Evil Fire Outburst

"Third Soul Skill, White Tiger Asura Transformation."

Just as Dai Mubai's thousand-year Soul Ring lit up and his aura gradually grew stronger,

a fist rapidly enlarged in his vision before hammering him flat onto the ground.

"Transform my ass!"

Zhao Wuji knocked Dai Mubai out of his Spirit Possession state with a single punch, then pointed around them. "Even showing off depends on the occasion. Get ready to run."

Only then did Wang Xiaofeng and the other two realize that, at some point, their group had been surrounded by a pack of soul beasts. Several avian soul beasts circled continuously overhead as well.

"Fifth Soul Skill, Gravity Squeeze."

Zhao Wuji let out a low growl, and the fifth black Soul Ring around him suddenly lit up. His thunderous roar made the surrounding soul beasts tremble.

Under the effects of Zhao Wuji's Soul Skill, the soul beasts around them were pinned down by immense gravity, unable to move. Even the few avian soul beasts flying overhead fell to the ground, their wings pressed tightly against the earth as they let out agonized cries.

"Go!"

Zhao Wuji grabbed Dai Mubai with his right hand and continuously swung his left, clearing a path ahead. Wang Xiaofeng and the other two followed close behind as they charged out.

As Zhao Wuji left, the soul beasts behind them immediately returned to their previous standoff. Before long, a Ten Thousand Year Horned Dragon Lizard scared away the other soul beasts and claimed its lunch: the corpse of the Bloodthirsty Berserk Tiger.

Naturally, Wang Xiaofeng had no idea what happened afterward. He simply kept his head down and ran after Zhao Wuji.

It was only after they had left the Star Dou Great Forest that everyone began to slow down.

"That was close! I sensed a Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast nearby just now. If we'd ended up fighting it, I wouldn't have been able to protect you all."

Zhao Wuji wiped away nonexistent cold sweat from his forehead. A Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast had appeared in the outskirts—their luck was truly terrible.

The process had been rather dangerous, but the result was still pretty good. In less than a day, they had helped Dai Mubai obtain his Third Soul Ring, so they no longer had to rough it in the Star Dou Great Forest.

"What a pity about the Bloodthirsty Berserk Tiger's corpse. It might've had a Soul Bone," Wang Xiaofeng said regretfully.

Things had changed too quickly just now, leaving Zhao Wuji no time to store the Bloodthirsty Berserk Tiger's corpse in his Soul Tool. Tiger-type soul beasts were valuable from head to toe.

"Forget it. We're lucky enough to have made it out alive."

Oscar patted Wang Xiaofeng on the shoulder, indicating that without Zhao Wuji leading them, even a Soul Emperor would have been finished there.

"Let's press on a little farther. Once we reach the Small Town, we can rest," Zhao Wuji said with a smile.

Dai Mubai said, "Once we get to the Small Town, drinks are on me. Teacher Zhao, don't refuse this time. Without your help, we probably wouldn't have made it out of the Star Dou alive."

Zhao Wuji burst into laughter. "Kid, you're getting drunk under the table."

"Heh, Teacher Zhao, if you want to bully Big Boss Dai, you'll have to get past me first," Ma Hongjun joked from the side.

The group then returned to the Small Town, where Dai Mubai generously covered everyone's expenses.

Seeing how generous Dai Mubai was, Ma Hongjun shamelessly lingered in the Small Town for two whole days. If Wang Xiaofeng had not finally dragged him away, he might have settled down there for good.

On the third day, Dai Mubai directly hired a carriage for the return trip. Four hours later, the group arrived safely back at the academy.

"We're finally back! There's nothing better than being home!" Oscar cried out rather dramatically.

Zhao Wuji gave Oscar a pat on the head. "All right, go do whatever you want. I'm going to report on this trip to the headmaster."

Watching Zhao Wuji leave, Wang Xiaofeng stopped the three who were about to depart. "Wait a second. We still haven't seen Mubai's Third Soul Skill."

"That's right!" Ma Hongjun and Oscar suddenly realized it. They had completely forgotten about that.

Dai Mubai gave an evil grin. "Since you're all so curious, I'll let you have a look."

"White Tiger, possess!"

Dai Mubai shouted, and the muscles across his body began to swell. His originally golden hair turned black and white. Three Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, and purple—hovered around him.

Wang Xiaofeng examined him carefully. After gaining his Third Soul Ring, Dai Mubai's sense of oppression had become even stronger, and his physical qualities had improved greatly as well.

"I feel like my physical abilities are twice what they were before I obtained this Soul Ring!" Dai Mubai clenched his fist, feeling the power within himself.

"Not just that." Wang Xiaofeng pointed at Dai Mubai's tiger claws. "Your claws didn't used to have that blood-red glow. Your attack power has increased a great deal too."

"That's right." Dai Mubai nodded. "Not only have my claws become sharper, but wounds inflicted by them are also harder for my enemies to recover from."

Improved physical abilities, increased attack power, and the ability to inflict grievous wounds—wasn't that far too many enhancements?

"What about your Third Soul Skill? Use it and let me see." Wang Xiaofeng made it clear that no matter how impressive it was, it still could not compare to him, so he definitely was not jealous.

"Third Soul Skill, White Tiger Asura Transformation."

The thousand-year Soul Ring around Dai Mubai gave off a faint glow, and his body swelled again, tearing his clothes apart.

Bloodthirsty red light shone from his eyes. His tiger claws turned completely red, and a layer of crimson light enveloped his entire body.

"This is my Third Soul Skill, White Tiger Asura Transformation." Dai Mubai crouched down and drove his right hand into the ground. It sank in effortlessly all the way to his arm, as if the earth were as soft as tofu.

"While White Tiger Asura Transformation is active, my attack power, strength, and defense increase by one and a half times. It also improves my resistance to abnormal conditions and lets me ignore pain."

"That's way too powerful," Oscar and Ma Hongjun murmured.

"Of course." Dai Mubai awkwardly released his Spirit Possession state. "It's not without drawbacks. Since this Soul Skill's enhancement is simply too strong, it consumes an enormous amount of Soul Power. With my current Soul Power, I can only maintain it for three minutes."

"That's a small matter." Wang Xiaofeng waved a hand dismissively. "Once your level gets higher, it won't be a problem anymore."

"That's true."

After chatting on the Training Field for a while, the three of them went their separate ways.

Wang Xiaofeng returned to the Mimetic Cultivation Ground to continue cultivating. He still had too little Calabash Wine to open a shop, so cultivating now was not only about becoming stronger, but also about getting out of debt.

Time passed peacefully until noon the next day. Wang Xiaofeng was preparing to return to the dormitory for his usual midday rest when he suddenly heard Dai Mubai shout, "This is bad, Headmaster! Fatty's Evil Fire has erupted!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Xiaofeng saw a black blur streak through the air. Flander appeared in front of Dai Mubai.

"Mubai, calm down. Take me to Ma Hongjun, quickly."

Dai Mubai pointed toward the dormitory, indicating that Ma Hongjun was inside.

Flander flew to the dormitory entrance and kicked the door open. Inside, he found Ma Hongjun wearing a pained expression, his whole body wreathed in purple flames.

"This situation... his Soul Power has risen to level twenty-two." Flander immediately saw what was wrong with Ma Hongjun.

After returning, Ma Hongjun had gone straight into cultivation instead of releasing the Evil Fire that had built up over the past few days. Although the Evil Fire's energy had helped him advance by one level, it had also made him suffer the pain of an Evil Fire Outburst.

The energy within Ma Hongjun's body was already close to exceeding the limits of what he could endure.

Flander said to the two, "Mubai, stand guard outside and don't let anyone come in. Xiaofeng, go find Teacher Zhao and tell him to come help me."

"Understood."

The two understood the seriousness of the situation and hurriedly followed Flander's orders.

"You little fatty really know how to cause trouble for me." Soul Power at the Soul Saint level erupted from Flander's body. Then he pressed both hands firmly against Ma Hongjun's back and began using his Soul Power to suppress Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire.