Second Soul Skill, Amaterasu!

"Yes." Wang Changbi's voice brimmed with pride. "We of the Body Sect don't care for all that superficial nonsense. A sect's base has to be hidden and secure. These courtyards may look ordinary, but every one of them has secret passages and traps beneath it. If anyone really breaks in, we'll make sure they never leave."

He led Dai Tu up the bluestone steps.

They encountered several disciples returning late as well, both male and female, all quite young. When they saw Wang Changbi, they smiled and greeted him. When they saw Dai Tu, they merely gave him a few curious glances without asking questions.

The atmosphere was relaxed and natural, as though he had truly returned "home."

At last, the two stopped before the largest courtyard halfway up the mountain.

The courtyard gate stood open, brightly lit within. Before they even entered, a booming voice came from inside.

"Long Arm? Who did you bring back so late?"

Wang Changbi quickly pulled Dai Tu inside.

In the courtyard, a man sat on a stone bench drinking.

He looked like a middle-aged man in his forties, though his actual age might have been far greater.

His long dark-green hair hung casually over his shoulders. His features were rugged, with a high nose bridge and short stubble on his chin. He wore an open short shirt that exposed his sturdy chest, and he held a wine gourd as he tipped his head back to drink.

What stood out most were his eyes—jade green, gleaming beneath the lamplight with a beastlike radiance. Sharp, domineering, and suffused with an oppressive aura.

With just one glance from him, Dai Tu felt as though something had pierced straight through his soul.

"Sect Master." Wang Changbi respectfully bowed, then pointed at Dai Tu.

"I found him at the Death Arena today. His Body Martial Soul is his eyes. He won ten consecutive matches, all against opponents above his rank. He's very strong."

Du Busi set down his wine gourd and narrowed his eyes as he looked Dai Tu over.

"Kid, what's your name?"

"Dai Tu."

"Dai Tu... good. Dai Tu, let me tell you this." Du Busi rose to his feet. He was very tall, standing half a head taller than even Wang Changbi, like an iron tower. "I don't care who you were before joining the Body Sect, what you did, or who your enemies are. Since Long Arm brought you back, and since you possess a Body Martial Soul, from today onward, you are one of the Body Sect."

He walked up to Dai Tu and looked down at the youth, who only reached his chest. His voice was thunderous and firm.

"The Body Sect doesn't have many rules. There's only one: once you enter this gate, you are family. Family supports and protects one another. Whoever dares touch a member of my Body Sect, I'll wipe out his entire clan."

Dai Tu raised his head and looked into Du Busi's jade-green eyes.

Those eyes held dominance, arrogance, and an unquestionable strength.

But they also contained something... something simple and direct that he had not seen in a long time: sincerity.

No beating around the bush, no false pleasantries, no hypocritical courtesies. He spoke plainly and meant what he said. If he said he would protect you, he truly would. If he said you were family, he would truly treat you as family.

That atmosphere sent the faintest ripple through his heart, which had long since turned cold.

"I understand." Dai Tu nodded. His voice remained calm, but the distance in his tone seemed to have faded by the slightest degree.

Du Busi patted Dai Tu's shoulder approvingly. The force was so great that Dai Tu's body tilted to one side.

"Good! Since we're family now, tell me about your Martial Soul. Eyes, right?"

Excitement flashed through Du Busi's eyes. "The more important a Body Martial Soul is to one's body, the greater its potential. Eyes... those are second only to the brain in importance. Kid, you've struck gold."

After a pause, he asked, "What level are you now? What are your soul skills? Show me."

Dai Tu thought for a moment. "Level twenty-five. My soul skill... is rather strong. I'm afraid it might hurt you."

Du Busi froze for a moment, then burst out laughing.

His laughter made the leaves in the courtyard rustle.

"Hurt me? Kid, do you know who I am? I'm Du Busi, Sect Master of the Body Sect! A level ninety-eight Super Douluo, only one step away from becoming a Limit Douluo! Your little bit of Soul Power isn't even enough to scratch an itch!"

After laughing enough, he waved a hand, wearing an expression that said, "Bring it on."

"Come, use your strongest soul skill and hit me here." Du Busi pointed at his own chest, his face full of confidence. "Let me see what's so special about your eye Martial Soul."

Dai Tu glanced at him, then at Wang Changbi.

Wang Changbi smiled and nodded as well, clearly not believing Dai Tu could hurt the Sect Master.

Dai Tu said no more.

He stepped back three paces to widen the distance, then raised his head.

A scarlet light lit up in his eyes.

The shuriken pattern of the Mangekyō Sharingan quietly emerged and slowly began to turn. An eerie, cold power filled with the aura of destruction began to spread through the courtyard.

The smile on Du Busi's face stiffened slightly.

He felt the air around him becoming "heavy." It was not Soul Power pressure, but a deeper change, one on the level of laws.

It was as though this small stretch of space was being... severed from reality by some force.

"First Soul Skill!"

Dai Tu spoke softly, raising his right hand. His fingers curled loosely as he aimed at Du Busi's chest.

"Kamui: Distortion."

The moment the words fell, Du Busi felt the space around his chest begin to twist.

It was not an illusion, but a genuine, physical distortion. It was as though an invisible giant hand had seized that small patch of space and viciously wrung it.

The air let out a strained groan, while light underwent bizarre refraction within that area.

Then, that "hand" began to twist his body.

Du Busi frowned.

He could feel an unimaginably powerful force acting upon his chest.

That force sought to twist apart his skin, muscles, and bones, trying to "erase" that patch of flesh and blood from this world.

But Du Busi was a level ninety-eight Super Douluo.

He snorted coldly, and the vast Soul Power within him erupted.

Dark-green light surged from his body, forming a solid layer of Soul Power armor that firmly resisted the twisting force.

The two powers clashed violently at his chest, producing a hissing sound like red-hot iron plunged into cold water.

A few seconds later, the twisting force dissipated.

Du Busi lowered his head and looked at his chest.

The clothes over his chest had been twisted into wrinkles, but his skin was completely unharmed. Only the outermost layer of his Soul Power armor bore several tiny cracks, which quickly repaired themselves.

He raised his head to look at Dai Tu. The contempt and amusement in his eyes were gone, replaced by gravity and a barely concealed... excitement.

"A spatial soul skill..." Du Busi murmured, as though speaking to himself, yet also confirming it. "At level twenty-five, you can already use a spatial soul skill of this level. And that feeling just now... it wasn't simple spatial tearing. It was something more fundamental... 'erasure'?"

He stared at Dai Tu's scarlet eyes and the eerie shuriken pattern within them. The light in his jade-green pupils grew brighter and brighter.

"Kid," Du Busi said, unable to suppress his ecstatic delight, "what exactly are those eyes of yours?"

Dai Tu lowered his hand, and the Mangekyō in his eyes slowly faded.

He looked calmly at Du Busi and said only four words.

"Mangekyō Sharingan."