White Tiger, Possession

The thing that surprised Dai Mubai the most was Tuoba Yan's fists.

On the strength front, he, Dai Mubai, should have had the advantage, yet his fists ached faintly.

And Tuoba Yan's chest seemed as solid as cast iron. He'd withstood Dai Mubai's strongest punch, thrown without his Martial Soul, without showing any visible damage.

In truth, Tuoba Yan was equally surprised.

After all, the Tuoba Clan's inherited Martial Soul was the White Armored Earth Dragon, with incredibly formidable defense and attack power.

Tuoba Yan's own Martial Soul was the mutated Saint, making his defense even greater than the Blue Electric Tyrannosaurus, perhaps even surpassing it.

Lacking experience fighting Soul Masters of the Blue Electric Tyrannosaurus, Tuoba Yan didn't know the exact extent of its defensive capabilities.

Dai Mubai's strength was incredibly rigid.

Not a violent rigidity, but rather the concentration of all his power into the size of a fist, released instantly through the punch.

Even most adult Soul Masters wouldn't have mastered this technique.

"Good, very good. You have the right to be my opponent since you can take one of my punches."

Upon hearing this, Tuoba Yan slightly raised the right eyebrow, "Are you still going?"

Dai Mubai's lips curved into a smug smile. "It's rare to encounter an opponent like you. How could I bear to not properly test your skills?"

Dai Mubai had witnessed the Second Prince, his elder brother, die at the hands of his older brother, Dai Weisi. Dai Mubai had been terrified.

And so, after being defeated by Dai Weisi, Dai Mubai had fled from the Xingluo Empire to the Balak Kingdom.

As a prince, Dai Mubai possessed the proud spirit of royalty within him.

As a prince in exile, Dai Mubai felt incredibly stifled.

Especially, amidst the crowd watching the fight, he noticed people's gazes falling on him, monitoring his actions.

It was obvious that those watching him, if their purpose wasn't to protect him, were likely sent by his older brother, Dai Weisi.

Dai Mubai extended a finger and flicked the bangs from his forehead. His peripheral vision landed on the twin sisters.

What could he do to survive, to avoid being hunted, assassinated, or poisoned by his older brother, Dai Weisi? The best approach was to let them know he was utterly terrified.

Feigning weakness and decadence was the best way to deceive and protect himself.

It was a rare opportunity to get labeled as a troublemaker, and Dai Mubai didn't want to miss it.

"Take this!"

Dai Mubai let out a cold shout and shifted his stance again.

This time, his attack wasn't as straightforward as it seemed.

His body slid along the ground like a tiger, and his right foot slammed down on the bluestone, sending shards of stone flying. In that instant, his body twisted into a bizarre angle.

His left fist feinted towards Tuoba Yan's face, but his wrist suddenly dropped mid-swing, and his elbow, accompanied by a tearing sound as it cut through the air, slammed into Tuoba Yan's ribs.

This was an Execution Technique he'd learned in the Royal Combat Class of the Xingluo Empire, designed to exploit the weak points in rigid defenses.

Tuoba Yan's feet sank into the ground, and his lower abdomen contracted sharply, allowing him to narrowly evade the blow.

Dai Mubai's elbow grazed his clothes, the gust of wind it created fluttering the hem of his robes.

In that minuscule space, Tuoba Yan pivoted his waist and shoulders, his right shoulder striking out like a siege hammer towards Dai Mubai's chest.

"Bring it on!"

A spark flashed in Dai Mubai's eyes as he instantly crossed his left arm in front of his chest, his forearm colliding with Tuoba Yan's shoulder with a dull thud.

Using the force of that impact, his body spun halfway around, his right leg sweeping through the air in a silver arc, his toes aimed directly at Tuoba Yan's temples.

This kick concentrated all of his explosive power, the whistling sound of his boot slicing through the air causing the onlookers to instinctively hold their breath.

Tuoba Yan didn't dodge, his left hand forming a vertical palm block in front of his forehead.

A crisp "snap" echoed as Dai Mubai's sole was firmly caught.

At that instant when their forces met, Dai Mubai suddenly changed his move, his left knee thrusting towards Tuoba Yan's waist, the bulging veins on his knee showcasing the ferocity of the strike.

Tuoba Yan gasped, his waist muscles instantly tensing like iron and stone.

While bracing against that knee strike, his left hand, which had gripped Dai Mubai's ankle, suddenly exerted force, attempting to fling him away.

But Dai Mubai was prepared. As his right foot was caught, he abruptly twisted it halfway around, using the momentum of the spin to plant his other foot on Tuoba Yan's shoulder, and his entire body leaped into the air like a monkey.

"Now!"

Dai Mubai twisted his body in mid-air, pouring all the force of gravity and his core strength into his right fist, a faint white glow emanating from the knuckles.

This punch wasn't flashy, but it was more condensed than any he'd thrown before, as if compressing all his rigidity into a small space.

Tuoba Yan's pupils constricted, his legs spreading shoulder-width apart, and his Soul Power surged into his chest without reservation.

At the same time, his right fist was clenched, the veins on his knuckles bulging like coiled dragons.

The two fists collided in mid-air.

There was no earth-shattering roar, only a dull "boom," as if two pieces of millennium-old dark iron were colliding.

Dai Mubai felt a tremendous force explode along his arm, as if red-hot iron sand had been stuffed into his bones, and his entire body was struck, uncontrollably flying backward.

Tuoba Yan, too, was jolted back a step, leaving a half-inch indentation in the bluestone.

Dai Mubai, propelled backward by the force of the impact, executed four consecutive backward somersaults in mid-air, each rotation dissipating some of the force.

When Dai Mubai's feet finally touched the ground, a wave of metallic sweetness rose in his throat, but he forced it down, only a trace of blood escaping his lips.

In contrast, Tuoba Yan had only retreated a single step, appearing unharmed.

"Do you wish to continue?" Tuoba Yan asked calmly.

He had lost. Dai Mubai had been defeated again.

His hands clenched tightly, his eyes radiating an unyielding light.

Dai Mubai's sinister eyes narrowed. "Of course. You've forced me to use my Soul Power; this match was a loss for me. But how could I be satisfied without a proper contest with you? Rest assured, no matter the outcome, I won't trouble you again."

A peculiar gleam shone in Dai Mubai's sinister eyes – the expression "eager to hunt" seemed to fit perfectly.

Besides his elder brother, Dai Weisi, Dai Mubai had never encountered a peer his age who was stronger. Oh, no, Tuoba Yan looked to be a few years younger.

"White Tiger, possess!"

A surge of intense, pale white light suddenly erupted from Dai Mubai's body.

His muscles swelled dramatically.

His full head of golden hair instantly shifted to a black and white pattern, predominantly white, and a "King" shaped marking appeared on his forehead.

His hands doubled in size, covered in white fur. And from his palms extended short, dagger-like claws, each measuring nearly eight inches long. His eyes, now possessing four pupils, had transformed into a deep, vibrant azure blue.