This middle-aged man, whom they called a devil, wasn't really a devil. He was just an ordinary person, only slightly taller and more robust.
If there was anything outstanding about him, it would undoubtedly be his cold and deep eyes and his resolute and angular face.
However, in the shadows of the lamplight, the drunk Ma Hongjun couldn't see any of this. He only heard his calm and cold voice.
"The first day of school and you didn't come home at night, and you even went out drinking. Ye Xingchen, you guys are getting bolder and bolder. Did you relax after coming back from a holiday?
Looks like I need to train you."
This was a ruthless and merciless man. He didn't care what happened to these kids after drinking; he rushed up and started punching and kicking them.
"Teacher Chu, spare us!"
"Teacher Chu, we were wrong."
"Teacher Chu, no!"
...
Amidst the cruel screams, Teacher Chu had already broken into the crowd, like a wolf among sheep. Ye Xingchen and the others scattered like madmen, collapsing to the ground under the influence of alcohol.
Teacher Chu rushed forward and kicked them, sending them flying far away, like kicking a soccer ball. Watching this, Ma Hongjun's drunkenness sobered up considerably; this was truly ruthless.
This scene reminded him of the corporal punishment he had received from his teacher long ago, but the severity was far less than what he was experiencing now. On Earth, there were laws protecting minors.
However, there were clearly no such laws in Douluo Continent. Teacher Chu was very unrestrained; he hit them with great pleasure. Although not fatal, the kicks were truly vicious. Even Kunshan was kicked so hard that he clutched his stomach and vomited.
Ye Xingchen wasn't much better off; everything he had eaten was vomited up. His once handsome appearance now looked very disheveled.
This was truly a devil; his methods were brutal and humiliating, showing no mercy even to those who were still children.
Even the slightly chubby, boyish girl named Xiao Yuanyuan wasn't spared; he picked her up and unleashed a flurry of punches.
His strength was immense; even a power-type Soul Master like Kunshan was like a chick in his hands—of course, this was without either of them unleashing their Martial Souls.
Ma Hongjun couldn't bear to watch any longer; this wasn't just adults bullying children, it was torture.
He wondered, didn't anyone care about this devil called Teacher Chu? How could an academy allow a teacher to treat students like this?
And judging from Ye Xingchen and Kunshan's reactions, this clearly wasn't the first time.
Ma Hongjun couldn't understand, but he didn't have time to think about it now.
"There's even a bunch of even smaller brats."
The devil looked at the ten terrified and stunned people on Ma Hongjun's side, and his violent fists charged forward.
"Not good, retreat!"
Ma Hongjun shouted, then rushed forward to meet him.
Judging from the devil's strength, he was clearly very powerful; these nine underlings weren't like Ye Xingchen and the others, and they couldn't withstand his punches at all. The
two fists collided, and Ma Hongjun was knocked back three steps by a single blow.
"Oh, I misjudged you. Turns out you have some skill."
"Here I come again. You'd better hold on a few more times!"
the devil said with amusement, but in Ma Hongjun's eyes, he was a complete freak.
This time, his punches were even faster. Before Ma Hongjun could react, the devil unleashed seven or eight punches in quick succession. Ma Hongjun managed to block three in his haste, the remaining six landing squarely on his abdomen.
Ma Hongjun was sent flying, the intense pain causing his stomach to churn. He collapsed to the ground, convulsing.
"Too strong!" This was Ma Hongjun's feeling. Moreover, he sensed that the devil had held back his strength in the last few punches, otherwise, he might not have been able to stand up.
The devil glanced at Ma Hongjun with interest, a wicked smile appearing on his face. Then, he charged towards his nine henchmen.
Ma Hongjun, enduring the discomfort in his abdomen, stood up.
"Dragon Soul Spear!"
Just as Ma Hongjun summoned the Dragon Soul Spear, Ye Xingchen and the others became even more terrified, shouting loudly.
"Ma Hongjun, don't use your Martial Soul!"
"Boss Ma, don't summon your Martial Soul!"
"Boss, stop, don't!"
...
But it was too late. Ma Hongjun's spear had already pierced the devil. He wanted to stop the devil and prevent him from harming his underlings.
Ma Hongjun separated the devil and his nine underlings with a single spear thrust, standing in front of his underlings, spear in hand, facing the devil.
"Haha, not bad, brat, you have guts, daring to use your Martial Soul to fight me.
Since that's the case, then come on."
He laughed cruelly, then spread his arms wide.
"Bloodthirsty Wolf, Possess!"
In the dim light of the night, his eyes were exceptionally bright, flashing with a blood-red light, like a red abyss, staring at you. A true devil.
With a wolf howl, his hands transformed into wolf claws, the fingertips long and sharp, rubbing against each other, emitting white sparks.
Three spirit rings rose from his feet, hovering from his feet to the top of his head.
Yellow and purple!
So glaringly bright in the night.
Ma Hongjun's face turned deathly pale. Without a doubt, he was no match for them.
No wonder Ye Xingchen and the others hadn't summoned their martial souls despite being beaten so badly; now he understood.
They clearly knew the devil. Fighting him bare-handed would only cause pain, just superficial wounds. But if they tried to fight the devil with their martial souls, they'd probably be bedridden for days.
"Come on, kid, let me see what you're made of. You have the courage to use your martial soul in front of me; you're already much stronger than those guys,"
the devil said, pointing at Ye Xingchen and the others lying on the ground.
Without giving Ma Hongjun a chance to reply, his wolf claws swung out.
This guy was decisive, no hesitation, no wasted time.
Three cold lights flashed rapidly, and Ma Hongjun quickly flicked his spear to meet them.
"Dragonfly skimming the water!"
This was a technique used in the Ma family's spear style to test strength. The spear in Ma Hongjun's hand moved rapidly, thrusting and retracting, lightly touching and then retreating, striking three times in succession against three wolf claws, producing a metallic clang.
Ma Hongjun swiftly parried with his spear, but the wolf claws were too powerful. They had already blocked Ma Hongjun's attack and rushed towards him, the claws gripping the Dragon Soul Spear as if cutting, producing a sizzling sound.
Then, those blood-red eyes approached, and the massive wolf head slammed into Ma Hongjun's chest.
Wolves are known for their bronze heads, iron bones, and tofu waists; their heads are incredibly hard. The impact sent Ma Hongjun flying, and his nine henchmen behind him were also knocked down, the powerful impact sending them scribbling across the ground.
"Good physique, but still a bit weak in strength,"
the devil nodded, speaking to Ma Hongjun before turning to look at Ye Xingchen and the others.
"Ye Xingchen, how's your holiday assignment going?
I'm really into it right now, so I'll play along and see if you've taken my words to heart."
The devil pointed at Ma Hongjun and continued, "Including this kid, all ten of you can come at me together. I'll give you one minute to prepare. Make sure you satisfy me, or tomorrow we'll start devil training."
"Teacher Chu, it's too late!"
"Yeah, Teacher Chu, how about tomorrow?"
"Teacher Chu, we..."
...
"One minute, start the timer!"
Ignoring Ye Xingchen and the others' groans, the devil was very domineering. He left a single sentence, turned around, and walked to the side, closing his eyes to rest.
"Don't delay, you guys come over here quickly, I'll give you a quick tactical briefing." Ye Xingchen quickly stood up and said.
The other nine also quickly gathered around. Judging from their energetic appearance, most of their earlier howls of pain were faked.
"Let's stick to our previous drills. Dashan and Jushi will lead the attack, Kunshan and Benson will be the main attackers, Yuanyuan and Xiaoyu will follow up, Andra will be responsible for ranged attacks, and Mufeng will primarily protect Yuanyuan and Xiaoyu, then look for opportunities to break in. I'll command from the middle, Yuanyuan and Xiaoxiao, stay as close to me as possible, and you two need to stay alert at all times..."
"Boss Ye, what about Boss Ma?" "
Yeah, Boss Ma, come here quickly."
...
Ma Hongjun understood what was going on, put away his Dragon Soul Spear, and went over to join them.
"Boss Ma just used up some soul power, he doesn't have much time left, Yuanyuan, quickly give Boss Ma one of your breads."
"Okay!"
The round-looking girl was named Xiao Yuanyuan. Although she was young, she was clearly quite round, already quite well-developed, bigger and rounder than many adult women. As
soon as they mentioned bread, Ma Hongjun's eyes subconsciously looked towards Xiao Yuanyuan's round area, and he thought awkwardly to himself.
"Are we eating here?"
Xiao Yuanyuan's chubby round face flushed red, and she said shyly, "What are you looking at? We're not eating this."
After saying that, Xiao Yuanyuan turned her back, her face burning red, and a yellow spirit ring lit up on her body.
Ma Hongjun couldn't see what she was doing behind her back, but he clearly heard the incantation.
"I have a big loaf of bread!"