Battle Over in Three Seconds

Ning Rongrong poked her little head out and looked at the yellowish-brown, three-meter-tall bear in the clearing below that was preparing to return to its cave. Her eyes lit up.

This Great Earth Exploding Bear was indeed a pure strength-type soul beast. She could not tell whether its soul ring was truly around 380 years old, but since Ye Zhiqiu said so, it probably was.

"That one, then." Ning Rongrong was clearly pleased, yet her face still wore an expression of disdain.

Ye Zhiqiu narrowed his eyes, a sly smile appearing at the corner of his lips. Heh, you little tsundere. Think I can't handle you?

With Ning Rongrong on his back, Ye Zhiqiu suddenly jumped from the tree, which stood more than ten meters tall.

The sensation of plummeting and the rapidly approaching ground made Ning Rongrong's eyes fly wide open. She was nearly scared out of her wits.

"Ahhh—" Her shriek carried far into the distance, startling flocks of birds from the treetops throughout Soul Hunting Forest. They flapped their wings in panic and scattered in all directions.

Even the Great Earth Exploding Bear below shuddered at that piercing scream, looking utterly confused.

What happened? What was screaming so miserably? A very human-like look of confusion appeared in the Great Earth Exploding Bear's muddy yellow eyes.

Bang—

With Ning Rongrong on his back, Ye Zhiqiu's legs struck the ground like cannonballs leaving their barrels. The fierce wind generated by his high-speed descent swept the fallen leaves around him skyward, where they fluttered and drifted for a long while before falling.

The soft earth sank beneath his feet, leaving two deep footprints. Cracks spread across the surrounding ground, showing just how terrifying the impact of that fall had been.

Yet Ye Zhiqiu seemed completely unaffected. He calmly set Ning Rongrong down, then raised his middle finger at the Great Earth Exploding Bear only a short distance away.

The Great Earth Exploding Bear stared in surprise at the two little humans who had suddenly appeared before it in such a flashy fashion. It had initially intended to flee first; that human boy looked rather formidable.

But when it saw Ye Zhiqiu's raised middle finger, it suddenly felt inexplicably irritated from head to toe. The more it looked at that human boy, the more detestable he seemed, and the more it wanted to beat him up.

Rage rose in the Great Earth Exploding Bear's heart, breeding vicious intent.

Roar! Awoo, awoo!

It let out several furious roars as if to bolster its courage. With a savage expression, the Great Earth Exploding Bear pounced at Ye Zhiqiu and Ning Rongrong.

Ning Rongrong had never seen such a terrifying scene. She could even smell the rank stench from the Great Earth Exploding Bear's mouth. Her face went pale as she scrambled behind Ye Zhiqiu.

Sword Douluo in the distance was also tense. They were over a hundred meters apart; even as a Titled Douluo, he could not put out a fire from so far away. Though he wanted to help, there was nothing he could do.

The Great Earth Exploding Bear was simply too close to Ye Zhiqiu and Ning Rongrong.

"You brat, how dare you put the little princess of our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in danger?" Sword Douluo cursed inwardly. All he could do now was pray that this bold little brat could escape danger safely.

In truth, Sword Douluo was simply too worried to think clearly. After all, Ye Zhiqiu had been able to kick a 350-year soul beast to death with one blow. Even if this Great Earth Exploding Bear was a few decades older, it could not possibly be Ye Zhiqiu's opponent.

What was more, Ye Zhiqiu had opened three Gates now. He was nothing like before.

Watching the Great Earth Exploding Bear pounce toward them, Ye Zhiqiu even had time to turn and tease Ning Rongrong. "Girl, call me Brother Qiu, and this bear won't eat you. It and I go way back."

"I don't believe a word you say!" Ning Rongrong crouched behind Ye Zhiqiu with her hands over her head, like an ostrich.

Did she think that if she covered her own head and could not see the Great Earth Exploding Bear, then it could not see her either? This classic act of self-deception made Ye Zhiqiu laugh even in such a dangerous moment.

While the two of them were still joking around, the Great Earth Exploding Bear had already lunged right up to them with a ferocious expression. Its blood-filled maw bit straight toward Ye Zhiqiu's head.

There was not the slightest panic in Ye Zhiqiu's eyes. He bent backward into a bridge to evade, his back pressing tightly against Ning Rongrong's and making her scream again. She thought the Great Earth Exploding Bear had landed on her.

As Ye Zhiqiu easily dodged the bite with that backward bridge, the Great Earth Exploding Bear's head happened to be directly above him. How could he possibly let such a good opportunity pass?

Ye Zhiqiu bent his knees slightly, then drove a powerful knee into the Great Earth Exploding Bear's chin.

Crack— Its upper and lower jaws collided with a crisp sound.

The Great Earth Exploding Bear, whose mouth was wide open, was sent airborne by Ye Zhiqiu's knee strike. Its upper body flipped one hundred and eighty degrees before its back slammed viciously into the ground.

The head was the hardest part of any living creature, but that referred to the skull. The jaw did not count.

When they looked at the Great Earth Exploding Bear again, its mouth was crooked and its eyes were askew. Its bloodshot eyes had lost focus. It likely no longer had the strength to get up and could only lie on the ground, whimpering and twitching.

Ye Zhiqiu's kick had nearly sent another soul beast straight to its death. After all, his physique was absurdly powerful now, and he had even opened three Gates of the Eight Gates of Dunjia to bully a bear.

The battle began quickly and ended just as quickly.

From start to finish, Ye Zhiqiu had merely bent backward and delivered a knee strike. It took less than three seconds.

Seeing Ning Rongrong still crouched there with her head covered, too scared to move, Ye Zhiqiu felt playful. He quietly crept beside her, leaned close to her ear, and went, "Awoo."

"Ah! Go away, go away! My meat doesn't taste good!" Ning Rongrong squeezed her eyes shut and flailed her hands wildly, shouting in fear.

Sword Douluo stood in the distance with his mouth slightly open. He had originally intended to go over and provide support, but now he was rooted to the spot. He had already thought Ye Zhiqiu was quite strong, yet what he had imagined was only the tip of the iceberg.

With the Iron-Eating Panda Beast before, Ye Zhiqiu had launched a sneak attack. Kicking it to death could be considered a lucky trick.

But in this battle, a Soul Scholar had crippled a 380-year soul beast with one kick in a direct confrontation.

This was a soul beast over three hundred years old that even Soul Grand Masters found difficult to handle.

Genius? Monster? Freak? None of those words were enough to describe this little fellow named Ye Zhiqiu.

At that moment, Sword Douluo made up his mind. He had to recruit this little fellow into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Such a treasure could not be allowed to fall into someone else's hands.

Watching Ye Zhiqiu scare Ning Rongrong, Sword Douluo was not angry at all. Instead, he happily stroked the small tuft of beard on his chin. With a flicker, his figure vanished.

"Enough with the shouting. The Great Earth Exploding Bear is about to die. If you don't finish it off now, we'll have to go looking for another soul ring," Ye Zhiqiu said with a smile, grabbing Ning Rongrong's wildly flailing hands.

Ning Rongrong's eyes were red, and she looked as though she had been frightened to the point of tears.

After hearing Ye Zhiqiu's words, she opened her tightly shut eyes a sliver and secretly looked around. When she saw the Great Earth Exploding Bear lying on its back, breathing out but not in, on the verge of dying, she finally let out a slight breath of relief.

"Hmph, that's for scaring me." Ning Rongrong stomped toward Ye Zhiqiu's foot.

Ye Zhiqiu reflexively pulled his foot away. "Heh, you can't step on me—"

But when Ye Zhiqiu saw tears welling in Ning Rongrong's eyes and recalled how he had scared her just now, he felt a little embarrassed and extended his foot again. "How about... I let you step on it once?" Ye Zhiqiu asked tentatively.

"Pfft." Seeing Ye Zhiqiu being so sensible, Ning Rongrong laughed through her red-rimmed eyes, her smile especially radiant.

Sword Douluo, secretly watching the two from afar, also revealed an enigmatic smile.