Martial Soul Awakening Skill, Nether White Tiger!

Facing the white light rushing towards him, Lin Yuan's gaze remained unchanged. Ripples appeared in the space beneath his feet, and his figure shifted several meters to the side, easily dodging the attack. The white light landed on the ground, creating a shallow pit and sending gravel flying.

"Your opponent is me." Lin Yuan's voice was calm as golden-green soul power surged around him. He clenched his right hand into a fist, activating the Authority of Wind and condensing a wind palm print nearly ten feet wide. The wind palm print tore through the air with a whistling sound, striking directly at Dai Hua Bin.

Dai Hua Bin's pupils contracted sharply. He immediately circulated his soul power and crossed his arms in front of him to block. With a muffled thud, the wind palm print slammed heavily onto his arms. The powerful impact sent him staggering backward, leaving two shallow tracks on the ground beneath his feet.

In the air, Wang Dong faced Zhu Lu's surprise attack without panic. The Goddess of Light Butterfly's wings shimmered with golden patterns, condensing into scythe-like sharpness as they met Zhu Lu's claws. With a crisp clang, metal collided, and Zhu Lu was sent flying backward, her arm slightly numb.

Dai Hua Bin roared and charged forward rapidly. Simultaneously, his first soul ring lit up, and a layer of white light formed a barrier around his body. This was his defensive first soul skill, White Tiger Body Protection Barrier, which not only provided strong defense but also enhanced his combat power.

The two sides were already very close. Dai Hua Bin lunged forward with a tiger-like pounce, his tiger claws extending simultaneously as he swiped.

On the other side, Zhu Lu weaved and dodged, engaging in a back-and-forth with Wang Dong. Her speed was incredibly fast, requiring Wang Dong to be fully focused. With the assistance of Huo Yu Hao's Spiritual Detection sharing, she relied on her own cultivation to block Zhu Lu's path and prevent her from approaching Huo Yu Hao to launch an attack.

"How dare a mere little cat act so brazenly in front of a dragon? Have you ever seen an enraged dragon?"

As the words fell, Lin Yuan's arms suddenly transformed, becoming draconic. Dragon scales rapidly spread along his arms, covering his fingertips. The edges of each scale shimmered with faint Nine-Colored Flowing Light. Sharp bone spurs protruded from his elbows, and his fingertips sharpened into claws that gleamed with cold light, enveloped in dense Dragon Might. The very air trembled slightly under the pressure.

"Let me show you the difference between us!" Lin Yuan advanced instead of retreating, meeting Dai Hua Bin's tiger claws with a fierce swing. His dragon arms, carrying wind that tore through space, collided with the White Tiger's claws with a tremendous impact.

With a deafening roar, the metallic clang echoed. Dai Hua Bin felt an immense force surge from his claws, his arms going numb. He was actually sent flying backward, the light barrier of his White Tiger Body Protection Barrier rippling violently, nearly collapsing.

Almost in the same second, he stomped his right leg heavily on the ground, forcefully reversing his backward momentum. At the same time, his second soul skill, "White Tiger Blazing Light Wave," was unleashed again as he side-flipped, spraying it towards Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan's eyes narrowed. His draconic right hand suddenly tightened its grip, reaching out towards the whistling White Tiger Blazing Light Wave. Nine-Colored Flowing Light gathered in his palm, forming a dense energy vortex that firmly locked onto the raging white light.

"Bang!"

The white light struggled violently in his palm but was confined by layers of dragon power and Space Power. Lin Yuan lightly twisted his wrist and clenched his fingers. The Blazing Light Wave, imbued with Dai Hua Bin's soul power, shattered inch by inch like glass, turning into countless tiny light points that were instantly swallowed by the vortex in his palm.

"How is this possible?!" Dai Hua Bin's pupils contracted, his face filled with disbelief. The White Tiger Blazing Light Wave was his core offensive soul skill, capable of gaining the upper hand even against Soul Elders of the same rank. Now, it had been crushed by Lin Yuan with his bare hands. This was beyond his understanding of soul power intensity.

On the other side, Wang Dong had also fully entered the zone. Her cultivation was not inferior to Zhu Lu's. Although Zhu Lu's Netherworld Spirit Cat Martial Soul was a top-tier agile-attack type, Wang Dong's Goddess of Light Butterfly was of higher quality and had superior overall attributes. In this situation, with the assistance of Huo Yu Hao's shared Spiritual Detection, if she still couldn't stop Zhu Lu, she might as well give up.

Although Zhu Lu's speed remained incredibly fast, it was like being trapped in an inescapable cage. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't break through the blockade. She had also attempted to force her way through, but even with her decent attack power, defeating Wang Dong, who was a strong control-type Soul Master, was no easy feat.

Dai Hua Bin also noticed the situation on Zhu Lu's side. At the start of the match, Zhu Lu had attacked with all her might, pushing her speed to the limit in an attempt to break through Wang Dong's obstruction, consuming a significant amount of soul power. Wang Dong, who had a tactical plan, had consumed far less.

Now, Zhu Lu's speed had noticeably slowed. Dai Hua Bin, to maintain his attack power, had already activated his third soul ring skill, "White Tiger Vajra Transformation." The immense consumption was starting to take its toll. However, in his eyes, Lin Yuan, who should have also consumed a lot of energy, was still as energetic as ever. If this continued, with their diminishing strength versus his opponent's sustained power, they might actually lose the match.

Lin Yuan looked at Dai Hua Bin's growing fatigue, a hint of mockery flashing in his purple eyes, a cold smile curving his lips. "What? Out of energy? Is this all the direct descendant of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion is capable of? You can't even withstand half of my strength, and I haven't even gotten serious yet."

He paused deliberately, his draconic hand tapping lightly on his palm. The sound, though not loud, reached Dai Hua Bin's ears clearly. "I remember you have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill called 'Nether White Tiger,' right? Why don't you use it so I can test its strength? Otherwise, this final will be too boring."

The spectators were completely stunned. This was the first time they had seen someone actively provoke their opponent to use their trump card in a final. On the high platform, Yan Shao Zhe's teacup paused mid-air. A flicker of surprise crossed his cloudy eyes before transforming into an amused smile. "This kid, his arrogance has some basis."

Du Wilun stood beside him, his eyebrows slightly raised. "Dean, he knows the power of the Nether White Tiger and actively challenges it. Isn't that too risky?"

"Risky?" Yan Shao Zhe chuckled lightly, his gaze fixed on the silver-haired youth in the arena. "Look at his aura, as steady as a mountain. Not even his soul power fluctuations have been disturbed. He's not taking a risk; he's testing. He's testing if this so-called Martial Soul Fusion Skill is worthy of him using his true abilities."

At the sidelines, other teachers erupted in discussion.

"Is he crazy? Actively letting his opponent use a fusion skill? That's the Nether White Tiger! A fusion skill is comparable to the full power strike of a peak Rank 4 Soul Ancestor!"

"Where does he get his confidence? Even a Rank 39 Soul Elder wouldn't be able to withstand the direct impact of the Nether White Tiger, right?"

"Let's wait and see. This kid hasn't revealed his trump card since the match began. Maybe he really has a backup plan."

Dai Hua Bin was enraged by Lin Yuan's mockery, his face turning ashen. "Since you're looking for death, I'll grant it to you!" As his voice fell, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes. He dispelled the White Tiger Vajra Transformation on his body and sprinted backward.

Almost simultaneously as Dai Hua Bin retreated, Zhu Lu on the other side also moved. She suddenly unleashed a Netherworld Pierce towards Wang Dong, then instantly accelerated, turning to chase Dai Hua Bin.

Dai Hua Bin let out a mighty tiger roar. Accompanied by the roar, his body expanded again, white fur mixed with black tiger stripes erupting from within him. Zhu Lu bit her lip, her body covered in a faint black light, becoming ethereal, almost transparent, as she lunged towards Dai Hua Bin with open arms.

At this moment, their eyes were only on each other. Dai Hua Bin's pupils merged into one, but his cold gaze remained unchanged. Zhu Lu's eyes softened like water, as if wanting to melt him. The aura of the White Tiger and the Netherworld Spirit Cat completely merged at this moment. The sensation was wondrous, as if the White Tiger had swallowed the black cat. Intense soul power fluctuations erupted from their fused bodies like a geyser. Black and white light completely blended within the diffusion of golden halos. This was a sublimation that transcended individuality.

Martial Soul Fusion Skills are not a simple addition of one plus one. Even if two completely identical Martial Souls exist, they might not be able to perform a Martial Soul Fusion Skill because it requires complementary Martial Souls and perfect coordination. Once a Martial Soul Fusion Skill is successfully performed, its power is not limited to the sum of the levels of the two Soul Masters but explodes exponentially.

Dai Hua Bin and Zhu Lu's bodies vanished in the instant of fusion, leaving only a colossal White Tiger in the assessment area. This White Tiger was semi-transparent, with white fur, black stripes, and purple, double pupils, coldly observing the three of them.

This was the secret of the White Tiger Duke's lineage and the top aristocracy of the Star Luo Empire, the Zhu family, the mystery of Martial Soul Fusion. The Evil-Eyed White Tiger's most distinctive feature was its double pupils, and it had a high degree of compatibility for Martial Soul Fusion Skills with the Netherworld Spirit Cat Martial Soul.

Since ancient times, the White Tiger Duke's lineage had maintained close ties with the Zhu family. Marriages between them were the best bond and bridge. Of course, not every pair of Evil-Eyed White Tiger and Netherworld Spirit Cat Soul Masters could perform a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, but in almost every generation, at least one pair, or even two pairs, would appear. Being able to marry into the Zhu family was also one of the important prerequisites for inheriting the position of White Tiger Duke. Dai Hua Bin was currently the only legitimate son of his generation who had achieved Martial Soul compatibility with a daughter of the Zhu family.

The fusion of the Evil-Eyed White Tiger and the Netherworld Spirit Cat gave birth to the Nether White Tiger, the Martial Soul Fusion Skill of Dai Hua Bin and Zhu Lu. This colossal figure, over eight meters long and more than two meters tall, stood in the center of the assessment area. The giant White Tiger's body had a semi-transparent quality, as if it were ethereal, and Dai Hua Bin and Zhu Lu's figures had vanished. Its massive body crouched slightly, and in the next instant, it lunged towards the three of them with terrifying speed, accompanied by a transparent ripple. As it pounced, it raised its head proudly, its arrogant posture of looking down on the world fully displaying the majestic demeanor of the king of beasts.