Bang!
A muffled thud.
It sounded like a sledgehammer striking a worn hide, or a watermelon bursting against a rock.
The Nether Wolf, still airborne, didn't even have time to howl.
Its head caved in under that single punch.
The tremendous force surged through its entire body.
The Nether Wolf had been charging forward, but it was as if it had hit an invisible iron wall. It flew backward even faster than it had come.
Crash!
It snapped two trees as thick as bowls, then slammed into a thicket more than ten meters away.
Its limbs twitched twice.
Then it lay still.
Blood mixed with brain matter slowly trickled from its eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth.
Killed in one blow.
An instant kill.
A true instant kill.
He hadn't used his Martial Soul or Soul Power. He had relied solely on the strength of his body.
With one punch, he had killed a Hundred-Year Nether Wolf.
Silence.
A deathly silence.
Everyone in both the Black World and the White World stood gaping at the scene, frozen in disbelief.
The rustling of leaves in the wind sounded especially sharp in that moment.
Black World, Shrek Academy.
The scorn on Yu Xiaogang's face hadn't yet faded. It hung there stiffly, making him look absurd.
The hand he had pointed at the Sky Screen was still trembling slightly.
His mouth hung half open. A "heh-heh" sound caught in his throat, but he couldn't form a complete sentence.
Just moments ago, he had declared with absolute certainty that without a renowned teacher's guidance and a grasp of theory, death was inevitable.
And now?
The boy couldn't even be bothered to use his Martial Soul. One punch had taken the Spirit Beast down.
The slap to Yu Xiaogang's face rang loud and clear.
The students and teachers around him now looked at him differently.
With doubt.
With deep skepticism toward the authority of this so-called "Grandmaster."
Tang San's brow furrowed.
His Purple Demon Eye was still active, and he had seen everything clearly.
There had been no technique to that punch.
Only raw strength and raw speed.
Fast, accurate, and ruthless.
But that was what made it most terrifying.
How could a six-year-old boy who hadn't even absorbed a Soul Ring possess such physical strength?
It made no sense.
It completely defied common knowledge in the Soul Master World.
"Te-teacher..."
Tang San couldn't help asking:
"W-what's going on?"
"He killed a Hundred-Year Soul Beast with one punch, without using Soul Power. How could..."
Yu Xiaogang's face turned a deep purple-red.
He took several deep breaths, trying to salvage the reputation that was crumbling around him.
"T-that Nether Wolf must have been injured!"
"Yes! That has to be it!"
"Or it was old and frail, already on the verge of death!"
"Otherwise, there's no way a six-year-old child could have that kind of strength!"
Yu Xiaogang shouted, trying to convince everyone—and himself—with those flimsy excuses.
"Even a Soul Grandmaster from the Power Attack System might not be able to unleash that kind of force!"
"It's a trick! The Sky Screen must have fabricated this to draw attention!"
But—
This time, no one backed him up.
They weren't blind.
When the Nether Wolf had chased Zhu Zhuqing, it had been full of life and vicious as could be.
It hadn't looked injured at all.
Someone in the crowd scoffed.
"Give it a rest, Grandmaster."
"Is it really that hard to admit someone else is strong?"
"That's natural talent. He was born with incredible strength."
"Your theories might hold back ordinary people like us, but they're a joke when it comes to a peerless genius like him."
Their words drew an immediate chorus of agreement.
"Exactly! Who was it that called him an idiot just now?"
"And said he'd explode and die? With a body like that, he might not even explode from absorbing a thousand-year Soul Ring—or even a two-thousand-year one."
"What a joke. Just because you can't do it doesn't mean no one else can."
"That's the difference in perspective."
Yu Xiaogang's face turned from pale to red as he listened to the cutting remarks.
He wanted to argue.
But he had nothing to say.
Facts spoke louder than words.
The figure on the Sky Screen loomed like a mountain, crushing his spirit. A massive crack had appeared in the theoretical system he had always taken pride in.
In the corner,
Dai Mubai of the Black World had gone limp.
He stared blankly at the Sky Screen.
The image of that punch played over and over in his mind.
That strength...
That imposing presence...
Was that really him at six years old?
Why?
Why was the gap between the two worlds so enormous?
That Dai Mubai hadn't needed to rely on anyone or run away. With a single punch, he had overcome the nightmare that had haunted him back then.
And what about him?
All he could do was feel jealous and curse from here.
"Useless..."
His lips moved as he muttered the word in self-mockery.
He didn't know whether he was cursing the version of himself in the other world or the person he had become.
Zhu Zhuqing stood not far away, her expression complicated beyond words.
She looked at the spirited young man on the Sky Screen, then at the Dai Mubai beside her, who was like a heap of mud.
In that moment, the disappointment in her heart turned to despair.
So—
She hadn't been destined to be abandoned after all.
In another world, someone had been willing to stand between her and a Ferocious Beast.
Someone had possessed enough strength to protect her.
Unlike the coward here, who only ever blamed fate and his family.
White World, the Imperial Palace in Heaven Dou City.
"Wow!"
Xiao Wu's eyes widened, and her rabbit ears stood straight up.
She grabbed Zhu Zhuqing's arm and shook it excitedly.
"Zhuqing, Zhuqing! Look, look!"
"That was so cool!"
"One punch! Just one punch!"
"It was a Nether Wolf. Sure, it wasn't especially strong, but to a six-year-old kid, it was practically a nightmare."
"And he didn't even use his Martial Soul!"
Xiao Wu spoke as she mimed throwing a couple of punches.
"That was so satisfying!"
"Now that's what a true strong person looks like!"
Xiao Wu's shaking made Zhu Zhuqing a little dizzy, but her face was alight with happiness.
The sweetness in her smile came straight from the heart.
She gazed at the Sky Screen, her eyes so tender they seemed ready to melt.
That memory was the most precious treasure of her life.
That punch had broken through the walls around her heart.
And it had made her certain of one thing.
This man—
Was worth following for the rest of her life.
Nearby, Ning Rongrong wore an equally lovestruck expression.
"Boss Dai can be pretty stern, but that scene where he rescued the girl was just too swoon-worthy."
"If I'd been there, I definitely would've fallen for him too."
"Zhuqing, you were so lucky to meet Boss Dai when you were that young."
"Unlike me. I still have to wait a few more years."
Qian Renxue sat not far away. She maintained the Crown Prince's dignity on the surface, but she couldn't hide the sparkle in her eyes.
She prided herself on her unparalleled talent and innate full Soul Power at level twenty.
But at six years old, if she hadn't used her Martial Soul and had to rely purely on physical strength, she knew she couldn't have matched Dai Mubai.
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