"Th-that..."
Ma Hongjun stretched out a stubby finger, trembling as he pointed toward the elevated platform on the second floor.
His legs shook uncontrollably, and his teeth chattered with a sharp clacking sound.
A profound terror, born from the depths of his soul, seized his throat in an instant.
"That's the Martial Soul Hall Holy Son!"
Ma Hongjun's voice cracked as his startled cry rang out from the back of the group.
The members of Shrek Academy, who had been discussing their practical training, all jolted violently at once.
Dai Mubai, Tang San, Flender, and the others followed Ma Hongjun's pointing finger and turned to look.
Beside the stone bench in the second-floor lounge,
Gu Qing leaned casually against the wall, his tall, slender figure especially striking in the dim light.
His handsome face held not the slightest hint of emotion.
He merely stood there, seemingly at ease, yet the imperious pressure radiating from him kept everyone nearby at a distance.
The moment Flender recognized that face, his expression darkened completely.
His fury was so intense that even his chest began to heave.
His trademark shovel-shaped face twisted beyond recognition.
Behind his thick black-rimmed glasses, his eyes glittered with unconcealed venom.
"What a small world!"
Flender clenched his teeth. Each word seemed to be forced through them.
Dai Mubai had been gravely injured, and even the last shred of Shrek Academy's dignity had been ground into the mud.
The one responsible for all this tragedy was the high-and-mighty Martial Soul Hall Holy Son standing right before them!
Just as the people from Shrek Academy seethed with anger,
a Great Soul Arena employee approached Gu Qing with utmost respect.
The employee held out a wooden token carved with the character "Xue" in both hands, carefully handing it to the plain-looking girl seated beside Gu Qing.
The Shrek Academy group's attention shifted to the token, and they immediately recognized it as the special badge issued to newcomers on a winning streak.
They all sucked in a sharp breath.
At last, it dawned on them.
The monstrous newcomer who had caused an uproar at the Great Soul Arena and defeated multiple Battle Soul Ancestors above level forty...
was the very follower at Gu Qing's side!
Dai Mubai's breathing grew heavy, and fury blazed in his eyes.
The violent instincts of his White Tiger Martial Soul roared through every part of his body.
He could never forget how, at Twilight Bar, Gu Qing had used nothing but a Blue Silver Grass shield to shake the blood and bones in his proud White Tiger body.
Nor could he forget the cold, resolute look Zhu Zhuqing had given him when she left.
One blow after another had pushed this prince of the Star Luo Empire to the brink of collapse.
Dai Mubai clenched his fists. His sharp nails pierced his palms, and scarlet blood dripped through his fingers onto the floor.
"That bastard Gu Qing ruined everything for me. I've lost all face."
"I may not be able to beat that unfathomable Martial Soul Hall Holy Son."
Dai Mubai's face twisted with jealousy and hatred.
"But surely I can beat one measly follower at his side!"
She was only at level thirty. No matter how flashy her fighting techniques were, absolute strength would tear her to shreds.
Dai Mubai glared at the petite, frail figure on the second floor, already imagining how he would crush her bones one by one.
If he could make Gu Qing taste the pain of losing his right-hand woman, he could finally vent the fury smoldering in his chest.
Tang San, standing nearby, keenly sensed the murderous intent surging from Dai Mubai.
He raised his head as well, fixing his gaze on the two figures on the second floor.
Tang San's hatred for Gu Qing was every bit as deep as Dai Mubai's.
Tang Sect disciples had always protected their own. Gu Qing had grievously injured Oscar in the street, and that blood debt had to be repaid in blood.
Tang San gave a slight nod, fully endorsing Dai Mubai's plan.
"On the dueling platform, each person answers for their own life and death."
Tang San steadied himself and calmly assessed the situation.
"Since that 'Xue' is here to compete in actual combat at the Great Soul Arena, we can settle this with her on the platform, fair and square."
"We should test what she's really capable of first."
"And while we're at it, we can show this Martial Soul Hall Holy Son that Shrek Academy isn't some soft target he can squeeze whenever he likes."
Tang San steadied himself and calmly assessed the situation.
After hearing Tang San's words, Dai Mubai could no longer restrain his murderous intent.
His surging blood and Soul Power coursed wildly through his battered meridians.
Gu Qing had already ground Shrek Academy's dignity into the dirt.
If Dai Mubai couldn't win back some face today by taking on the follower beside Gu Qing, a shadow would forever cloud his resolve to cultivate.
Heavy footsteps sounded on the stone-paved floor of the second-floor lounge.
With every step Dai Mubai took, the Soul Power pressure around him grew heavier.
The corridor on the second floor was already narrow.
Gu Qing leaned against the wall while Qian Renxue held the wooden token carved with "Xue," preparing to head to the waiting area for her next match.
A tower-like figure stood directly in their way.
Dai Mubai planted himself before them without a hint of courtesy, his broad shoulders blocking the narrow passage.
The Soul Masters resting nearby sensed the tension and stopped talking, quickly retreating to a safe distance.
Those who frequented the Great Soul Arena knew all too well that conflicts of this level were not something ordinary people could afford to get involved in.
Qian Renxue frowned slightly.
A trace of impatience flickered across her exceptionally ordinary face, altered by a special disguise.
To conceal her true identity as the Martial Soul Hall Young Master, Qian Renxue had deliberately roughened her features and even dusted her skin with a layer of yellowish powder.
She now looked like an ordinary village girl accustomed to hard labor, nothing like her usual lofty, ethereal self.
Dai Mubai looked down at Qian Renxue's face.
His strange double pupils revealed nothing but utter contempt and disgust.
The prince of the Star Luo Empire had seen countless women. Someone with Qian Renxue's current appearance wasn't worth a second glance.
"I wondered what kind of amazing newcomer monster you were."
"Turns out you're just an ugly freak I can barely stand to look at."
"You're ugly, but you've got a bit of skill. With only level thirty Soul Power, you can pull a few cheap tricks at the Great Soul Arena and fool some people."
Dai Mubai folded his arms, a mocking smile tugging at his lips.
His piercing taunts rang especially loud in the quiet second-floor lounge.
Tang San watched from a short distance without trying to stop Dai Mubai from provoking her.
Flender clenched his withered fingers, anticipation written all over his shovel-shaped face. He could hardly wait for Dai Mubai to cripple Gu Qing's follower.
Ma Hongjun cowered at the back of the Shrek Academy group, his beady eyes fixed nervously on Gu Qing, afraid he might suddenly lash out.
At Dai Mubai's taunts, a cold killing intent flickered in Qian Renxue's eyes.
As a peerless genius of the Martial Soul Hall, Qian Renxue had never endured such crude insults.
But she didn't lash out at once.
When Dai Mubai saw that Qian Renxue didn't answer, he assumed she was afraid.
His arrogance swelled severalfold in an instant.
"This young master will be kind enough to teach you what real strength looks like."
"So you don't think you can strut around Heaven Dou City just because you beat a few useless Soul Ancestors."
Dai Mubai's voice suddenly rose, sending faint ripples through the air around them.
As his words rang out, an exceptionally fierce wave of Soul Power erupted from within him.
The white bandages wrapped around his chest were instantly ripped to shreds by the raging gale.
A thunderous tiger's roar echoed through the hall.
A massive White Tiger apparition rapidly took shape behind Dai Mubai.
Four dazzling Soul Rings rose in a spiral from beneath his feet.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple.
The ideal Soul Ring configuration—two hundred-year rings and two thousand-year rings—showed the formidable foundations of Dai Mubai's Star Luo Royal Bloodline.
The Soul Power pressure of a level-forty-two Power Attack System Battle Soul Ancestor crashed toward Gu Qing and Qian Renxue like a tangible mountain.
The wooden tables and chairs nearby burst apart under the force.
Many weaker spectators were driven back again and again, their faces pale.
"Gu Qing!"
"What kind of man hides behind an ugly freak?"
Dai Mubai aimed his taunt directly at Gu Qing, who had yet to speak.
His double pupils were filled with challenge and hatred.
Dai Mubai meant to cripple Qian Renxue as brutally as possible on the dueling platform, then savor the sight of Gu Qing's usually impassive face contorted with unbearable pain.
That was the revenge he had so carefully planned.
Gu Qing slowly straightened up.
His handsome face still showed not the slightest change in emotion.
He didn't even look Dai Mubai in the eye after he released his White Tiger Martial Soul; instead, he glanced indifferently at the wood chips by his feet.
Qian Renxue turned her head, her gaze falling on Gu Qing's profile.
No words passed between them. None were needed.
Gu Qing gave the faintest nod, a tiny gesture that nonetheless delivered a clear instruction.
He agreed to the challenge.
With Gu Qing's approval, Qian Renxue slowly turned her gaze away.
A chilling smile appeared on her rough, yellowed face.
Qian Renxue lightly turned her wrist and tucked the wooden token carved with "Xue" into her sleeve.
"I hope your bones are a little harder than your mouth."
Qian Renxue spoke calmly, as if stating something of no importance.
Seeing this, an official at the Great Soul Arena immediately arranged the highest-specification platform: the Central Main Arena.
The two figures leapt down from the second-floor lounge one after the other and landed firmly in the center of the sturdy platform.
Huge crystal lamps illuminated the arena as bright as day.
The spectators in the surrounding stands erupted in a roar that shook the heavens and the earth.
Everyone eagerly awaited the clash between a mysterious level-thirty newcomer and a level-forty-two powerhouse with a top-tier Beast Martial Soul.
Dai Mubai stood on one side of the platform, his entire body covered in thick white fur.
Ten sharp tiger claws gleamed with a chilling light beneath the lamps.
Dai Mubai sneered, looking down on Qian Renxue across from him.
In his eyes, level thirty and level forty-two were separated by an uncrossable chasm.
This would be a one-sided massacre with a foregone conclusion.
Qian Renxue stood quietly where she was, not even releasing the slightest trace of Soul Power.
After five previous high-intensity battles, Qian Renxue had fully adapted to the Soul Fighting Arena's rhythm.
The suppression method Gu Qing had devised with Millennium Banyan Bark had brought Qian Renxue's control over her Soul Power to an unprecedented degree of precision.
Though her sacred, inviolable Angel Martial Soul was suppressed within her body, the supreme combat instincts it had bestowed upon her only grew sharper.
The referee's flag snapped downward.
Dai Mubai struck first.
His level-forty-two Soul Power exploded around his legs.
He stomped two deep craters into the arena's hard bluestone tiles.
Dai Mubai became a white blur, hurtling toward Qian Renxue's face with a terrifying howl that tore through the air.
"First Soul Skill: White Tiger Protection Barrier!"
"Second Soul Skill: White Tiger Intense Light Wave!"
Dai Mubai had no intention of giving Qian Renxue a moment to catch her breath.
Two of his Soul Rings lit up at once.
A milky-white ball of light, packed with destructive power, shot from his mouth.
It rapidly swelled in the air, sealing off nearly all of Qian Renxue's escape routes.
The spectators in the stands cried out in alarm.
The Shrek Academy group wore smug expressions.
Flender stroked the stubble on his chin, clearly impressed by Dai Mubai's decisive attack.
Tang San watched Qian Renxue through his Purple Demon Eye, trying to find a flaw in her movements.
Faced with the White Tiger Intense Light Wave rushing toward her, Qian Renxue didn't move a step.
In her bright eyes, concealed by the disguise, the devastating orb of light continued to swell.
At the instant the orb was about to touch Qian Renxue,
she moved.
A simple sidestep.
No flashy evasive technique whatsoever.
Qian Renxue merely lowered her shoulder a fraction, and her entire body slid sideways half a foot at an angle that defied all physical laws.
The frenzied White Tiger Intense Light Wave skimmed past Qian Renxue's arm.
The ball of light slammed into the protective barrier at the edge of the arena, erupting in a blinding shower of sparks and a deafening roar.
Dai Mubai's sneer froze on his face.
Dai Mubai hadn't seen at all how Qian Renxue had dodged his locked-on attack.
But his fighting instinct left him no time to hesitate.
His sharp tiger claws swept toward Qian Renxue's neck with the force to tear through everything in their path.
Qian Renxue raised a slender-looking arm.
A pale, gleaming light flickered in Qian Renxue's palm.
It was a sliver of pure power seeping out from the Angel Martial Soul after being compressed to the extreme.
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