Everything happened so fast—so suddenly—that Ma Hongjun didn't even have time to stop it before things escalated.
Now, he was completely dumbfounded.
How did it even come to this?
What should I do?
Should I stop it?
Or just watch?
At that moment, the red-haired boy stood in the wind, looking completely disheveled.
But the clash between the girls hadn't ended yet.
"You people—!"
The female student's face turned red and white with fury. Her lips trembled as she struggled to speak.
Those long legs were enough to stir envy in anyone.
Though the three girls in front of her were still young and a bit immature, each had her own strengths. One had a fiery figure, another had long, flawless legs. But the one thing they all shared was:
They were far more attractive and graceful than she was.
"What's wrong? Feeling insecure?"
Ning Rongrong glanced at her with disdain, then tossed out a black-and-gold card. "Auntie, like I said—I'll buy out every cucumber in the store tonight. If that's not enough, we can get eggplants too."
She then flashed an innocent smile.
"Um... is pumpkin okay too?"
She didn't bother lowering her voice. Nearly half the tavern heard her loud and clear.
People froze in shock. How could such a sweet, adorable girl say something so vicious?
Then came the laughter.
"Hahaha! Sis, forget cucumbers—I'll volunteer myself!"
"Count me in! I'm down!"
"Hahaha! I didn't expect tonight to come with a free show!"
Laughter filled the tavern in an instant.
"You lot!!!"
The female student was trembling in rage, pointing straight at Ning Rongrong. Her blood was boiling, and she looked like she might faint on the spot.
Oscar was so scared, he swallowed hard.
He and Ma Hongjun exchanged a look and made a silent vow:
Avoid annoying Ning Rongrong from now on.
Her ability to stir chaos... was terrifying.
"You damn bastards!!!"
Unable to hold it in anymore, the female student screamed and lunged at Ning Rongrong, her soul power erupting violently around her.
Boom!
A surge of red flames exploded midair, stopping her in her tracks.
"That's enough. I'm not interested in you."
The red-haired boy's fingertips flickered with fire as he gazed at her coolly.
He didn't care for the drama between girls. But if it escalated into a real fight—that was a different matter.
"Did you hear that? He's not interested in you."
His words made the three girls' eyes sparkle with joy. Ning Rongrong even leaned affectionately on Ma Hongjun, a sweet smile playing on her lips.
Ma Hongjun: ?
Did I hear that right? I feel like Ning Rongrong just said something really important...
"Ahhh! I'm gonna kill you! Seniors! Juniors! Someone's bullying me!!!"
The female student staggered back and screamed hysterically, releasing another burst of soul power that sent everyone nearby into a panic.
"Damn! She's actually a soul master?!"
"Run! Run!"
"We shouldn't get involved in a soul master fight!"
Within moments, the tavern cleared out. A group of young men in white school uniforms hurried in.
They first glanced at the three girls—envy clearly written on their faces—then quickly turned to the female student with a flattering tone.
"Senior Sister, what happened?"
"If any of you can smash the faces of those three bitches, I'll go out with you!"
The female student shrieked, pointing first at Ning Rongrong and her friends, then at the red-haired boy. "Be gentle with that one! I don't care what you do to the rest!"
Oscar, Tang San, Dai Mubai: …
Hey, hey, hey, isn't that a bit much?
"This senior sister…"
The group of guys looked at each other, clearly hesitant.
Fighting the boys was fine. But those girls? They were just too beautiful. They couldn't bring themselves to lay a hand on them.
"I'll sleep with whoever does it!"
Their expressions immediately shifted to dead seriousness. One by one, they pounded their chests.
"It's our honor, Senior Sister!"
Sure, she wasn't as young or pretty as the three girls, but being older had its perks.
And if there was some "accidental" physical contact during the fight... well, who's complaining?
They prepared for battle. The leader yelled:
"Brothers! Release your soul rings and beat up those little beauties—uh, I mean those punks!"
"You dare pick a fight with Canghui Academy? You're dead meat!"
Buzz!!
One after another, their soul power surged. White and yellow rings emerged around them. Together, they looked intimidating.
But Ma Hongjun saw through it at a glance. The strongest was no higher than level 27. The weakest barely touched level 25. Their soul ring combinations were messy and weak.
"Hahaha! What kind of 'brothers' are you to be this cocky?"
Seeing their spirit rings, Oscar burst into laughter.
"Cut the crap! You want to fight, come at me!"
Dai Mubai, already fed up after being ignored multiple times, snorted coldly and activated his martial spirit.
White Tiger Possession.
Two yellow and one purple spirit ring appeared around him, releasing a crushing aura that made the Canghui students take a step back.
"A Soul Elder?! How's that possible?! He's so young!"
One of the guys stammered. The female student turned pale.
Nobody expected someone so young to be more powerful than all of them combined.
"Haha! Boss Dai, now what are they gonna do?"
Oscar grinned proudly and released his martial spirit. Two bright yellow rings rose up, stunning the crowd again.
He looked even younger than Dai Mubai—yet he too was a Great Soul Master, and stronger than any of them.
"Let me show mine too."
Ning Rongrong giggled as she activated her martial spirit—Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda—with two bright yellow rings.
Ma Hongjun shrugged. Flames ignited around him, and two yellow rings floated at his feet.
Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, and even Tang San released their martial spirits.
Every one of them—Great Soul Masters with two rings.
"This… this…"
The male and female students were all frozen in disbelief.
No one expected these seemingly ordinary young teens to be real soul masters—strong ones.
"Aren't you going to smash our faces?"
Ning Rongrong blinked innocently. "We're waiting~"
Though her tone was light and playful, the Canghui students instinctively took a step back.
"Senior Sister… maybe we should just let this go."
One of the guys swallowed and began retreating. The others nodded in agreement.
No matter how you looked at it, these people were out of their league.
"You…!"
The female student was so angry she nearly broke a tooth. Her vision blurred with rage.
Just as she was about to explode completely, a cold and arrogant voice echoed across the courtyard:
"Where did you little brats come from, daring to mess with my Canghui Academy?!"