Sparring

Dai Mubai frowned when he saw Zhao Xuan striding toward him and asked coldly, "Who are you?"

"Who I am is none of your concern. You only need to know that I'm your next opponent!" Zhao Xuan grinned mischievously at Dai Mubai, his eyes gleaming and the corners of his mouth curving into an arc, as though he were looking at an interesting toy.

That look made Dai Mubai uncomfortable all over, and anger flared in his heart. Since when had Dai Mubai become someone else's toy?

"Xiao Xuan! Let me do it." Tang San spoke from the side. He had not encountered such a powerful opponent in a long time, and his hands were itching for a fight.

"Forget it, Xiao San. This guy is a Soul Elder! Let me do it." Zhao Xuan felt irritated as he watched Tang San eager to give it a try. Why aren't you this enthusiastic when I ask you to spar with me?!

Tang San naturally had no idea what Zhao Xuan was thinking. If he had known, he would have rolled his eyes at him. Don't you have any idea how strong you are?!

After several years, Zhao Xuan's monstrous strength had not stopped growing. Instead, it had become increasingly terrifying, to the point that even the Master, who specialized in researching martial spirits, could not resist studying it.

Hearing their conversation, Dai Mubai felt a surge of resentment. He laughed in fury. "No need to argue. Both of you, come at me together!"

Zhao Xuan smiled. This guy had some courage, but he was merely fearless through ignorance.

He immediately stopped bickering with Tang San and revealed his soul rings. Yellow, yellow, purple—three soul rings rose and fell around his body.

Tang San sighed and silently stepped back, while a glint flashed through Dai Mubai's eyes.

"You're also a Soul Elder? Interesting!"

"Looks like I underestimated you. You're qualified to be my opponent." Dai Mubai spoke proudly, battle intent surging from him.

The white hair on his body fluttered without wind. A mighty king character appeared on his forehead, while lightning-like glints occasionally flashed within his evil eyes. His overwhelming aura pressed down upon Zhao Xuan.

"Dai Mubai, martial spirit: White Tiger, Level 37 Battle Soul Elder! Please enlighten me."

Zhao Xuan was no less imposing. Standing straight as a pine, he took a step forward, and the pressure Dai Mubai brought dissipated like a breeze. He smiled lightly. "Zhao Xuan, martial spirit: mobile phone, Rank 34 Tool Soul Elder! Please enlighten me."

"Mobile phone? I've never heard of such a martial spirit." Dai Mubai seemed surprised.

"There are plenty of things you've never heard of. Let me tell you, my greatest strength is my power! Be careful." Zhao Xuan laughed freely. It had been so long since he had met such an interesting opponent.

"Haha, my strength isn't weak either! Watch out!" As soon as he finished speaking, Dai Mubai vanished from where he stood. By the time he appeared again, his body, brimming with explosive power, was already before Zhao Xuan.

The claws on his hands shot out, gleaming coldly as they pointed straight at Zhao Xuan.

"Please don't hold back when facing me." A slightly helpless voice entered his ears. The next moment, Dai Mubai felt his vision blur, and the scenery around him seemed to rush backward as though heaven and earth had spun around.

Bang!

Dai Mubai crashed into a wall more than ten meters away from Zhao Xuan with a tremendous sound. Immediately afterward, pain erupted from his chest.

"What happened?" Dai Mubai looked utterly bewildered. The pain in his chest told him that he seemed to have suffered some kind of blow.

Not only Dai Mubai, but everyone except Tang San wore confused expressions. They had only seen Dai Mubai flash forward and appear before Zhao Xuan, but in the next instant, he had already crashed into the wall.

"Xiao Xuan's strength is becoming more and more terrifying." Tang San drew in a faint breath, purple light blazing in his eyes. Through the Purple Demon Eye, he was perhaps the only one who had caught that moment.

Fast! Too fast! Even with the Purple Demon Eye, Tang San had nearly failed to see that kick clearly.

"Young Master Dai, are you all right?" The pair of beauties Dai Mubai had brought with him panicked and tried to help him up, but he slapped away their outstretched hands.

"Move aside. Both of you, get farther away. Don't get hurt." Dai Mubai pushed himself up alone, his eyes fixed firmly on Zhao Xuan.

"Looks like I still underestimated you." Dai Mubai stared at Zhao Xuan, looking at his handsome face with its slightly carefree expression. The shock in his heart roiled like raging waves.

The boy before him looked even younger than he was, yet his strength was no joke.

Zhao Xuan raised a hand helplessly. "I told you to be careful. I'm very strong."

"Strong? That makes it interesting!" Battle intent burned in Dai Mubai's eyes like blazing flames.

At the same time, the first and second soul rings on his body lit up together.

White Tiger Bodyguard Barrier!

White Bone Fierce Light Wave!

A low tiger-like roar quietly sounded from Dai Mubai's mouth. The white hair on his body whipped wildly around, and his aura abruptly surged by a great deal.

Surrounded by a golden barrier, he charged toward Zhao Xuan while spitting a milky-white ball of light from his mouth.

"Now this is a little interesting!" Zhao Xuan raised his brows, satisfaction appearing on his face. Yet he remained where he was, without making the slightest movement.

Dai Mubai, charging toward him, felt a burst of anger. Is this guy looking down on me?!

The milky-white ball of light instantly slammed into Zhao Xuan, making everyone in the room gasp.

Hermione and Xiao Wu, standing to one side, cried out in alarm, "Zhao Xuan!"

However, a strange look appeared on Dai Mubai's face. Though the White Tiger Blazing Light Wave had already been fired, he still retained a faint connection to it. Yet what came through from its end was that it had not struck anything at all.

"How is that possible?!"

At that moment, a voice suddenly sounded by Dai Mubai's ear. "Don't lose focus during a fight."

Not good!

Alarm bells rang in Dai Mubai's heart, but before he could react, he was sent flying once again. The White Tiger Bodyguard Barrier around him did not provide the slightest protection, shattering like glass beneath Zhao Xuan's kick.

Thud!

Dai Mubai fell onto the hotel counter. Looking at the wrecked lobby, the hotel manager felt like crying without tears.

"Cough... All right, stop looking like someone died. Put it on my tab." Dai Mubai forced himself to stand. Though Zhao Xuan's strength seemed enormous, he had not caused him much injury. Clearly, Zhao Xuan had held back.

"You're very strong!" It was the first time Dai Mubai had acknowledged someone like this. His evil eyes stared intently at Zhao Xuan's flickering third soul ring. That should have been the soul skill used just now.

"Thanks for the compliment." Zhao Xuan raised his brows. Though he had only used twenty percent of his strength, this guy was quite tough.

"Is your soul skill a substitute?"

"No. More accurately, it's a clone."

"This is my Third Soul Skill. It came from a very special spiritual-type Spirit Beast... a raven."

A raven could transform into countless forms and ferry departed souls.

"Is that so?" Dai Mubai's expression was calm, making Zhao Xuan a little worried. Had he knocked him stupid?

"I know I'm not your opponent, but let me show you my Third Soul Skill." Dai Mubai's expression darkened as his only purple soul ring began to flicker.

Zhao Xuan suddenly smiled. "Do you want to see my Second Soul Skill?"

"What?" Dai Mubai froze, not understanding what Zhao Xuan meant.

But the instant Zhao Xuan's Second Spirit lit up, Dai Mubai's expression abruptly changed, and he could not help crying out.

"What's going on?!"

Dai Mubai suddenly discovered that the Third Soul Skill he was preparing to use had abruptly stalled, as though his Soul Power had been cut off. It dissipated halfway through.

Zhao Xuan smiled happily from the side. "This is my Second Soul Skill. It came from a mutated nine-hundred-year-old purple Bambusa. Its effect is to sever an opponent's Soul Power and prevent the release of soul skills."

Dai Mubai's mouth twitched. "How can there be such a disgusting soul skill?!"

Dai Mubai felt utterly stifled. This time, he had suffered a complete and utter defeat. He had not even touched the corner of his opponent's clothes.

Zhao Xuan grinned as he walked over and hooked an arm around Dai Mubai's neck. From their fight just now, he could tell that Dai Mubai was not actually a bad person.

"Brother, don't cry. Though you're just a little worse than me, you're still pretty good."

Dai Mubai glared fiercely at Zhao Xuan. "Which eye of yours saw me crying?!"

Dai Mubai really had not cried. If he cried over nothing more than a sparring match, how could he survive on Douluo Continent?

He merely felt a little sorrowful. The battle replayed endlessly in his mind, but what frustrated him was that no matter how he changed it, the final result remained the same: he would certainly lose! Zhao Xuan's bizarre soul skills and terrifying strength were simply a nightmare combination!

After quite some time, Young Master Dai finally pulled himself out of his sorrowful mood.

"Zhao Xuan... and Tang San, right?" He gave Zhao Xuan, who was standing there carelessly, and Tang San, who had spent half the day as a background figure, a serious look.

"We'll meet again. When that happens, we'll spar again." With that, Dai Mubai turned around dashinglly, draping an arm around each of the two beauties as he headed for the door.

"Scumbag," Hermione and Xiao Wu could not help saying.

Zhao Xuan smiled and called out loudly, "I hope you can last a little longer next time."

Dai Mubai, with his back to them, stumbled underfoot. Then he hurriedly quickened his pace.