Chapter 16: Who Are You?!

"Are you afraid?" Mu Chen chuckled lightly.

"Haha, afraid? Who do you think you are?" Xiao Chenyu scoffed dismissively.

"If you're not afraid, why are you wasting my time with all this talk? Fine, I'll give you a choice, just as you give me one. If you're afraid, then from now on, you will call me 'Boss'! During my time at the Notting Academy, I will protect you." Mu Chen was all in for the task.

"Haha, did you hear that? He actually said he would protect me!" Xiao Chenyu laughed, his sixth-grade companions joining in. After a moment, he continued, "You, a first-year student, think you can be the boss of a sixth grader? Are you out of your mind? As the leader among students, it seems I must establish my authority today. Fighting you would just embarrass me. Xiaoliu, you go!"

"Boss, do we really need to? He's just a first-year student."

"I said go! Teach him a lesson for my cousin!"

"Alright."

One of the sixth-grade students stepped forward, sizing up Mu Chen with a sneer. "A work-study student wants me to take action? I won't stop until you're begging for mercy!"

"Not begging for mercy? If you lose, you can just call yourself 'Withered Flower, Fallen Willow'," Tang San chimed in, stepping forward to impress Xiao Wu and clear up any negative impressions she might have of him.

Just as Tang San took a step forward, Mu Chen reached out to stop him.

"Boss?!" Tang San looked at Mu Chen in confusion.

"The one he's targeting is me; I'll handle it," Mu Chen said seriously.

"Boss, we're all work-study students; we are part of the seventh dormitory. I have an obligation to help," Tang San replied, glancing at Xiao Wu.

"I said he's challenging me. I'll take care of this," Mu Chen stated, quickly understanding Tang San's intentions. He glanced at Xiao Wu, realizing that if he hadn't met her, it would have been a different story. Since he had met Xiao Wu before Tang San, he felt compelled to compete fairly.

Xiao Wu was indeed incredibly cute!

"Let's start; I won't even need to use my martial spirit to deal with you!" the student with the surname Liu said confidently.

"You should probably use your martial spirit!" Mu Chen advised.

"No need. I'm a sixth-grade student. It would be humiliating to use my martial spirit against a first-year," the student with the surname Liu mocked.

Not only him, but even the onlooking teachers and students regarded Mu Chen with scorn. To them, a sixth grader and a first-year student were incomparable; there was no way Mu Chen could win.

"One strike!" Mu Chen raised a finger.

"What?" the student with the surname Liu asked, puzzled.

"I just need one strike to easily defeat you," Mu Chen said confidently.

"What?" 

"Is that kid serious?" 

"He claims he only needs one strike to defeat Liu Changhui. Does he already have a spirit ring?"

Hearing the murmurs around him, the student with the surname Liu looked nervously at Mu Chen. If Mu Chen had obtained a spirit ring and had a spirit ability, he wasn't confident he could win.

"I don't need to use my martial spirit. Just one strike is enough to defeat you," Mu Chen reiterated.

"What?"

"Without using a martial spirit, you want to defeat a sixth-grade student?"

"How is that possible? Are all the new students this arrogant?"

The surrounding teachers and students looked at Mu Chen in shock and ridicule.

"How arrogant! If you can really defeat me without using your martial spirit in one strike, I'll take your surname! Here I come!" the student with the surname Liu fumed. Although he was a lackey of Xiao Chenyu, he had reached level eight in soul power; he was no mere child. Feeling underestimated, he charged at Mu Chen, throwing a punch aimed at his face.

Bang!

The student with the surname Liu was taken aback. His fist, just twenty centimeters from Mu Chen's face, was unexpectedly blocked by Mu Chen's palm.

Immediately, Mu Chen lifted his leg and kicked him in the abdomen, simultaneously releasing his grip on Liu's hand, executing the movements perfectly.

Bang!

The student with the surname Liu was sent flying by Mu Chen's kick, doubling over in pain.

Silence fell over the crowd.

One strike! 

He only needed one strike! 

And he didn't even use his martial spirit. A first-year student had actually defeated a sixth-grade student.

Shock!

The nearby new students stared at Mu Chen in astonishment.

**Soul Power +1800 Points**

They were at the entrance of the cafeteria, and it just happened to be breakfast time, so many people were gathered there. Due to Mu Chen's stunning performance, he gained 1800 emotional points. He was now very close to leveling up to level ten.

"Haha, 'Withered Flower, Fallen Willow' is truly living up to its name," Xiao Wu laughed triumphantly.

"Lin Feng, it's your turn!"

Xiao Chenyu looked at one of his companions, his expression still one of shock at Mu Chen's achievement.

"One strike!"

Mu Chen raised a finger again.

"What?"

"I still only need one strike to defeat you."

"How arrogant! You think I'm a 'Withered Flower, Fallen Willow' too?"

The sixth-grade student, provoked by Mu Chen, was furious. He stomped his foot, and his soul power condensed into a golden staff in his hand, which bore dragon patterns.

"The Dragon Pattern Staff?" Mu Chen raised an eyebrow.

Familiar with the lore of *Douluo*, Mu Chen knew that the Dragon Pattern Staff was among the top-ranked weapon spirits. In the current Spirit Hall, there are two titled Douluo-level figures whose martial spirit is the Dragon Pattern Staff.

"Yes. Are you scared? If you are, then just give up. Fighting you would be a disgrace to me," Lin Feng proclaimed haughtily.

"Come on, you can start. If I strike first, you won't get a chance to show off!" Mu Chen said indifferently.

"Damn, you dare to look down on me! Let me teach you a lesson!" Lin Feng leaped into the air, swinging the dragon-patterned staff down toward Mu Chen.

I have to admit, Lin Feng's attacking posture looked quite impressive. However, he made a grave mistake.

In mid-air, he had no leverage, leaving him wide open.

Mu Chen simply sidestepped, avoiding Lin Feng's strike. At the same time, he lifted his leg and kicked Lin Feng, who was still airborne.

Bang!

Lin Feng was kicked back five meters.

"What… what just happened?"

"One strike! He defeated a sixth-grade student using just one strike again!"

"Whew~!"

The surrounding teachers and students gaped at Mu Chen, whispering, "How has this year's work-study student become so powerful?!"

"So, Xiao Boss, are you convinced? Our seventh dormitory's boss didn't even use soul power! You always mocked us work-study students as inferior; now you've been defeated by our boss. So tell me, who are you?" Wang Sheng said, looking at Xiao Chenyu and the others with a triumphant grin, having witnessed Mu Chen's incredible victories over two upperclassmen.

**Soul Power +1000** 

Perhaps because this was the second time, Mu Chen only gained 1000 emotional points from the audience.

Now, he was just 1180 points away from obtaining a spirit ring with level ten soul power. He was incredibly close!