Chapter 32: Chapter -32 A gathering of spectators.
Chapter -32.
As soon as the crowd heard that Xu Sanshi had accepted the challenge, cheers erupted, and before long, the entire east gate was buzzing with people eager to catch the action.
Not too far away, Tang Ya, munching on some snacks, noticed the commotion and, curious, swallowed her food and hurried over to see what was happening.
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao, who was at the grilled fish stall, watched in disbelief as Xu Sanshi snatched away the grilled fish he had set aside for Teacher Tang Ya. His opinion of Xu Sanshi took a nosedive, and he couldn't help but mutter under his breath, wishing that Chen Feng would teach this guy a lesson.
After Xu Sanshi accepted Chen Feng's challenge, the two made their way to the Soul Fighting Arena at Shrek Academy, with a throng of excited Shrek students following closely behind.
Before long, Tang Ya arrived at the east gate and, noticing the crowd, asked Huo Yuhao, "Hey Yuhao, where are the two grilled fish I asked you to save for me? They're gone? And what's all this excitement about?"
Huo Yuhao, trying to keep up with her rapid-fire questions, replied, "Uh, Teacher Tang Ya, the grilled fish you wanted was... well, it was taken."
Tang Ya's cheeks puffed up in frustration. "What?! Who took it? I need to know so I can give them a piece of my mind!"
Huo Yuhao quickly explained, "It was Xu Sanshi who grabbed it, but don't worry about him; he and Chen Feng just went to the Soul Fighting Arena to duel."
Tang Ya's eyes widened. "Wait, why is Chen Feng fighting that guy? Yuhao, tell me everything!"
So, Huo Yuhao filled her in on all the details of what had just happened.
After hearing the news, Tang Ya said, "Got it! Yuhao, pack up the stall and get ready to practice. I'm heading to the Soul Fighting Arena to check this out!"
With that, she strode off toward the arena.
Huo Yuhao, feeling pretty pleased with the money he made from selling grilled fish, was just about to pack up when something shiny caught his eye. It was the gold soul coin Xu Sanshi had tossed to him! He quickly grabbed it, feeling delighted.
As he was putting away his stall tools into his storage soul guide (a cool replica of the "Twenty-Four Bridge Mingyueye" he got after joining Tangmen), he couldn't help but glance toward the Soul Fighting Arena. Curiosity got the better of him, and he decided to head that way too.
When Huo Yuhao arrived at the arena, he discovered that watching the match required a silver soul coin, which made him wince a little. That was a whole day's worth of meals! But he quickly noticed that the duel between Chen Feng and Xu Sanshi had drawn a huge crowd of students.
More and more people were arriving to see the match, and Huo Yuhao, arriving a bit early, spotted Tang Ya sitting in the stands.
"Teacher Tang Ya!!" he called out, waving happily.
"Yuhao, you made it!" Tang Ya replied, surprised to see him.
While they chatted, an announcement echoed from the dormitory building of Shrek Academy.
"Attention everyone! In half an hour, in Soul Fighting Arena No. 1, Xu Sanshi, the strongest defense spirit master of the Shrek Outer Academy and one of the Twin Stars, will face off against Chen Feng, the strongest freshman of the first year. If you're interested, hurry over to watch!"
In the girls' dormitory, a few students from Class Nine perked up. "Wow, the class leader is going to fight! Let's go watch!" they exclaimed, excitedly heading to the Soul Fighting Area.
"Sounds like the person fighting him is really strong," one girl noted.
"Of course! Xu Sanshi is a big deal around here. Even though the class leader is tough, he's still young and might have a hard time against Xu Sanshi," another girl chimed in.
"Hey! How can you say the class leader might not win?!" one girl shot back, clearly a bit upset.
"That's not what I meant! I totally support the class leader, but Xu Sanshi is really powerful..."
Meanwhile, other first-year girls, curious about Chen Feng, were also making their way to the arena, including Ning Tian, Wu Feng, Nanmen Yan'er, Yoon Ah, Cui Yajie, Xiao Xiao, and even Wang Dong.
On the other hand, some first-year boys were less than thrilled about the announcement. The title "strongest freshman" rubbed some of them the wrong way.
Dai Huabin, the second son of the White Tiger Duke, was fuming. "I want to see what this Chen Feng has to offer to be called the strongest freshman! Strongest? Has he even asked me, Dai Huabin?" he scoffed, storming out of the dormitory toward the Soul Fighting Arena.
Many other first-year boys shared his sentiments and followed suit.
In the fourth-year dormitory, Bei Bei sat cross-legged on a bunk bed, surrounded by crackling blue lightning. He had been working hard ever since meeting Chen Feng, and now, at level thirty-nine, he had just broken through the level forty barrier. Hearing the announcement about the upcoming match piqued his curiosity, and he quickly got dressed to head to the Soul Fighting Area.
As more and more students, including seniors, heard about Xu Sanshi's match against a first-year student, they too were intrigued and made their way to the arena.
Huo Yuhao and Tang Ya watched as the crowd continued to grow, both surprised by how many people were showing up.
"Wow, Teacher Tang Ya, why are so many people coming to see the match between Chen Feng and Xu Sanshi?" Huo Yuhao asked, amazed.
Tang Ya thought for a moment and then realized, "Chen Feng is really popular among the freshmen, and with Xu Sanshi being one of the Twin Stars, it's a big deal to see an upperclassman take on a freshman. That's why everyone's so excited!"
The Soul Fighting Area was hexagonal and about the same size as Shrek Square, with a spacious center for the competitors. The stands, which could hold around three thousand people, were already buzzing with nearly a thousand spectators, creating a lively atmosphere.
_______
Tl/N: If you want to read more [Upto Twenty chapters], you can support me and join me on Patreon.com/DreamScapee ; thanks.