The two hadn't walked for long when Chu Chengzhou suddenly noticed some movement in the distance behind them.
Turning his head, he saw a chubby boy running toward them from the direction they had come.
'Is that… Ma Hongjun, that little fatty?'
Upon sensing the soul power aura of a two-ring Soul Grandmaster emanating from the chubby boy, Chu Chengzhou quickly identified who it was.
It seemed that this guy had been carousing in the red-light district of Soto City last night and was now rushing back to Shrek Academy.
Initially, Ma Hongjun paid no attention to Chu Chengzhou and Xiao Wu walking along the roadside ahead.
However, as he passed by them, catching sight of Xiao Wu's slightly immature yet stunning beauty, his eyes lit up with admiration, and he stopped in his tracks.
"What a beautiful girl!"
Ma Hongjun gave Xiao Wu an up-and-down look, blurting out a heartfelt compliment without hesitation.
Instantly, Chu Chengzhou's face darkened. "Little fatty, didn't anyone teach you what 'disaster comes from the mouth' means?"
Flirting with my little rabbit? You've got guts, fatty!
"My name is Ma Hongjun, a two-ring Soul Grandmaster certified by the Spirit Hall. Miss, may I ask your name? Where do you live?"
Glancing at Chu Chengzhou, Ma Hongjun completely ignored him, focusing instead on showing off to Xiao Wu.
He felt superior because he couldn't detect any soul power fluctuations from the two.
If there were no soul power fluctuations, it meant they weren't soul masters. Despite their fine clothing, they were likely just ordinary rich kids.
And he, Ma Hongjun, was already a two-ring Soul Grandmaster at such a young age, with a bright future ahead. Even though this pale-faced pretty boy was more handsome than him, he still felt confident he could steal the girl away.
After all, soul masters were far above ordinary people.
If he could have such a beautiful bunny-eared girl by his side, he wouldn't need to visit the red-light district in Soto City anymore.
"Little fatty, disappear from my sight within three seconds, or face the consequences!"
Chu Chengzhou spoke in a low voice.
"Consequences? Do you even know the value of a soul master?
Go cool off somewhere else and stop interfering with my conversation with this miss!"
Ma Hongjun waved dismissively, clearly annoyed.
In his eyes, this pretty boy was utterly clueless.
It was only because he was trying to charm the bunny-eared girl and show off his manners that he didn't lash out. Otherwise, if an ordinary person had spoken to him like this, he'd have slapped them across the face without hesitation.
"Acting tough, huh? Little fatty, I'll give you a chance—release your martial soul."
No doubt about it, Ma Hongjun was going to get a beating!
Originally, Chu Chengzhou had thought it would be inappropriate to beat up Ma Hongjun before enrolling at the academy, but now he changed his mind. Without teaching this guy a lesson, how would he learn the might of Lord Chu?
"Huh?"
Upon hearing this, Ma Hongjun was astonished. This pretty boy knew he was a two-ring Soul Grandmaster—where did he get the confidence to talk like this?
Judging by the boy's attire, he didn't seem to come from some backwater village. He should know the gap between an ordinary person and a two-ring Soul Grandmaster, right?
Thinking this way, Ma Hongjun suddenly had a bad feeling.
He hadn't detected any soul power fluctuations from the two people in front of him. While it could mean they weren't soul masters, there was another possibility!
But no, no—they looked about his age, and he was one of the few genius soul masters on the continent. Surely their soul power levels couldn't be so much higher than his that he couldn't sense anything, right?
Ma Hongjun's reasoning wasn't wrong, but he happened to encounter Chu Chengzhou, who possessed the Mastery skill and had concealed his soul power aura exceptionally well.
"Hey~, little fatty, aren't you going to release your martial soul? When you're beaten to tears later, don't say you weren't ready."
Xiao Wu teased Ma Hongjun with a smirk.
"Who are you?"
Ma Hongjun instinctively took a step back, his bad feeling growing stronger.
He wasn't stupid. Judging by the tone of this bunny-eared girl, she had probably been mocking him earlier.
"Who we are doesn't matter. Here comes the punch!"
This little fatty was dragging things out, and Chu Chengzhou was growing impatient. With swift movements, his right hand shot out like lightning, delivering a punch directly at Ma Hongjun's right eye socket.
The distance between them wasn't great to begin with, and with Chu Chengzhou using his purple-tier Movement skill, his speed was incredible. Before Ma Hongjun could react, he saw a fist rapidly enlarging in his field of vision.
Thud—!
A dull sound rang out as Ma Hongjun was punched so hard that stars danced before his eyes, and he stumbled backward.
But before he could regain his footing, Chu Chengzhou pressed forward, raising his left fist and delivering another punch to Ma Hongjun's left eye socket.
Instantly, after taking two consecutive punches, Ma Hongjun's brain was rattled. He collapsed onto his butt, rolling twice on the ground before finally stopping.
"Pfft—!"
Seeing Little Chu Trash knock Ma Hongjun down with just two punches and leave him with two swollen black eyes, Xiao Wu couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Hiss~!"
Chu Chengzhou hadn't used his full strength, but Ma Hongjun winced in pain, clutching his eye sockets as he stood up.
Shaking his head clear, Ma Hongjun growled, "Phoenix, empower me!"
Suddenly, a surge of purplish-red soul power illuminated the area. Ma Hongjun's short hair abruptly grew longer and gathered toward the center, forming a mohawk-like hairstyle.
At the same time, two yellow hundred-year soul rings emerged around him. Long purplish-red feathers extended from his exposed, muscular arms, and his hands transformed into claw-like shapes (chicken claws?).
Backing down? Not a chance!
His eye sockets had been beaten to a pulp. If he didn't retaliate, how could he ever show his face in Shrek Academy? He'd be laughed at by Oscar and Dai Mubai for sure!
"Is this what you call a phoenix? Looks more like an old hen to me!"
Seeing Ma Hongjun's Phoenix martial soul empowered, even Chu Chengzhou, who had anticipated it, was momentarily stunned by this so-called phoenix.
He had never seen a top-tier spirit beast like the phoenix, but he had read descriptions of what a true phoenix looked like in books.
To Chu Chengzhou, Ma Hongjun's martial soul was less of a phoenix and more accurately described as a mutated fire-breathing chicken.
"Exactly! What kind of phoenix is this fat? There's no way a noble phoenix could look like this fat chicken!"
Xiao Wu couldn't stop laughing. Though Chu Chengzhou hadn't seen a real phoenix, she had encountered one in the forest before.
The noble bloodline and aura of the king of birds were incomparable to this "phoenix" that resembled a plump hen.
"Damn it!"
Old hen? Ma Hongjun was enraged as someone poked at his sore spot.
Old hen your grandpa! It's obviously a noble phoenix!
Sure, my phoenix might be a little different, but it's definitely a phoenix, no doubt about it!
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