Qian Yun vs. Dai Mubai

"Qian Yun, watch out!" Dai Mubai gritted out the warning. Then he pushed off with his toes and charged at Qian Yun like a cannonball.

Qian Yun gave a cold snort. His Second Soul Ring glimmered beneath his feet. "Second Soul Skill, Spirit Blade."

A brilliant ball of light appeared in Qian Yun's hand.

Wind surged around his feet. Rather than dodge Dai Mubai's attack, he charged straight at him.

A Martial Soul like the White Tiger, which excelled at powerful attacks, would only grow more ferocious if you kept running from it.

Besides, Qian Yun's fighting style was very similar to Dai Mubai's. If he gave way once, he'd be forced to keep yielding.

So Qian Yun had to meet him head-on, or risk falling into a passive position.

As Qian Yun darted forward, Dai Mubai's White Tiger Light Splitting Wave naturally missed. With Wind Element swirling around his feet, Qian Yun was even faster than Dai Mubai.

He caught up from behind, halted, and thrust his sword at Dai Mubai!

Dai Mubai was startled. He hadn't expected a Spirit Master with a Tool Martial Soul to fight even more fiercely than him, a Spirit Master with a Beast Martial Soul.

He was charging at full speed and couldn't stop now. Seeing the sharp point of Qian Yun's sword, he tensed and activated his First Soul Ring.

"First Soul Skill, White Tiger Protection Barrier!"

A white barrier sprang from his chest, just in time to block Qian Yun's blade. Qian Yun's expression shifted, and he moved past Dai Mubai.

Tang San, standing at the edge of the field with his eyes glowing purple, lifted his gaze. From where he stood, it looked as if Qian Yun's sword had shifted slightly just before it struck the White Tiger Protection Barrier.

"Heh, my turn!" After blocking the attack, Dai Mubai sneered at Qian Yun beside him.

What was it like to have a Spirit Master with a Beast Martial Soul get up close? Anyone who'd experienced it would tell you two words:

Run!

Qian Yun had expected as much. The moment Dai Mubai moved, Qian Yun had already pushed off and leapt away. It even looked as if he'd used too much force: instead of making a short hop to safety, he soared high into the air.

Flender's eyes flashed with displeasure. Qian Yun had been composed and impressive just moments ago. Why had he made such a foolish mistake at the crucial moment?

Zhao Wuji, no stranger to combat himself, shook his head and stepped forward, ready to stop the match.

Dai Mubai's eyes brightened as his attack missed. He looked up at Qian Yun's leap and sneered. The other boy knew he had a ranged attack and had no idea what his Third Soul Skill was, yet he'd recklessly jumped into the air?

Qian Yun had no way to push off now. To Dai Mubai, he was no different from a sitting duck.

He glanced at Hu Liena, whose expression was just as surprised, and even began thinking up what he'd say after winning.

"Third Soul Skill, White Tiger Vajra Transformation!"

Dai Mubai roared. A streak of crimson appeared in his deep-blue, double-pupiled eyes, which turned blood-red in an instant. His body grew taller, his muscles ripped through his shirt, and black-and-white stripes covered his body. If he'd had fur, he would have looked just like a real tiger.

This was Dai Mubai's Third Soul Skill, White Tiger Vajra Transformation. As a thousand-year enhancement skill, it doubled the advantages he already held in every aspect, making him all the more terrifying!

After completing the transformation, Dai Mubai's eyes flashed. His Second Soul Ring lit up once more.

"Second Soul Skill, White Tiger Light Splitting Wave!"

A white beam shot from his mouth, just like the one they'd seen before.

This time, he was a little more careful. Rather than target Qian Yun directly, he aimed at the spot where Qian Yun would land!

"Alas." Zhao Wuji let out a soft sigh and stepped forward.

Was that really how things would go? With victory seemingly within reach, Tang San still felt that something was off.

He couldn't shake the feeling that Qian Yun wasn't so simple. Seeing Qian Yun in danger without a trace of panic on his face only made Tang San more certain.

Thanks to his Purple Demon Eye, Tang San finally spotted a powerful force building inside Qian Yun. It was about to erupt.

This is bad. Boss Dai is going to lose! Tang San's thoughts raced. At last, he understood where Qian Yun's confidence came from.

Dai Mubai had already used all his tricks, while Qian Yun hadn't even used his First or Third Soul Skills!

What should he do? Should he intervene? A pebble dropped into Tang San's hand from his sleeve. He gripped it and aimed at Qian Yun, hesitating over whether to act.

If he did nothing, Dai Mubai would surely lose. But if he intervened, people might call him out.

Still... as long as he didn't admit it, who could prove it was him?

Everyone there who could detect his little trick was a teacher at Shrek Academy. They certainly wouldn't expose one of their own.

So...

Tang San's gaze hardened. For the sake of Shrek Academy's reputation, Qian Yun would just have to take the loss.

With a flick of his finger, he silently sent the pebble flying. It didn't travel in a straight line, instead tracing an arc through the air toward Qian Yun's lower back.

It was the Meteor Chasing the Moon technique from the Tang Sect Hidden Weapons!

After firing, Tang San relaxed. No one on the Douluo Continent had ever been able to guard against his hidden weapon techniques. Qian Yun, with only three Spirit Rings, certainly couldn't.

As the pebble drew closer and closer to Qian Yun, who still seemed entirely unaware, Tang San felt a surge of satisfaction, along with a trace of guilt. After all, he had a decent impression of Qian Yun. Was it really right to do this to him for Shrek Academy's reputation?

Before he could think further, Qian Yun sensed the attack from behind.

"Alas." Qian Yun sighed. Given what he knew of Tang San's character, how could he have let his guard down? Tang San had finally lost patience and made his move.

A petty man was still a petty man. Hidden weapons were a despicable tactic, and expecting Tang San to let go of his obsession was a pipe dream.

Dai Mubai's White Tiger Light Splitting Wave was in front of him, while Tang San's Meteor Chasing the Moon came from behind. Qian Yun was caught between two enemies.

A glint flashed in Qian Yun's eyes. At last, his Third Soul Ring lit up. "Third Soul Skill, Starlight Link!"

A pale-blue figure separated from him, and at the same moment, a sudden gust burst from behind Qian Yun.

The gust came so unexpectedly that the pebble Tang San had thrown, just about to hit Qian Yun's lower back, suddenly veered off course for no apparent reason.

It missed?!

Tang San was horrified. He couldn't tell whether Qian Yun had done it—or if... His gaze shifted toward Flender.

No, it had to be a coincidence!

"We've won." The instant Qian Yun used his thousand-year Soul Skill, Hu Liena finally relaxed. She no longer had to worry that he might get hurt. Victory was theirs!

After creating the Spirit Entity, Qian Yun reached out to it. As if it had a mind of its own, it reached out too.

Qian Yun and the Spirit Entity slowly touched hands in midair. Then the pale-blue figure swung its arm, tossing Qian Yun higher until the two floated side by side.

Looking down at Dai Mubai, whose expression was no longer composed, Qian Yun sneered. "First Soul Skill, Spirit Roar!"

A transparent wave burst from Qian Yun's chest, followed right away by a second Spirit Roar.

Dai Mubai stared up at Qian Yun, whose movements perfectly matched those of the Spirit Entity, uncertain and wary. What kind of Soul Skill was this?

But Dai Mubai wasn't one to give up easily. Even though he sensed trouble, how could he just surrender? With Qian Yun's aura locking onto him, he couldn't dodge, so he made what he thought was the right decision—though it was actually a terrible one.

"First Soul Skill, White Tiger Protection Barrier!"

With the barrier protecting him, and still in his White Tiger Vajra Transformation state, his defenses were now beyond those of even some lower-level defensive-type Spirit Masters.

"Hmph. No matter how overbearing it is, it's still just your First Soul Skill. So what if you use two at once? Just watch me..."

"Clang—clang!"

Two sounds, like blows striking an iron barrel, rang out one after the other and echoed in everyone's ears.

"Damn!"

Zhao Wuji slapped his dazed head and hurried into the cloud of dust.

Qian Yun drifted down gracefully without sparing Dai Mubai another glance. He could sense that Dai Mubai was already lying on the ground.

"Awesome!" Hu Liena opened her arms and hugged him, her cheeks flushed with excitement.

She squeezed him so tightly that Qian Yun was left a little breathless. "Hey, let go."

Hu Liena thought he was tired and quickly released him. "Hehe."

The dust finally cleared, and everyone could see what had happened inside. Zhao Wuji was supporting Dai Mubai, whose clothes were in tatters and whose face was pale, as he prepared to carry him to the edge of the field.

"Whoa..." The Shrek students sucked in a collective breath. They looked at Qian Yun again as if they were staring at a ghost.

Oscar swallowed with difficulty. "What kind of Soul Skill was that? It took out Boss Dai in one hit?"

"He's so strong," Ning Rongrong said in surprise. Qian Yun's attack had just now carried the force of the sect experts' saying: one force breaks through ten thousand techniques.

Hu Liena, however, looked surprised to see that Dai Mubai was still breathing. Knowing how powerful Spirit Roar was, she'd expected one hit to knock him unconscious. If two hits had only left him pale, there was only one explanation: Qian Yun had held back!

Confused, Hu Liena turned her head to glance at Qian Yun, who looked perfectly calm. She tilted her head, then let it go. Qian Yun had his reasons. All she knew was that they had won.

Dai Mubai was in a terrible state. His clothes hung in tatters, his long hair was a mess, and he looked so wretched that someone could have tossed a couple of coins at him.

He sat trembling on the ground, gasping for breath. He was still shaken; for a moment, he'd felt as if his soul had left his body.

Worse still, Qian Yun's First Soul Skill was so fast that even Agility Attack System Spirit Masters wouldn't dare claim they could dodge it for sure.

Once Zhao Wuji saw that Dai Mubai wasn't seriously hurt, he returned to the center of the field to announce the result. He glanced at Qian Yun, who wasn't even breathing hard, then at Dai Mubai's pitiful state and shook his head.

Soul Power alone couldn't make up for such a gap. In fact, when Qian Yun used Spirit Roar just now, Zhao Wuji had a feeling the boy had held back.

"First match, Qian Yun wins!"

"Yay! Congratulations, Qian Yun!" Hu Liena clapped happily. Even though there were only two of them, nothing could dampen her joy.

Qian Yun smiled, then turned and glanced at Tang San, whose face was impassive.

Tang San's eyes instinctively darted away. Did he notice me?

No, that was impossible.

I can chalk up the way Qian Yun deflected my attack just now to coincidence. If he really noticed my little trick so easily, then his abilities would be absurd.

"Qian Yun, leave the next match to me." Hu Liena volunteered. After watching Qian Yun's fight with Dai Mubai, she realized that this rundown academy was still quite strong. At least, those students looked stronger than most of the people at Martial Soul Academy.

Qian Yun reminded her, "Then be careful."

"Mm, I will." Hu Liena stepped forward, full of confidence.

With his strength, he could have defeated Dai Mubai in a single move, but he hadn't. From beginning to end, he'd acted with restraint, without taunting or showing off.

After all, this was Shrek Academy's territory. Winning with a single blow might have been satisfying, but it would undoubtedly have caused conflict between the two sides.

So he didn't just want to win the match—he wanted to win everyone's respect.

"Uh... who's going up next?" Oscar asked, scratching his head as he looked at the others.

Dai Mubai couldn't fight again. Oscar and Ning Rongrong had support-type Martial Souls, leaving only Tang San, Fatty, and Xiao Wu.

Tang San was tempted. After watching the match, he'd figured out Qian Yun's fighting style. It would be tricky, but with his excellent combat experience and the Tang Sect Secret Arts, he was still confident he could win.

Before he could speak, Ma Hongjun wiped the drool from his mouth and hurried out. "It's my turn! My turn!"

Tang San was surprised. He hadn't expected this somewhat lecherous-looking fatty to be so eager to fight.

"Damn it, you fat bastard," Oscar cursed regretfully. He shouldn't have asked. He should've just sent Tang San out.

Other people might have thought the fatty was eager for a fight, but Oscar knew him too well to fall for it.