"Alright, Wang Sheng, I'll leave this match to you."
Xiao Wu completely missed the bitterness on Wang Sheng's face. She patted his shoulder and then glared fiercely at Xiao Chenyu.
However, her expression paired with her pink short skirt made her look fiercely cute.
For a moment, even Xiao Chenyu was slightly dazed.
"Boss Xiao!"
Liu Long, standing beside him, immediately tugged at Xiao Chenyu's sleeve.
"...Uh, Liu Long, I'll leave this one to you."
Xiao Chenyu snapped back to reality, realizing he had been somewhat improper. After speaking, he sat down on a wooden stump with an air of casualness, looking at the two.
Though his gaze still occasionally drifted towards Xiao Wu.
All of this was seen by Tang San, who had just arrived.
Tang San's eyes turned cold, and he subtly moved to stand beside Xiao Wu, conveniently blocking Xiao Chenyu's line of sight.
"Hey, Xiao San, you're back. What happened to your hands?"
Xiao Wu noticed someone approaching and turned to see Tang San with his hands wrapped in bandages.
Hearing this, Tang San immediately put on a smile.
"Just a minor injury, it's nothing."
Then he looked at Wang Sheng in the arena, with a slightly reproachful tone:
"Although we work-study students can't always be bullied, you should have waited for me to return before challenging them."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Wu directly glared at Tang San.
"Who knew when you'd be back? They're bullying us right at our doorstep. If I still held back, I wouldn't be Xiao Wu!"
Tang San shook his head helplessly, not arguing with Xiao Wu further. As he turned to look at the arena, his left hand quietly slipped to his waist.
By now, the battle between Wang Sheng and Liu Long had entered a white-hot phase.
Liu Long, holding his long staff, swept it horizontally. Wang Sheng tried to dodge sideways.
But unexpectedly, Liu Long's staff changed direction mid-swing, shifting from a sweep to a forward thrust.
In desperation, Wang Sheng could only raise both arms to block.
Seeing this, a trace of mockery appeared on Liu Long's face: "Haven't you learned your lesson yet, loser? This staff is my martial soul!"
As soon as the words fell, the long staff flicked lightly, slipping through the gap in Wang Sheng's arms and pressing against his chest.
The tremendous force caused Wang Sheng to lose his balance and fall backward.
Liu Long pressed his advantage. He retracted the staff and then swung it again, aiming a blow at Wang Sheng's forehead.
If that strike landed, Wang Sheng would likely be seriously hurt.
Just as everyone thought Wang Sheng was doomed...
Liu Long's offensive momentum suddenly halted. His hands seemed to have been pricked by needles.
Clatter! The long staff fell to the ground.
Everyone, including Liu Long himself, was stunned.
Wang Sheng, after losing his balance, reacted swiftly. He stepped back half a step with his right foot to stabilize himself.
Seeing Liu Long's exposed opening, he didn't have time to think. He immediately pounced like a tiger, delivering a punch that sent Liu Long flying. Then, without pause, he followed up with a whip kick that slammed heavily onto Liu Long's back.
Thud!
Liu Long crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
When the dust settled, Liu Long was seen lying motionless on the ground, clearly unconscious.
Seeing this, Wang Sheng excitedly roared at the sky, as if venting years of pent-up frustration.
Xiao Chenyu, who had been comfortably watching Liu Long toy with Wang Sheng, hadn't expected this outcome.
At that critical moment, he had sensed something fly out from the work-study students' side, and then Liu Long had exposed an opening.
His gaze swept across everyone's faces before finally settling on Tang San, whose expression was calm yet filled with hostility.
"Was it him?"
Xiao Chenyu frowned.
There were only two new work-study students this year. He knew the older students' backgrounds well. Xiao Wu's personality clearly didn't seem the type for sneak attacks.
There was only one person he didn't understand.
That was Tang San, who had suddenly appeared.
"Wang Sheng, well done!"
"Brother Sheng, I knew you could do it!"
The cheers from the work-study side pulled Xiao Chenyu back to reality.
They had lost the first match; that was a fact.
Even if he accused the other side of cheating, without evidence, no one would believe him. Instead, he'd be laughed at for being a sore loser.
However, he believed that if they had sneaked an attack once, they would do it again.
So, he, who had originally planned to be the final contender, slowly took a step forward.
"Hmph, you just got lucky winning one match. I'll fight the second one. I won't let you score another point in the remaining matches!"
Xiao Wu, immersed in the joy of victory, didn't take Xiao Chenyu's arrogant words seriously at all.
She snorted lightly and took a step forward:
"I'll give those words right back to you! With me here, you won't get a single point. Wang Sheng, come back. I'll go!"
However, just as she was about to step into the arena, Tang San grabbed her arm.
"Xiao San, what are you doing?"
Xiao Wu looked somewhat displeased at Tang San.
"A girl isn't suitable for this kind of fighting scene. Let me handle it."
Tang San flashed Xiao Wu a confident smile, then walked towards the arena.
Xiao Wu stood rooted to the spot, staring at Tang San's back.
"Isn't he injured? And it looks like a pretty serious injury. If he loses, I'll become someone else's pet. What is he trying to show off right now?"
Wang Sheng, who had returned to their side, was also looking at Tang San with confusion.
Looking at Tang San's pale face and bandaged hands, he didn't look like he could fight at all.
"Xiao Wu, does this guy Tang San have some secret weapon? Why do I feel that in his current state, even a three-year-old could easily beat him?"
Xiao Wu, having regained her composure, shook her head.
"I don't know what Xiao San is thinking either. Maybe he has a secret to winning. Let's watch first."
At this moment, all the work-study students' morale had soared due to the first victory.
It was the perfect time to press their advantage.
If they could secure another victory, the opposing side's morale would definitely weaken, which would greatly affect their performance in the following matches.
Therefore, everyone's gaze was fixed on Tang San.
Tang San's eyes were cold. Before obtaining his soul ring, he wouldn't have dared to participate in a fight while injured.
But after absorbing the soul ring, his strength, speed, and reaction ability had all improved significantly.
Dealing with these kids shouldn't require much effort, he figured.
"Make your move."
Tang San placed his hands behind his back, adopting a posture that said, "I'll let you attack first."
"Hmph, putting on a show."
Seeing Tang San act even more showy than himself, Xiao Chenyu snorted coldly, and his aura surged.
A layer of cyan light emanated from Xiao Chenyu's body.
Amidst the flashing cyan light, the muscles in his body began to swell, and his eyes gradually turned pale green.
He slowly raised his arms, claws extended forward, his nails becoming sharp and pointed.
A white soul ring rose from his feet—this was the appearance of a martial soul possession.
The work-study students, seeing this, looked at Tang San with worry.
Yet, Tang San remained unmoved.
"Let me see what you're capable of!"
Xiao Chenyu moved, charging swiftly towards Tang San.
However, he was prepared to adapt at any moment.
Whether it was his suspicion that Tang San might use some underhanded method or Tang San's current composure...
It all forced Xiao Chenyu to be cautious.
When he came within five meters of Tang San, he leaped into the air. His sharp wolf claws, accompanied by a gust of wind, came crashing down!
Just as the wolf claws were less than ten centimeters from Tang San's head, Tang San finally moved.
(