Chapter 12: First Battle

Shun Lee's heart pounded in his chest as he stepped forward into the center of the gymnasium. This wasn't just a friendly sparring match—this was a test, a battle that would decide his standing among his classmates. His mind raced with possibilities, each one more terrifying than the last. He had never been in a real battle before. Sure, he had practiced and tried to train, but nothing could prepare him for the pressure of this moment.

The second Wei Xiaofeng taunted him, something inside Shun Lee snapped. He didn't think. He just reacted. His body moved before his mind could catch up, and before he knew it, he had lunged forward, throwing the first punch with all his might. His muscles screamed from the force of the impact as he aimed for Wei Xiaofeng's face, but in the blink of an eye, his opponent had already dodged.

"Damn it," Shun Lee thought, frustration bubbling inside him. "I've never fought someone like him." His punch had barely grazed the air as Wei Xiaofeng's lithe form swayed out of the way effortlessly. In that split second, Shun Lee's confidence wavered.' What was the next move? A kick? A follow-up punch?' He didn't know.

But before he could even think, a sharp kick hit him square in the chest, sending him flying backward. Shun Lee hit the ground hard, the air knocked out of him for a moment. His body skidded across the floor as he quickly scrambled to his feet. "What the hell? He's too fast!"

Wei Xiaofeng laughed, a low, mocking sound that grated on Shun Lee's nerves. "What, did you think you could actually land a hit on me? You're weak. I've been practicing for years, and you? You're just a beginner."

Shun Lee clenched his teeth, frustration and anger burning inside him. His vision blurred for a moment as he breathed in as the need to prove himself pushing everything else aside. He wasn't going to let Wei Xiaofeng get away with this.

His hand slammed down onto the floor, his soul power surging through him. In an instant, the earth beneath his feet trembled, and with a grunt, he raised an earth shield between himself and his opponent. The large rock barrier shot up, forming a wall of solid earth that separated them.

Wei Xiaofeng stopped for a moment, a frown crossing his face. "Oh? You think a little dirt wall can stop me?" he scoffed, his green-tinted skin glowing faintly as he summoned his martial soul.

The air around Wei Xiaofeng shimmered as his body became more flexible, his skin taking on a green hue as the Green Shadow Snake martial soul activated. With a fluid motion, he twisted his body, slithering toward Shun Lee with an uncanny speed.

Shun Lee's mind raced as he thought furiously. 'I have to do something.' He's faster than me, and his martial soul is so much more refined. I need a way to keep him at bay.

Before he could put his plan into motion, Wei Xiaofeng mocked him again, his voice dripping with condescension. "Heh, what's this? Your roommates—Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yanxi, right? I've heard they're supposed to be Soul Grandmasters, but if they're hanging out with a weakling like you, then I guess they're not all that either. Birds of a feather, right?"

Shun Lee's eyes flared with rage. His hands shook with the effort to hold back his anger, but the more Wei Xiaofeng mocked him, the harder it became.

"Shut up!" Shun Lee yelled, his voice booming in the gym. He clenched his fists, his focus sharpening. This was the moment he had been waiting for. No more holding back.

He reached deep into his soul power, summoning the full extent of his abilities. With a roar, he unleashed his hundred soul ring, the immense power pulsing from him like a wave. "Earth Golem!" he shouted, slamming his fist into the ground once again.

A massive shockwave rippled outward, and from the earth, massive golems began to rise. Their rocky forms towered over the gym, each one with immense strength and the power to crush anything in their path. The golems formed into a line, and with a single motion from Shun Lee, they launched forward, hurtling toward Wei Xiaofeng.

The look on Wei Xiaofeng's face shifted from arrogance to panic in an instant. "What the hell?" he muttered, barely having enough time to react. He quickly summoned his own hundred yellow soul ring, and with a sharp command, his Green Shadow Snake martial soul responded. In a blur of motion, several illusory clones of Wei Xiaofeng appeared, circling around Shun Lee's golems in a dizzying display.

"Idiotic move," Wei Xiaofeng sneered. "You really think you can hit me with that?" His clones weaved in and out of the golems, creating an illusion that made it difficult to tell which Wei Xiaofeng was the real one. The golems crashed through the clones, but none of them hit the actual Wei Xiaofeng.

Shun Lee narrowed his eyes, frustration boiling inside him. Damn it, how do I hit him? His clones— he hesitated for a second, then a thought struck him. The clones can't take real damage. I need to find the real one.

Zhang Yanxi and Wang Jinxi, standing at the sidelines, watched the battle intently. Their faces darkened as Wei Xiaofeng continued to mock Shun Lee. They could feel the sting of his words, not just aimed at Shun Lee, but at them as well. They clenched their fists in frustration.

"Bastard…" Wang Jinxi muttered under his breath, his teeth gritted. "He thinks he's better than us? We'll show him."

Zhang Yanxi's eyes narrowed. "Let's see how long he can keep up this act. Shun Lee's not done yet."

As Wei Xiaofeng danced around the golems, his smirk never faltering, Shun Lee's resolve hardened. He wasn't going to let his opponent get away with mocking him—or his friends. With a deep breath, Shun Lee focused, letting the noise of the gym fade away. He focused on the ground beneath him, on the vibrations in the earth, on the rhythm of Wei Xiaofeng's movements.

Suddenly, it clicked. He knew what he had to do.

With a swift motion, Shun Lee brought his hand down once more, but this time, instead of summoning more golems, he slammed his fist into the ground in a single, focused strike. The earth rippled beneath his feet, sending shockwaves through the clones, causing them to flicker and distort. As the clones wavered, Shun Lee's keen eye spotted the real Wei Xiaofeng hiding in the middle of the group.

"Got you," Shun Lee whispered to himself, his voice low but fierce. Without hesitation, he charged forward, unleashing a massive burst of energy as he slammed his fist into Wei Xiaofeng's chest, sending him tumbling backward.

The gym fell silent for a moment as Wei Xiaofeng scrambled to his feet, stunned. He wiped the blood from his mouth, his eyes now narrowed with fury. "You… you'll pay for that," he snarled, readying himself for the next round.

But Shun Lee wasn't done yet. He wasn't backing down. This was only the beginning.

Time soon passed and as the battle between Shun Lee and Wei Xiaofeng had reached a boiling point. The gym, once full of murmurs and light chatter, now hung in tense silence as their movements clashed with thunderous force. Shun Lee was doing his best to keep up, but it was becoming increasingly clear to anyone who watched that he was outmatched. His strikes lacked the precision and grace of a seasoned fighter, and every time he threw a punch, Wei Xiaofeng seemed to anticipate it effortlessly, dodging or countering with alarming ease.

It wasn't long before the signs of Shun Lee's inexperience began to show. Each move, each punch, and each block seemed to come with hesitation. Wei Xiaofeng, in stark contrast, was fluid—his every motion was calculated, his confidence unshakable. He was a Soul Grandmaster, after all.

"Pathetic," Wei Xiaofeng sneered, easily dodging yet another slow punch from Shun Lee. He flashed a wicked grin. "I thought you had something more, but you're just another weakling."

Shun Lee gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the sting of his words. His frustration was growing, but he knew he couldn't let his emotions control him. He needed to stay focused. Yet, as Wei Xiaofeng continued his trash talk, Shun Lee's patience began to wear thin. He could feel his anger bubbling, threatening to explode.

"Shut up," he muttered to himself, forcing himself to breathe. He needed to calm down if he let his anger take over, he'd only make more mistakes. 'Focus, focus,' he told himself, but just as he was about to reset his thoughts, Wei Xiaofeng's voice rang out once more.

"You're not just weak—you're nothing," Wei Xiaofeng taunted, stepping forward and spinning, his body blurring as he moved. "Your roommates—those so-called Soul Grandmasters—must be blind to associate with you."

The words hit like daggers. Shun Lee's fist clenched tightly, his body tensing. 'How dare he talk about them like that?' His roommates, Zhang Yanxi and Wang Jinxi—both incredibly talented Soul Masters—were his closest friends. The thought of Wei Xiaofeng disrespecting them set something inside Shun Lee on fire.

"Shut up, idiot!" Shun Lee snapped, his voice rising in fury.

It was the distraction that Wei Xiaofeng had been waiting for. His eyes gleamed as he saw the opening, and in a split second, he activated his second yellow soul ring: Devouring Green Shadow. The air shimmered, and suddenly, massive green snakes materialized around him, darting forward with terrifying speed. They struck like arrows, shooting toward Shun Lee in an unrelenting barrage.

Shun Lee didn't even have time to react. A green serpent sank its fangs into his right shoulder, and the pain was instant and overwhelming. The venomous bite sent a shock of agony through his entire body, and for a moment, the world seemed to spin around him. He gasped, barely keeping his balance as the burning pain spread from his shoulder to his brain.

"Ahh!" he cried out in agony, but his instincts kicked in. He slammed his hands against the floor, sending another earth wall surging upward to block Wei Xiaofeng's attacks and create some much-needed distance.

Shun Lee stood there, clutching his shoulder, trying to breathe through the pain. The venom coursed through his veins, but he forced himself to stay focused. He could feel the heavy weight of his body, the draining effect of the battle weighing on him, but he couldn't give up. 'I won't give him the satisfaction.'

Wei Xiaofeng stood across from him, watching the struggle with a cold smirk. "Tsk, pathetic. Is this the best you've got?" he mocked. "I guess you're not just weak. You're useless."

Shun Lee's mind burned with fury at the taunts, but for the first time in the battle, he didn't let the anger consume him. Instead, he turned it into focus. His eyes narrowed as he stared at his opponent. He could hear the distant sound of his classmates murmuring among themselves.

"Wait a minute... Wei Xiaofeng is already a Soul Grandmaster?" one voice whispered in awe.

"Yeah, I heard he was good, but I didn't realize just how strong he really was."

Zhang Yanxi and Wang Jinxi, watching from the sidelines, were equally stunned. Wei Xiaofeng's power was undeniable, and to see Shun Lee holding his own against a Soul Grandmaster, despite the overwhelming disadvantage, was impressive. But even they could see the toll the battle was taking on him. They clenched their fists in worry. They wanted to help—wanted to intervene—but knew Shun Lee had to fight this out on his own.

Shun Lee could hear their silent concern, but he wasn't going to let them pity him. He wasn't going to back down.

Just as Wei Xiaofeng was about to launch another round of taunts, Shun Lee's voice cut through the tension, calm and steady. "You know," he chuckled, his lips curling into a small smile despite the pain in his shoulder, "the moron who keeps blabbering during a fight tends to lose. So shut up, idiot."

For a brief moment, Wei Xiaofeng was taken aback. His smirk faltered. "What did you just say?" His anger flared. He was about to charge forward when Shun Lee, using the last bit of his strength, slammed his hands against the ground and dispelled the earth wall.

Immediately, the Earth Golem that Shun Lee had summoned earlier lunged forward, blocking Wei Xiaofeng's path. The massive rocky creature's enormous arms reached out, grabbing at Wei Xiaofeng's legs and restricting his movements.

Shun Lee stepped forward, using the momentum of his summons to his advantage. "I'm not done yet," he muttered, his voice now full of conviction.

With a fierce roar, Shun Lee began to unleash a barrage of earth-based attacks, each strike more precise than the last. The massive earth golems surged forward, hurling stones and creating shockwaves that reverberated through the gym. Wei Xiaofeng tried to dodge, but the sheer volume of the attacks made it impossible. His movements were slowed by the barrage, and he couldn't seem to find an opening.

Shun Lee's punches, though slower than Wei Xiaofeng's but it had gained in power. The raw force behind them shook the ground, and for the first time in the battle, Wei Xiaofeng seemed to be losing his edge. He staggered, his expression faltering as Shun Lee pushed forward.

But just as it seemed like Shun Lee might be turning the tide, his strength began to falter. The exhaustion was setting in—his soul power was draining rapidly. His vision blurred, and his legs grew heavy. He could feel his body crying out for rest, but he forced himself to stay standing.

Wei Xiaofeng, seeing his opponent's weakness, smirked cruelly. "It's over," he whispered under his breath, summoning one final burst of power. He dove forward, using his own soul power to strike at Shun Lee with a force that sent the young fighter crashing to the ground. The battle had drained them both, but in the end, it was Wei Xiaofeng who stood victorious.

Shun Lee, on his knees and bloodied, struggled to rise. His vision swam as the effects of his drained soul power overwhelmed him. "I…I can still figh-," he murmured weakly, but his body collapsed, and everything faded to black.

As Shun Lee lay unconscious, Wei Xiaofeng stood over him, breathing heavily but triumphant. The gym was silent, the tension of the battle's conclusion was hanging through the air.