"If you can break free without releasing your Martial Soul, I'll let you go without a lesson," Yun Ze said calmly.
He set down his chopsticks with his right hand and used his left to grab Long Chen's wrist, his expression as composed as ever.
"You're gonna teach me a lesson?" Long Chen couldn't help but laugh, full of disdain. He shook his head at Yun Ze and spoke in a lecturing tone:
"What an arrogant little brother."
As he spoke, he yanked hard, intending to pull his arm back—but his eyes widened in shock when it didn't budge at all.Yun Ze's grip was far stronger than he had imagined. Long Chen had already used considerable force, but the boy's hand didn't move an inch.
"Don't worry about hurting me. Use your full strength," Yun Ze said indifferently.
The smile vanished from Long Chen's face. He wasn't stupid—he now realized that this child in front of him was far from ordinary.Saying nothing, Long Chen silently gathered his soul power and gave another powerful tug, this time using his full strength to pull his arm away.
Yun Ze activated his blood energy, boosting the power in his arm. Like a robotic limb, it held firm—unshakable.
His arm remained perfectly upright. To keep that posture stable required even more terrifying strength.
Long Chen gritted his teeth. He was genuinely using all his might now—you could tell from his trembling arms and the swaying tableware.But Yun Ze's arm strength was simply on another level. No matter how hard Long Chen tried, it was useless.
Although the Phoenix wasn't known for brute strength, that didn't mean it lacked power. In this world, the number of creatures who could surpass the Phoenix in strength could be counted on one hand.
Even though Yun Ze's Phoenix bloodline was still dormant, it already gave him strength far beyond that of an average person.
His blood energy strength far exceeded the level his external soul power suggested.
"This kid has incredible strength," many students who had noticed this scene were astonished.
Those who knew how powerful Long Chen was were even more shocked, their mouths hanging open in disbelief.
A four-ring Light Holy Dragon Soul Master, being overpowered in strength by a child who looked no older than six or seven?
Even without releasing a Martial Soul, the result shouldn't be like this!
Long Chen glanced left and right. Seeing the mocking and ridiculing gazes of the onlookers, his face burned with embarrassment.
"I have to break free!" he thought.
Golden light flared from his body as soul power surged like a tide. Light gathered behind him.
In a pure test of strength, he clearly wasn't a match for this kid—he had no choice but to release his Martial Soul.
He simply didn't believe it—if even with his Martial Soul he still couldn't break free, then he might as well die on the spot.
But—
Gu Yuena's face darkened. Seeing that Long Chen was about to release his Martial Soul, she slammed her palm on the table, stood up, and said coldly:
"Long Chen, are you looking to die?"
Her soul power erupted violently, and a powerful Dragon Clan pressure radiated outward, making the surrounding air feel heavy and sticky.
Long Chen's body trembled, his heart pounding with dread. Even his soul power became chaotic under that dragon might.
His Light Holy Dragon Martial Soul felt utterly suppressed—it was as if it had encountered a king and wanted to kneel in submission.
Even Long Chen himself was affected, feeling a compulsion to worship Gu Yuena. That feeling of humility refused to go away.
The surrounding students all backed off. Even though most of them didn't have dragon-type Martial Souls, they still felt the discomforting pressure.
The atmosphere instantly grew tense—battle seemed imminent.
"Na...Nana, I..." Long Chen's confidence faltered. He didn't know how to react.
He quickly retracted his Martial Soul, afraid of provoking Gu Yuena further and escalating the situation.
"I've told you many times—don't call me Nana. You're only allowed to call me by my name!" Gu Yuena said angrily.
This guy was ridiculous. They weren't even close, yet he kept calling her "Nana" like they were intimate lovers.
It disgusted her. She made a mental note: it was time to have Di Tian deal with this pest once and for all.
Yun Ze stood up now too, releasing Long Chen's wrist.
He let go so suddenly that Long Chen, caught off guard, stumbled back several steps.
"Let's settle this at the Dueling Arena. A beating is the least you deserve," Yun Ze said.
He had already warned this guy not to call him "little brother," but the guy kept doing it like he was deaf.
If this had been the old days, Yun Ze would've already erased him from existence. But now, within the academy, he could only give him a light punishment—no killing allowed.
"You want to duel me? And beat me?" Long Chen couldn't believe what he'd heard. Fury boiled inside him.
Yun Ze had already made a fool of him—humiliated him in front of Gu Yuena and turned him into a laughingstock. And now he was even challenging him?
If they weren't in the academy, Long Chen would have already gone for the kill. This brat was truly insufferable.
"Yes," Yun Ze replied flatly. "So, are you coming?"
"Heh… haha..." Long Chen laughed out of sheer rage, turning to Gu Yuena and asking gently,"Nana, your little brother wants to spar with me. What do you say?"
Gu Yuena was utterly speechless. Even after all her warnings, he was still calling her "Nana" so affectionately?
She had already decided she was going to kill him. So at this point, she couldn't be bothered to correct him anymore.
Instead, she looked toward Yun Ze, a bit concerned, and reminded him:
"He's a level 41 Soul Ancestor. All four of his soul rings are purple. He's fairly strong—can you handle it?"
Long Chen was over a year older than her. He wasn't a soul tool user or hybrid cultivator—he was focused solely on being a Soul Master.
That's why he'd managed to reach the Soul Ancestor rank at just 14.
"No problem," Yun Ze replied with absolute confidence.
Hearing that, Long Chen felt deeply insulted. He clenched his fists. When the time came, he was definitely going to teach this brat a painful lesson.
"Good," Gu Yuena nodded, completely reassured.If he said it was fine, then there definitely wouldn't be a problem.
"To the arena," Gu Yuena said coldly to Long Chen.
"Let's go," Long Chen said, striding toward the cafeteria exit, tossing his tray into the trash on the way.
Gu Yuena had no intention of continuing her meal either, and she left with Yun Ze, both heading to the Dueling Arena.
"Come on, let's go watch the show!"
Many students who had been watching were excited and followed eagerly—this was something they absolutely didn't want to miss.
On the way, Yun Ze casually asked Gu Yuena:
"What's the deal with that Long Chen guy?"
Gu Yuena thought Yun Ze had misunderstood and quickly explained:
"He's just someone who's been pursuing me. I've already turned him down many times, but he keeps pestering me. If I wasn't worried about the trouble that killing him might bring, I would've had Di Tian deal with him long ago."
She then emphasized once more:
"He has feelings for me, but I have zero feelings for him. All I feel is disgust and revulsion. Don't get the wrong idea, okay?"