Chapter 37: The Genius's Fragile Pride
The words of the Titan Giant Ape, Er Ming, left Yan Shaozhe momentarily stunned. His first instinct was to believe Er Ming was dissatisfied with the compensation they had prepared. But judging by Er Ming's serious and calm expression, it was clear he wasn't being sarcastic.
"Well, to put it simply, my Haotian Sect doesn't need these two soul bones," Er Ming said. "You can just offer an apology for this matter. There's no need to give anything. On one hand, the Haotian Sect doesn't require them. On the other, I also made mistakes during that incident. So let's call it even. No compensation is necessary."
With that, Er Ming turned and walked out of the Sea God Pavilion. Yan Shaozhe and Xuan Lao silently followed behind without protest. Afterward, Er Ming offered some comforting words to Wang Dong'er and then departed the academy, his mission on behalf of Tang San completed. Watching him leave, and noting that Elder Mu had no objections, Xuan Lao and the others finally let out sighs of relief.
Thanks to Er Ming's involvement, Huo Yuhao ended up the biggest loser in the situation—injured and empty-handed. This, in a way, was typical of the Haotian Sect's brand of justice.
At the same time, when Huo Yuhao's fortunes were being silently suppressed by the Haotian Sect, Xiao Qiang was being introduced to a group of five-ring Soul Kings in the Mingde Hall of the Sun Moon Empire—namely, Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen.
"This is Xiao Qiang, a disciple of the Hall Master. He has been assigned to participate in the upcoming All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament as a reserve member, like Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen," explained Teacher Jingyun in a calm voice.
After the brief introduction, Xiao Qiang offered greetings to everyone.
His behavior was perfectly standard—not overly polite, but not dismissive either. He gave off no particularly good or bad impression. Still, being a direct disciple of Jing Hongchen, he belonged to the same faction as Xiao Hongchen.
Compared to the usually arrogant Xiao Hongchen, Xiao Qiang's modest and proactive greeting felt unexpectedly refreshing.
"Hello, Xiao Qiang. I'm Ma Rulong, the team captain. My current cultivation level is fifty-eight," said one young man, extending his hand.
"Hello, Brother Ma," Xiao Qiang replied with a handshake.
He went around greeting each team member, finally stopping in front of Xiao Hongchen. But before Xiao Qiang could speak, it was Xiao Hongchen who broke the silence.
"Old Ma," he said, addressing Ma Rulong's father—the leader of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy—"My grandfather inserted someone new out of nowhere. We can't just pretend we're all familiar already. Why don't we have a little spar? It'll help us understand each other's strengths and weaknesses."
Ma Rulong internally rolled his eyes. They act like we're out of time, but the tournament's still a year away. Can't we just take things slow?
Still, since the suggestion came from Jing Hongchen's grandson, and Xiao Qiang didn't object, Ma Rulong's father—Old Ma—nodded.
"Alright. Then you two can have a light spar. But be careful."
"Don't worry. I'll be careful," Xiao Hongchen replied through gritted teeth.
Though he had healed from his previous defeats, the sting of losing twice still burned inside him.
Xiao Qiang looked at the eager Xiao Hongchen and sighed. Then, in his spiritual sea, he consulted Tianmeng.
"Brother Tianmeng, if I want Xiao Hongchen to win this time without really injuring me, what's the most realistic way to do that?"
"Eh? Why would you want him to win?"
"Two reasons," Xiao Qiang answered. "First, I already took over ten million from him and beat him up three times. That's a bit excessive, don't you think? Second… he seems kind of obsessed. If I beat him a third time, I'm afraid he'll challenge me every day until he wins."
In Xiao Qiang's eyes, Xiao Hongchen was starting to resemble the sword-obsessed Ji Juechen from the original story—someone who would never back down from a fight until they were satisfied.
"You want him to win? Alright, leave it to me, brother," Tianmeng said, amused.
Soon, Xiao Hongchen and Xiao Qiang stood opposite each other in the arena. As Ma Lao signaled the start, Xiao Hongchen immediately activated a soul guide on his head—a mental defense type.
It was likely a modified Level 7 soul guide. Though Xiao Hongchen himself wasn't even a Level 5 soul engineer, this was still the Sun Moon Empire. More importantly, his grandfather Jing Hongchen was one of the continent's top three experts in soul tool engineering. If anyone could adapt a Level 7 soul guide for a lower-level user, it was him.
Though weakened compared to a true Level 7 device, this modified soul guide could still block the spiritual attacks of an average five-ring spiritual-type Soul King.
With his mental defense in place, Xiao Hongchen began fighting in a familiar style. He summoned thirty-six miniature soul cannons using his first three soul skills, but this time the firepower and frequency were noticeably reduced. He was playing a different game.
Though the power was lighter, Xiao Qiang didn't lower his guard. His three-tomoe Sharingan spun as he carefully observed and dodged each blast.
Xiao Hongchen's soul power consumption this time was more moderate compared to before. Xiao Qiang, while using little soul power, was burning through his stamina rapidly due to constant movement.
Before long, Xiao Qiang understood Xiao Hongchen's strategy—he wasn't going for a direct win but rather trying to exhaust Xiao Qiang's stamina and see who would give out first.
"After being beaten twice, he's learned to be cautious," Xiao Qiang mused. "I guess some lessons need to be taught the hard way."
With his enhanced Sharingan and spiritual strength boosted by Tianmeng twice, Xiao Qiang could have broken through Xiao Hongchen's defenses easily. In fact, his current mental strength rivaled that of a six-ring spiritual Soul Emperor, and that level 5 soul guide wasn't going to stop him.
But if he defeated Xiao Hongchen again, the poor guy might become obsessed. It was better to lose this one—for everyone's sanity.
So, after a prolonged exchange of over ten minutes, Xiao Qiang began to show signs of fatigue. His breathing became ragged, and scorch marks appeared on his uniform from minor hits.
With a determined expression, he activated a Level 4 soul guide thruster and charged toward Xiao Hongchen.
Seeing his opponent closing in, Xiao Hongchen grinned. He reduced the power of his cannons even further in exchange for faster firing speed. As Xiao Qiang closed the distance, he finally took a clean hit to the chest and was sent flying backward by the explosion.
Ma Lao rushed forward, injecting soul power into Xiao Qiang's body to assess the damage. To his surprise, Xiao Qiang was fine—his injuries were almost entirely superficial. But when he considered how Xiao Hongchen had intentionally weakened his attack, he understood what had happened.
"The winner is… Xiao Hongchen."
Xiao Hongchen stood still, stunned for a moment before joy overwhelmed him. He clenched his fists and raised his chin high.
Finally… finally, I've won! After two humiliating defeats, justice! As expected, I, Xiao Hongchen, am the number one genius of the Sun Moon Empire!
However, nearby, Ma Rulong watched the celebration and frowned deeply.
"…You're a four-ring Soul Master, and you just barely beat a three-ring Soul Master. What are you so proud of?"
"Exactly," another team member added, shaking their head.
Xiao Hongchen: "…"