Only I Reign Supreme! Dai Mubai's Crushing Defeat!

Dai Mubai rubbed his eyes hard and looked again. The black ring was still slowly pulsing, radiating a heart-pounding aura.

"Fake! It's absolutely fake!"

Dai Mubai shook his head violently, a strange surge of confidence rising in his heart.

"This has to be some kind of illusion-type Soul Skill! Even the descendant of a Titled Douluo couldn't have a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring as his first one. His body wouldn't be able to withstand it! Kid, do you think you can scare me with this kind of trick?"

Watching Dai Mubai psych himself up, Lin Qiu had no desire to explain.

He merely reminded him calmly:

"I'm about to make my move, okay?"

Dai Mubai sneered, forcibly suppressing his unease as he assumed a defensive stance.

"You're pretty convincing, I'll give you that. Too bad that trick won't fool me! Bring it on!"

Lin Qiu didn't use a Soul Skill.

With the support of this so-called "Covering Sky System," his cultivation had long since gone beyond the Soul Power system of the Douluo Continent.

After being tempered by the currents of chaos, his body was already on par with a Primordial Ferocious Beast.

Lin Qiu stepped forward.

Without any flashy movements, he simply threw an ordinary punch.

Yet the instant his fist shot out, Dai Mubai felt as if the world before him had collapsed.

This wasn't a fluctuation of Soul Power, but a pure, overbearing "force"—one powerful enough to suppress everything.

That punch carried the majestic bearing of the Shrouding Heavens World: breaking ten thousand techniques with sheer strength, raising a hand to blot out the vault of heaven.

Boom!

Before the wind of the punch even reached him, its force crashed down like a landslide and a tsunami.

Dai Mubai hadn't even seen how Lin Qiu moved before a sharp pain burst through his chest.

"Pfft—"

Dai Mubai flew backward like a kite with its strings cut, slamming into a tree so large that three people were needed to encircle it. A mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips.

Leaves rustled down around him. Dai Mubai slid to the ground, clutching his chest with both hands, his eyes full of shock.

How could he be this strong?

In that instant, Dai Mubai had felt that he wasn't facing a person at all, but a Savage Dragon from the primordial wilderness!

Lin Qiu withdrew his fist and glanced at Dai Mubai on the ground, then said with a hint of apology:

"Sorry. It was my first time fighting a primordial... I mean, a White Tiger Martial Soul. I didn't control my strength."

To Dai Mubai, those words were nothing short of blatant humiliation.

He struggled to his feet, his eyes bloodshot, and roared:

"You did that on purpose?! I don't believe it! First Soul Skill, White Tiger Protection Barrier!"

Dai Mubai was completely enraged. The First Soul Ring on his body suddenly lit up, and a layer of white light instantly enveloped him. At the same time, his muscles tensed again, greatly increasing his defense.

He refused to believe that he, the mighty Evil-Eyed White Tiger, couldn't even withstand a single punch from his opponent!

Seeing this, Lin Qiu shook his head slightly.

"Why bother?"

He raised his hand again and threw another plain, unadorned punch.

But in Hu Liena's eyes, Lin Qiu stood tall as a pine tree. Golden vitality seemed to surge faintly around him. Although he hadn't used that terrifying black Soul Ring, his air of supremacy over all still made her want to bow down and worship him.

This was the "Dao" that Bibi Dong valued.

A way of fighting that transcended Soul Skills.

Thud!

A muffled impact rang out.

The White Tiger Protection Barrier that Dai Mubai had once prided himself on was as fragile as a sheet of paper before Lin Qiu's fist. It shattered to pieces in an instant.

"Ah—!"

Another scream rang out.

This time, Dai Mubai flew even farther, crashing straight into a thicket.

He couldn't understand it.

He really couldn't.

Why were there no dazzling Soul Skill effects? Why was there no brilliant display? How could a mere fist crush him so completely?

His opponent's way of fighting was so cool. Every move and every stance carried a natural, effortless grace. His wide, sweeping attacks seemed to make even heaven and earth move in rhythm with him.

By comparison, Dai Mubai's own style—shouting out the names of his Soul Skills and then charging headlong into a clash—was crude beyond belief.

But Lin Qiu gave him no time to think.

To make sure he completed the mission—and, as a bonus, to "improve his control"—Lin Qiu flashed forward in pursuit.

For the next half-stick of incense, it was a one-sided beating.

The woods echoed with the dull thuds of fists landing and Dai Mubai's despairing wails.

Lin Qiu didn't try to kill him. Every punch avoided vital spots, yet each one made Dai Mubai ache down to his very soul.

At last, Dai Mubai lay on the ground, bruised and swollen, barely conscious and on the verge of tears, pretending to be dead. Just then, a pleasant notification sounded in Lin Qiu's mind.

[ Ding! Mission complete: Defeat the possessor of the Primordial White Tiger Bloodline. ]

[ Mission reward: Supreme Bone (sent to the system storage). ]

It was finally over.

Lin Qiu let out a long breath and clapped his hands with satisfaction.

Ignoring Dai Mubai, who had passed out, Lin Qiu turned and returned to Hu Liena's side.

"Let's go. The commotion here might attract other Soul Beasts."

Lin Qiu spoke softly.

Hu Liena obediently nodded. Her gaze held not only affection, but also a little more admiration.

The two quickly left the scene.

Now that the mission involving Dai Mubai was taken care of, it was time to find Hu Liena a Soul Ring.

Lin Qiu found a secluded spot, closed his eyes, and once again used the divine ability known as the Nine Nether Prayer Technique.

This time, it was as if a river of stars swirled in his eyes. Deep within his pupils, the faint image of a vertical eye slowly appeared: the Star Eye, capable of seeing through illusions and pointing the way.

A moment later, Lin Qiu opened his eyes and looked toward the southeast of Star Dou Forest.

"Found it."

"Twelve o'clock, about five miles away."

"Looks like there's a Soul Beast that's perfect for you."

The two didn't hesitate. Led by Lin Qiu, they sped through the dense forest like bolts of lightning.

Soon, they had ventured deeper into Star Dou Forest.

The trees here were even taller, blotting out the sky and sun. An ancient, dangerous aura hung in the air.

Lin Qiu frowned slightly. Most of the Soul Beasts here were already ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts, and there was no shortage of high-level Soul Beasts that were tens of thousands of years old.

However, guided by the Star Eye, they still found their target without trouble.

In a dark valley, dots of ghostly blue flame drifted through the air.

A snow-white fox, its limbs and ear-tips the only parts tinged ghostly blue, was resting on a boulder.

Eerie ghost flames swirled around it, radiating a strange mental fluctuation that ensnared the mind.

"Ghost Fire Demon Fox!"

Hu Liena lowered her voice, excitement filling her words.

"Judging by its size and the color of its ghost flames, it's right around eighteen hundred years old! Both its age and attributes are a perfect match for my Demon Fox Martial Soul!"

Soul Beasts like this were extremely rare. Mental Attribute Soul Beasts were scarce to begin with, and a Demon Fox with ghost flames that could attack was rarer still.

Lin Qiu was very pleased with it too.

The Shrouding Heavens Dao Method really delivered. If it said it would find a suitable one, it would never settle for anything inferior.

"Since it's a good fit, then it's the one."

Lin Qiu didn't waste words. He lightly flicked a finger.

He didn't use some earth-shattering Soul Skill. He simply sent out a thread of finger-force, but it carried the Dao's resonance known as the Heaven-Severing Finger.