"Fuck!"
A furious shout rang out.
Mi Hu, who had still been swaggering with his chin raised, suddenly felt a sharp pain in his stomach. He pitched backward and slammed into the city wall nearby.
"Ugh! You little brat, you...!"
When he hit the wall, Mi Hu's vision went black.
As a three-ring Soul Elder, he was already a decent fighter among the ordinary people who came and went here every day!
What was more, his Martial Soul was a Beast Martial Soul, the type that enhanced physical fitness the most.
With his strong, healthy body,
even without using a Soul Skill, he could have easily shouted that certain Master Ye's "I can take on ten men" declaration at those ordinary people.
But even so, the pain in his stomach and back still made him cry out.
Along with the pain came a surging fury and humiliation he could barely suppress.
He'd been beaten up, and the one who'd hit him was nothing but a little brat who hadn't even grown a hair yet.
How could that not make him furious?
Even his own brother had never hit him like that!
"I'll kill you!!"
Mi Hu's eyes filled with crimson. The pain in his body only stoked the violence rising in his chest.
Three bright Soul Rings—white, yellow, and purple—appeared around him.
Claws gleaming with cold light and thick, dark-green scales covered Mi Hu, making his already bulky armor look even more swollen.
At the same time, a thick tail sprouted from behind him and slammed into the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.
Two rows of broad spikes stood out from the dark-green, leathery scales.
With the Soul Mark on his back flashing, he looked every bit like a humanoid Ferocious Crocodile.
"First Soul Skill—Deadly Crocodile Poison!
Second Soul Skill—Fierce Crocodile Charge!
Third Soul Skill—Berserk Crocodile!"
His three Soul Rings flashed, and Mi Hu's aura surged several times over.
Dark-green poison covered his claws.
A faint red glow—probably an enhancement skill—flickered around him. His speed increased, and his attacks gained a razor-sharp edge.
The wind howled as green and red light intertwined. Mi Hu became a streak of lightning, appearing before Fang Le in an instant.
He swung a mighty punch straight at Fang Le's head.
His enormous fist, wrapped in Soul Power, was clearly meant to kill Fang Le.
"Ah, what a pity. Such a handsome boy..."
"Dad, I'm scared..."
Some in the crowd felt sorry for him, while others were afraid. An old man shook his head, and a young girl covered her eyes, unable to bear watching the bloody scene to come.
Even so, there were plenty who mocked him.
The child looked no more than six or seven, the age when Martial Souls were first awakened. To swagger around like that, tossing out Gold Soul Coins—
It was bound to make people jealous.
"What's there to feel sorry about? He shouldn't have provoked Mi Hu.
They were only a few Gold Soul Coins. He's so rich—what would it have mattered if he'd handed them over? Now he's thrown his life away for nothing. If you ask me, he got what he deserved."
Still, plenty of people knew better.
They held back their restless companions, who were eager to jump in, and sneered as they shuffled away.
"What, you want to get involved too?!
Are you trying to die? Why meddle in this?
If Mi Hu could actually hurt that young master under the gaze of that lord, then tomorrow the pigs in Lingdou City could turn into Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts and fly into the sky!"
"Hey! Why are you walking so fast? It's not over yet!"
"What's there to watch? Do you think people like you and me should be watching this kind of spectacle?
Have you forgotten how your great-uncle was shaken to death by the aura when he watched experts fight a couple of years ago?!
If you're not afraid, go ahead and watch. I'm leaving."
The world was a tapestry of every sort: kind, cruel, and indifferent.
As one of the main characters in the scene, Fang Le merely sneered at the fist flying toward him.
What a rotten world! It really was awful.
He'd paid by the rules, even given them more than he had to, and yet...
Why did every last one of them have such hideous faces!?
Fortunately, he was still short, so he didn't have to look at those ugly mugs. That guy's expression had to be especially hideous and vicious right now.
Better not look. Fang Le was worried he'd have nightmares tonight if he stared too long.
That would ruin his excellent sleep, and that wouldn't do at all.
Besides, in this world, when a fist came flying, why bother looking at your opponent's face? All you had to do was figure out where the punch was coming from, then send a heavy blow right back that way.
"Ha!"
He drew a breath and threw a punch!
Fist met fist. After two shouts came an even heavier, dull impact.
Then, to Mi Hu's astonishment, the stinking little brat in front of him, who wasn't even as tall as his thigh—
had actually held his ground!
Fist against fist, the kid had blocked his killing blow with sheer, overwhelming strength!
"Just what has this brat been eating to grow up so strong?!"
The same question rose in the minds of the onlookers.
That was a Soul Elder's all-out killing blow! And he'd blocked it just like that?
He hadn't even activated his Martial Soul or used a Soul Skill—he'd stopped it with nothing but his physical strength!?
Mi Hu's First Soul Ring might not have been the ideal match, but ever since Mi Long had risen to prominence,
his Second and Third Soul Rings had both been carefully selected and matched by his brother.
Together, they could achieve more than the sum of their parts.
With his Soul Power at level thirty-eight, he might not have been able to fight across levels like the geniuses did,
but against Soul Elders below level forty, he was still a dominant force, and could even hold off a Soul Ancestor for a short while.
And yet, against Fang Le's small body, he couldn't advance an inch.
Which meant that even at such a young age, this child's physical strength was already on par with a Soul Ancestor's!
A monster!
An absolute monster!
The kind of monster who could get into Shrek!
(Fang Le: Sorry, but I'm offended! It's not worthy.)
But there was something that needed to be said here. As everyone knew,
though people talked more about the mechanics, they shouldn't forget:
Uncle Steve was famous the world over for more than just his bizarre little tricks and marvelous tools.
Stats.
Stats that were never overexplained—or even described at all.
Stats that revealed themselves in everything he did, every moment of every day. Powerful stats.
A stalemate? Not a chance!
Just look at his detached Martial Soul. The moment it awakened, it could pin a thousand-year Soul Beast to the ground and pound it.
Fang Le might not quite measure up, but as a level-seventeen Soul Master, he could swing one arm with at least five thousand catties of force.
He might not be able to beat every Soul Ancestor outright, but at the very least, he could match the vast majority of Power Attack System Soul Ancestors.
That included the Golden Dragon King with its strength attribute, and that stat-monster, the Lion Dog.
If anyone awakened them as a Martial Soul, perhaps by the time they reached the Soul Ancestor rank, they could go toe-to-toe with Fang Le as he was now.
Fang Le: "Ancestor of Strength? Hah! I see nothing but a braggart begging for death."
"How is this possible?!"
Mi Hu cried out in shock, but the game was over.
In his horrified gaze,
Fang Le's fist turned into a palm. He grabbed Mi Hu's fist and yanked it down hard, pulling him off balance.
Then, without even looking, Fang Le turned and kicked. His little foot smacked Mi Hu right in his horrified face.
A beautiful spinning kick!
Mi Hu obligingly spun through the air and hit the ground!
Mi Hu was down for the count!
Before you continue