"Rules?"
"Is it the rule of your academy to bully the weak?"
Long Jian's words were sharp as a blade.
The middle-aged man who had just demanded his registration fee back, seeing someone actually stand up for them and challenge a Spirit Elder directly, felt a mix of gratitude and anxiety.
"Young man, he is a Spirit Elder; we cannot afford to provoke him."
"Thank you for speaking up for us, but we should be going now."
"You should leave quickly, too!"
"An academy like this probably isn't a good place to begin with!"
Hearing this, those in the queue also felt it made perfect sense.
However, Dai Mubai and Li Yusong were not having it. This was an insult to their academy right to their faces.
"I told you to leave earlier, and you didn't."
"Now that you want to go? It's too late!"
Dai Mubai’s tiger eyes flashed, and his White Tiger Spirit instantly manifested. The muscles in his arms bulged, and sharp claws sprouted from his fingertips. With a flicker of movement, he lunged violently toward the father and son.
Dai Mubai’s sudden action caused an immediate commotion, but Li Yusong made no move to stop him. He felt it was time to establish some authority.
"Don't go too far!"
Long Jian moved faster than the eye could follow, arriving in front of Dai Mubai in an instant. He unleashed a whip kick that struck Dai Mubai squarely in the waist. The move was so fast that even Li Yusong couldn't intervene in time.
Within the crowd, Tang San’s pupils constricted slightly. Quietly, a trace of purple light emerged in his eyes.
"To have such speed without even manifesting his Spirit..."
Seeing that the other man looked to be about his own age, Tang San couldn't help but feel a sense of wariness.
"If this person is a friend, it is fine, but if he is an enemy, he will be a formidable opponent indeed!"
Seeing Dai Mubai fly backward, crash heavily to the ground, and vomit blood, Li Yusong’s expression shifted in shock. He hurried to Dai Mubai’s side to check on him. Seeing the swelling around Dai Mubai's waist, Li Yusong gasped.
"Will his kidneys even be functional after this...?"
To strike a Spirit Elder—who was already in his manifested Spirit form—to this state without using a Spirit of his own? And Dai Mubai’s Spirit was the top-tier beast Spirit, the White Tiger! How could this be? Just what was Long Jian’s cultivation level?
Li Yusong’s gaze then fell upon the extraordinarily handsome Long Jian.
"Young friend, your strike was quite ruthless. Isn't that going a bit too far?"
"Too far?" Long Jian’s brow furrowed. He pointed at Dai Mubai and said coldly, "When he was using his superior strength to bully the weak just now, did he ever consider if his own behavior was 'too far'?"
"As a teacher, you not only failed to stop him but actually condoned your student's actions. Have you considered that your own conduct is hardly appropriate?"
Li Yusong’s throat bobbed. His face flushed a deep red. For a moment, everyone’s eyes were fixed on the articulate and reasonable Long Jian.
Zhu Zhuqing’s eyes flickered, and a glimmer of light appeared in them.
Back in the queue, Xiao Wu, standing beside Tang San, had bright eyes.
"San, this guy is really interesting!"
"He speaks so well!"
Hearing this, Tang San frowned.
"Xiao Wu, this man disrespects his elders. He relies on his strength and doesn't look at anyone with respect; he won't achieve anything great in the future!"
Hearing Xiao Wu praise another man, Tang San instinctively felt a sense of dislike.
"I think he's alright!" Xiao Wu looked at Tang San in surprise, then added, "It was that perverted tiger who started bullying people first, and that handsome guy only stepped in to help!"
Tang San sighed softly. "Xiao Wu, human hearts are hard to read; no one knows what he is truly thinking."
Xiao Wu nodded, though she seemed only half-convinced.
Elsewhere in the line, a pretty young girl with tea-brown hair, dressed in an emerald gem-studded dress, listened to Tang San and Xiao Wu’s whispers, her eyes reflecting mysterious thoughts.
"Things are getting more and more interesting."
Meanwhile, after helping Dai Mubai stabilize his injuries, Li Yusong stood up with a solemn expression. The aura of a Spirit Emperor erupted from him, and six Spirit Rings—one white, one yellow, three purple, and one black—appeared around him.
Those who had remained to watch, including the father and son who wanted their fee back, saw this and immediately took to their heels. Seeing the long queue disperse into thin air, the corners of Li Yusong’s mouth twitched. Seeing only five people left in the square, he sighed.
"The registration fee is ten Gold Soul Coins!"
"Those who want to register pay up; if not, leave now!"
"I'll say this first: if your Spirit Power is below level twenty-one, you're over thirteen years old, or you don't have the optimal Spirit Ring combination, you can just leave."
After hearing Li Yusong’s words, the other four, including Zhu Zhuqing, did not show much reaction. Long Jian sighed and turned to leave.
"Long Jian, where are you going?"
Zhu Zhuqing felt a jolt of anxiety and quickly reached out to tug at the corner of Long Jian’s robe.
Long Jian smiled awkwardly. "I don't have that much money, so I'm planning to leave."
As soon as he said this, everyone looked at him with disbelief. Long Jian felt the weight of their gazes and offered an embarrassed smile.
"Young friend, ten Gold Soul Coins may seem like a bit, but for a Great Soul Master or even a Spirit Elder or Spirit Ancestor, it’s a trivial amount!" Li Yusong said, speechless. He thought Long Jian was doing this on purpose; his excuse was hardly professional.
"I'll pay for you!" Zhu Zhuqing said, staring at Long Jian with firm eyes.
"Ah, this..."
Long Jian’s face flushed.
"Then, thank you, Zhuqing. I will pay you back once I have the money."
"I didn't even charge you for the room yesterday; I don't need this!" Zhu Zhuqing waved her hand and pulled Long Jian to stand before Li Yusong. She casually pulled out a coin purse containing exactly twenty Gold Soul Coins. It seemed she had prepared this well in advance.
Dai Mubai, clutching his waist, watched the scene with a dark, ugly expression. "That cheap woman really did go to a room with this pretty boy."
Xiao Wu’s eyes were filled with the flames of gossip as she stared at Long Jian and Zhu Zhuqing. Li Yusong, however, could not care less about these trivial matters. After collecting the coins, a smile appeared on his face.
"Name! Age! Spirit! Level!"
"Nether Civet—Manifest!" Zhu Zhuqing whispered. Black light flashed, and the characteristics of the Nether Civet appeared on her, her perfect figure seeming to grow slightly taller. Two yellow Spirit Rings followed.
"Zhu Zhuqing, eleven years old, Spirit is the Nether Civet, level twenty-seven Great Soul Master!"
"Eleven years old?"
Two exclamations rang out in unison. Everyone looked over. Xiao Wu and the other girl exchanged glances, both looked down at their own chests, and then, in unspoken agreement, looked at Zhu Zhuqing's chest. They silently cursed the heavens for being unfair! Seeing everyone’s eyes on them, they offered an embarrassed smile and fell silent.
Li Yusong looked at Zhu Zhuqing, nodding repeatedly, grinning from ear to ear. However, the necessary procedure had to be followed.
"Hold out your hand!"