And yet.
The next moment.
The information that appeared on the Sky Screen landed like a resounding slap, striking Yu Xiaogang squarely across the face.
On the screen.
The royal scribe responsible for recording the results trembled as he loudly read out the details of Dai Mubai's newly acquired Soul Ring:
"Second Prince Dai Mubai. First Spirit Ring: from a four-hundred-year-old Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear!"
"Soul Skill: White Tiger Rending Gold Claw!"
"Not... not a defensive Soul Skill!"
As soon as those words were spoken.
The Star Luo Imperial Family on the screen erupted in an uproar.
Even Star Luo Square in the Black World burst into commotion.
"What?"
"His First Spirit Ring isn't the White Tiger Protection Barrier?"
"Has he gone mad?"
"He abandoned the White Tiger Martial Soul's most prized defense to pursue overwhelming offense? Isn't that just cutting off his own escape route?"
Yu Xiaogang's hands, which had been clasped behind his back, suddenly went rigid.
He stared at the Sky Screen, his brow furrowing into a deep crease.
"Absurd!"
"Utterly absurd!"
"Abandoning the well-rounded White Tiger Protection Barrier for a purely offensive skill goes completely against the principles of Martial Soul cultivation!"
"This Dai Mubai from the White World may have a decent disposition, but when it comes to cultivation, he's nothing but a reckless brute!"
"Doesn't he understand that anything too rigid is liable to break?"
Tang San looked just as bewildered.
In his view, steady progress was the only way forward.
This kind of extreme focus on offense was nothing but a death wish.
On the Sky Screen.
The White World's Star Luo Emperor, seated in the center of the viewing platform, had been watching with eager anticipation. Now his expression darkened.
He looked at his second son below, disappointment plain in his eyes.
No White Tiger Protection Barrier.
That meant Dai Mubai would lose his greatest margin for error in fights against opponents of the same level.
"Mubai, you've disappointed me greatly."
"As a prince, you're reaching for the impossible, coveting a momentary increase in attack power while forgetting that survival is the foundation of everything."
The Star Luo Emperor's voice was not loud, but it carried a weighty pressure.
The other ministers on the viewing platform whispered among themselves, most of them looking at Dai Mubai with regret.
But Dai Weisi, standing opposite Dai Mubai, burst out laughing.
He looked at his younger brother with undisguised mockery.
"My dear little brother."
"I thought you might actually have a surprise for me."
"Turns out you're just a brainless fool."
As he spoke, Dai Weisi arrogantly released his Martial Soul.
"Buzz!"
A yellow Soul Ring rose beneath his feet.
Then.
A white barrier instantly enveloped his entire body.
First Spirit Skill: White Tiger Protection Barrier!
Dai Weisi patted the thick layer of light surrounding him, making it thud.
He pointed at Dai Mubai and laughed so hard he doubled over.
"See that?"
"This is the proper way!"
"This is what a White Tiger Martial Soul is supposed to look like!"
"Without this turtle shell... I mean, this protection barrier, what are you going to fight me with?"
"Those claws of yours that haven't even grown in yet?"
Faced with his father's disappointment, his elder brother's mockery, and the ministers' doubts.
Dai Mubai of the White World stood in the center of the arena, his expression unchanged.
He offered no explanation.
He did not get angry.
He simply watched Dai Weisi laugh uproariously, looking at him as if he were a clown.
"Finished laughing?"
Dai Mubai spoke.
His voice was calm.
"If you're done laughing, let's get started."
"I'll show you why I didn't choose that turtle shell."
Dai Weisi's expression darkened.
"Big talk!"
"Since you're asking to die, I'll grant your wish!"
"I'll show you the difference between the orthodox path and some backwater approach!"
As soon as the words left his mouth.
Dai Weisi shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
With the White Tiger Protection Barrier bolstering him, he didn't bother to guard against any counterattack from Dai Mubai. He charged straight in with the most brutish of tactics.
He would use his absolute defense to crush his ignorant little brother.
The Black World's spectators held their breath.
Black Dai Weisi, in particular, stared fixedly at the screen.
He shouted frantically in his heart:
"Smash him!"
"Show everyone that only our path is right!"
"Without the White Tiger Protection Barrier, he's bound to lose!"
On the screen.
Dai Weisi had already charged right up to Dai Mubai.
His massive fist whistled through the air as it came crashing down.
Dai Mubai still didn't move.
Only when the wind from the punch rushed against him and lifted the golden hair over his forehead—
did he move.
He didn't retreat.
He didn't dodge.
He did something that made everyone's scalp tingle.
He charged forward!
Instead of retreating, he advanced straight into Dai Weisi's attack!
"Suicidal!"
Yu Xiaogang declared beneath the Sky Screen.
"Using your flesh to take a defensive Soul Skill head-on is the stupidest thing you could do."
And yet.
Just as the two were about to collide.
A golden glint flashed in Dai Mubai's eyes.
His First Spirit Ring suddenly lit up.
It wasn't ordinary yellow, but a deep golden yellow, almost purple!
"White Tiger—Rending Gold Claw!"
Dai Mubai's hands instantly transformed into sharp tiger claws. They weren't wrapped in the ordinary white glow of the White Tiger, but in a dazzling, intense dark gold!
The signature tearing attribute of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear!
The ultimate in attack!
Nothing could withstand it!
"Rrrip!"
A grating sound of shattering rang throughout the entire Soul Fighting Arena.
Time seemed to freeze in that instant.
The spectators watched in horror.
Dai Weisi's pride and joy, the White Tiger Protection Barrier, was said to be invincible against attacks from opponents of the same level.
Before Dai Mubai's golden claws, it was as fragile as a sheet of paper.
It didn't even hold him back for a single second.
It shattered instantly!
Countless white flecks drifted through the air like snowflakes.
Then.
Dai Mubai's claws continued without pause, stopping right at Dai Weisi's throat.
The sharp force of the blow cut through Dai Weisi's skin, and a thin line of bright red blood seeped out.
Dai Weisi's fist was still suspended in midair, only inches from Dai Mubai's face.
But he didn't dare move.
He knew full well that if he moved another inch, his throat would be torn open first.
Silence.
Deathly silence.
The entire Soul Fighting Arena was so quiet that you could have heard a pin drop.
Dai Mubai of the White World slowly lowered his hand.
He looked at Dai Weisi, whose face was slick with cold sweat and whose pupils had dilated. The corner of his mouth curled upward, not in a polite smile but with genuine contempt.
"Big brother."
"You asked me what I could fight you with without a protection barrier?"
Dai Mubai dusted off his hand, though there was no dust on it.
"Do you like my answer?"
"As long as my attack is stronger than your defense, as long as I kill you before you can hit me."
"Then I don't need defense."
"In this world, offense is the best defense."
"Understand?"
Dai Weisi's legs gave way, and he slumped to the ground.
His pride, his theory, and the orthodoxy he had always been so proud of were all torn to pieces by that single claw.
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