Chapter 19: I Haven’t Even Started Yet, How Have You Already Fallen?

Confused but brimming with self-confidence, Tai Long followed the trio to the open space in front of the cabin at the back of the mountain.

Xu Shuangshuang and the other little ones were all giggling, each finding a large tree to hide behind, peeking out with their heads to observe him with curiosity.

The only outlier around the clearing was Ye You. Seeing an "outsider" arrive, he vigilantly ceased his meditation, crossed his arms over his chest, and stood to the side in silence to observe.

After this period of cultivation, he had successfully obtained his first soul ring, and his soul power had reached level 12. His golden hair, which he could not conceal, had grown significantly longer. Once he had swapped out his tattered clothes, the unique temperament of a prince immediately became apparent. However, Jiang Beibei only had two words to describe this change: "Smelly brat!"

Ye You's presence was quickly noticed by Tai Long. There was no helping it; the boy's appearance was too striking to ignore.

"Could this boy be the 'inconvenience' the Dean mentioned earlier?"

Golden hair, heterochromatic eyes, an air of nobility. As the future successor of the Power Clan, how could Tai Long fail to recognize the hallmark features of a prince from the Star Luo Empire? He kept his thoughts to himself and nodded, half-understanding, in response to Liu Erlong's previous words.

"Go on, go on! Your Sister Beibei is about to spar. If you get caught in the crossfire later, don't blame me!"

Seeing Ye You still wearing that "deadpan" expression, Jiang Beibei felt a surge of irritation. If not for the presence of others, she probably would have kicked him.

"Huh? Sister Beibei, you... you are going to fight?"

Hearing this, the down-and-out prince instantly perked up. He stopped trying to maintain his arrogant princely demeanor and leaned in with a hint of flattery.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Beibei, who had long since lost her patience, reached out her small hand, grabbed him by the forehead, and tossed him aside.

*Thud!*

With a dull sound, Ye You hit the ground. Yet, the boy didn't even mind being covered in dust; his heterochromatic eyes were wide with excitement as he leaned against a nearby tree, staring intently at the two about to face off.

"This little girl has quite a bit of strength. Wait... the Dean didn't ask me to restrict my power earlier, could it be..."

Seeing Jiang Beibei toss a boy of similar age aside so easily, Tai Long's heart skipped a beat. He felt a vague sense that something was wrong. Before he could think it through, he heard Liu Erlong shout:

"The entire back mountain area is the arena. This is an unrestricted soul master duel. Begin!"

???

An unrestricted duel? The entire back mountain?

Tai Long, already feeling a bit uneasy, became even more nervous. He couldn't help but feel he had boarded a pirate ship.

"Senior Tai Long~" Jiang Beibei called out in a sweet, melodic voice.

The next second, her eyes turned tender, and the pink patterns around her pupils rapidly shifted into eerie hexagrams.

"Charm Bone Martial Soul, possess!"

Two brilliant purple soul rings hovered around her, causing her effortless charm to erupt to its peak in an instant.

"What? How is this possible?"

Such an exaggerated soul ring configuration was something Tai Long had never even heard of, let alone seen in his entire life. What kind of proper soul master has thousand-year soul rings for their first and second slots? It was only at this moment that he understood why the Dean had set those rules. It wasn't to hide the Star Luo prince, but to keep Jiang Beibei, this freak of nature, a secret!

But this was no time for contemplation. Since the duel was decided, the arrow was already on the string. Even if his opponent was strong, he had to grit his teeth and push forward.

"Gigantic Gorilla Martial Soul, possess!"

"Level 26, Power Attack System. Junior Sister Beibei, please—"

Since they were both Great Soul Masters, Tai Long figured that even if there was a gap in the age of their soul rings, he was a standout of the Power Clan, and his practical combat experience far exceeded hers. If he played his cards right, winning shouldn't be too difficult. Therefore, after completing his soul possession, he prepared to offer the standard, polite opening for a soul master duel.

Who would have thought that before he could even finish his sentence, Jiang Beibei's figure would vanish from his sight.

"Senior Tai Long~ I said it was an unrestricted duel. You are far too honest~"

"First Soul Skill: Charm (Submergence)!"

A strange fragrance entered his nose. Tai Long felt his vision blur. Through the haze, he seemed to see his childhood sweetheart.

"Sma—"

To onlookers, his eyes had completely transformed into hearts, and he looked as though he were floating in a dream.

"Sleep now!"

Jiang Beibei's gentle words shattered his final line of defense. She reached out her right index finger and tapped him lightly on the forehead. The boy, who had grown several times larger after his soul possession, collapsed with a crash, his mouth hanging open and drool uncontrollably leaking out.

"Too weak. I haven't even used my full strength yet, and you've already fallen?"

After the fight, Jiang Beibei retracted her soul and stepped on Tai Long’s shoulder, waiting for Mother Erlong to announce the result.

"The winner of this soul master duel is Jiang Beibei!"

"Old Ji, you have no objections, right?"

Liu Erlong was slightly overly satisfied with her daughter's performance. She had known Beibei's soul skills were strong, but she hadn't expected Beibei to resolve the match with a single skill, without even needing her two external soul bones. She had been well aware of their strength before the fight started, thinking that since their soul power levels were similar, Tai Long would at least be able to put up a fight. But from start to finish, it hadn't even lasted five seconds. It was too fast.

However, as the witness, she couldn't simply make a biased decision, or she would be seen as showing favoritism. Thus, after announcing the result, she turned to look at Ji Yunfei.

"No... no objections. It is indeed Jiang Beibei who won."

Objections? Wasn't the result plain to see? Could you tell me if Tai Long, in his current pathetic state, had even a shred of combat power left? Ji Yunfei didn't say it aloud, but the involuntary twitching of his mouth betrayed his inner shock.

He had been the one to oversee the awakening of Jiang Beibei's martial soul. In such a short time, she had grown to such a terrifying degree that he couldn't help but sigh that he was falling behind the times. Of course, what shocked him most were those two thousand-year soul rings. With his knowledge, he understood their power even better than Tai Long did. Regardless of Liu Erlong's help, having the willpower to survive the resentment of two thousand-year soul beasts meant Beibei's mental strength already surpassed the vast majority of soul masters.

He didn't know, however, that Jiang Beibei hadn't faced the resentment of dying soul beasts for those two rings; instead, she had received the full assistance of Xiao Bai and Xiao Fen.

Equally shocked were Ye You, Xu Shuangshuang, and the rest of the children. They now worshipped their "Sister Beibei" from the bottom of their hearts.

"Beibei, release your soul skill and let him leave."

Since the match was over, Liu Erlong didn't want Tai Long to remain lying there like a fool; it was truly an eyesore.

"Mom, it's not that Beibei doesn't want to release it, but my first soul skill isn't under perfect control yet. Senior Tai Long should wake up in about half an hour. I'm sorry..."

Coming to Mother Erlong's side, Jiang Beibei instantly put away her little-devil persona. That pitiful, adorable look truly pleased her mother.

"So that's how it is. It's fine, it's not Beibei's fault. Old Ji, I'll have to trouble you to take Tai Long away."

"Understood."

Ji Yunfei nodded. He grabbed Tai Long with one hand as if he were a chick, hoisted him onto his back, and left.