N-A-A Chapter 24: Conflict
Chapter 24: Conflict
Donghai College registration point.
Under a simple rain shelter, several upperclassmen in their college uniforms were busy at work. Seeing Yu Chen and Tang Wulin approaching, a senior with almond-shaped eyes and a friendly smile greeted them.
"Are you two here to register at Donghai College?"
"Yes." Yu Chen handed over the letter of recommendation.
The senior student took the bag and checked it, her smile growing even sweeter: "Welcome! I'm Liu Yuxin, a second-year student in the intermediate department, responsible for guiding the new students. Let's get on the bus and rest first, and we'll head to the college once everyone is here."
Yu Chen nodded and boarded the bus with Tang Wulin. There were already over a dozen new students on board, most of them looking excited and chatting quietly.
About twenty minutes later, the Soul Guidance Bus drove into East Sea Academy. The magnificent academy gate, the well-arranged teaching buildings, the spacious training grounds... everything showcased the profound heritage of this intermediate Soul Master Academy.
Liu Yuxin led the new students to collect their ID cards and school uniforms, complete the enrollment procedures, and finally arrived at the dormitory area.
"Dorm rooms are assigned according to student ID numbers, two people per room. Your room numbers have already been sent to your ID cards, so you can go there yourself. If you have any questions, feel free to ask the dorm manager or upperclassmen!" Liu Yuxin finished explaining and waved goodbye with a smile.
Tang Wulin pulled out his ID card, his eyes lighting up: "Brother Chen, we're in the same room! 205!"
Yu Chen glanced at his card and nodded: "Okay."
"Great! I can live with Brother Chen again!" Tang Wulin breathed a sigh of relief. With Yu Chen around, he felt much more at ease.
The two found dormitory 205 and opened the door.
The dormitory wasn't large, but it was clean and tidy. Two beds with desks were placed against the wall, along with a separate bathroom and a small balcony. Compared to the "spectacle" of hundreds of people sharing toilets at Shrek Academy ten thousand years ago, the conditions were already quite good.
There were already people in the dormitory at this moment.
On the lower bunk to the left, by the window, a tall, muscular boy sat on the edge of the bed, curiously observing the two people who entered. He looked much more robust than his peers, and his eyes held a rather direct scrutiny.
On the lower bunk to the right, a brown-haired boy was organizing his luggage with his back to the door. Hearing the door open, he turned around—
It was the aloof young man I'd met once at the train station.
He saw Yu Chen and Tang Wulin and obviously recognized them. His brows furrowed immediately, and a hint of vigilance and scrutiny flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly covered by his usual indifference.
"Is it you?" he said coldly. "Donghai City is really small."
The moment Tang Wulin saw him, he remembered the shove at the station and his anger flared: "It's you! The one who pushed people at the station!"
The brown-haired boy, Xie Xie, merely scoffed at these words: "He blocked the way himself, so who's to blame?"
"You!" Tang Wulin was about to retort when the burly boy on his left suddenly spoke up, his voice booming:
"New here? Perfect, my name is Zhou Changxi. Now that everyone's here, let's set up some dormitory rules."
He stood up, a head taller than Tang Wulin, and pointed to the broom and mop behind the door: "From now on, the dormitory cleaning will be your responsibility. Mop the floor and take out the trash today."
He noticed the conversation between the two men and concluded that they must have a grudge against this rich young master. He also noticed that neither of them was as tall as him, and their clothes were not as luxurious as Xie Xie's. They were clearly from commoner backgrounds. He figured that if he could win over Xie Xie, these two men would be completely at his mercy.
Bullying exists even in schools, let alone in the world of Soul Masters where strength is paramount.
These words carried a tone of command, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Tang Wulin's anger, which he had just suppressed, flared up again: "Why should I? If anyone's going to clean, they should do it all!"
Zhou Changxi crossed his arms and grinned, "Why? Because my fists are bigger. What, you disagree?"
His gaze swept over the seemingly "weak" Yu Chen, then looked at Tang Wulin, who was clearly less physically imposing than himself despite his anger. His tone carried a hint of youthful arrogance: "The strong prey on the weak, don't you understand that principle? If you don't want to work, fine, but if you can beat me, I'll take care of all your work from now on."
Tang Wulin's face flushed with anger, and he was about to step forward to argue when an arm gently blocked his way.
It's Yu Chen.
Yu Chen placed his luggage beside the empty upper bunk before turning to face Zhou Changxi. His expression remained unchanged, his gaze calmly fixed on the other's face.
"You're right," Yu Chen said, his voice steady. "The law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak, is the way of nature."
Zhou Changxi was taken aback, not expecting the other party to agree.
"But," Yu Chen continued, his tone completely flat, "you've got one thing wrong."
"What is it?" Zhou Changxi asked subconsciously.
Yu Chen raised his eyes, his gaze appearing exceptionally deep under the dormitory lights: "You are not a strong person."
The moment the words left his mouth, Zhou Changxi's heart skipped a beat. Before he could react, Yu Chen had already moved.
There was no burst of soul power, no martial soul possession, and not even any extra movements.
Zhou Changxi only felt a blur before his eyes, and Yu Chen had already silently appeared half an arm's length in front of him. Immediately afterward, his fist, which he had just gathered strength to throw, was firmly grasped by a seemingly slender hand that contained incredible power.
Not moving.
Zhou Changxi's expression changed, and he let out a low roar as his soul power surged within him. A white soul ring rose behind him—the Mighty Ape Possession! The muscles in his arms instantly swelled, his strength increased dramatically, and he tried to break free.
However, the hand gripping his wrist remained as steady as an iron clamp.
Yu Chen didn't even glance at his conspicuous white spirit ring. He simply tilted his head slightly and calmly said to the dumbfounded Tang Wulin behind him:
"Wu Lin, did you see that? This is just bluffing."
His gaze returned to Zhou Changxi's face, flushed from exertion, his tone still calm, yet each word clear:
"Spirit rings are symbols of power, not tools for intimidation. If you are truly strong, you don't even need to reveal them for others to respect you, instead of like this, where you reveal them but can't even break free from my grasp."
He twisted his wrist slightly.
Zhou Changxi felt an irresistible force surge through him, causing him to stumble and nearly fall to his knees. He struggled desperately, his face turning red, but it felt as if his arms were cast in steel.
Before Zhou Changxi could gather strength for a counterattack, Yu Chen suddenly exerted force with his wrist, his five fingers gripping the opponent's wrist bone like steel claws, and pulled his arm backward and then swung it forward fiercely!
An irresistible force slammed Zhou Changxi's body into the dormitory door. With a loud crash, the thin wooden door shattered into pieces, and amidst the flying wood chips, Zhou Changxi's body was sent flying backward like a rag doll.
Yu Chen lightly touched the ground with his toes, his figure following closely to the door. Just as Zhou Changxi was about to land, he reached out and grabbed the back of his neck.
With a muffled thud, Zhou Changxi was shoved into the wall by Yu Chen.
Zhou Changxi's Hercules Ape Martial Soul was forced to dissipate, and he slumped against the wall, unable to even move a finger.
After finishing these tasks, Yu Chen stopped looking at him, stepped over the wood chips and door fragments on the ground, turned around and walked back to the dormitory, her tone returning to its usual calm:
"Cleaning will be done on a rotating basis, according to student ID numbers. Feel free to voice any concerns."
He paused, then added:
"Promote through strength."
The dormitory was completely silent.
The creaking of the broken wooden door still echoed in the air, and Zhou Changxi's muffled groans in the corridor could be clearly heard.
Xie Xie pursed his lips, gave Yu Chen a deep look, and then turned around to continue packing his luggage, but his movements were so stiff that he almost knocked over the water glass on the table.
Tang Wulin glanced at the shattered door panel, then at Yu Chen's nonchalant expression, secretly gave him a thumbs-up, and then cheerfully picked up the broom:
"I'll start today! Chen-ge, you take a break!"
Yu Chen hummed in agreement, sat on the edge of the bed, and gazed at the gradually pattering rain outside the window.