Black Dai Mubai had only just woken up. He watched himself on the Sky Screen surrounded by beautiful women, then looked at White Dai Mubai, who was throwing punches in the pouring rain.
His face twisted instantly.
Jealousy.
A madness of jealousy, like a venomous snake, gnawed at his heart.
He slammed a fist into the ground, his eyes bloodshot.
"What are you pretending for?"
"It's all an act! He's obviously putting on a show for us!"
"I'm a prince. Why should I have to suffer like this?"
"He's a lunatic! He'll wreck himself training like that sooner or later!"
Yet no one paid any attention to his impotent rage.
The looks cast his way held nothing but deep disdain and pity.
The Sky Screen's scene continued.
Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, Dai Mubai of the White World was twelve years old.
That year, in the Star Luo Great Hall.
Twelve-year-old Dai Mubai stood tall and straight as a pine. Though his face still held a child's innocence, his steady bearing already hinted at the emperor he might become.
He stood in the center of the hall, facing his high-seated father, and knelt on one knee.
"Father."
"I request permission to train with the Frontier Legion."
His words shocked the entire court.
A twelve-year-old prince wanted to go to the border?
That place was a true meat grinder, the front line where the Star Luo Empire and Heaven Dou clashed.
The Star Luo Emperor furrowed his brow.
"Mu Bai, you're still young."
"Though your talent is exceptional, blades and swords show no mercy on the battlefield."
"If you wish to train, I can arrange for you to go to the Royal Soul Hunting Ground."
Dai Mubai raised his head.
His Double Pupils shone with a brilliant light.
"Father."
"Flowers grown in a greenhouse can never grow into towering trees."
"I'm a White Tiger, not a house cat."
"If I don't endure the baptism of blood, how can I survive in this dog-eat-dog world? How can I shoulder the future of the Star Luo Empire?"
"Besides..."
Soul Power surged through Dai Mubai.
And the strength of that Soul Power had astonishingly reached—
Level 37!
"Your son has already reached level 37 Soul Power."
"I can protect myself."
Boom!
The whole court in the White World wasn't the only place thrown into an uproar.
The Black World was in an uproar too.
Countless Soul Masters rubbed their eyes, convinced they must have seen wrong.
"What level?"
"Level 37?"
"Did I hear that right? He's only twelve!"
"Level 37 at twelve? What kind of monster is he?"
Shrek Academy.
Yu Xiaogang had been drinking water. At the mention of that level, he spat it right out.
He stared fixedly at the three Soul Rings on the Sky Screen, his eyes nearly bulging from their sockets.
"Impossible!"
"Absolutely impossible!"
"According to the golden age for Soul Master cultivation and the growth curve, reaching the twenties at twelve is already a mark of genius."
"Like Xiao Wu and Tang San, who were both level 29 at twelve. That's already top-tier talent."
"Level 37? That completely defies common sense!"
"Even with Innate Full Soul Power, no one could cultivate this quickly at that age!"
Yu Xiaogang felt his worldview crumbling.
At that moment, his theories seemed so feeble and powerless.
Tang San was just as stunned.
He looked at the boy, who was even younger than him, and felt a profound sense of helplessness well up inside.
Twelve years old. Level 37.
This wasn't just a crushing display of talent. It was also a merciless mockery of the cultivation speed he had always been so proud of.
"Level 37..."
Tang San murmured to himself.
"If I'd met him at that age, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to withstand even one of his moves."
Spirit Hall.
Inside Pope Palace.
Bibi Dong, seated high upon the Pope's throne, instantly shed her languid air.
Her fingers tightened slightly around her scepter, and a hint of apprehension flashed in her beautiful eyes.
"Twelve years old, level 37 Soul Elder."
"If this boy grows up, he'll become a grave threat."
"The Star Luo Empire actually produced such a monster."
Even Qian Daoliu, in the Worship Hall, was moved as he watched the Sky Screen.
"With talent like that, even Xue'er back then..."
On the Sky Screen.
The Star Luo Emperor looked at his stubborn son and remained silent for a long while.
At last, he laughed three times and granted his request.
However.
The tree wished for calm, but the wind would not cease.
News of Dai Mubai's journey to the border soon reached the eldest prince, Dai Weisi.
Dai Weisi had long since lost the arrogance he'd shown in the past.
Ever since he'd been defeated in Soul Fighting in a single move, he had trained even harder. But watching his younger brother's level shoot upward like a rocket had made him afraid.
Fear bred malice.
The scene shifted.
On the only road leading to the border.
It ran through a dense Black Forest, far from any sign of human habitation.
An unmarked carriage sped along.
Suddenly.
"Whoosh!"
A poisoned arrow, like a venomous snake striking, pierced the horse pulling the carriage.
The carriage overturned with a crash.
A shadow dropped soundlessly from the treetops.
The figure was wrapped head to toe in black, with only a pair of sinister eyes showing.
Four Soul Rings revolved around him.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple.
A level 42 agility-type Battle Soul Ancestor!
"Second Prince."
The black-clad man's voice was hoarse. He held a pair of pitch-black daggers.
"Someone doesn't want you to make it to the border alive."
"Blame yourself for being too talented and getting in someone else's way."
The Black World's audience tensed.
They knew Dai Mubai was strong, but his opponent was a Soul Ancestor over level 40!
And a killer with plenty of combat experience, no less!
A twelve-year-old fighting someone over level 40?
Wasn't that gap a little too huge?
At the sight, Black Dai Mubai's eyes instantly blazed with glee.
He cursed furiously in his heart:
"Die!"
"Just die!"
"Kill that pretentious bastard!"
"What good is a high level? Actual combat is what matters! You greenhouse flower, how could you possibly beat a professional killer?"
However.
From the rubble.
Dai Mubai of the White World slowly walked out.
He brushed the dust off himself. There wasn't a hint of panic on his face; instead, he looked faintly bored.
"They only sent a Soul Ancestor?"
"Looks like my dear big brother still underestimates me."
The black-clad man sneered.
"Arrogant brat!"
"That's more than enough to kill you!"
"Fourth Spirit Skill: Nether Ghost Shadow Kill!"
The black-clad man's form instantly blurred into a streak of shadow. He moved so fast that only trails of black currents remained in the air.
It was the all-out strike of a four-ringed powerhouse!
Fast! Precise! Ruthless!
It went straight for Dai Mubai's throat!
Quite a few timid girls in the Black World had already covered their eyes.
But the next second—
There was no spray of blood as they'd expected.
In the scene, Dai Mubai stood in place, without even fully releasing his Martial Soul.
He merely shifted to the side.
The movement seemed slow, yet he dodged the black-clad man's killing blow with perfect timing.
"Too slow."
Dai Mubai's calm voice rang out.
Then—
In the instant when the black-clad man's momentum had run its course and he hadn't yet gathered strength for his next move,
Dai Mubai thrust out his right hand.
Before you continue