Douluo Continent: My name is Lu Mingfei, and my martial soul is Lu Mingze.

"Oh, right, Xiao Xiao will be coming tomorrow too," Huo Yuhao suddenly said.

"Xiao Xiao?" Lu Mingfei was taken aback for a moment, then thought back carefully.

Who is it?

"My classmate, who is also Wang Dong's classmate," Huo Yuhao said.

"She heard we were training and wanted to come and see us."

"Look? Could they be here to laugh at me?" Lu Mingfei became alert.

He had seen plenty of people like this before—utterly despicable and hateful, who had deceived his feelings as a skilled cook.

"It shouldn't be," Huo Yuhao said with a smile.

"Xiao Xiao is a very nice person."

Lu Mingfei nodded with some skepticism.

The next day, Lu Mingfei got up early as usual and ran to the training ground.

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong had arrived, and a girl was standing next to them.

The girl looked young, with pigtails, and was quite cute, but her eyes revealed a shrewdness.

"Senior, this is Xiao Xiao," Huo Yuhao introduced.

"Xiao Xiao, this is senior Lu Mingfei."

"Hello, senior." Xiao Xiao greeted him with a smile.

"I have long admired your name."

Lu Mingfei's heart skipped a beat.

I've long admired your name.

Something doesn't quite sound right about that.

"What have you been admiring about me for?" Lu Mingfei asked tentatively.

"I've heard so much about you... um..."

Xiao Xiao tilted her head and thought for a moment: "I've long admired you for being the most useless original spirit owner in the history of Shrek Academy?"

Lu Mingfei: "..."

He knew it.

He knew he wouldn't hear anything nice.

Huo Yuhao, from now on you'll have a place in my notebook too. Get your necks clean and wait with Wang Dong!

Huo Yuhao seemed to sense a hint of revenge and quickly tried to smooth things over: "Xiao Xiao, don't say that. Senior is actually very capable."

"Yeah?"

Xiao Xiao looked Lu Mingfei up and down.

"I failed the practical assessments very few times."

"That was an accident," Lu Mingfei said.

"I also heard that he failed four theory courses in his first year?"

"...That was an accident."

"I also heard he was almost asked to leave?"

"That's even more unexpected! And besides, I wasn't asked to drop out, I was asked to repeat a year! Where did this ridiculous rumor come from?!"

Xiao Xiao smiled, revealing a set of small white teeth: "Let's not talk about that, senior, why are you so surprised?"

Lu Mingfei took a deep breath.

He realized that this girl wasn't there to watch the training, but to tease him.

"Your name is Xiao Xiao, right?" Lu Mingfei asked.

"yes."

How old are you this year?

"twelve."

"A twelve-year-old girl, can't you watch your mouth? Aren't you afraid you'll never be able to get married?"

"If you can't get married, you can't get married."

Xiao Xiao shrugged indifferently: "I don't rely on getting married to make a living."

Lu Mingfei was momentarily speechless.

That seems to be true.

This girl has a sharper tongue than he imagined.

"Alright, alright, stop arguing," Wang Dong said impatiently from the side. "Are we still practicing or not?"

"Practice!" Lu Mingfei and Xiao Xiao said at the same time.

The two exchanged a glance, then simultaneously snorted and turned their heads away.

Huo Yuhao, watching from the side, didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Did they start arguing right after meeting?

Training begins.

Lu Mingfei ran ten laps to warm up, and then started practicing with Wang Dong.

Xiao Xiao watched from the side, initially smiling, but her expression changed as she watched.

"He...he really only has one ring?" Xiao Xiao asked Huo Yuhao in a low voice.

Judging from his serious expression, he doesn't seem like someone from the First Ring Road. So why is he described as having such a dark complexion in the legends?

"Really," Huo Yuhao said.

"Senior has a physical martial soul, but his soul power level has been stuck at one ring."

Huo Yuhao still gave Lu Mingfei some face and didn't say it was because he wasn't cultivating.

"But his reaction speed is so fast. Wang Dong is already considered fast in our class, yet he managed to dodge several times," Xiao Xiao said.

"That's because of your abilities, senior," Huo Yuhao explained.

"He has a special ability called 'Kamaitachi,' which allows him to sense everything around him through the wind."

Xiao Xiao's eyes lit up: "Innate ability? Not a soul skill?"

"no."

"That's really impressive," Xiao Xiao said. "No wonder he dared to spar with Wang Dong."

As they were talking, Lu Mingfei was knocked down by Wang Dong's punch again.

Xiao Xiao couldn't help but laugh as she watched Lu Mingfei get up from the ground, covered in dust and dirt.

"But they still got beaten up pretty badly."

"You've made a lot of progress, senior," Huo Yuhao said.

"Two weeks ago, he couldn't even avoid it once."

Xiao Xiao raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

After training, Lu Mingfei, as usual, lay on the ground and pretended to be dead.

Xiao Xiao walked over and looked down at him.

"Senior, you look really bad."

"It's none of your business," Lu Mingfei said weakly.

"I'd like to."

"I'm just curious, why are you pushing yourself so hard as a first-ring Soul Master? You'll probably repeat a grade anyway, so you might as well give up sooner and save yourself the trouble."

Lu Mingfei opened his eyes and glanced at her.

"You're just a young girl, how can you have such a sharp tongue? Do your family members know?"

"Yes, I know," Xiao Xiao said with a smile. "They also said I'm very cute."

"Besides, senior, you're not that much older than me, are you?"

Lu Mingfei was speechless.

This girl's shamelessness is on par with his.

"I'm working so hard because I don't want to repeat a grade."

Is this reason sufficient?

"Not enough." Xiao Xiao shook her head.

"Many people don't want to repeat a grade, but few are as driven as you."

Lu Mingfei remained silent for a while.

"Some people hope I can achieve great things," he said softly.

"I can't let him down."

Xiao Xiao was stunned for a moment.

"...Oh." Xiao Xiao turned her head away.

"Then you should try your best, otherwise you'll have to repeat a year, that would be embarrassing."

"Can't you wish me something good?"

"cannot."

Lu Mingfei: "..."

In the days that followed, Xiao Xiao also joined the training.

She said she was there to help, but actually she was just there to join in the fun.

However, she didn't just watch without practicing; she would occasionally spar with Lu Mingfei.

Xiao Xiao's martial soul is the Three Lives Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, a very powerful control-type martial soul.

Although she is young, she is quite strong, and her soul power is several levels higher than Lu Mingfei's.

When Lu Mingfei fought her, Kamaitachi's role became less important.

Because Xiao Xiao's attack method doesn't rely on speed, but on control.

Once she released the Three Lives Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, it directly sealed off Lu Mingfei's movements, rendering him completely immobile.

"Senior, why aren't you moving?" Xiao Xiao asked with a smile.

"How can I move if you've frozen me in place?!" Lu Mingfei struggled a few times, but couldn't budge.

"So, are you admitting defeat?"

"I don't acknowledge it!"

"Shall I increase the pressure a bit more?"

"...I admit it! I was just joking around."

Xiao Xiao withdrew her martial spirit with satisfaction, while Lu Mingfei stumbled and almost fell.

"Xiao Xiao, are you doing this on purpose?" Lu Mingfei glared at her.

"Yes, that's right." Xiao Xiao readily admitted.

Lu Mingfei: "..."

He had never seen such a shameless person.

No, he's pretty shameless himself.

Has it met its match?

As time went by, Lu Mingfei's progress became increasingly evident.

Two weeks later, he was able to exchange twenty moves with Wang Dong.

Although they will eventually be defeated, at least it won't be a one-sided affair.

"Senior, you've really become much more capable now," Huo Yuhao said sincerely.

"I can't even imagine if I could have a few more months."

My senior, Mingfei, is worthy of being given a title!

"A few months?" Lu Mingfei smiled wryly.

"The grade-level assessment is in a few days, I can't wait a few more months."

"So what do you plan to do?" Wang Dong asked.

"I don't know," Lu Mingfei shook his head, "but it won't be the worst."

He said this with great confidence.

The training over the past two weeks has not only significantly improved his speed, but more importantly, it has also made him more and more proficient in using the Kamaitachi.

At first, he could only passively listen to the sounds and then react.

Now, he can actively use the Kamaitachi to sense everything around him, and even predict his opponent's next move.

Although his body still couldn't keep up with Wang Dong's speed, it should be enough to deal with ordinary first-ring Soul Masters.

"By the way, what's your class's assessment?" Lu Mingfei asked.

"Real combat," Huo Yuhao said.

"You guys will definitely be fine, Yuhao's skill is practically broken."

"And you?" Wang Dong asked, "What are the assessments for your grade?"

"It's also real-world practice," Lu Mingfei said.

"However, the opponent wasn't a classmate, but a teacher."

"A teacher?" Huo Yuhao was taken aback. "What level of teacher?"

"Soul Master level," Lu Mingfei said, "Fourth Ring."

Huo Yuhao gasped.

Is the fourth ring road leading to the first ring road?

Isn't this bullying?

Oh no, maybe only the senior is in the first ring.

"Senior, how could we possibly win?"

"We have to fight even if we can't win," Lu Mingfei said. "The standard for the assessment is not winning, but surviving for a certain period of time."

"How long can we hold out?"

"I don't know." Lu Mingfei shook his head.

"It depends on the teacher's mood."

Huo Yuhao: "..."

Wang Dong: "..."

Xiao Xiao: "..."

This is such a rip-off!

And if it were you, wouldn't it take the longest no matter what?