Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): Shadow Monarch

"One ring, level thirteen!"

When Cheng Xiao reported his Spirit and rank, the senior students behind Xiao Chenyu were already dumbfounded, their faces showing nothing but shock.

"How is that possible? How old are you?" Xiao Chenyu gasped, already harboring thoughts of surrender.

They were both one-ring Spirit Masters, but from the rank alone, Cheng Xiao was two levels ahead. That gap was already significant, not to mention the fact that Xiao Chenyu had never heard of Cheng Xiao's Spirit, Shadow Soldier.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Cheng Xiao smiled at Xiao Chenyu's incredulous expression. "My first Spirit Ring is a century-old ring."

As he spoke, a dark purple Spirit Ring rose from beneath Cheng Xiao's feet, floating rhythmically around his body.

In truth, Cheng Xiao was deliberately claiming his ring was a century-old one, as he wanted to test the effectiveness of his Spirit Ring disguise ability. Now seemed like the perfect opportunity.

Staring at the yellow Spirit Ring beneath Cheng Xiao, Xiao Chenyu felt all the strength in his body drain away in an instant. The gap of two Spirit levels, the unknown characteristics of Cheng Xiao's Spirit, and a first Spirit Ring that far surpassed his own—there was no way he could win!

"I give up," Xiao Chenyu said with a bitter smile, shaking his head dejectedly.

Upon hearing Xiao Chenyu admit defeat, the senior students who had come with him were visibly shaken. If even their leader was conceding, what chance did they, a group of nobodies, have? Some of the smarter senior students were already planning to slip away, knowing that they had lost this battle. From now on, they would have to steer clear of the working students.

"Now, fulfill your promise," Cheng Xiao retracted his Spirit Ring and smiled warmly.

Xiao Chenyu took a deep breath and solemnly replied, "Alright, I will keep my promise. From now on, you're my boss, and we won't bully the working students anymore."

Cheng Xiao shook his head and smiled, "No need to make it so formal. You're older than me, and calling me 'boss' seems a bit much for you."

"No, not at all!" Xiao Chenyu quickly responded. "Boss, even though we didn't actually fight, I know I'm no match for you. I fully accept you as my boss!"

Cheng Xiao was a bit exasperated at that. He genuinely didn't want people calling him "boss," as it made him feel like some kind of gang leader.

"Where's Xiao Chenyu? The working students have arrived!"

At that moment, a new group of people appeared in a large wave.

"Boss, aren't you…?" Xiao Chenyu looked at the newly arrived Xiao Wu, Wang Sheng, and others, utterly confused.

Hadn't the working students only sent out one person? Why was there now another group? Xiao Chenyu looked bewildered, but Cheng Xiao didn't bother explaining. The outcome would be the same, so there was no need for an explanation.

"Xiao Chenyu, didn't you say you wanted to fight us working students?" Wang Sheng, who was leading the group, spoke in a deep voice when he saw Xiao Chenyu. "We're here now, so how do you want to fight?"

"Boss, this..." Xiao Chenyu was at a loss, looking toward Cheng Xiao for guidance.

"Hmm? That person looks a bit like Boss Cheng?" Wang Sheng noticed Xiao Chenyu's submissive demeanor and furrowed his brow, suddenly realizing something.

Due to his Spirit Ring, Cheng Xiao's appearance had changed slightly since his enrollment. "Wang Sheng, it's me, Cheng Xiao," Cheng Xiao said with a smile, noticing Wang Sheng's gaze.

"What? Boss Cheng!" Wang Sheng was shocked upon hearing Cheng Xiao reveal his identity.

"Cheng Xiao, you're back." Compared to Wang Sheng's surprise, Xiao Wu stepped forward quickly, smiling as she greeted Cheng Xiao.

"Yes, I just got back from hunting Spirit Beasts. I was planning to test my new Spirit Ability, but then I ran into them." Cheng Xiao gestured toward the petrified Xiao Chenyu as he spoke to Xiao Wu.

"Huh?" Xiao Wu was momentarily stunned as she looked at the now-submissive Xiao Chenyu. She couldn't help but make a bold guess. Covering her mouth in surprise, she exclaimed, "Did you defeat them all by yourself?"

Her words caused an uproar. Other than the senior students who had already submitted to Cheng Xiao, the working students were all shocked.

What? Since when did we have such a powerful person among us working students? Defeating all the senior students on his own? And winning?

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chenyu coughed lightly, sneaking a glance at Cheng Xiao. Then, embarrassed, he said, "Well, we didn't actually fight. We... surrendered."

Xiao Wu was even more surprised. She wanted to ask more, but Cheng Xiao interrupted, "Chenyu, you and Wang Sheng handle the aftermath. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving now."

"Understood, Boss," Xiao Chenyu nodded, ignoring Xiao Wu's pout. He turned toward the senior students behind him and shouted, "From now on, Cheng Xiao is the boss of our Nuoding Primary Academy. Come over and greet Boss Cheng properly!"

Cheng Xiao felt a wave of exasperation as the senior students bowed and saluted him. Why did he suddenly feel like a crime boss from Crime Crackdown?

But he didn't dwell on it. Amid the admiring gazes of both the working students and the senior students, he walked out of the small forest.

"Hey, Cheng Xiao!" Xiao Wu, puffing her cheeks, called out as she chased after him.

For some reason, she was particularly curious about how Cheng Xiao had managed to defeat Xiao Chenyu and his group. Even though Xiao Chenyu said they surrendered, surely there was a story behind that, right?

Watching the two figures disappear, Xiao Chenyu slapped his forehead and muttered, "Oh no, I thought I only had one boss, but now it seems I have two."

"What do you mean?" Wang Sheng asked, completely confused.

"Idiot!" Xiao Chenyu glared at Wang Sheng. "You really don't get it, do you? Except for strong people like Boss Cheng, you working students are really clueless."

"You…" Wang Sheng was at a loss for words after being insulted, mainly because he really didn't understand what Xiao Chenyu meant and thus couldn't argue back.

"Enough," Xiao Chenyu said, warning Wang Sheng, "Don't think that just because Boss Cheng is a working student, I'll treat you any differently. I'm the number one under Boss Cheng, so you line up behind me, got it?"

Wang Sheng was dumbfounded. Was this really the same arrogant Xiao Chenyu he knew? Why did he suddenly seem like a loyal little brother?

Meanwhile, Tang San emerged from the master's room. After a whole afternoon of Spirit theory instruction, he had come to understand the importance of Spirit theory on a deep level.

However, at the moment, he still needed to go to the Spirit Hall for a Spirit Master evaluation, to claim the allowance. After all, that was a whole gold coin!