Douluo: Martial Soul Iron-Eating Beast, Never a Slave

At that thought, Zhao Mu felt that challenging his father now was not too soon.

So he nodded and said with absolute certainty, "Father, I'm sure. I want to challenge you right now!"

"Zhao Mu, Martial Soul Iron-Eating Beast, level twenty-nine Battle Soul Master!"

Seeing Zhao Mu persist, Zhao Father likewise stepped forward to stand opposite him and assumed a fighting stance.

"Zhao Santai, Martial Soul Vajra Bear, level fifty-eight Battle Soul King!"

"Level fifty-eight? Father, weren't you level fifty-seven?" Zhao Mu asked.

Zhao Father rolled his eyes at Zhao Mu. "Do you think I wouldn't improve over half a year? You've raised your Soul Power by four levels, so what's wrong with me raising mine by one? Scared? It's not too late to regret it now!"

The arrow was already on the string. How could Zhao Mu back down at the last moment? It was only one level. What was there to fear?

"Here we go, Heibai!"

"Is your first fight against a person exciting?"

Awoo, awoo, awoo~

Excited because there's no food!

After responding to Zhao Mu, Heibai moved in front of him. Man and beast stood side by side, ready for battle!

At the right moment, Zhao Mother lit an incense stick and planted it in an open patch of ground far from their battlefield.

Zhao Father rose to his feet, clasped his hands together, and rolled his wrists. A series of crisp cracks burst from his bones, and the invisible pressure in the air immediately intensified.

A Martial Soul could greatly influence a Soul Master's physical constitution. Soul Masters with powerful Beast Martial Souls usually possessed exceptionally sturdy physiques, the sort of people built like hulking brutes.

It was precisely because his Martial Soul had mutated that Zhao Mu had escaped the short, stout build common among Zhao Family disciples and become tall and handsome instead.

Yet looking at Heibai in front of him, his physique seemed to have nothing to do with Heibai at all.

"Heibai, Xiongba Tianxia, Thunder Roar!"

With Zhao Mu's shout, two purple Soul Rings appeared beneath his feet. Purple light burst from the First Soul Ring as bolts of violet lightning gathered within Heibai's body, instantly sending the little fellow into Thunder Form.

Roar!

The roar rumbled like rolling thunder from the heavens.

"So this is Mu'er's First Soul Skill." Second Grandfather murmured from the side.

As Heibai roared, the stun effect triggered, and Zhao Father froze in place for a brief moment.

Zhao Father had been controlled by Zhao Mu before he had even used Martial Soul Possession.

"Heibai, use 1,000,000 Volts!"

Awoo~

Crackle~

While Zhao Father was stunned, Heibai gathered lightning as Zhao Mu commanded. Purple electric light flooded its entire body, and when the power of thunder reached its critical point, it erupted in a violent torrent.

A thick, twisting bolt of purple lightning shot straight at Zhao Father.

Seeing the purple lightning blast toward Zhao Father, Second Grandfather exclaimed, "Could this also be Mu'er's First Soul Skill?! Just how many First Soul Skills does Mu'er have?"

Zhao Mother was also seeing Zhao Mu use his First Soul Skill for the first time, so she did not know which one was actually his First Soul Skill.

However, compared to Second Grandfather, Zhao Mother vaguely remembered hearing her husband mention that Zhao Mu liked tinkering with strange skills that were not Soul Skills.

"I heard before that Mu'er liked messing around with little tricks. These must be them!"

Second Grandfather frowned as he looked at the rampant purple lightning and the thunderous control skill. You call these little tricks?

Whether for attack or control, these were skills capable of instantly defeating Soul Masters at the same level.

Second Grandfather had once only known that Zhao Mu was talented, but now he realized he had still underestimated him. Zhao Mu was not merely talented; his mind was extraordinary too. Being able to develop new skills was already inconceivable in itself.

"Not a bad attack. Against an ordinary Soul Master, one careless move might truly let you catch them off guard!" Zhao Father's voice suddenly rang out. Then Zhao Mu saw him spread his arms.

With a bang, Zhao Father's clothes exploded apart. His feet rooted firmly into the ground, his expression shifted slightly, and with a low growl, his body suddenly expanded.

His already massive muscles swelled to more than twice their original size, and even his height surged upward. His entire body became immensely imposing, like a small giant.

Five brilliant Soul Rings rose beneath Zhao Father's feet at the same time—two yellow, two purple, and one black—circling around him.

Even after taking Zhao Mu's attack head-on, Zhao Father had still completed Martial Soul Possession.

"Unfortunately, I'm no ordinary Soul Master. The Vajra Bear is a powerful Beast Martial Soul, with virtually no weaknesses across its entire body and terrifying defensive power. Even Soul Masters of the same level find it difficult to break through its defenses and inflict damage. Your lightning attack alone isn't enough to hurt me!"

Zhao Father laughed loudly. Although Zhao Mu's lightning attack was peerless among those of the same level, it was still far from enough against the defense-focused Vajra Bear.

Zhao Mu likewise studied his father. He could clearly see that Zhao Father's body bore no injuries after Martial Soul Possession. Heibai's 1,000,000 Volts truly had not broken through Zhao Father's defense.

And it was not merely a little short. There was still a huge gap before it could breach his defense.

"Then if I can't break through, I just won't attack!"

There was no disappointment, no frustration.

The purpose of this match had been to test whether Zhao Mu could last one incense stick's worth of time against Zhao Father, not to determine victory or defeat.

Put bluntly, it was simply about stalling for time.

Since he only needed to stall, he might as well control Zhao Father until the incense burned out.

"Heibai, keep using Thunder Roar!"

Roar!

The moment Zhao Mu finished speaking, Heibai let out another thunder-infused roar, stunning Zhao Father once more.

Zhao Father's Vajra Bear Martial Soul gave him powerful defenses, but that was only physical defense. His resistance to stuns was not especially remarkable.

So Zhao Mu simply kept stunning Zhao Father with Thunder Roar. In games, this was called controlling someone to death.

Moreover, Zhao Mu carefully observed that Thunder Roar could stun Zhao Father for two to three seconds, so all he had to do was time it properly.

Thus, a comical scene unfolded.

Bathed in purple lightning, Heibai in Thunder Form roared from time to time, while Zhao Father, after Martial Soul Possession, remained frozen in place.

Time passed second by second.

Second Grandfather and Zhao Mother, who were watching the battle, were equally amazed by the control effect of Zhao Mu's First Soul Ring skill.

Yet while they were amazed, their expressions remained tense. They showed none of the calmness or ease of people expecting the battle to end soon.

They both knew Zhao Father well and naturally understood his true capabilities.

If Zhao Mu thought he could completely suppress Zhao Father with control of this level, then he was underestimating both Zhao Father and the Vajra Bear Martial Soul.

Silently counting the time, Zhao Mu had Heibai roar again just as the control effect was about to end.

But this time, Zhao Father did not remain standing there motionlessly.

Zhao Father moved. At the same time, his Fifth Soul Ring lit up. He burst into laughter, and his entire body became frenzied, red energy spilling from around him as a crimson glow filled his eyes.

Fifth Soul Skill, Berserk!

Berserk was a state-type skill. While Berserk was active, Zhao Father's attack and defense increased dramatically, while he became immune to all mental and sound-based control effects.

"Little fellow, don't say I didn't go easy on you. I've only started fighting seriously now. If you can withstand this wave of attacks, I'll let you go out!"

The moment he finished speaking, Zhao Father's speed abruptly increased. He seemed to reach Zhao Mu in a single step, raising his enormous palm as his Third Soul Ring lit up. Empowered by the Soul Ring's energy, his palm instantly turned golden and doubled in size before slamming toward Zhao Mu.

Bang!

Just as Zhao Father's palm was about to touch Zhao Mu, it was suddenly blocked and could not descend another inch.

Heibai had suddenly appeared between Zhao Father and Zhao Mu, raising both arms to block the strike for Zhao Mu.

And Heibai was no longer in Thunder Form, with purple electric arcs dancing around its body. Instead, it had become dark gold all over, smaller in size, and entered Vajra Form.

Through this period of practice, Zhao Mu had discovered that although Heibai's attacks were limited in Vajra Form, activated by the Second Soul Skill, its strength was far greater than in Thunder Form.

Heibai's different forms each had their own advantages and disadvantages.

For a moment, Zhao Father and Heibai were locked in a contest of strength.

However, Zhao Father was using only one hand, while Heibai was exerting both arms.

"Little fellow, you're quite strong!"

Zhao Father teased Heibai, then suddenly changed his move in the next instant.

Zhao Father's enlarged palm abruptly clenched, grabbing both of Heibai's forepaws. Then he planted his right foot, pulled his left foot half a step back, and violently twisted his body. To the shock of Zhao Mu and Heibai, he used a—

An over-the-shoulder throw?

With his immense strength, Zhao Father seized the opportunity to fling Heibai more than ten meters away.

After dealing with Heibai, Zhao Mu was completely exposed within Zhao Father's line of sight.

"The weak link in your teamwork with Heibai is you. Without Heibai, you're completely exposed to danger!" Zhao Father seemed to feel that he had Zhao Mu thoroughly cornered, and he began critiquing him as he pressed his palm down toward Zhao Mu once more.

"It's over."

Heibai had been thrown more than ten meters away and had no time to rush back to save Zhao Mu. This palm strike was enough to end the battle.