Ye Zhiqiu's words were eloquent: "You little kids don't know better, don't speak recklessly. Call out your teacher to come out."
The Fatty let out a strange yell: "With you, old turtle, you want to meet our teacher? We can handle you ourselves." Honestly, Ma Hongjun's words were really asking for trouble.
The shopkeeper, at this point, had no choice but to come out and intervene. "Please, please, Master Soul Masters, don't fight inside my small shop. It's a small business, a small business…" The shopkeeper pleaded, realizing that if this continued, the whole shop would likely be destroyed by the storm of conflict.
Ye Zhiqiu had the Black Tortoise martial soul, and the word "turtle" was something he was particularly sensitive about.
Initially, he had only intended to intimidate the young ones and end things there. After all, he didn't want to take the blame for bullying the younger generation, especially since he didn't know the full extent of their academy's strength.
But when Fatty crossed the line by calling him "old turtle," Ye Zhiqiu's fury surged. His face twisted into a mocking smile, "Alright, I'll teach you a lesson on behalf of your teacher. Let's go outside." With that, he turned and walked toward the exit. The huge tortoise shell on his back swayed as he moved, though the release of his soul power was immense.
The group from Canghui Academy followed Ye Zhiqiu outside the inn, while Dai Mubai quietly whispered to Tang San: "This old man is level 50 or higher, and his martial soul, Black Tortoise, is a solid defensive martial soul. Be careful, I'll take the brunt of his attacks. You need to be quick. I don't think I can last long."
Tang San replied, "We're not necessarily going to lose. His soul power is stronger than ours, but his martial soul has a weakness."
At this point, everyone gathered around, except for Gu Chen, Gu Yue, and Xiao Wu, who stayed seated.
"Chen Ge, Yue'er, aren't you coming?" Tang San asked.
If Gu Chen stepped in, Ye Zhiqiu wouldn't even be able to hold his own.
Gu Chen stood up with an indifferent expression. "This is just trouble looking for trouble. I'm not going to step in, but if you're at risk of injury, I'll step in to save you."
"Alright then…" Tang San hesitated before nodding. Having Gu Chen's guarantee that no one would be hurt was enough for him.
But Tang San seemed to forget that Gu Chen only promised to protect him, not Dai Mubai or the others.
Tang San said, "His martial soul is the Black Tortoise, which is a defensive-type battle soul master. His offensive abilities should be limited. While his soul power is high, without the proper offensive abilities, how much of a threat could he be? So, we have two strategies to deal with him."
Tang San was a disciple of Master and knew much more about martial soul theory than Dai Mubai and the others. After just one glance at Ye Zhiqiu's martial soul, he had already made several conclusions.
Once Tang San made his plan, everyone was amazed, except for one person who wasn't pleased.
"Tang San, what about me?" Ning Rongrong frowned and glared at Tang San. He had been going on and on about the tactics but hadn't mentioned her at all.
Tang San froze for a moment. The reason he didn't include Ning Rongrong in the plan was that after seeing her fiery temper, he was worried she might act counterproductively. He thought for a moment and said, "Your martial soul is unique, so you'll have to adapt to the situation."
Ning Rongrong gritted her teeth, feeling the strange gazes from the others. She inwardly swore to herself. She knew she was being excluded from the group, and that feeling didn't sit well with her.
Of course, she didn't know that there were two people who never considered her part of the group either.
To be honest, the true cohesion of the Shrek Seven Monsters only came after the Master's devilish training. Before that, Tang San, Zhu Zhuqing, and others all had their own thoughts.
Soon, the group reached the edge of town. Perhaps because Ye Zhiqiu's five soul rings were too eye-catching, many onlookers had gathered as they left the town.
As they walked out, Ye Zhiqiu's mind began to calm. Looking at the seven young ones who had followed him out, he spoke in a deep voice: "I'll give you one last chance. You can still apologize now."
Ye Zhiqiu had given Dai Mubai and the others a way out, but they showed no intention of taking it.
Dai Mubai grinned wickedly. "Apologize? What's right and wrong? The stronger fist is always right. Beat us if you can."
By this point, Ye Zhiqiu couldn't hold back any longer. He grunted angrily, "Come at me together. I'll teach you how to behave."
Ma Hongjun grinned. "Remember, we're not people. We're monsters."
Before Ye Zhiqiu could make a move, Dai Mubai acted first. His second soul ring flared brightly, and a ball of intense white light formed and shot out of his mouth. It was the Evil Eyed White Tiger's second soul ability: the White Tiger's Fierce Light Wave.
At the same time, Zhu Zhuqing sped up and went around to Ye Zhiqiu's flank, while Tang San also moved from another direction, charging straight toward him.
Fatty's Mohawk hair shook, and his first soul ring flared. A purple-red Phoenix Fire Line shot out.
The four of them attacked almost simultaneously, showing no fear of facing a level 50 Soul King.
Facing the four attacks, Ye Zhiqiu's body glowed with black light. He let out a low growl, and his first and second soul rings both lit up. His body spun quickly, revealing the tortoise shell on his back, and a stream of black light, tinged with cold, shot out.
As soon as the battle began, Ye Zhiqiu used both of his soul skills: Black Tortoise Armor and Black Water Ice Seal. His goal was simple: to finish off these young ones as quickly as possible, to give them a harsh lesson, and to demonstrate the strength of Canghui Academy.
The Shrek Academy members were all powerful, but their youth and their significant difference in soul power meant that Ye Zhiqiu believed his Black Water Ice Seal, empowered by his level 53 soul power, would freeze them all solid.
The White Tiger's Fierce Light Wave hit Ye Zhiqiu's back with a boom. As Tang San had predicted, the Black Tortoise's defense was among the best of animal martial souls, and his soul power was far stronger than Dai Mubai's. The attack had no effect at all, and Ye Zhiqiu didn't even flinch.
At this moment, Tang San had already reached Ye Zhiqiu's side. As he felt the intense cold air radiating from him, his blood seemed to freeze. Alarmed, he quickly activated his Xuantian Skill to resist the cold and stopped in his tracks. At the same time, his Blue Silver Grass martial soul spread out and wrapped around Ye Zhiqiu from all directions.
At that moment, Fatty's Phoenix Fire Line reached Ye Zhiqiu's tortoise shell.
Although the heat of the Phoenix Fire was greatly weakened by Black Water Ice Seal, the fire still stuck to the tortoise shell like a sticky substance.
After dodging the first wave of attacks, Ye Zhiqiu revealed the offensive power of his Black Tortoise martial soul. The chilling cold energy from him froze Dai Mubai and the others.
Watching the scene from a distance, Gu Chen spotted Zhao Wujie and said calmly, "Teacher Zhao, don't you think they're being too arrogant? Why not let Ye Zhiqiu teach them a lesson?"
Zhao Wujie also noticed Gu Chen and replied, "What do you mean? Your own students are being bullied, and yet you want to side with the enemy?"
Gu Chen sneered. "As a Soul Sage, you must know the cause of this incident. Ye Zhiqiu never intended to strike, but now, you're the one bullying the weak."
"Humph!" Zhao Wujie snorted and ignored Gu Chen, walking toward the center of the battlefield. "It's late. Why aren't you all resting? What are you doing out here?"
"Go back to bed." Zhao Wujie waved his hand, dismissing the Shrek students, and they began to return to the inn.
Seeing this, Ye Zhiqiu became furious. "Wait."
Zhao Wujie, somewhat impatient, turned around. "What is it?"
Ye Zhiqiu coldly said, "You're the teacher from Shrek Academy, right? Your students just insulted us from Canghui Academy. Don't you think you should give us an explanation?"
"Explanation? What's there to explain? Isn't Canghui Academy just a trash academy? Their words aren't worth anything," Zhao Wujie said dismissively. He was once a famous troublemaker in the soul master world, and facing someone at level 50, he clearly didn't take him seriously.
As it seemed that Ye Zhiqiu was about to be beaten, Gu Chen silently sympathized with him.
"You…" Ye Zhiqiu grew even angrier and stopped arguing. He stepped toward Zhao Wujie with heavy steps, clearly not willing to back down.
Zhao Wujie turned around, and the seven Shrek students who had gathered around him were now by his side. He looked at them and said, "You guys are pathetic. You can't even handle an old turtle? Wait until we get back to the academy"
Seeing that Ye Zhiqiu was about to be beaten, Gu Chen couldn't help but silently mourn for him.
"You..." Ye Zhiqiu was furious, no longer bothering to argue, and strode toward Zhao Wujie. His aggressive manner clearly indicated that he wasn't going to back down.
Zhao Wujie turned around and addressed the seven students who had gathered around him: "You guys are really useless, you can't even deal with an old turtle. I'll deal with you properly when we get back to the academy."
The fatty kindly reminded him: "Teacher Zhao, the old turtle is coming."
Zhao Wujie sneered: "Go back to sleep." With that, he turned around, and Ye Zhiqiu, surrounded by a chilling aura, had just arrived in front of him.
"Let's settle this with strength," Zhao Wujie said arrogantly. Without using his martial soul, he raised his right hand and slapped Ye Zhiqiu.
In the next moment, Ye Zhiqiu's body was sent flying, as if it was lifted by clouds. A large crack appeared on his tortoise shell, and he flew more than ten meters before heavily crashing to the ground.
"It feels pretty good to slap someone without using a martial soul. No wonder..." Zhao Wujie murmured.
Tsk, when facing the Haotian Douluo, he was so afraid; now, he's this arrogant.
Watching the scene, Gu Chen shook his head and returned to the hotel. Meanwhile, Gu Yuena and Xiao Wu, who had stayed behind at the hotel, had eaten their fill and were already heading back to their rooms to rest.