Snatching Shrek's Soul Beast

Lin Yi's calm yet unquestionable words fell, leaving the members of the Imperial Fighting Team stunned. Robbing a soul beast that others were currently hunting?

This seemed somewhat... inconsistent with the established rules of the soul master world?

But since their team leader had spoken, no one voiced any objection.

Chief Meng Shenji raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at Lin Yi. As a Soul Douluo and the academy's chief, he naturally had more to consider.

He carefully sensed the "Dark Demon Evil God Tiger" currently locked in a fierce battle with Shrek, then glanced at the cold, aloof Ye Lingling beside him. After a moment of contemplation, he nodded slowly: "Teacher Lin Yi is right. This demon tiger's attributes are balanced, containing both light and life energy, and its age is appropriate. It is indeed more suitable for Lingling's Nine Heart Begonia than that three-thousand-year Holy Light Lingzhi Beast. Since we have encountered it, we should naturally strive for it."

With the backing of Meng Shenji, a Soul Douluo, the members of the Imperial Fighting Team had no further objections; instead, they felt a faint sense of excitement.

Being able to "rob" something alongside their team leader and the chief—and robbing Shrek Academy at that—sounded thrilling.

"Move out." At Lin Yi's command, he took the lead and walked toward the direction of the battle. Meng Shenji followed with his hands behind his back, his demeanor imposing. Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, and the others immediately followed, quickly surrounding the battlefield where the Shrek Seven Devils were struggling against the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.

The sudden appearance of a third party immediately alerted both sides of the conflict.

"Who goes there?!" Zhao Wuji, who was fighting the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger with all his might, was the first to react. He roared, forced the demon tiger back with a punch, and looked at the newcomers with vigilance.

When he saw Lin Yi in the lead and the imposing, mountain-like presence of Meng Shenji behind him, his expression turned incredibly ugly.

"Lin Yi? Chief Meng Shenji?" With Flender and Yu Xiaogang absent, Zhao Wuji was the only teacher present, and the pressure fell squarely on his shoulders.

He recognized Meng Shenji, the chief of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, a Soul Douluo! And the appearance of Lin Yi made his heart sink, triggering a sense of foreboding.

The Shrek Seven Devils also saw Lin Yi and the group of gorgeously dressed, extraordinary-looking young soul masters behind him. Especially when they saw Lin Yi's calm, ripple-free eyes, the expressions of Dai Mubai, Tang San, and the others darkened.

"Teacher Zhao, trust you have been well." Lin Yi's gaze swept over the disheveled Shrek group and the fierce Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, and he spoke in a flat tone, "We want this soul beast."

"Bullshit!" Dai Mubai was furious upon hearing this. He had just broken through to level forty and desperately needed this soul ring, not to mention that they had discovered this demon tiger first and had been fighting it bitterly until now. "Lin Yi! We found this soul beast first! Are you trying to rob us?"

Zhao Wuji was experienced, after all. He suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice: "Lin Yi, Chief Meng Shenji. According to the rules of the soul master world, this soul beast was discovered and is being hunted by our Shrek Academy first; it should rightfully belong to us. Is the Royal Academy planning to bully the weak and break the rules?"

Meng Shenji did not speak, leaving the situation to Lin Yi. He trusted that this disciple of Sword Douluo could handle it well.

A faint arc appeared at the corner of Lin Yi's mouth as he looked at Zhao Wuji: "Rules? In the soul master world, strength is respected; where are there absolute rules? Furthermore, this soul beast's attributes are a better fit for the support-type soul master beside me, Ye Lingling.

She cannot participate in combat, so according to 'another rule,' our team shall send a representative to compete with you for the ownership of this beast. The winner takes it, how about that?

That shouldn't count as bullying the weak, right?"

His words cleverly turned "robbery" into "competition according to the rules," and by pointing out Ye Lingling's status as a support-type, he seized the moral high ground.

Zhao Wuji's face turned livid. He knew Lin Yi was right; the soul master world did have such unwritten rules. When both sides needed the same soul beast and one side had a support-type unable to fight, a representative battle could be held.

But on his side, Dai Mubai was an assault-type who needed the ring himself, so logically, he should be the one to fight. Yet, Dai Mubai had just broken through to level forty and hadn't obtained his ring yet, so his strength was greatly compromised...

Just then, Tang San stepped forward and said calmly: "Brother Lin Yi, Mubai was just injured and is not in good condition. I will fight in his stead."

Tang San was meticulous and saw that Dai Mubai was at a disadvantage, so he wanted to step in himself.

He was quite confident in his level thirty-nine strength and his many hidden cards.

However, Lin Yi had long been guarding against this move. How could he not know how troublesome Tang San was?

Although Yu Tianheng was a level forty-three Soul Ancestor and his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul was extremely powerful, the outcome against Tang San—who possessed Tang Sect techniques, hidden weapons, and the Clear Sky Hammer (yet to be revealed)—was unpredictable. He could not let Tang San step in to stir up trouble.

"No." Lin Yi refused directly, his tone unquestionable. "The one who needs the soul ring is Dai Mubai, and he is not a support-type soul master unable to fight. If he can have someone else substitute because he is in poor condition, then can I also step in personally to fight for my team members?"

His gaze swept over Meng Shenji, and the implication was clear—if you don't follow the rules of this "representative battle," don't blame our side's Title Douluo for being unreasonable.

Meng Shenji let out a soft hum at the right moment, and a faint, intangible Soul Douluo pressure permeated the air, causing Zhao Wuji and the Shrek group to choke for breath.

The veins on Zhao Wuji's forehead throbbed; he knew this matter could not be settled easily today.

With Meng Shenji present, they had no qualification to seize it by force. If they didn't accept the conditions for the battle, they probably wouldn't even get a chance to compete.

"...Fine!" Zhao Wuji gritted his teeth and looked at Dai Mubai. "Mubai, you go! Be careful!"

Dai Mubai took a deep breath, suppressing the anger and pain in his heart, and stepped forward.

Although he was in poor condition, the pride of his White Tiger martial soul would not allow him to retreat. "Who will fight me!"

Lin Yi looked at Yu Tianheng: "Tianheng, you go. End it quickly."

"Yes, Team Leader!" Fighting spirit surged in Yu Tianheng's eyes as he strode out. He had no love for Shrek Academy, especially that fellow named Tang San, who seemed to have had some conflict with Yan Yan earlier. Being able to personally defeat their captain suited him perfectly.

The two stood their ground in the arena, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.

"Dai Mubai, level forty assault-type battle Soul Ancestor!" Dai Mubai announced his name; although he still only had three soul rings, his momentum did not diminish.

"Yu Tianheng, level forty-three assault-type battle Soul Ancestor!" Yu Tianheng's voice was steady as his two yellow and two purple soul rings rose slowly beneath his feet, especially the fourth, a thousand-year soul ring, which radiated a powerful sense of oppression.

The gap in soul ring configuration, combined with Dai Mubai's injuries and exhaustion from the long battle, made this duel seem devoid of suspense from the very beginning.

"Begin!" Lin Yi announced flatly.

The battle erupted!

Dai Mubai roared, activating White Tiger Vajra Transformation and White Tiger Protection Barrier simultaneously, turning into a streak of white light as he lunged at Yu Tianheng, attempting to rely on his explosive power to end the fight quickly.

However, Yu Tianheng's Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was a top-tier beast martial soul; how could he fear him?

Yu Tianheng's first and third soul rings flashed simultaneously!

"First Soul Skill, Thunder Dragon Claw!"

"Third Soul Skill, Thunder Fury!"

His arms were instantly covered in blue-purple dragon scales, becoming incredibly thick and muscular, wreathed in violent blue electric snakes; his attack power and lightning attribute surged instantly! He did not dodge or evade, meeting Dai Mubai's tiger palm head-on with a single dragon claw!

Boom!

Blue-white lightning and white-gold soul power collided fiercely, sending shockwaves rolling! Dai Mubai let out a muffled groan, feeling a violent force of thunder surge into his body through his arm, causing his blood to churn; his already injured body suffered further, and he was sent staggering backward by the impact.

Yu Tianheng did not let up, his second soul ring flashing beneath his feet, "Second Soul Skill, Thunderbolt!" Countless fine blue electric snakes erupted from his body, forming a wide-area lightning domain that not only boosted his own attacks but also inflicted continuous electric damage and paralysis effects on nearby enemies.

Trapped within the lightning domain, Dai Mubai's movements were immediately hindered, electric sparks constantly exploding against his body as waves of numbness and sharp pain radiated from his wounds. He attempted to launch a White Tiger Meteor Shower for a long-range attack, but Yu Tianheng swatted it away with superior speed and a powerful dragon claw.

The gap in strength and the disparity in their conditions were reflected perfectly in this moment.

In less than three minutes, Dai Mubai was covered in wounds, gasping for breath, his soul power severely depleted. While Yu Tianheng had also consumed a significant amount, his momentum was like a rainbow, firmly holding the upper hand.

Finally, Yu Tianheng seized an opening in Dai Mubai's defense, slamming a charged Thunder Dragon Claw heavily against Dai Mubai's crossed arms!

Crack! The faint sound of bone fracturing echoed.

Dai Mubai let out a miserable cry, spitting blood as he was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily to the ground; he struggled a few times but could not climb back up.

"Mubai!" The Shrek group was shocked, rushing forward in a hurry.

Zhu Zhuqing helped Dai Mubai up, and Oscar hurriedly handed over a Restoration Big Sausage.

Yu Tianheng withdrew his stance and looked toward Lin Yi, "Team Leader, I have fulfilled my mission."

Lin Yi nodded slightly, his gaze shifting to the livid Zhao Wuji and the cold-eyed Shrek group, "The outcome is decided. This soul beast belongs to us."

A deathly silence fell over the Shrek side, the humiliation of defeat and having their soul beast snatched away filling everyone's hearts.

However, just as Lin Yi prepared to signal the Imperial Fighting Team to take over and deal with the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, which was catching its breath and eyeing them covetously now that Shrek had ceased its attacks, "Wait!"

A cold voice rang out.

Tang San slowly stood up. He supported the heavily injured Dai Mubai, his eyes, usually gentle, now staring at Lin Yi like a frozen pool as he said word by word, "Lin Yi! Boss Dai lost, and the soul beast belongs to you; we have nothing to say."

"However, I, Tang San, challenge you in my own name!"

"The wager is the soul beast you just won! If you lose, the soul beast is returned!"