Beat Down Yu Tianheng!

(Image of Dugu Yan from the manga)

The onlookers gasped in unison.

"It's the Dragon Transformation of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan! He can partially transform his body into a dragon, causing his strength and defense to skyrocket!"

"How does that kid across from him dare to fight him? This isn't even a battle on the same level!"

Yu Tianheng curled his lips into a smirk, pushed off the ground, and shot forward like a cannonball.

"Die!"

His dragon claw, wreathed in blue-purple electric arcs, struck straight for Lin Jiang's face!

The strike was fast and vicious, tearing through the air with a sharp, whistling shriek.

The spectators didn't even have time to blink—

Lin Jiang threw a punch.

"Bang—!"

Fist met claw, and a shockwave exploded outward!

The smile on Yu Tianheng's face froze.

His dragon claw was numbed by the impact, his entire arm trembled, and his body was forced back three steps uncontrollably.

With every step he took, the stone floor shattered into cracks.

As for Lin Jiang, he stood his ground, not retreating a single inch.

Yu Tianheng looked down at his trembling right hand, his pupils constricting.

How is this possible?!

His Dragon Transformation, his full-power strike, was repelled by a single punch from a youth of the same generation?

What was even more bizarre was that his martial soul was trembling.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, a top-tier beast martial soul of the Upper Three Sects, was cowering within him right now, as if it had encountered some terrifying natural predator.

A fear that seeped from the very marrow of his bones.

Yu Tianheng gritted his teeth, forcing that shudder down.

He couldn't worry about that now!

"Second Soul Skill—Thunderbolt!"

Blue-purple lightning surged madly from his body, transforming into countless electric arrows that shot out in every direction!

Each bolt of lightning carried a paralyzing force, covering a radius of ten meters—

Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling were also within the range of the attack!

Lin Jiang frowned.

He could dodge. But the two people behind him couldn't.

A golden phantom soared into the sky behind him!

Golden Dragon King!

The dragon head reared up, its golden scales erupting with dazzling light under the sun, and the dragon might crushed down like a physical weight!

The air at the entrance of the Soul Fighting Arena solidified.

Lin Jiang crossed his arms, shielding Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling.

Countless electric arrows struck him, but the blue-purple arcs merely crackled against the golden dragon scale patterns on his skin, failing to move him in the slightest.

He took every single bolt of lightning on his own.

And that dragon might continued to spread.

Among the onlookers, the expressions of every beast martial soul master changed simultaneously.

Some felt their legs go weak, some retreated, and others broke out in a cold sweat.

It was a suppression carved into the very origin of their martial souls; no matter how high their level, they couldn't resist it.

And Yu Tianheng, who possessed the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul, was the most miserable of them all.

His martial soul was wailing. It was submitting. It was begging him to run.

"Ho... how..." He opened his mouth, his voice cracking, "is this possible... what kind of martial soul is this?!"

His legs were shaking, his hands were trembling, and even his teeth were chattering.

A layer of gray covered his blue-purple scales, and all his electric arcs flickered out.

Everyone around them stood with mouths agape, staring at that golden dragon shadow.

What kind of martial soul was this?

What level of pressure was this?

Before Yu Tianheng could recover from his shock, a foot had already slammed into his chest.

"Bang!"

He flew backward, tumbling three times across the ground before lying there motionless.

The entire arena fell into a deathly silence.

Lin Jiang retracted his foot, brushed the dust off his sleeves, and glanced back at Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling.

"Let's go, time to register."

Dugu Yan hooked her arm through his, her eyes curving into crescents as she smiled.

Ye Lingling followed behind, stealing a glance at him before lowering her head, her fingers clutching the hem of her skirt.

Behind them, Yu Feng and Osler stood frozen in place, their expressions as if they had just swallowed flies.

"B-Boss..."

The two exchanged a look, neither daring to step forward to help him up.

The surrounding crowd automatically parted, watching the three of them walk toward the entrance of the Soul Fighting Arena.

"What exactly... was that Martial Soul?"

"No idea. But it's definitely stronger than the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon."

"No kidding, didn't you see Yu Tianheng kneel instantly?"

Whispers rose and fell, all kept at a very low volume.

On the stone slab at the entrance, Yu Tianheng lay prone, his fingers twitching, unable to pull himself up.

As they walked, Dugu Yan clung to Lin Jiang's arm, her chin tilted slightly upward.

"I knew you could do it. Now they won't dare to mess with us again."

Lin Jiang shook his head: "That's not necessarily true."

Ye Lingling followed behind, her fingers still clutching her skirt, her voice soft: "They won't let this go."

Lin Jiang looked back at her, his tone casual: "But they won't do anything to you two; they'll only come for me."

Ye Lingling looked up, the lights of the Soul Fighting Arena reflecting in her blue eyes.

"Lin Jiang..."

"It's fine." Lin Jiang turned back around and headed toward the registration desk, "Let's go fight, Lingling."

Ye Lingling was stunned for a moment, then trotted a few steps to catch up, whispering a soft "Okay."

At the entrance, Yu Feng and Osler hauled Yu Tianheng up from the ground.

Yu Tianheng clutched his chest, his face ashen, his breathing ragged.

Yu Feng supported him, asking cautiously: "Boss, are you alright?"

Yu Tianheng gritted his teeth, staring in the direction where Lin Jiang had disappeared.

"Damn it... he's messed with the wrong person!"

He slammed a fist into the ground, causing cracks to spiderweb across the stone slab.

"So he wants to fight, does he?"

He looked up, a cold, sinister smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"I'll let them fight!"

Lin Jiang easily swept all his morning matches.

One punch per opponent, clean and efficient.

The name Golden Scale spread through the Soul Fighting Arena as if it had grown wings.

"The Golden Leaf Duo won again! That's their fourth match today!"

"What is the background of that masked guy? He hasn't even used his Martial Soul yet!"

"I heard people tried to dig up his history, but they couldn't find a thing."

More and more people in the stands were betting on the Golden Leaf Duo.

What was an underdog yesterday had become a hot favorite today.

But by evening—

When the match card for the final fight was posted, the entire arena erupted.

"The Golden Leaf Duo, versus—the Electric Arc Duo!"

The stands were filled with heated discussion, the noise rising wave after wave.

"The Golden Leaf Duo has had over a dozen consecutive wins in just two days, but why would the arena arrange the Electric Arc Duo for them?"

"The Electric Arc Duo are Soul Ancestors over level forty! The two are invincible at the Soul Ancestor level; they specifically stay at level forty-nine without advancing just to make money in the arena."

"I heard their opponents either end up dead or paralyzed..."

Someone lowered their voice, stating the fact that everyone knew but no one dared to say aloud.

"It seems someone is pulling the strings. They don't want the Golden Leaf Duo to keep winning."

"Better play it safe and bet on the Electric Arc Duo this round. The level gap is just too massive!"

The audience shook their heads, one after another tossing their coin purses onto the side of the Electric Arc Duo.

Occasionally, a few who wanted to bet on the underdog were persuaded by those nearby and pulled their hands back.

Inside the viewing room.

Yu Tianheng sat in a chair, legs crossed, holding a cup of tea in his hand.

The floor-to-ceiling window in front of him faced Soul Fighting Platform No. 5, offering an excellent view.

Yu Feng and Osler stood to his left and right, identical smiles hanging on their faces.

"Hmph." Yu Tianheng took a sip of tea, the corners of his mouth slowly curling up. "On the soul fighting platform, blades have no eyes. The Electric Arc Duo certainly won't show any mercy."

Yu Feng smiled and chimed in, "Boss's plan is brilliant! No matter how well that kid can fight, can he really take on two level 49 Soul Ancestors?"