After glancing at the options, Xu Qiu didn’t hesitate for even a second. He walked straight up to Xiao Mei, raised his hand, and slapped her across the face.
Smack!
Xiao Mei was completely stunned by the blow. “Y-You actually dared to hit me?!”
“A year ago, you said your father was critically ill and needed money for treatment. I sold the gene serum I won for first place in the school competition to pay for his medical expenses!”
“Nine months ago, you said your body tempering failed and your meridians were damaged. I worked for three months straight to buy you a Meridian Restoration Pill!”
“Half a year ago, your brother got into trouble at school and was tied up in an abandoned factory by over a dozen thugs. I went alone to rescue him and ended up bedridden for more than half a month, yet you didn’t visit me even once!”
“And the new clothes you’re wearing right now were bought with the money I earned from working! Over the past year, I tutored you and explained countless problems to you. Without me, do you think your grades would have improved so quickly? I’m not even asking you to repay all that. Just giving you a slap is already me being merciful!”
Xu Qiu spoke coldly.
With every word he said, he felt that the original owner had truly been a fool. Xiao Mei had clearly never loved him. She only valued his academic excellence and the vanity of being with an academic prodigy, all while shamelessly enjoying his devotion. He couldn’t understand how the original owner had endured it for so long.
But now things were different.
He was here.
And he would never tolerate her behavior.
After hearing Xu Qiu’s words, the crowd began looking at Xiao Mei with growing disdain, especially the girls.
“She’s pretty, but her character is terrible.”
“Exactly. Even if Xu Qiu didn’t awaken a Martial Soul and she wanted to break up, she could’ve done it privately. Dumping him in public without caring about his dignity after everything he did for her—how heartless.”
“Xiao Mei is really awful.”
“I knew she wasn’t sincere when she was with the academic prodigy Xu. She always showed him off like a trophy.”
Covering her face, Xiao Mei listened to the surrounding criticism as her expression turned ashen. She suddenly screamed, “Xu Qiu! I’ll kill you!”
A deep blue light erupted from her body.
In the next instant, her newly awakened Martial Soul, the Sea King’s Trident, appeared in her hand. Gripping the trident, she swung it toward Xu Qiu with swift and sudden force, leaving everyone else no time to react.
But at that very moment, a terrifying aura burst from Xu Qiu’s body. A brilliant divine radiance surged skyward, and the overwhelming energy fluctuation blasted Xiao Mei backward.
Above Xu Qiu’s head, streams of Martial Soul power began to manifest.
Among them was the ferocious beast Taotie, capable of devouring all things!
The Kunpeng, a beast so fast it could surpass beams of light and travel through black holes!
A Thunder Dragon roaring with boundless lightning!
A Nether Phoenix wreathed in violet-blue flames, immortal and indestructible!
…
Ten completely different ferocious beast phantoms revolved above Xu Qiu, radiating unparalleled and overwhelming killing intent. At that moment, across the entire Blue Star, countless Exotic Beasts turned toward Qingyun High School and instinctively prostrated themselves on the ground.
Meanwhile, the students who had just awakened their Martial Souls felt their own Martial Souls trembling uncontrollably, as if… they were afraid!
A system notification sounded in Xu Qiu’s mind.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, for awakening the Ten Ferocious Beast Martial Souls! Due to their overwhelming power, and for the host’s protection, each time the host advances by one realm, the host will gain control over the power of one ferocious beast Martial Soul. The currently unlocked ferocious beast Martial Soul is… Taotie!]
[Taotie devours all things!]
[The host can use this Martial Soul to devour treasures containing spiritual energy, rapidly increase cultivation, and unlock the powers of other ferocious beasts!]
The Ten Ferocious Beast Martial Souls lingered in the sky for a brief moment before transforming into streams of light and returning to Xu Qiu’s body. Everything returned to calm.
If not for their stiff limbs and sweat-covered foreheads, the crowd would have believed it was all an illusion.
“W-What’s going on?! Didn’t they say he had no Martial Soul?”
“My god! That phenomenon just now was clearly his Martial Soul! How could he not have one? Did the testing device malfunction?”
The crowd buzzed with shock, and Xiao Mei stared at Xu Qiu in disbelief.
She had broken up with him because he had no Martial Soul. But if he had awakened one, wouldn’t she become a complete joke?
On the platform, the principal of No. 3 High School was equally stunned. Having overseen so many awakening ceremonies, this was his first time witnessing such an event. He hurried to Xu Qiu’s side.
“Student Xu, please test again.”
“Alright,” Xu Qiu replied with a slight nod.
He also wanted to see what level his ferocious beast Martial Soul was.
Walking to the testing crystal, he placed his hand on it.
Everyone stared intently. Li Ziyang and Xiao Mei prayed desperately in their hearts.
“Don’t awaken a Martial Soul, don’t awaken a Martial Soul!”
“Even if he does, let it not be a powerful one!”
Unfortunately for them, their prayers were useless.
The moment Xu Qiu’s hand touched the crystal, it began to tremble violently. A beam of light shot into the sky and transformed into a massive, ferocious beast phantom in the air.
The beast had an enormous mouth and radiated terrifying, savage energy. Its greedy gaze seemed intent on devouring heaven and earth. Under its stare, everyone felt a chilling fear deep in their bones.
The next moment—
Bang!
The testing crystal ball exploded.
Everyone was stunned.
“The crystal ball exploded! What level of Martial Soul is that?”
“It didn’t even explode when Luo Qingxue tested hers, and she has an SSS-Grade Frost Divine Phoenix! Could the academic prodigy Xu’s Martial Soul be even stronger?”
The crowd swallowed nervously.
Xiao Mei’s face turned deathly pale.
The principal of No. 3 High School took a deep breath and said, “If I’m not mistaken, this is the legendary SSS-Grade Beast Martial Soul—Taotie! Throughout history, those who have awakened the Taotie Martial Soul can be counted on one hand! Even among SSS-Grade Martial Souls, Taotie stands at the very pinnacle!”
“Heaven truly favors Qingyun High School! This awakening ceremony has produced two SSS-Grade Martial Souls! Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!”
He was overwhelmed with excitement.
Now he could secure a tremendous amount of cultivation resources from the Education Bureau.
Xiao Mei, however, was on the verge of madness.
What could be more devastating than an ex-boyfriend awakening an SSS-Grade Martial Soul? Yes—when that ex-boyfriend had been a useless nobody just one second before the breakup and awakened the next. The speed of this reversal was utterly staggering.
“Impossible… Impossible! He didn’t have a Martial Soul just now. How could he suddenly awaken one?” Xiao Mei muttered, unwilling to believe it.
The principal was also puzzled but then explained, “Cases like Student Xu’s, though rare, are not unheard of. Sometimes a Martial Soul is deeply hidden and doesn’t awaken during the ceremony, only to emerge later under intense stimulation.”
Intense stimulation…
The crowd exchanged strange looks and turned toward Xiao Mei.
If there was any stimulation, it was undoubtedly her breakup with Xu Qiu.
Xiao Mei was completely dumbfounded.
Her ex-boyfriend’s rise… had actually been triggered by breaking up with her?!