuan, it's not too late to back out. As long as you admit defeat and give up on that ridiculous bet, I can let what happened before slide."
Lin Xuan looked up at him and suddenly gave a faint smile.
"Are you afraid?"
Xu Sanshi choked, then laughed out of sheer anger.
"Fine, fine, fine! I gave you a chance. Don't regret it!"
He said no more and suddenly gave a low shout.
"Xu Sanshi, fourth year, Martial Soul: Mysterious Underworld Tortoise, Rank 37 Defense System Battle Soul Elder. Please advise!"
Before his voice even faded, the Soul Power around him erupted!
Amidst the surging black light, a heavy tortoise shell appeared in his hand.
Beneath his feet, two yellow and one purple Soul Rings rose one by one, their light flowing as the pressure of a Soul Elder spread out.
Low gasps of admiration rose from the audience. Xu Sanshi's cultivation and Martial Soul were indeed top-tier in the Outer Academy.
Everyone's gaze then focused on Lin Xuan.
What was this freshman's Martial Soul? And what was his Soul Power rank?
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Lin Xuan did not make any flashy opening stance.
He just stood there quietly, not even raising his arms.
In the next moment, a surge of Soul Power, far more condensed and immense than Xu Sanshi's, rippled out silently.
Then, a scene appeared that instantly plunged the entire arena into dead silence.
Purple, purple, black.
Three Soul Rings that defied common sense and crushed all understanding slowly emerged from beneath Lin Xuan's feet, floating in the air.
There were no light effects of a Martial Soul Possession, no beastly roars or weapon hums—only those pure, heart-stopping Soul Ring colors and the youth's calm, unruffled eyes.
"Two purple... one black?!"
"A thousand-year ring for the first Soul Ring?! A ten-thousand-year ring for the third?!"
"How is this possible?! Is he really a freshman?!"
"Where is his Martial Soul? Why can't we see his Martial Soul?!"
Exclamations, doubts, and gasps rose one after another, and the entire Soul Dueling Arena fell into a state of chaotic shock.
Xu Sanshi's pupils shrank, and his heart jolted violently.
The impact of that common-sense-defying Soul Ring configuration even made him briefly forget his anger.
But a second later, a sense of humiliation from being completely disregarded surged to his head.
"Lin Xuan—!"
He roared, his face flushing red with rage.
"Your Soul Rings are impressive, I'll admit that! But to not even release your Martial Soul—aren't you being too arrogant?!"
Facing Xu Sanshi's angry rebuke, Lin Xuan only shook his head slightly.
"My Martial Soul has already been released."
Xu Sanshi was stunned.
Already... released?
He suddenly focused his senses and swept his gaze over Lin Xuan's body, yet he still saw no sign of any Martial Soul appearing.
Meanwhile, in an inconspicuous corner of the audience, Xuan Zi—who was holding a wine gourd and looking disheveled—quietly opened his eyes a crack.
A sharp light flashed through his cloudy eyes.
"A thousand-year first Soul Ring, a ten-thousand-year third Soul Ring... Is this the genius Lexuan spoke of?"
"And this Martial Soul... if it's a shadow... can it be considered a Body Martial Soul? Hehe, interesting..."
On the platform, the male teacher acting as the referee felt a throbbing pain in his forehead.
Why is it this kid again? He just finished fighting a whole class this morning, and now he's here to fight a fourth-year senior?
He took a deep breath, not wanting to waste any more time, and announced loudly,
"Match—Begin!"
After speaking, his figure flashed, and he quickly retreated to the edge of the arena.
The battle was on the verge of breaking out.
Although Xu Sanshi was angry, he was not reckless.
With his opponent's strange Soul Ring configuration and a Martial Soul that was invisible and intangible, he naturally wouldn't charge blindly. He lowered his center of gravity and held the Xuanming Tortoise Shell Shield in front of him, taking a defensive stance.
His Soul Power was poised but not yet released as he stared intently at Lin Xuan's every subtle movement.
But Lin Xuan wouldn't wait for him.
He quickly formed a strange and simple hand seal in front of him, his lips moving slightly as he uttered two words:
"Toad."
The moment the word left his lips, the shadow at Lin Xuan's feet seemed to come to life.
The dark shadow suddenly spread as if it had a life of its own, covering half the Soul Dueling Platform in an instant and encompassing the spot where Xu Sanshi stood.
Then, several giant, pale Toads, half as tall as a person, silently emerged from the churning Shadow Domain, surrounding Xu Sanshi at the center!
Their eyes were dull, and a damp, cold aura emanated from their wide-open maws.
Xu Sanshi was shocked!
He hadn't seen Lin Xuan's Soul Rings light up at all!
"What are these damn things? Martial Soul Abilities? Or the Martial Soul itself?!"
Before he could think further, the Toads' necks bulged, and their long, slimy tongues shot out like black lightning, accurately wrapping around his wrists and ankles!
A startling dragging force pulled at him. Xu Sanshi felt his limbs tighten, and his body stumbled forward uncontrollably. His previously solid defensive posture was forcefully torn open with a glaring opening!
Loving Book So Far Check Out 50+ Chapters In Advanced At Pa Treon:
patreon.com/FictionsTL