Suotuo City was clearly much larger than Nuoding City, and livelier too. Patrolling soldiers could be seen everywhere along the streets, while bustling crowds streamed to and fro without pause.
After entering the city, the three first looked for somewhere to stay.
Before long, a particularly eye-catching hotel drew their attention.
It was none other than the Rose Hotel from the original story.
The hotel stood three stories tall, its exterior decorated entirely in rose red. The whole building resembled a rose in full bloom.
"Brother, let's stay here." Xiao Wu tugged at Su Mo's sleeve.
"Sure." Su Mo nodded.
Tang San had no objections.
The three entered the hotel, and the fragrance of roses greeted them. The interior was primarily white, silver, and rose red, giving it a warm, welcoming feel.
Su Mo approached the counter and said to the receptionist, "Three rooms, please."
The receptionist hurriedly stood up. Seeing two men and one woman, he was slightly taken aback. Three people coming to a couples' hotel and booking three rooms?
Was there something seriously wrong with them?
"Certainly, sir. We happen to have exactly three rooms left."
This time, the receptionist played no tricks, mainly because he was unsure of their relationship. He did not know whether to claim there were only two rooms left or just one. Offending the guests would be bad news.
"Say, shouldn't one of those three rooms belong to me?"
A sudden voice cut in.
Su Mo and the other two turned toward the voice and saw a young man approaching the counter with two women. The women were dressed to the nines and looked exactly alike.
They were twins.
The young man was 1.8 meters tall, with long blond hair draped over his shoulders and double pupils in his eyes, giving him a distinctly sinister look.
So this guy is Dai Mubai.
Su Mo thought to himself, I hope you like my welcoming gift.
The blond young man, Dai Mubai, looked at the receptionist. "You're new here, aren't you? Don't you know this place always keeps a room reserved for me?"
The receptionist froze, then asked tentatively, "And you are?"
"Get your manager out here."
Finding that the receptionist did not recognize him, Dai Mubai felt somewhat embarrassed. Introducing himself would only cheapen his image further, so he simply said that instead.
The receptionist hurried off to find his superior.
Xiao Wu hugged Su Mo's arm. "Then we'll just take two rooms. I'll stay with my brother."
"Fine." Su Mo did not particularly care.
Tang San said nothing. He vaguely sensed his martial soul resonating with the blond young man, and instinctively felt that this was not a good sign.
After all, the last time he had felt this way, his hammer martial soul had disappeared.
Seeing that none of the three objected to having a room snatched away, Dai Mubai glanced at them in surprise. Suddenly, his gaze changed.
His eyes fixed squarely on Tang San.
It was as though he had seen something unbelievable.
He sensed an aura from the other young man that closely resembled his own, with a feeling that the two complemented each other.
Could it be... a Martial Soul Fusion Skill?
"Shorty, you're a Soul Master, aren't you? Interested in having a fight with me?"
As the saying went, anyone who dared not stir up trouble was mediocre. Having taken an interest in Tang San, Dai Mubai immediately provoked him, taking the opportunity to test his abilities.
"Huh? Me?"
Seeing Dai Mubai staring at him, Tang San was initially startled. Then he realized the other young man had called him short, and his expression immediately soured.
Although he was indeed the shortest of the six people present.
He was still 1.7 meters tall, at least.
"That's right. You."
"I refuse." Tang San waved a hand.
Although annoyed, he could tell his opponent was no weakling. If they really fought, the outcome would be uncertain, and injuries would be all too likely. A war of words was not worth coming to blows over.
"Not just a shorty, but a coward too!"
Seeing this, Dai Mubai narrowed his double-pupiled eyes slightly and let out a sneer.
Tang San: "..."
The Tang Sect's rules: disciples of the Tang Sect must not lightly provoke trouble, but should someone attack first, they may answer with thunderous force.
"Since you insist on fighting, I'll oblige. But if you lose, I expect you to take back what you said."
"Fine. If I lose, I'll apologize. If you lose, just answer a few questions." The sinister gleam in Dai Mubai's eyes burned ever brighter.
"Young Master Dai, we can talk this out. Please don't fight."
Just then, the receptionist returned to the counter with the manager. Seeing the two sides with swords drawn and bows bent, the manager pleaded with them.
Dai Mubai said dismissively, "Save your breath. Put all the damages on my tab."
"Please show me what you can do." Tang San stepped forward twice.
"Little San, stay safe." Su Mo quietly retreated behind the others with Xiao Wu, offering a sham display of concern.
"Tang San, go get him! Beat that show-off to death!"
Xiao Wu was never one to mind a spectacle getting out of hand and did her utmost to fan the flames.
Dai Mubai wasted no time either. He lunged forward and threw a punch at Tang San, his fist whipping up a howling wind with a faint sound of air being torn apart.
Tang San's pupils contracted slightly, but he did not retreat a single step.
A dark jade hue covered his right hand as he threw a punch straight back.
Bang!
As their fists collided, Tang San stumbled back four or five steps, while Dai Mubai's forward charge came to an abrupt halt. His right hand now hurt as though it were about to split apart.
"If you can take a punch from me, you're qualified to be my opponent."
Dai Mubai barked coldly, "White Tiger Possession!"
An intense pale light suddenly erupted from his body. Every bone in him crackled, and his muscles abruptly swelled, bursting his clothes apart.
His hands grew larger, and sharp claws sprang from all ten fingers, gleaming with an icy chill like blades.
His blond hair instantly turned white, with several tufts of black forming the character for "king." His four pupils turned a deep blue, as though he were ready to choose someone to devour.
Three rings of light rose in succession beneath his feet.
One yellow and two purple.
"Dai Mubai, White Tiger martial soul, rank thirty-nine Battle Soul Elder." By announcing his information, Dai Mubai formally issued his challenge to Tang San.
"Rank thirty-nine! A thousand-year second ring!"
Xiao Wu covered her mouth in astonishment, then cast Tang San a sympathetic look.
With a gap like that, how the hell could he win?
Su Mo was somewhat surprised by the changes in Dai Mubai's rank and soul ring configuration, but not entirely. This was clearly the butterfly effect caused by spreading the Three Great Laws of Martial Souls.
Besides, thousand-year second rings were already a dime a dozen.
Anyone with whale rubber could raise their second ring to a thousand years.
The other members of the Shrek Seven Devils had probably changed too.
Tang San's expression was now extremely grave. He had no choice but to take this seriously. A purple glint flashed through his eyes as he raised his right hand and summoned Blue Silver Grass. Two soul rings, one yellow and one purple, rose beneath his feet.
"Tang San, Blue Silver Grass martial soul, rank twenty-nine Tool Soul Grandmaster."
"Your martial soul is actually Blue Silver Grass?"
Dai Mubai found it hard to believe. Cultivating Blue Silver Grass to rank twenty-nine was incredible enough, but the crucial point was that it had resonated with his martial soul.
How was that possible?
Could the Evil-Eyed White Tiger fuse with Blue Silver Grass?
Without hesitation, Tang San recited his teacher's classic line. "There are no useless martial souls, only useless Soul Masters."
As someone with twin trash martial souls, he believed those words without a shadow of doubt.
"Well said. Let me see what your Blue Silver Grass can do!"
Dai Mubai once again moved first. After martial soul possession, both his strength and speed had risen by far more than a single notch.
In an instant, he reached Tang San, his sharp claws stabbing toward his opponent's body.