Douluo: I, Unrivaled Thief, Explosive King Returns

"Ah, if only I hadn't left Suotuo City these past two days. Then I wouldn't have gotten myself into such a mess. If I could have taken those four under my wing, Shrek Academy could truly be called a monster academy."

However, Flender did not brood for long. He had not returned empty-handed from his trip out of Suotuo City.

He had brought back a little chubby boy from the countryside. His Innate Soul Power was as high as level eight, and he possessed a powerful Beast Martial Soul that had undergone a positive mutation.

On top of that, Shrek Academy already had a genius with Innate Full Soul Power, and he was even a Food System Soul Master.

Thus, he merely found it somewhat regrettable that he had failed to take in Unrivaled Thief and the other three.

Flender looked at the red-haired little chubby boy in the courtyard and sighed.

"Though it's a mutated martial soul, it has its flaws. The day before yesterday, to save money and let him vent his Evil Fire, three innocent commoners died. Fortunately, as a Soul Saint, I had the Balak Kingdom willingly suppress the matter for me."

As a lofty Soul Master, and one of the best among them,

he felt not the slightest guilt over the deaths of three ordinary people.

Meanwhile, Unrivaled Thief and the other three were riding in a carriage toward Spirit Hall.

Inside the carriage, Rebel Son and the other two had not slept at all the previous night, and each of them was now sleeping like the dead.

Unrivaled Thief rested with his eyes closed as he communicated with the system.

Ding, mission to join Spirit Hall completed. Lottery chances obtained x1.

"System, draw for me."

Ding, chance consumed successfully. Drawing...

Ding, congratulations, Host. You have obtained Soul Skill Card (Ultimate Skill Card): Overlord Wind-Chasing Fist. Would you like to learn it immediately?

"Overlord Wind-Chasing Fist?! I never expected it to be the Overlord Wind-Chasing Fist!"

As Explosive King's ultimate technique, how could Unrivaled Thief not know this move?

It was said to be the ultimate fusion of strength and speed, the highest realm of both power and velocity.

"Now that my name is Unrivaled Thief and my martial soul is Explosive King, how could I possibly not know Explosive King's ultimate technique? System, let me learn it!"

Ding, Ultimate Skill Card used successfully. Learning... Learning successful!

The moment the Soul Skill Card vanished, a strange memory suddenly flooded into Unrivaled Thief's mind, as though experiences that did not belong to him had been forcibly poured into it.

His arms and knuckles grew faintly hot. A tingling sensation spread through his joints, while his muscles instinctively became familiar with the path of exertion. Without thinking, he could channel Soul Power and unleash strength.

The profound essence of the fist technique surged through him like a rushing river.

Soul Power compression, stacked speed, converted destructive force—even scenes of Explosive King creating the technique flashed through his mind.

Insights that should have required decades of training now felt as natural as if he had been born with them.

At the same time, Explosive King trembled as well, resonating intensely, as though this move had always belonged to it.

Unrivaled Thief opened his eyes and grinned. "This feeling... is incredible!"

Before long, they arrived at Spirit Hall and were directly assigned to enter the academy.

At the same time, word of them had already spread throughout Spirit Hall Academy, and many students came to watch them.

After all, in these recent classes of Spirit Hall Academy, there had not been a single genius with Innate Full Soul Power. Those with level eight or nine Innate Soul Power were exceedingly rare.

As they walked through Spirit Hall Academy, people on both sides pointed and whispered. Some were envious, some jealous, and some even hostile.

On the second floor of Spirit Hall Academy, three teenagers around fifteen or sixteen looked down at Unrivaled Thief and the other three.

These three were the Golden Generation currently in the spotlight at Spirit Hall Academy: Xie Yue, Hu Liena, and Yan.

Hu Liena's gaze was intensely predatory as she stared directly at Unrivaled Thief and unconsciously licked her lips.

"So he's the little guy with Innate Full Soul Power. Big sister really wants to have a deep exchange with him!"

Her words stirred jealousy in Yan beside her, and he immediately looked at Unrivaled Thief with hostility.

Hu Liena was the goddess of his dreams. How could he let another man catch her attention?

"So this is a genius with Innate Full Soul Power?" Yan tapped a granite pillar with his knuckles. A lackey immediately leaned closer. "Go test what he's made of."

He deliberately raised his voice, drawing the attention of the students on the second floor.

"Yes, Brother Yan!"

The lackey revealed a cruel smile, then leaped down from the second floor and blocked Unrivaled Thief's path.

"Kid, I heard you have Innate Full Soul Power? Let grandpa here see whether those skinny arms and legs of yours can take a punch from me!"

Explosive King Possession, Yan Kneels to Apologize

No one present was deaf, so they naturally heard what Yan had just said.

As Hu Liena's longtime bootlicker, Unrivaled Thief immediately understood the whole situation.

Bootlickers always end up with nothing. Since you want to make a fool of me, don't blame me for slapping you in the face.

Unrivaled Thief blinked his innocent eyes and put on a frightened expression.

"Big brother, I'm only six years old! If you throw a punch like that, won't this little body of mine fall apart? You're a grown man, so please spare me!"

Seeing him like this, the lackey became even more smug and burst into wild laughter.

"Hahaha, country trash is still country trash. Even with Innate Full Soul Power, you're not worth a single hair on Brother Yan's head!"

That bit of flattery made Yan on the second floor feel extremely pleased.

Especially since he was showing off in front of his goddess, giving him an unprecedented thrill.

Hearing this, Unrivaled Thief put on a stern face and protested, "Senior, don't bully people too far. If you don't use Soul Skills, you might not even be my match!"

The lackey sneered. "I'm an eighteenth-level Battle Soul Master, and my martial soul is a turtle. Even if I stood still and let you hit me, you couldn't break through my defense!"

Hooked.

Unrivaled Thief narrowed his eyes. "Then what if I break through your defense?" He spread his hands. "We can't fight for nothing, can we?"

The lackey wanted to curry favor with Yan and build up his reputation, but he naturally did not dare overstep his bounds while suppressing Unrivaled Thief.

The rules of Spirit Hall Academy clearly stated that students were not allowed to fight without authorization unless both sides agreed. Otherwise, they could only battle during practical combat classes, and anyone who broke the rules would be punished.

Now that Unrivaled Thief clearly seemed willing, the lackey did not want to give up the chance to trample on a genius.

After thinking for a moment, he tore the Silver Chain from around his neck. "This accessory is worth one hundred Gold Soul Coins. If you break through my defense, it's yours."

"Not enough." Unrivaled Thief suddenly pointed at Yan in the second-floor gallery. "If I break through your defense, he must kneel and apologize to me."

The moment those words came out, the entire place erupted.

As one of Spirit Hall's Golden Generation, Yan had always stood high above everyone else.

Some envied him, some hated him, and some admired him.

Faced with the challenge Unrivaled Thief had thrown out, more students simply watched with the attitude of enjoying a show.

"Kid, you're courting death!" Yan crushed the railing in a rage, magma-like patterns spreading along his arm.

But Hu Liena suddenly pressed a hand onto his shoulder and revealed a seductive smile. "Agree to it." She chuckled as she licked her lips. "You don't even dare bet against a child. What kind of man are you?"

Yan caught the fragrant breeze around her and instantly fell under her spell.

Nana has never taken the initiative to touch my shoulder. I have to perform well!

"Nana, you're right. How could a mere level-ten Soul Master possibly break Wang Ba's defense?"

Then he looked down at Unrivaled Thief and coldly said, "But what if you can't break it?"

"Then I can't break it!" Unrivaled Thief looked utterly unconcerned. "I'm only a level-ten Soul Master. Isn't it perfectly normal that I can't break the defense of an eighteenth-level one-ring Soul Master? What, do you want me to pay some price too?"

"You!" Yan was left speechless. He had not expected Unrivaled Thief to be so shameless.

He had demanded that Yan kneel and apologize, yet he himself did not need to pay any price at all.

Looking at Yan's darkened face, Unrivaled Thief impatiently said, "Ah, forget it if you're unwilling. It's not like I'm the one who wanted to fight."

As he spoke, he moved to go around Wang Ba and enter the classroom.

"Fine, I agree! I refuse to believe you can break Wang Ba's defense!" To show off before Hu Liena, Yan directly accepted the unfair terms.

A triumphant smile appeared on Unrivaled Thief's face. He said to Wang Ba, "Then stand firm and let's see whether I can break the defense of that turtle of yours!"

Wang Ba snorted. "Hmph, come on. Let's see how those weak, powerless fists of yours can break through my defense! Turtle Possession!"

At once, the green phantom of a turtle merged into Wang Ba's body. When the light faded, Wang Ba appeared wearing a turtle shell.

Behind Unrivaled Thief, Explosive King's phantom appeared. He slowly clenched his right fist, and the phantom behind him transformed into a physical form that covered his body.

"Explosive King Possession!"

First came his right fist. Lion-headed metal components coiled around it like living creatures, scales locking tightly into place one after another as sharp fangs glinted coldly near his lips.

At the same time, his left fist was instantly covered by a massive gauntlet. Its protruding knuckles and sharp barbs displayed terrifying destructive power.

Blue-green armor immediately covered his entire body, while the cape on his back spread like enormous blue wings, dancing wildly and gleaming brilliantly.

(Reference: Third Generation Explosive King)

Everyone was shocked. They had known Unrivaled Thief's martial soul was strong, but they had not expected it to be this strong.

Merely standing there gave off a violent sort of beauty.

"Gulp!"

Feeling the suppression of the martial soul, beads of sweat the size of soybeans slid down Wang Ba's forehead, and he could not help swallowing.

Yan grew uneasy at the sight and hurriedly warned, "Wang Ba, quickly use your Soul Skill!"

However, Unrivaled Thief had no intention of giving Wang Ba the chance to use one.

With a grab of his left hand, blue wind element gathered around his fist.

The next instant, a ring of blue air exploded from the ground, and Unrivaled Thief appeared in front of Wang Ba as if he had teleported.

His right arm was like a drawn bowstring as he drove a punch directly at Wang Ba's face.

Wang Ba had no time to dodge and could only cross his arms before him, taking the blow head-on.

Boom!

With a muffled impact, wind howled by his ears, his vision rapidly pulled away, and the punch sent his entire body flying.

"It's not over yet!"

Before the words had even faded, another ring of blue air exploded from the ground, and Unrivaled Thief's figure vanished once more.

When he reappeared, he was already behind the airborne Wang Ba. A punch struck his back and sent him flying again.

Due to inertia, Wang Ba's arms flung wide apart, leaving his chest completely exposed.

Unrivaled Thief appeared before him again. Blue wind pressure raged and compressed around his right fist, as though a Hurricane were coiling around it.

Wang Ba turned pale with fright. Enduring the intense pain, he activated his Soul Skill. "First Soul Skill, Turtle Barrier!"

In an instant, a green oval barrier enveloped him. Yet he continued flying forward, intending to use it to smash Unrivaled Thief away.

But Unrivaled Thief neither dodged nor retreated. He merely silently compressed the wind element around his right fist to its limit.

Seizing the moment, he pulled back his right arm like a bow and threw a fierce punch.

Overlord Wind-Chasing Fist!

On the second floor, Hu Liena's pupils suddenly contracted as she stared fixedly at Unrivaled Thief. "That Soul Power fluctuation has already reached the level of a Soul Skill!"

"Could it be a Self-Created Soul Skill?!" Xie Yue suddenly gripped the railing, disbelief written across his face.

Yan's expression shifted between green and purple.

As one of Spirit Hall's Golden Generation, he had already foreseen Wang Ba's defeat.

Unrivaled Thief's fist, carrying the power of a Hurricane, struck the green barrier head-on.

Crack!

The barrier cracked where the fist landed, then shattered with a bang.

His fist slammed into Wang Ba's face like a cannonball, immediately followed by the teeth-grinding sound of bones breaking.

Pfft!

Wang Ba spat out a mist of blood. His body carved a glaring trail of blood across the hard floor before he finally passed out completely.