If Dai Mubai hadn't gotten an Immortal Herb, it was hard to say whether he could have reached level 40 by then.
Dai Mubai had hit a bottleneck at the time. If Tang San hadn't given him an Immortal Herb, his level couldn't have risen so quickly.
The novel had mentioned that after turning twelve, one's cultivation speed would slow down.
Zhu Zhuqing?
Without an Immortal Herb, she would only hold Dai Mubai back.
If the two of them had faced off against Dai Weisi and the others, there could have been only one outcome: defeat.
Tang San could do without Dai Mubai and the others, but Dai Mubai and the others couldn't do without Tang San.
Seeing Dai Mubai, God King Tang San couldn't help recalling how he had beaten Mubai in the past.
Dai Mubai walked up to the counter and said to the attendant, "You're new here, aren't you? Don't you know that one room always has to be kept for me?"
The attendant looked confused. He didn't know Dai Mubai.
Dai Mubai said impatiently, "Go get your manager."
Seeing that Dai Mubai looked like trouble, the attendant obediently went to get the manager.
Xiao Wu said unhappily, "Hey, we got here first. Don't you know what 'first come, first served' means?"
Dai Mubai glanced sideways at Xiao Wu, a hint of arrogance in his eyes and a playful smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Little girl, you don't understand the rules here."
Soul Power rippled around him. Though he had deliberately restrained it somewhat, the oppressive aura of a Power Attack System Battle Soul Master still made Xiao Wu frown instinctively.
Xu Yuan stepped half a pace forward, quietly placing himself in front of Xiao Wu. He looked at Dai Mubai calmly. "Rules are for people who know how to behave."
Dai Mubai froze for a moment, apparently not expecting anyone to dare speak to him that way.
He sized Xu Yuan up and down, noticing his extraordinary bearing.
After a moment's thought, Dai Mubai said, "You've got Soul Power too, so you must be a Soul Master. Then you can all come at me together. If you can beat me, I'll leave at once. Otherwise, I want you to show me how to roll."
Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow. "Fine, but we'll fight one-on-one."
A trace of surprise flashed through Dai Mubai's eyes, quickly turning into deep contempt. "One-on-one? You think you can take me?"
Soul Power suddenly burst from his body, and two yellow rings and one purple ring appeared beneath his feet.
"White Tiger, possess me!"
At Dai Mubai's low shout, his body abruptly changed. His muscles swelled, and his golden hair instantly turned black and white, predominantly white. A king-shaped marking appeared on his forehead.
His hands doubled in size, white fur covered his palms, and razor-sharp claws, like short daggers nearly eight inches long, extended from them. His four pupils turned a deep, lustrous blue.
"First Soul Skill: White Tiger Protection Barrier!"
A pale golden glow enveloped Dai Mubai, making it seem as though he had donned a suit of solid armor. His defense surged instantly.
Watching from the side, Xiao Wu's heart tightened. She couldn't help tugging at Xu Yuan's sleeve. "Xu Yuan, that guy looks so fierce..."
Xu Yuan patted Xiao Wu's hand to reassure her. His eyes stayed fixed on Dai Mubai, and his voice remained calm. "Let's begin."
Before the words had even faded, Dai Mubai shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, his tiger claws slicing through the air as he lunged straight for Xu Yuan's face.
Xu Yuan used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and easily dodged Dai Mubai's attack.
"First Soul Skill: Life Entanglement!"
Several jade-colored Blue Silver Emperors burst from the ground, coiling toward Dai Mubai's legs like nimble serpents.
A faint golden glow shimmered over the Blue Silver Emperors, and they brimmed with life force.
Dai Mubai snorted and swept his tiger claws across them, trying to cut them apart.
But Xu Yuan's Blue Silver Emperors were incredibly tough. They only shivered slightly when struck by the tiger claws and didn't snap. Instead, they seized the opportunity to tighten around Dai Mubai's legs.
"Hm?" Dai Mubai's expression shifted. He hadn't expected his opponent's Martial Soul to be so resilient.
He strained to break free, but the Blue Silver Emperors only tightened their coils, as if they had taken root.
White flowers gave off a faint fragrance, soothing Dai Mubai's emotions.
The Blue Silver Emperors began absorbing Soul Power from Dai Mubai, and that Soul Power flowed back to Xu Yuan.
"Second Soul Skill: White Tiger Intense Light Wave!"
Dai Mubai opened his mouth, intending to blast Xu Yuan with a scorching white beam of light.
But Xu Yuan used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to appear in front of him, then punched upward at Dai Mubai's chin.
"Thump!"
The punch landed precisely on Dai Mubai's chin, but the force behind it wasn't particularly fierce.
Dai Mubai felt his chin flick upward from the deft impact. The White Tiger Intense Light Wave building in his throat immediately went awry.
The scorching Soul Power that had been about to burst from his mouth abruptly recoiled, exploding inside him in a sharp burst of pain.
"Urgh!" Dai Mubai grunted. His chest felt tight, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
Xu Yuan hadn't injured him with that punch. His own Soul Power had backfired, violently damaging his internal organs.
Seeing this, God King Tang San said with satisfaction, "Not bad. That's just like my style back then."
Xu Yuan gave Dai Mubai no chance to react, landing several punches that shattered the barrier around him.
"You're asking for death!"
Dai Mubai was both furious and in pain. Ignoring the roiling blood and energy inside him, he swept his left tiger claw out with a foul gust, determined to tear the troublesome man before him to pieces.
Xu Yuan had anticipated this. He dodged the claw's wind with a sidestep and drove his right fist hard toward Dai Mubai's face.
His fist tore through the air and struck Dai Mubai squarely on the side of the face.
"Thud—"
With a dull impact, Dai Mubai's cheek went numb, and his vision darkened in waves.
"First Soul Skill: Life Entanglement."
Xu Yuan's voice was cold as ice as the words left his lips.
More Blue Silver Emperors surged from the ground like awakened giant serpents, winding up Dai Mubai's arms and around his waist. In an instant, they wrapped him into a cocoon, leaving him unable to move.
Tiny white flowers dotted the golden-glowing vines, their fragrance carrying an irresistible suppressive force.
Dai Mubai was bound tight. His Soul Power felt as though countless needles were piercing it, draining away through the vines.
"Let me go!" Dai Mubai roared, his muscles bulging.
He tried to snap his bonds, but the Blue Silver Emperor was far tougher than he had imagined. The more he struggled, the tighter it coiled, squeezing his ribs until they ached.
Xu Yuan crouched down and, without hesitation, swung at Dai Mubai's head. His fist came crashing down with a rush of wind.
He wasn't about to let Dai Mubai off. During the fight, Dai Mubai had tried to leave him seriously injured, at the very least.
Dai Mubai was already reeling from the backlash of his Soul Power. Now that the Blue Silver Emperors had him bound tight, he had no way to dodge.
The instant the fist struck his forehead, the world spun around him. A field of scarlet burst across his vision, and his consciousness plunged like a kite with its string cut.
"Thump!"
Another punch slammed into the side of his face. Dai Mubai's cheek swelled visibly, and a numb ache spread from his gums as his teeth loosened. Blood mixed with saliva trickled from the corner of his mouth.
He wanted to roar, to fight back, but the Blue Silver Emperors dug into his flesh like steel cables. Even breathing brought tearing pain.
Xu Yuan didn't stop. His fists kept landing, one after another, on Dai Mubai's shoulders, neck, and chest.
Dazed by the beating, Dai Mubai didn't even think to use his third Soul Skill against Xu Yuan.
Dai Mubai's female companion was so frightened that she lost all color in her face and turned to flee.
Seeing this, Xiao Wu felt an immense sense of satisfaction.
Dai Mubai had been so arrogant earlier that she'd wanted to beat him to a pulp herself.
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