Change of Guard

Bibi Dong sensed her own panic and, unwilling to let Ye Tian look down on her, clenched her fingers so tightly that her sharp nails dug into her palms.

The stinging pain in her palm brought her back to her senses, and Bibi Dong made a swift decision.

A spider web appeared between the bald man and Bibi Dong, and she immediately retreated at full speed.

The bald man gave a contemptuous laugh and flicked a cyan claw mark from his hand, instantly shattering the web that had troubled even the burly man.

The bald man continued his charge without slowing down.

Seeing the claw mark about to land on her, a look of certain victory appeared on the bald man's face.

Suddenly, he noticed that Bibi Dong, who had been retreating, opened her mouth, and a familiar white light shot straight out from within.

Impossible!

She had just used two soul skills; how could a Soul Grand Master of only twenty-something levels still have soul power!

Flying through the air, the bald man could no longer dodge. The white light pierced his brow, and in the next second, the light faded from his eyes.

Watching the bald man's body collapse, Bibi Dong finally let out a sigh of relief, bracing herself against the wall as she gasped for air.

Only then did she realize she was drenched in sweat, and her arms felt too weak to even lift.

I cannot give up; there is still one enemy left!

Bibi Dong steeled herself and turned to look at the burly man, only to see him tearing through the spider web, watching her with a playful glint in his eyes.

"Impossible! How are you not injured?"

The burly man chuckled, seemingly convinced the little girl was as good as dead, and took the initiative to explain.

"My third soul skill can create a physical clone. Although it only lasts for a minute, it was enough to break through your spider web."

"Damn it..."

Bibi Dong bit her lip, her eyes filled with unwillingness.

If she had paid more attention to the burly man, she wouldn't have let him escape so easily.

Now, her soul power was completely exhausted, while the opponent still had ninety percent of his strength; she couldn't take him down on her own.

The butler, who had been lying flat and feigning unconsciousness, sensed the situation and began signaling to Bibi Dong while keeping his back to the burly man.

Miss, you have already done wonderfully. Leave this remaining scoundrel to me.

"Dong'er, for your first real battle, being able to take on two opponents is already excellent."

"Let me handle him, and take this chance to learn about close-quarters combat between soul masters."

Bibi Dong murmured an acknowledgment, and when she lowered her head and looked up again, her eyes were filled with nothing but calm.

"Little girl, go to hell!"

The burly man roared, lunging toward Bibi Dong and bringing a palm as large as a fan down upon her.

Bibi Dong—no, it was Ye Tian now—retrieved a long blade forged from tempered steel from his Storage Ring.

Ye Tian moved with light steps, slipping out of the lock of the massive palm print, his figure ethereal as he lunged forward and struck a specific point on the burly man's arm.

In mid-air, the powerful palm print suddenly stalled, and the burly man's expression shifted to one of surprise and unease.

The soul power he had just channeled had been severed!

The burly man shouted, his first and third soul rings lighting up, and in the blink of an eye, two imposing clones appeared before Ye Tian.

"Dong'er, with this type of cloning soul skill, you only need to observe carefully to see which one is the real body."

Ye Tian still had the leisure to instruct Bibi Dong, and his movements were no less swift. His blade moved like a towering peak pressing down on the burly man, or like a dragonfly skimming the water, landing lightly on the man's vital points.

Within seconds, the distracted burly man revealed a flaw, and his clones were cut down by Ye Tian's blade.

Utilizing the walls of the alley, Ye Tian relied on a sliver of soul power to turn the fight into a chase, occasionally turning back to add a few more wounds to the burly man.

In less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the burly man's stamina and soul power were rapidly depleted, and driven by the instinct to survive, he turned and fled.

"Dong'er, did you see? No matter how dangerous the battle, you must remain calm."

The burly man, now only concerned with fleeing, had clearly forgotten that Ye Tian's movement technique was far faster than his own.

Ye Tian caught up, severed the burly man's leg from behind, and as the man let out a howl, finished him off with a single strike.

"Remember my movements just now; go practice them at the training grounds when we get home."

With that, Ye Tian returned control of the body to Dong'er.

With all three scoundrels dealt with, the butler stopped feigning unconsciousness and walked over to Bibi Dong, looking at her with admiration.

Miss Dong'er was not even ten years old, yet she had managed to take down three Soul Elder level opponents on her own. With such talent, the two masters would surely be proud of her in the future.

"Miss, let's head home. The guards will come to deal with the trash here shortly."

"Okay." Bibi Dong's face was deathly pale; she glanced at the butler, then closed her eyes and hurried away.

Not long after leaving the alley, Bibi Dong still felt the scent of blood lingering in her nostrils. After the intense life-and-death struggle, the image of the three men after their deaths surfaced in her mind.

In the end, she couldn't hold it back any longer, and she turned away to retch violently.

Ye Tian's eyes held a hint of heartache, yet he knew that to survive on the Douluo Continent, crossing the threshold of shedding blood was an absolute necessity.

Bibi Dong retched until she was dizzy and disoriented, eventually being carried back to her room by the butler.

When she opened her eyes again, the sky outside had already begun to darken.

"Brother Ye Tian, could you teach me that set of moves you used earlier?"

"I can, but go eat something first."

Bibi Dong quickly had the kitchen send over some food, and after filling her stomach, she returned to the mental space.

"Brother Ye Tian, let's begin!"

Bibi Dong looked at Ye Tian with a resolute gaze. She would never allow herself to be as weak as she was today ever again.

If she couldn't even defeat three soul masters of the same rank, how could she ever hope to ascend to the throne of the Pope?

Ye Tian imparted the set of techniques that complemented his spear style without holding anything back.

Because of his martial soul, he had been practicing the spear incessantly since the age of six; every move and stance he practiced was a killing technique.

To hone his spear skills, he had gone to the Soul Fighting Arena after reaching level thirty, going from being beaten into critical condition at the start to eventually claiming a hundred consecutive victories.

"Before every strike is delivered, you must anticipate how the enemy will respond."

"The angle of your attack must leave the enemy with nowhere to hide, so that your offensive rhythm remains unbroken."

"Memorize this set of moves, practice them at least a hundred times a day, and train until your body has carved these movements into your very bones!"

After memorizing the moves, Bibi Dong rained down punches in the training ground. Whenever a movement was not executed correctly, Ye Tian would point it out without mercy, transforming into the strictest of teachers who left no room for sentiment.

Whenever Bibi Dong felt her strength exhausted and was about to collapse, Ye Tian's voice would ring out right on cue.

"Get up!"

"You can't even handle this little bit of hardship? With that attitude, you still want to become the number one person on the Douluo Continent!"

"If you want to give up, then keep lying there; otherwise, as long as you aren't dead, keep practicing!"