62: Chapter 62 Argument

"Who are these two? They're surprisingly powerful!"

"I don't know. I heard that our academy has several freshmen with S-rank Martial Souls this year; perhaps they are two of them."

"Hiss... I'd guess both students' Soul Power has reached level 20, right?"

The battle between Lu Mengmeng and Shi Taixiang quickly attracted quite a few freshmen.

"Little girl, just surrender!" Shi Taixiang sneered as he suddenly accelerated, his sharp claws aiming straight for Lu Mengmeng's face. "If we keep fighting, your lousy vine will be shredded by me!"

Lu Mengmeng's eyes sharpened. Instead of retreating, she advanced. "Hmph, you'll pay a terrible price for underestimating me!"

The phantom of her Devil Vine suddenly expanded, and black vines poured down like a waterfall.

In an instant, Shi Taixiang was trapped inside a black cage.

"Hmm?" Shi Taixiang's expression changed drastically. His Soul Power surged wildly as he tried to burn through the vines with flames. "Tricks!"

However, the vines didn't fear the flames at all. Instead, they emitted a dim blue light, with traces of potent poison seeping out.

As the flames scorched the poison, it hissed and let out toxic smoke!

"This is... a Poison Vine?"

It was already too late when Shi Taixiang realized something was wrong.

He had already inhaled the toxic smoke; his strength instantly drained, and his head began to spin.

"Only realizing it now? Too late!" Lu Mengmeng sneered, her fingertips twitching slightly.

"Devil Thrust!"

"Oh no!" Shi Taixiang's pupils constricted. The fluctuation of Soul Power in this move was several times stronger than before.

He felt a chill of death.

He exerted his remaining strength to erupt with flames.

He tried to break out of the Devil Vine cage.

However, the poison had entered his body, and a numbing sensation spread rapidly along his meridians.

"Bang!"

Shi Taixiang groaned. The phantom of the Flaming Vajra Wolf instantly dimmed, and he collapsed to the ground, his whole body turning black.

The entire scene was dead silent.

The crowd below instantly erupted into chaos.

"My god! Shi Taixiang with the S-rank Martial Soul actually lost?"

"That girl's poison vine is way too wicked; even the raging fire couldn't burn it!"

"She seems to be called Lu Mengmeng. Remember that name; we need to stay away from her in the future!"

Teacher Liu Mugang stood behind the crowd, his face livid.

He stared fixedly at the calm loli on the stage, his fists clenched tightly.

"Damn it, where did this little runt come from?"

Shi Taixiang was a seed player that his uncle had spent an immense amount of effort to poach from the Azure Dragon Academy.

And he was actually taken out in seconds by an unknown freshman?

Because Lu Mengmeng had transferred suddenly, and Dean Zhou Qingyuan had intentionally kept it hidden, he didn't know any information about Lu Mengmeng.

"Trash!"

He cursed under his breath and scanned Luo Yu and Ning Caicai beside him. "Do you two have the confidence to beat that girl?!"

Luo Yu furrowed his brows.

He had thought that even if Shi Taixiang couldn't win, he would at least be able to hold out for dozens of moves. He hadn't expected him to be unable to even withstand the opponent's Devil Vine.

The Soul Power fluctuation of that toxic smoke was very strange; it didn't look like a normal poison-type Soul Skill.

A solemn look appeared on Ning Caicai's face.

"Shi Taixiang must have been at a disadvantage in close combat."

"Close combat? That seems to be the case!" Teacher Liu Mugang nodded.

Just now, it was indeed difficult for Shi Taixiang to even get close.

"Ning Caicai, your Soul Skills are all long-range attacks. Why don't you go up and try?"

"Fine!"

Ning Caicai didn't waste any words; with an elegant leap, she jumped onto the stage.

Lu Mengmeng, who was still enjoying the admiring gazes from the stage, quickly turned around.

"Big sister, do you want to challenge me too?"

"Ning Caicai, S-rank Tool Martial Soul 'Hurricane Pipa', level 18 Soul Master. May I ask your name?"

"Heehee, no problem. Lu Mengmeng, level 23 Soul Master, S-rank Plant Martial Soul 'Four-Clawed Devil Vine'."

Upon hearing that Lu Mengmeng's Soul Power was actually level 23, the teachers and students present couldn't help but gasp.

"Level 23 Soul Power? Even the geniuses of The Four Great Academies are only about this level, right?"

"Exactly. Last year, the highest level among the freshmen at the Azure Dragon Academy was only level 20. To think our academy was hiding such a genius!"

Ning Caicai couldn't help but frown as well.

No wonder Shi Taixiang lost so miserably...

For a moment, she lost her confidence.

After all, this was a gap of a major realm.

"Teacher An, you have good methods. I didn't expect your team to intentionally hide a trump card."

Teacher Liu Mugang had arrived behind Lin Mo and Teacher An Nuolan at some point.

"Teacher Liu, the feeling is mutual!"

Teacher An Nuolan didn't believe for a second that there was nothing fishy about all three S-rank students being assigned to Teacher Liu Mugang's team.

Therefore, facing his sarcasm, Teacher An Nuolan naturally wouldn't back down.

"Hmph, this is just a competition between students; why must you be so insidious?" To the ears of the crowd, this sounded as if Teacher An Nuolan was intentionally playing dirty.

It immediately made Teacher An Nuolan so angry that her chest heaved.

"Teacher Liu Mugang, watch your tongue. Did I ask your team to come and challenge my team?"

"Isn't it..."

The sudden argument between the two interrupted the match on the stage.

Seeing two instructors arguing in front of their students, other teachers had to come over to mediate.

"Both teachers, please calm down. It's all for the students' good; why get so angry?"

A middle-aged teacher wearing glasses hurriedly blocked the space between them, his face wearing a diplomatic smile.

"It's a good thing for students to spar; winning and losing are common occurrences in battle."

Teacher Liu Mugang sneered and swept his gaze over Lu Mengmeng on the stage. "Teacher An, your team hides things quite well. A level 23 freshman—I'm afraid it would be hard to find another one in the entire Eastern Region, wouldn't it?"

These words sounded like praise, but in reality, they implied that Lu Mengmeng's Soul Power came from dubious sources.

How could Teacher An Nuolan not hear that? She immediately replied coldly, "My student cultivated through her own ability, fair and square, unlike some people who don't even care about their own reputation."

"Who are you saying doesn't care about their reputation?" Teacher Liu Mugang's face darkened.

"Whoever answers is the one I'm talking about." Teacher An Nuolan didn't give an inch.

The students below watched in stunned silence, never expecting the two teachers to argue to this extent.

Lin Mo, however, was watching with great interest.

Lu Mengmeng on the stage also lost interest in the match.

She crossed her arms, watching the two teachers argue, and even winked at Ning Caicai. "Hey, your teacher seems a bit anxious."

Ning Caicai's face flushed; she knew the intention behind her teacher's loss of composure and hurriedly said, "Student Lu, how about... we stop the match for today?"

"I have no objections." Lu Mengmeng shrugged; she had already won one round, which was glorious enough.

Thus, a farce came to an end.

"This Teacher Liu Mugang really has no shame to stop this match."

After Teacher Liu Mugang's team left, Lin Mo said with a chuckle.

He had also seen through it.

"Sigh..." Teacher An Nuolan sighed softly. How could she not have seen it?

She was just infuriated by the other party.

"Let's go. Today's exchange ends here."

Lin Mo also had no interest in staying any longer.

Anyway, he had seen enough beauties.

After leaving the public training ground, Teacher An Nuolan's team went back to the forest and began their daily training.

For the first three days, freshmen could only stay within the academy.

After three days passed, they could go outside to train.

One month later, they could go to the academy's mission hall to accept missions and earn credits.

"Damn it, the Dean and this Teacher An Nuolan are hiding things quite deep. A student with an S-rank Martial Soul was just arranged by them like that!"

After Teacher Liu Mugang's team arrived at their training spot, Teacher Liu Mugang's face was livid.

"Lu Mengmeng! Teacher, I remember now, she is the second young lady of the Lu Family whose Martial Soul mutated!"

A girl suddenly spoke up.