"Stop comparing us."
"If you keep it up, I really won't want to live anymore."
The White World, Star Luo Imperial City.
The silence lasted only an instant before cheers erupted like a volcano.
"Excellent!"
An elderly general with a full head of white hair slapped his thigh, his face flushing with excitement. Even his beard trembled.
"That's a true son of Star Luo!"
"At just five years old, without relying on a Martial Soul or Soul Power, he pulverized stone with nothing but his body and self-created techniques!"
"Even the Clear Sky Sect's Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer, at His Majesty's age, probably wouldn't have been fit to carry the shoes of this 'Fist Strikes the Void'!"
The ministers in the hall were fired up.
They watched the tiny figure on the Sky Screen, their admiration practically spilling from their eyes.
That was their emperor.
The peerless ruler who had led them to conquer the world and even forced Spirit Hall to bow its head.
They had originally thought His Majesty's strength came mostly from his terrifying mutated Martial Soul.
But now it seemed...
He'd been born with that ruthless streak!
He'd had the grit to risk his life in a struggle since he was five!
Meanwhile, throughout the White World.
Several of the continent's most powerful figures watched the scenes on the Sky Screen, their expressions varied.
Pope Palace.
Bibi Dong's fingers tightened around her scepter, turning her knuckles pale.
Her beautiful eyes narrowed as she stared at the young Dai Mubai.
"Five years old..."
"I pride myself on having Twin Martial Souls and unparalleled talent, yet at five, I was still playing in the mud."
"This child's willpower is simply astonishing."
"No wonder he later drove me to such a desperate point. I suppose losing to him wasn't so unjust."
Sea God Island.
Bo Saixi stood before Sea God Hall, the sea breeze stirring her red robes.
A ripple passed through her eyes, which seemed capable of seeing through all things in the world.
"Even Tang Chen, who became the Sea God back then, couldn't have done this at his age."
"A promising seed for achieving sainthood through the body."
"What kind of monster has Dai Mubai reincarnated as?"
The secluded home of the Clear Sky Sect.
Tang Hao sat slumped amid a pile of rocks, a battered wine jug in his hand.
His eyes, usually clouded with drunkenness, now gleamed with startling clarity.
"What a powerful punch!"
"No Soul Power fluctuations—just pure technique."
"If he perfected that punch, he might be able to break all laws with one force, without needing Ring Detonation."
Tang Hao took a swig of cheap liquor. The fiery drink slid down his throat, but couldn't suppress the shock in his heart.
His own son was a genius, too.
But compared with the five-year-old monster on the Sky Screen, he just seemed a little lacking.
The White World, the rear hall of Star Luo Imperial Palace.
Dai Mubai sat in the broad dragon throne, lounging lazily.
He propped his chin on one hand, the other resting casually on the armrest.
As he listened to the thunderous cries of "Long live the emperor" outside, his expression remained mostly unchanged, though a hint of amusement touched his eyes.
"Your Majesty."
A soft, tender voice called from beside him.
Qian Renxue approached with a plate of peeled, glistening grapes, walking with graceful steps.
Today she wore a golden court gown, elegant and dignified. But before Dai Mubai, the pride of the Angel God's High Priestess had long since melted into gentle affection.
She lifted a slender, pale finger, picked up a grape, and gently brought it to Dai Mubai's lips.
"You had such a hard time as a child."
Qian Renxue watched the sweat-soaked little boy on the Sky Screen, her eyes filled with concern.
"When I was five, I was still practicing the basics."
"But you were already working out cultivation techniques."
Dai Mubai opened his mouth and took the grape.
Qian Renxue's body quivered. A blush instantly spread across her beautiful face. She shot him a reproachful glance but didn't pull her hand away.
"Hard time?"
Dai Mubai crushed the grape with his teeth and swallowed its sweet juice, then chuckled.
"That was nothing."
"If you want to enjoy glory before others, you have to endure hardship behind the scenes."
Just then,
a pair of soft little hands climbed onto Dai Mubai's calf.
Xiao Wu crouched on the floor, eagerly massaging his leg.
She looked up, her rabbit ears drooping and her big eyes twinkling with stars of admiration.
"Big Brother!"
"That punch of yours was so cool!"
"That stone was so hard. I was worried you'd hurt your hand."
"Here, let me blow on it~"
As she spoke, she took one of Dai Mubai's hands and carefully blew on it, as if the five-year-old Dai Mubai had just hurt himself.
Her antics made Dai Mubai laugh.
He reached out and ruffled her hair, turning her neatly arranged bun into a mess.
"Enough, stop putting on an act."
"Why weren't you this worried about me when you were begging me to stop last night?"
Xiao Wu blushed and stuck out her tongue. Then she rested her head against Dai Mubai's thigh and rubbed against it like a kitten.
"I just couldn't help myself..."
Ning Rongrong, watching from the side, gritted her teeth.
That damn rabbit!
She was far too good at currying favor!
Unwilling to be outdone, she quickly picked up the teacup beside her and came to Dai Mubai's other side.
"Your Majesty, have some tea. It'll soothe your throat."
The scene shifted back to the Black World.
The atmosphere where the Shrek Academy group stood was oppressively tense.
Dai Mubai sat slumped on the ground, his face pale as paper.
Why?
They were both Dai Mubai.
Why was he an emperor over there, while here he was like a stray dog?
The gazes around him felt like needles, piercing his skin.
Even Ma Hongjun, who usually did whatever he said, now looked at him strangely.
With suspicion.
With contempt.
Oscar had shrunk back, not daring to say a word for fear of drawing their ire.
Zhu Zhuqing stood in the distance, watching coldly.
She said nothing.
But her expression said it all.
Even without a Martial Soul, the Dai Mubai from that world had ten thousand times more grit and responsibility than the coward before her, who possessed the White Tiger Martial Soul.
"This can't be..."
Dai Mubai's lips trembled, his voice hoarse.
"He must be cheating."
"How could a five-year-old create his own cultivation technique?"
"This goes against everything we know about the Soul Master World!"
Yu Xiaogang wanted to chime in and say something in support, to save his disciple some face.
But he opened his mouth, then closed it again.
Common sense?
In the face of absolute genius, common sense was made to be broken.
Just then,
the scene on the Sky Screen changed once more.
[White World]
On-screen,
the stone dust scattered across the ground had yet to settle.
A hurried burst of footsteps broke the silence of the Martial Arts Arena.
"What's going on?!"
"What caused that loud crash just now?!"
Following the stern question,
a middle-aged man in a bright yellow dragon robe strode in.
He was none other than the Star Luo Emperor of the White World.
Behind him came a group of royal attendants and civil and military officials.
Everyone looked tense, thinking an assassin had infiltrated the palace.
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