But upon second thought, it made sense. It was his first time participating in a competition, so naturally, he wouldn't be matched against strong opponents. If he had been paired with someone strong, that would have been unusual.
The referee stepped forward, signaling for the two to greet each other.
"I forfeit!"
"Huh?"
Before Lu Leng could react, the girl had already run straight toward him, her face beaming with excitement. "Lu Leng, it's really you! I never thought I'd meet you here. This is amazing! You look even more handsome in person. Can I get your autograph? Wow, you're so handsome..."
She kept rambling on, but Lu Leng was puzzled. "Do you know me?"
"Of course, you're Lu Leng."
"But I don't know you."
"That's okay, I'm from the Leng Leng Fan Club, your fan club," the girl said with a grin.
"Fan club? Since when?" Lu Leng looked at her plain attire, not exactly the type who could run a fan club.
"It was established a month and a half ago. I'm the president. My name is Dudu."
Lu Leng glanced at her chubby cheeks, petite figure, and the small dimple that appeared when she smiled. She certainly lived up to the name Dudu.
"You're the president? How many members are there?" Lu Leng asked curiously.
"Including me, there are three!"
"Three..."
"Don't worry, with me as the president, as long as you perform well in the competitions, I'll help grow the club into the number one fan group in the Martial Soul Academy."
Lu Leng chuckled inwardly. So, I'm the one doing all the work while you reap the benefits?
After casually brushing her off and sending Dudu on her way, Lu Leng returned to the registration desk. "I want to continue competing."
"Sure," the girl quickly registered him.
Moments later, Lu Leng was back in the arena. This time, his opponent was a boy with an eighth-level soul power. He recognized Lu Leng but didn't immediately forfeit.
Lu Leng effortlessly sent him packing with a single kick.
Meanwhile, Dudu had somehow reappeared, cheering wildly for him from below.
Even though she was alone, it felt like the entire arena was filled with her energy.
From morning till night, Lu Leng competed in ten matches, winning all of them with a single kick. This earned him a bit of a reputation among the junior academy students.
His ranking also climbed to 2,180th place.
"The road ahead is long and arduous," Lu Leng sighed before returning to his dorm to rest and recharge.
The next day, Lu Leng arrived at the arena early.
As expected, what followed was a massacre. He won all ten matches, each decided by a single kick. After these victories, his ranking skyrocketed to 1,097th place.
"Leng Leng Kick! Leng Leng Kick!"
"So handsome!"
"Awoo—"
"..."
As Lu Leng defeated another opponent, he heard Dudu's voice. Turning around, he saw her cheering. This time, she wasn't alone—she had brought six other fangirls with her. Seeing Lu Leng's victory, they all rushed over for autographs.
"How about that? In just one day, I've more than doubled the size of the fan club!" Dudu said proudly, as if seeking credit.
Lu Leng signed autographs with a smile. "Yes, three people have become seven. That's more than double! And then some..."
After signing his name, Lu Leng was about to take a sip of water when three little girls suddenly appeared. "Leng Leng, I want your autograph too!"
Lu Leng reached out his hand, but Dudu stopped him. "Want an autograph? Are you a member yet?"
"No..."
"Pay the membership fee first, one gold soul coin."
"I'll pay"
"I'll pay"
"..."
Lu Leng was speechless. Well, well, so this is why they were waiting for him. Now he really felt like a worker.
Suddenly, the token in Lu Leng's hand vibrated: Report to Arena 11 within ten minutes, late arrival will be considered a failure! Lu Leng smiled and headed towards Arena 11.
When he arrived, someone was already waiting in the arena, a sturdy-looking boy about fourteen years old.
"Kid, your twenty-win streak ends here. I'll be the one to end it!" This person obviously didn't know Lu Leng. Otherwise, knowing about Lu Leng's twenty-win streak, he wouldn't dare to speak so arrogantly.
"Zhao Hu, ranked 822, not bad. Defeating you brings me one step closer to my goal," Lu Leng, who had gotten the information from Dudu, smiled faintly.
"I hope you can still be this confident later." With that, Zhao Hu let out a loud shout, and a red tiger appeared behind him.
"Zhao Hu, Level 30 Battle Soul Master, Martial Soul: Blazing Tiger!"
"Lu Leng, Level 24 Great Soul Master, Martial Soul: Zhanluo!"
Zhao Hu frowned. "Not even opening your soul rings? Are you looking down on me?"
Lu Leng didn't deny it. Dealing with him really didn't require opening his soul rings. Besides, if he did, the effect would probably be too sensational, and he might not have any peace afterward.
For the sake of future tranquility, Lu Leng wouldn't open his soul rings unless absolutely necessary.
"Looking for death!" Zhao Hu roared, his palms burning with flames as he lunged at Lu Leng.
Lu Leng's eyes flickered, his feet moving like the wind. His figure suddenly flashed, a cold light streaked through the air, and Zhao Hu's body flew out, collapsing to the ground.
The referee was still in a daze. Only after seeing Zhao Hu passed out did he come to his senses and immediately declared Lu Leng the winner.
Satisfied, Lu Leng walked off the field. Through Mimi Si's special training, his physical fitness had become increasingly strong, and his speed had grown faster. Those below Level 40 couldn't even see his movements.
At the same time, his mastery of soul power was so refined that when he slash with a single strike, it created the illusion that he hadn't even opened his soul rings.
And this was Lu Leng's most proud way of showing off.
In less than a second, Lu Leng had completed the actions of summoning his martial soul, striking with his blade, and retracting his martial soul—all in one fluid, graceful motion.
Unfortunately, except for a few perceptive individuals, no one else saw it.
After defeating Zhao Hu, it was already dark, and Lu Leng returned to his dorm.
Mimi Si probably wouldn't be back for a few more days, so Lu Leng decided to focus on climbing the rankings seriously.
Soon, three more days passed. Lu Leng's ranking soared straight up, but the opponents he faced also became increasingly powerful. However, under Lu Leng's terrifying strength, few could withstand a single strike from him.
After all, the power of his blade draw was too immense—a force of a thousand jun, equivalent to thirty thousand pounds, something ordinary people simply couldn't withstand.
On the third night, Lu Leng's impressive streak of fifty-seven consecutive victories propelled him to the 99th spot on the power rankings. Right ahead of him, at the 98th position, was Yan! Meanwhile, his fan base had grown exponentially from just seven people to over a hundred.