Mom

On the Soul Master Academy training grounds, as the red light shrouding the entire field contracted, more people were able to see what was happening inside.

Yan darted about at incredible speed, refusing to confront Demon Charm, formed by Hu Liena and Xie Yue, head-on. He continuously dodged their attacks while attempting to circle behind them and strike.

However, Demon Charm's control skill was truly troublesome. After the area-wide red light compressed, its power increased greatly. As long as Yan got too close, his speed would be directly suppressed, and that brief delay was enough for Demon Charm to react and deal with him.

After another fruitless probe, Yan suddenly flipped backward several times to widen the distance, seemingly abandoning the idea of taking the initiative to attack.

"Has that kid given up? Well, the Martial Soul Fusion Skill those two are using may not be overwhelmingly powerful, but it has a domain-type control ability. Unless you can break it with absolute strength, getting close is just courting death."

"Could that kid be planning to keep dodging like this until the Martial Soul Fusion Skill runs out? That might still give him a chance at winning."

"No. If that's what he's thinking, he'll definitely lose. This control-type Martial Soul Fusion Skill consumes very little. It can probably last for quite a while. If they drag this out, those two youngsters will have the advantage."

To many, Yan's retreat looked like he had already given up attacking and was simply preparing to keep dodging. They began discussing the situation, and few thought highly of Yan. Yet the next second, they all shut their mouths.

At some point, several sharp weapons gleaming with cold light had appeared in Yan's palms. In the next instant, cold sparks rained down toward Demon Charm.

"Clang, clang, clang, clang..."

The pair of Moon Blades in Demon Charm's hands spun rapidly in front of him, easily deflecting the cold sparks. Countless sparks flew amid the clashing of metal, and everyone finally saw the true forms of those cold flashes—they were tiny blades, shrunk countless times over.

Although the Douluo world had no concept of hidden weapons, it did have methods such as throwing attacks. The flying knives Yan had practiced forging were one such method. Though they were mostly inferior to Tang Sect hidden weapons and the like, with the assistance of his intelligent brain, his accuracy had become quite good.

None of the flying knives from that volley achieved anything, yet Yan's expression did not change at all. This had merely been a probing attack, and the result was not unexpected.

"Whoosh!"

Having swiftly dealt with Yan's probing attack, Demon Charm's speed suddenly increased. A mass of red light swept rapidly toward Yan.

Yan moved again. Demon Charm was incredibly fast, and his strength also utterly overwhelmed Yan's. Yan could not face him head-on.

After moving three steps in a blur, he suddenly turned. A spray of sand and gravel engulfed the approaching Demon Charm, while Yan himself spun past the red light, evading it in an unfathomably precise manner.

Demon Charm seemed to have had enough of Yan's taunting. As he stopped abruptly, the pair of enormous Moon Blades in his hands, gleaming with red patterns of light, flew out fiercely.

From Demon Charm's palm, one Moon Blade shot out like lightning, spinning as it flew. It traced an arc through the air and reached Yan in an instant.

Demon Charm's move was somewhat unexpected, but Yan seemed prepared. He bent his knees, crouched and spun, dodging that Moon Blade before leaping into the air and narrowly evading another crescent-shaped flying blade rushing at him.

Demon Charm's two attacks came one after another. He repeatedly summoned and controlled the pair of Moon Blades to launch continuous assaults, while constantly moving closer to Yan.

Yan handled the situation extremely well. His palms struck out repeatedly, never meeting the Moon Blades' edges head-on. Instead, he continuously hit the sides of the blades, greatly disrupting their flight paths and ruining their accuracy.

Dense explosions rang out without pause. Even the few Titled Douluo had developed some interest in the fierce battle. Amid the repeated bursts, Demon Charm steadily closed in. When they were less than thirty feet apart, Yan suddenly made another move.

He perfectly dodged the flying-blade attacks of two Moon Blades, while cold light burst from his palms, aimed directly at the closer Demon Charm.

"Clang, clang, clang..."

Several flashes of cold light were either dodged by Demon Charm or knocked aside by the protective red glow around him. In any case, not a single one hindered Demon Charm in the slightest.

Yet at that moment, Yan leaped backward and pulled with both hands. Fine threads appeared between them, instantly tightening and wrapping around Demon Charm's body.

"Sorry about this."

As Yan hovered in midair, he swiftly threw out two bottles, which collided above Demon Charm's head. Surging flames rose from his palm and shot along the threads in an instant.

Boom!!!

No one knew what Yan had put inside those bottles. The moment the flames spread through them, the powdery substance filling the air ignited explosively, and terrifying flames instantly swallowed the charging Demon Charm.

Flexible putty made with sugar was far more terrifying than plain flour. Dust explosions required enclosed conditions, but this stuff didn't. Chemistry really was a dangerous subject.

Even as Yan lamented, he did not slow down. For the first time, he fully unleashed his Martial Soul. The raging flames instantly turned him into a torch, and the dark-red fire warped even the air around him.

"Clang!"

The yellow Soul Ring pulsing around him shone brightly with a chime. Even more surging flames swept in from all directions, while the fire burning over his body vaguely formed the image of a demonic lion roaring toward the heavens.

With the activation of the century-old soul skill, Inferno Demon Lion Transformation, Yan's speed, strength, Soul Power, and more instantly doubled. His recovery ability became incredibly terrifying as well. Endless fire elements from the surroundings continuously gathered and compressed into his body. Even if he exhausted all his Soul Power in an instant, he could recover it in an extremely short time.

Yan no longer hesitated and charged forward with all his strength, plunging into the red light toward the still-exploding fireball. At that moment, many Titled Douluo, including Bibi Dong, were watching the training grounds. Everyone wanted to know the final outcome of the collision between those surging flames and that strange red light.

Boom~~~

A terrifying explosion scattered everything. The flames surged skyward before suddenly dissipating considerably, while the red light seemed to no longer fill the area. Then, a figure suddenly flew out, heading straight toward Pope Bibi Dong on the high platform.

"Stand down."

The Spirit Hall powerhouses were about to intervene, but Pope Bibi Dong spoke at that moment. Everyone watched the disheveled figure trace an arc through the air before finally being caught in the Pope's arms.

"Mommy~"

The one Bibi Dong held in her arms was the younger sister of the pair who had used the Martial Soul Fusion Skill. It seemed that the recent battle had left her dazed. In a trance, she buried her face in Bibi Dong's embrace, murmuring as though calling for her mother.

First update. This marks the beginning of Hu Liena's relationship with Bibi Dong, and the protagonist's first contact with Bibi Dong as well.

The later plot will gradually involve conflicts between major powers. I hope everyone will continue to support it. Updates may be a little sparse during the new book period, but I still hope everyone can check in on the daily updates and help boost the follow count.

Also, thank you all for your rewards and votes. I hope you can add it to your collections and offer some suggestions.

What do you all think? In the end, should Hu Liena call her "Mother" or "Mommy"? The author was a little torn while writing it, so feel free to offer your opinions.