White Tiger Kneels, Zhuqing's Cold Gaze

"You little bastard! You're courting death! How dare you insult me?! If I don't break your legs today, I'll write my name, Dai Mubai, backward!"

Dai Mubai's furious roar exploded through the Rose Hotel lobby like a tiger's roar! Yellow, yellow, purple—three dazzling soul rings shone with blinding light! Under the possession of the Evil-Eyed White Tiger, his body became tall and muscular, his violent and savage aura sweeping outward like a hurricane! Rage burned in his eyes. To be insulted in public by some brat, then told to "get lost"? It was the greatest humiliation!

He suddenly stepped forward, and the hard floor tiles groaned under the strain! His right fist clenched, muscles knotted like iron as terrifying Soul Power gathered upon it. With a piercing shriek through the air, it shot toward Yang Yu's chest like a cannonball! This enraged punch carried astonishing force. Forget a child—even a Soul Grandmaster would be seriously injured if they took it head-on!

"Brother Yu!" Ning Rongrong's little face turned deathly pale. She screamed and clutched Yang Yu's sleeve tightly, instinctively shutting her eyes! She might have been spoiled, but when had she ever seen a scene where someone would kill at the slightest disagreement?

Xiao Wu cried out as well and instinctively wanted to pull Tang San away, only to discover that Tang San was still kneeling on the ground, clutching his head and convulsing in agony. He was no help at all.

The surrounding guests who had been watching the show retreated in fright, terrified of being caught in the crossfire. The receptionist had gone pale, his legs trembling. It was over! Young Master Dai had snapped! That kid was dead for sure!

Facing this savage punch capable of shattering stone, Yang Yu remained where he was, standing straight as a pine, his gaze calm and undisturbed. He did not even summon his Martial Soul! It was as though the fist that could turn him into minced meat was nothing more than a passing breeze!

Just as Dai Mubai's Soul Power-wreathed heavy fist came within half a foot of Yang Yu's chest, its wind sending the loose strands of hair at his forehead flying—

Buzz! An invisible, vast Dragon Might that arose from the deepest reaches of the soul and stood above all things erupted like an ancient beast roused to utter fury! This time, it had only one target—Dai Mubai!

Roar—!!!

A majestic dragon's roar that only Dai Mubai could "hear" crashed into his Sea of Consciousness like thunder from the heavens, carrying supreme majesty and absolute suppression from the source of his bloodline!

"Urgh—ahh!!!"

The vicious grin on Dai Mubai's face froze instantly, then twisted into extreme agony and incredulous terror! He felt his Evil-Eyed White Tiger Martial Soul let out a pitiful wail of utter despair! It was as though it had encountered a supreme monarch and instinctively wished to prostrate itself in worship! An irresistible fear from the deepest part of his soul engulfed him like an icy tide! The boiling Soul Power throughout his body seemed to have been doused with ice water, instantly losing control and running wild! His mind went blank! Darkness clouded his vision!

That thunderous punch stopped abruptly less than three inches from Yang Yu's chest, as though it had slammed into an invisible wall of sighs that could not be crossed!

Thud! Dai Mubai's legs gave out, and his burly body seemed to have been stripped of every bone. Even more decisively than Tang San before him, he crashed to his knees on the hard floor with a heavy bang! The tiles beneath his knees instantly filled with spiderweb cracks!

He clutched his head with both hands and let out a shriek even more miserable than Tang San's! His body shook violently like a sieve, beads of sweat mixing with snot and tears as they smeared across his face! The bone-deep terror and soul-rending agony reduced the mighty Evil-Eyed White Tiger Soul Elder to a wretched dead dog that had been skinned and dismembered, kneeling before Yang Yu in utter humiliation! Even the two heavily made-up Twin Girls beside him screamed and fled far away!

The entire lobby fell silent!

Everyone looked as though they had been petrified, their eyes nearly popping from their sockets and their mouths wide enough to fit an egg!

Young Master Dai... Dai Mubai... the acknowledged strongest of Nuoding City's younger generation... a Soul Elder-level expert... had charged over so aggressively... and then... just... knelt?!

Just like that boy in blue earlier! He had dropped to his knees just as decisively! Just as miserably!

That Black-Clad Boy... what had he done?! He clearly had not even moved a finger! What kind of sorcery was this?!

Ning Rongrong cautiously opened one eye and saw Dai Mubai kneeling before Yang Yu, wailing in agony. Her little mouth instantly formed an O, and her sapphire-like eyes filled with utter shock and confusion! H-how was this possible?! That big blond guy had looked so powerful... so why... why was he in an even worse state than the boy in blue?! Brother Yu... was he... was he really human?!

Xiao Wu covered her mouth as she looked at Dai Mubai kneeling on the ground, then at Yang Yu, who remained as calm as still water. Fear grew wildly within her like creeping vines! Again! That same silent terror! Even Dai Mubai, a Soul Elder, had been rendered completely unable to resist?!

"Trash." Yang Yu's cold voice broke the silence, carrying undisguised disdain. "With skills like that, you dare go around bullying men and harassing women?"

Dai Mubai's entire body trembled violently at those icy words. Enormous humiliation gnawed at his heart like venomous snakes! He wanted to roar, to fight back, but the mountain-like terror deep in his soul made even lifting his head impossible! He could only produce even more pained, choking sounds.

"Dai Mubai! A-are you all right?!" Tang San finally managed to catch his breath after the terrifying Soul Impact. He struggled to raise his head, and when he saw Dai Mubai kneeling before Yang Yu in an even more miserable state, horror flashed through his eyes, followed by even deeper malice! Enduring his splitting headache, he rasped, "He's an Evil Soul Master! He uses sorcery! Everyone, attack together! Capture him!"

An Evil Soul Master?! Sorcery?!

Those words were like sparks thrown into boiling oil, instantly igniting fear among the crowd! Their gazes toward Yang Yu immediately filled with suspicion and hostility! After all, the silent method he had used to bring down two people was simply too bizarre!

"Right! Capture him!" "It must be an Evil Soul Master's technique!" "Quick, notify the city guards and Spirit Hall!"

The crowd stirred. Several Soul Masters who considered themselves somewhat capable gathered their courage, released their Martial Souls, and lit up their soul rings as they cautiously began to surround him. The atmosphere instantly turned tense and murderous!

Yang Yu's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. Troublesome. He was not afraid of these small fry, but exposing too many methods and drawing unnecessary attention—especially from Spirit Hall's side, even though his current status was special—would not be good. Besides, Ning Rongrong was still beside him.

Just then—"Hmph!"

A cold, disdainful snort swept through the noisy lobby like an icy wind.

The sound was not loud, but it carried a strange penetrating force that instantly overwhelmed all the clamor! Everyone turned toward it.

In the shadows beside the hotel's spiral staircase stood a figure, though no one knew when she had appeared.

She was a girl who looked only seven or eight years old. She wore fitted black leather clothes that outlined the delicate curves of her just-developing body. Her smooth black hair cascaded down to her waist like a waterfall. Her skin was a healthy wheat color, and her features were as exquisite as a porcelain doll's. But those eyes... were as cold as an ancient frozen pool! Deep, sharp, devoid of the slightest human warmth, filled with vigilance and a coldness that kept everyone at a distance.

Her gaze was like two tangible rays of frost, crossing the chaotic crowd and falling with perfect precision upon Dai Mubai, who was kneeling on the floor in abject misery. There was no concern in her eyes, no anger—only a bone-deep... disappointment! And a trace of undisguised contempt!

Zhu Zhuqing!

Like an elf stepping out from the darkness, she appeared without a sound, yet instantly drew everyone's attention. Her arrival seemed to lower the temperature of the already stifling lobby by several degrees.

Dai Mubai felt that icy gaze too. He struggled to raise his head, and when he saw those cold, emotionless eyes in the shadows by the stairs, it was as though a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head! He instantly sobered up somewhat! Great shame stabbed into his heart like a poisonous thorn! He, Dai Mubai, the Evil-Eyed White Tiger, had actually knelt in such a miserable state before some little brat in front of his nominal fiancée?!

"Zhu... Zhuqing..." Dai Mubai's voice was hoarse, carrying a hint of panic and urgency as he tried to explain.

Zhu Zhuqing did not even spare him another glance. Her gaze skimmed over Yang Yu's calm face, then the girl behind him wearing a blue dress, whose little face was pale but could not conceal her beauty—Ning Rongrong. Deep within her cold eyes, an extremely faint trace of... surprise seemed to flash by? But it vanished in an instant.

She said nothing. It was as though the farce before her had nothing to do with her. Only her tightly pressed lips and slightly tensed jawline revealed the unrest in her heart.

Then she turned without hesitation. Her black figure moved like a spirit cat melding into the shadows and vanished silently around the stairwell corner, leaving behind only a cold, proud back that kept others at a distance.

Dai Mubai stared in the direction Zhu Zhuqing had disappeared, and his face instantly turned as white as paper! It looked even worse than when he had been intimidated by Dragon Might! He had felt the undisguised contempt and disappointment in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes! That hurt more than death!

"Ah—!!!" Extreme humiliation and rage instantly shattered what little reason Dai Mubai had left! He suddenly raised his head, his eyes blood-red as he stared at Yang Yu. Like a wounded beast, he let out a crazed roar: "You little bastard! It's all because of you! I'll kill you! Third Soul Skill! White Tiger Vajra Transformation!!"

Boom!!! The purple thousand-year soul ring on Dai Mubai's body erupted with blinding light! An aura even more violent and savage than before exploded outward! His body swelled another size, muscles knotting like stone as his skin turned dark gold and gleamed with metallic luster! The ferocity in his evil eyes surged! He forcibly broke free of part of the soul suppression caused by Dragon Might and, like a madman, launched both fists at once. They became two golden beams that tore through the air and smashed fiercely toward Yang Yu! This attack was far stronger than the last, carrying a madness that sought to destroy everything!

"Your Highness, be careful!" Yue Guan's voice carried a trace of gravity. He stood behind and to Yang Yu's side, ready to act at any moment. Dai Mubai's desperate blow was already enough to threaten an ordinary Soul Ancestor!

At last, a cold glint flashed through Yang Yu's eyes in the face of this utterly violent attack!

Buzz! A deep-purple first soul ring lit up beneath his feet!

"Void Nether!"

An invisible Space Stagnation field unfolded once more, precisely covering Dai Mubai's charging path! The moment Dai Mubai's lightning-fast body entered the field, it seemed to sink into thick mud, and his speed plummeted! Those two wild golden fist energies also seemed to have been put into slow motion!

"Void Nether!"

The instant the Space Stagnation field took effect, Yang Yu's figure shifted three meters sideways as though he had used Instant Movement! The motion was smooth and natural, without the slightest trace of effort!

Boom!!!! Dai Mubai's delayed yet tremendously powerful fists smashed violently into the spot where Yang Yu had just been standing! A violent energy shockwave erupted! The hard floor exploded into a crater more than a meter wide! Rubble flew everywhere! Dust filled the air!

But Yang Yu was no longer there!

Pfft! Dai Mubai's full-force strike missed. The backlash from his Soul Power, coupled with the damage to his soul from forcibly breaking free of Dragon Might's suppression, made his chest tighten as he violently spat out a mouthful of blood! His body stumbled forward several steps from the enormous momentum before he barely managed to steady himself. His aura instantly weakened by a great deal! He turned back in disbelief, staring at Yang Yu standing three meters away without a scratch, his eyes filled with shock and a trace of... fear!

How was that possible?! His Third Soul Skill! His White Tiger Vajra Transformation! It had not even touched the corner of his opponent's clothes?!

"That's it?" Yang Yu's voice carried a trace of mockery, as though he were simply stating a fact. "The heir to the Star Luo Imperial Family? The Evil-Eyed White Tiger? Nothing special."

"You... you..." Dai Mubai shook with rage, pointing at Yang Yu but unable to say a word. The enormous frustration and Zhu Zhuqing's cold gaze from moments ago gnawed at his heart like venomous snakes.

"Enough." A gentle voice with unquestionable authority sounded.

Everyone looked toward the source. A young man in the white robes of a Spirit Hall deacon stood at the hotel entrance, though no one knew when he had arrived. He had a well-proportioned build and a warm smile on his face. Behind him followed four Spirit Hall Palace Guard Knights with tightly condensed auras.

It was Su Yuntao, the person in charge of the Nuoding City Martial Soul Branch Hall!

He had clearly been alerted by the commotion here. When his gaze swept across the wrecked lobby, saw Tang San kneeling on the ground and convulsing in pain, saw Dai Mubai pale and coughing blood in a wretched state, and then saw Yang Yu standing calmly in the center with the extraordinary red-robed man behind him—Yue Guan—his pupils suddenly contracted! Especially when he saw Yang Yu's face clearly, his expression instantly became extremely complicated!

It was him?! That monstrous talent from Sacred Soul Village who had awakened Twin God-Tier Martial Souls and been personally taken away by Your Majesty the Empress?! Why had he returned to Nuoding City?! And he had brought... Lord Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan with him?!

Su Yuntao's heart pounded wildly! He suppressed the storm in his heart and hurried over to Yang Yu. Before everyone's shocked eyes, he deeply bowed to Yang Yu, his manner incomparably respectful.

"Su Yuntao, deacon of the Nuoding City Martial Soul Branch Hall, pays his respects to His Highness the Holy Son! I did not know Your Highness had arrived and failed to welcome you from afar. I beg Your Highness's forgiveness!"

His Highness the Holy Son?!!

Those four words struck everyone in the hotel lobby like four bolts of thunder!

Everyone was stunned! They stared blankly at the white-robed deacon respectfully bowing to the Black-Clad Boy, then at the calm boy himself, their minds completely shutting down!

The Holy Son?! Spirit Hall's Holy Son?! The Holy Son who, according to legend, ranked only below the Empress and would one day control all of Spirit Hall?! He was... this boy who looked only six or seven years old?!

Dai Mubai's flushed face instantly turned the color of ashes! As though all his strength had been drained away, he staggered back a step and leaned against the shattered reception desk, his eyes full of boundless fear and despair! He... he had just attacked Spirit Hall's Holy Son?! He had even called him a little bastard?! This... this was digging his own grave!

Tang San suddenly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Yang Yu, filled with extreme malice and disbelief! The Holy Son?! This kid... was actually Spirit Hall's Holy Son?! No wonder! No wonder he had a Titled Douluo by his side! No wonder he dared act so arrogantly!

Xiao Wu covered her mouth, her body trembling even harder. The Holy Son... so his status was this noble... the contract brand deep in her soul...

Ning Rongrong was completely dumbfounded too! She stared blankly at Yang Yu's calm profile, then at Su Yuntao, who was bowing respectfully. Her sapphire-like eyes were filled with utter shock and confusion! Brother Yu... he... he was actually Spirit Hall's Holy Son?! The heir of that colossal power even her father had to fear?!

"Deacon Su, there's no need for such formality." Yang Yu's voice remained calm, as though this were only some trivial matter. "It was merely a small inconvenience."

His gaze swept over Dai Mubai's ashen face, then Tang San's venomous eyes on the floor, before finally landing on Su Yuntao. "These two attacked this Holy Son in public with malicious intent. Dai Mubai in particular abused his status to bully others and harassed my junior sister." He pointed at Ning Rongrong behind him. "That makes his crime even worse. Handle them as you see fit."

"Yes! This subordinate understands!" Su Yuntao's heart tightened, and he immediately answered. He straightened up, the warm smile vanishing from his face, replaced by the authority and coldness of a Spirit Hall deacon. He looked at Dai Mubai and Tang San as though they were already dead.

"Men!" Su Yuntao shouted sharply. "Seize these two madmen who attacked His Highness the Holy Son! Throw them into the branch hall dungeon and keep them under strict guard until they await judgment!"

"Yes!" The four Palace Guard Knights pounced like tigers and wolves!

"No! I'm a prince of Star Luo! You dare?!" Dai Mubai let out a desperate roar and tried to struggle.

"When Spirit Hall acts, why would we need to heed Star Luo's attitude?!" Su Yuntao snorted coldly. A Soul King-level pressure instantly erupted and firmly suppressed the already weakened Dai Mubai! The Palace Guard Knights easily twisted his arms behind his back and slipped a cold Soul Locking Chain around his neck!

Tang San had even less ability to resist. He was dragged up like a dead dog and bound in chains. He stared at Yang Yu with the malice of a vengeful ghost, curses rasping from his throat.

"Yang Yu... Spirit Hall... if I do not avenge this grudge... I, Tang San, swear I will not be human!"

Yang Yu could not even be bothered to look at him, as though he had merely disposed of two pieces of trash. He turned to Su Yuntao. "My room?"

"Ah! Yes, yes, yes!" Su Yuntao hurriedly bowed. The most respectful smile spread across his face as he personally picked up the two ruby room cards from the reception desk and offered them with both hands. "Your Highness, your suite is ready. It is the Red Rose Suite on the third floor, absolutely quiet and comfortable! Should Your Highness need anything, simply give the order!"

Yang Yu took the room cards and casually tossed one to Ning Rongrong, who was still standing there in a daze. "Let's go."

He walked toward the stairs as though nothing had happened.

Ning Rongrong snapped out of her trance and hurriedly caught the card. She looked at Yang Yu's straight, calm back, then at Dai Mubai and Tang San being dragged away like dead dogs by Spirit Hall knights. Her little face alternated between red and white, her expression incomparably complicated. Shock, confusion, lingering fear, and a trace of... reassurance at being protected by such power, which even she herself had not noticed?

She bit her lip and hurried after Yang Yu. This time, she instinctively stayed very close, her little hand even quietly grasping the edge of his clothes, as though only that could give her some sense of safety.

Yue Guan had worn that bewitching smile from beginning to end, as though he were merely a spectator. He glanced at Tang San and Dai Mubai being taken away, then toward the stairwell corner where Zhu Zhuqing had vanished. His scarlet tongue licked his lips, amusement in his eyes. The show... was getting more and more interesting.

Xiao Wu remained where she was. She watched Tang San being dragged away, then Yang Yu and Ning Rongrong vanish up the stairs. Her ruby-like eyes were filled with struggle, pain, and confusion. The contract brand deep in her soul faintly transmitted a cold sense of restraint. What was she supposed to do?

At the entrance to the Red Rose Suite on the third floor, Yang Yu unlocked the door and entered. The room was spacious, decorated mainly in passionate red and gold. Thick carpets covered the floor, and a faint fragrance of roses lingered in the air. Beyond the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows lay Nuoding City's streets, where the lights had just begun to glow.

Ning Rongrong followed him in and shut the door behind her. She leaned against it with her head lowered, her little hand gripping the room card so tightly that her knuckles turned white. The room was quiet, with only the faint sounds of their breathing.

After a long while, she finally gathered her courage and raised her head. Her sapphire-like eyes looked timidly at Yang Yu, and her voice trembled with lingering fear. "Brother... Brother Yu... are... are you really Spirit Hall's Holy Son?"

Yang Yu walked to the window and looked at the lights of countless homes outside. Without turning around, he replied calmly, "What else would I be?"

Ning Rongrong swallowed, her expression changing constantly. She remembered how, at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion in Glazed City, she had been dissatisfied with this "senior brother" in every way and had even thought him arrogant... Looking back now, it was simply laughable! He was Spirit Hall's Holy Son! He had Twin God-Tier Martial Souls! Even a Titled Douluo served as his guard! For him to guide her? She was the one reaching far above her station!

The immense gap in their status and the shocking scene just now made her realize for the first time just what terrifying power the boy before her, who was not much older than she was, possessed!

"Then... then those two downstairs..." Ning Rongrong asked cautiously.

"They were merely ants. Don't concern yourself with them." Yang Yu's voice was indifferent. "Remember, in Nuoding City, you are only Ning Rongrong, an ordinary student. Put away your young lady's temper and listen to me. Otherwise..."

He slowly turned around, his calm gaze falling upon Ning Rongrong's face. That gaze no longer carried the trace of amusement it had before. Instead, it was filled with the profound authority of one who held everything in his grasp.

"I don't mind letting you experience what those two downstairs went through."

Ning Rongrong's delicate body shuddered! Meeting Yang Yu's calm yet abyss-like eyes, a chill shot from the soles of her feet to the top of her head! What those two downstairs had gone through? One had knelt screaming while clutching his head, and the other had been beaten until he vomited blood and collapsed to his knees...

Her little face instantly went pale. She nodded fiercely, her voice tinged with tears. "I... I understand! Brother Yu! I'll be obedient! I... I won't dare do it again!" She was truly terrified.

Yang Yu looked at Ning Rongrong, who resembled a startled little rabbit, and knew the initial intimidation had achieved its effect. He said no more, walked to the sofa in the center of the room, sat down, and closed his eyes to rest.

Ning Rongrong stood there awkwardly, at a loss. Looking at Yang Yu resting with his eyes closed, she hesitated, but in the end, she did not dare sit on the other sofa. Instead, she carefully walked to the armchair by the window and curled up in it, hugging her knees like a small beast seeking shelter.

Outside the window, the lights of Nuoding City came on one after another. Inside, all was silent.

Ning Rongrong secretly watched the boy resting on the sofa, her heart filled with conflicting emotions. Fear, reverence, curiosity, and a trace of... dependence that she herself was unwilling to admit?

This Nuoding City... seemed far more dangerous than she had imagined... and far more exciting?