Ghostly Speed

Ma Hongjun's voice had barely faded.

[Activate, Double Speed!] Zhu Zhuqing triggered the buff with a thought.

The buff would last for ten minutes, but when experts clashed, ten minutes was more than enough.

Dai Mubai moved.

His White Tiger Martial Soul ignited instantly; his bones cracked and popped as his muscles swelled, stretching his academy uniform sleeves to their limit. Traces of white fur could be seen sprouting beneath the fabric. Six soul rings rose—[Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Purple, Black, Black]—shimmering in the sunlight.

Dai Mubai didn't bother with probing; he went straight for full power.

"Second Soul Skill, White Tiger Intense Light Wave!"

A golden-white beam of light erupted from his palms, a full meter in diameter. It carried a scorching heatwave that made the stone slabs on the ground hum under the pressure.

The beam surged straight toward Zhu Zhuqing.

It was incredibly fast, taking less than half a second from activation to impact.

The watching students instinctively stepped back, those in the front row squinting against the searing heat.

The beam slammed into the spot where Zhu Zhuqing had been standing.

BOOM!

The stone slabs shattered, gravel flew, and a cloud of dust billowed two meters into the air.

"Did it hit?" Ma Hongjun craned his neck.

As the dust settled, a half-meter-deep crater was revealed in the ground, but it was empty—Zhu Zhuqing was gone.

"Over there!" someone shouted.

Every gaze snapped toward that direction.

Zhu Zhuqing stood on the stone steps at the very edge of the sports field, a full thirty meters away from her original position.

There wasn't a speck of dust on her black leather outfit, her breathing was steady, and not a single strand of hair was out of place.

Dai Mubai's pupils contracted.

Fast—too fast!

From the moment he launched his White Tiger Intense Light Wave to the moment it hit, there had been less than a fraction of a second to react. In such a short window, Zhu Zhuqing had not only dodged completely but had also covered over thirty meters.

This speed was definitely not something a level 62 Soul Emperor should possess.

Dai Mubai's smile vanished. "You've got some tricks."

Zhu Zhuqing didn't speak; she hopped down from the stone steps.

Her movement was feather-light, her black boots making only the faintest sound as they touched the stone.

Then, she vanished. It wasn't a martial soul skill, but simply speed—so fast that the naked eye couldn't keep up.

Dai Mubai only caught a glimpse of a black afterimage sweeping past his left side.

He turned instinctively, his tiger claws swiping through the air, but he hit nothing.

A gust of wind blew from behind, followed by a heavy impact on his lower back.

THUD!

Zhu Zhuqing's right foot had landed squarely on his lower back.

Dai Mubai stumbled forward two steps, his level 68 physique allowing him to regain his balance without falling. But the pain in his lower back was real; this was not the attack speed of a level 62.

Dai Mubai steadied himself and whipped his head around.

Zhu Zhuqing had already put distance between them, standing fifteen meters away with an expressionless face.

"Are you really Zhu Zhuqing?" Dai Mubai muttered.

It wasn't a question of identity, but pure shock.

The level 62 girl he had easily handled with one hand last night was now moving so fast he couldn't even track her shadow.

Xiao Wu, who had jumped eight levels in four hours; Ning Rongrong, whose Mushroom Sausage had turned into stone; and now, Zhu Zhuqing.

Dai Mubai suddenly recalled what Tang San and Oscar had said in the dormitory last night. At the time, he had been convinced they were losing their minds.

Now, it seemed what Tang San and Oscar said might actually be true.

Something abnormal was indeed happening to these girls, but this wasn't the time to dwell on it.

Dai Mubai gritted his teeth, pushing his soul power to the absolute limit as he activated his third soul skill.

"White Tiger Vajra Transformation!"

His body swelled once more, his height exceeding two meters. His entire frame was covered in a layer of golden-white fur, his features turned savage, his fangs protruded, and his hands transformed into massive tiger claws.

This was Dai Mubai's strongest form. His strength and defense were enhanced across the board.

Dai Mubai kicked off the ground, his tiger form lunging toward Zhu Zhuqing with immense wind pressure.

Zhu Zhuqing stood her ground, motionless.

It wasn't until Dai Mubai's tiger claws were only two meters away that she finally moved.

She dodged to the right, sliding past the very edge of Dai Mubai's tiger claw. She was so close she could feel the coarse, stiff fur of the claw brushing against the sleeve of her leather jacket.

She extended her left hand, fingers pressed together, and struck the inside of Dai Mubai's right arm with a palm blade.

Slap. A crisp sound rang out.

Dai Mubai's right arm went numb, and the power in his tiger claw instantly dissipated by more than half.

Zhu Zhuqing didn't stop; using her momentum, she spun half a circle and whipped her right leg out like a lash, kicking the back of Dai Mubai's knee.

Click. Dai Mubai's right knee buckled uncontrollably, and his body pitched forward.

The moment he was about to hit the ground, Zhu Zhuqing vanished again.

She reappeared on his left side.

She slammed an elbow into his ribs.

Dai Mubai let out a muffled grunt as his body tilted sideways.

Before he could steady himself, he took another kick to his back.

Thud, thud, thud.

Three consecutive strikes, all landing on his weak points: the back of the knee, the ribs, and the lower back. None of the blows were heavy, but they were terrifyingly precise, specifically targeting joints and soft tissue not covered by armor.

In his White Tiger Vajra Transformation state, Dai Mubai's muscles were as hard as iron plates; he could easily tank ordinary attacks head-on.

But Zhu Zhuqing didn't engage him head-on.

What did a two-fold speed difference mean?

It meant that for every time Dai Mubai turned around, Zhu Zhuqing could circle him twice. He was always chasing, yet never catching up. Every time he judged her position, she was already in another direction.

The watching students could only see a black afterimage flickering constantly around Dai Mubai, each flicker accompanied by a muffled thud.

Wounds began to appear on Dai Mubai's body.

His face had been slashed by a palm blade, and the corner of his left eye was bruised. He had taken at least four or five hits to his right ribs, which throbbed with every breath. His knee had been kicked twice, and his right leg was already starting to go weak.

Ma Hongjun stood on the sidelines, his mouth hanging wide open, forgetting to close it.

On the other side, Xiao Wu clapped her hands. "Well hit! Get him!"

Ning Rongrong clutched her notebook, a smile playing on her lips.

Bai Chenxiang poked her head out from behind Ning Rongrong, her eyes wide.

Dai Mubai panted heavily, his White Tiger Vajra Transformation tiger-body covered in red welts, his left eye already swollen shut.

What broke him even more was that he hadn't landed a single punch on Zhu Zhuqing—not one!

Every time he thought he had found an opening and swiped with his claw, she would vanish. Then, a heavy blow would land on his back or side.

Dai Mubai felt like he was fighting a shadow.

His stamina was draining rapidly. The White Tiger Vajra Transformation had a limited duration; if this continued, he wouldn't even be able to stand once the transformation ended.

Another kick landed on his lower back.

"Damn it! Don't blame me then! Fourth Spirit Ability: White Tiger Meteor Shower!"

Dai Mubai had unleashed his full strength. This spirit ability was an area-of-effect attack, sending countless light orbs crashing toward his target.

"Hmph!" Moving as if using Teleport, Zhu Zhuqing dodged the barrage with a few easy flashes and circled behind him.

Dai Mubai only felt a black shadow flicker past; before he could react, he took another hit.

He lunged forward two steps and dropped to one knee.

Zhu Zhuqing stopped, standing five meters away. Her black leather jacket remained spotless, her breathing only slightly faster than before.

The training ground fell silent.

Everyone stared at Dai Mubai, kneeling on one knee, and Zhu Zhuqing standing opposite him.

Dai Mubai looked up, his left eye swollen, his right eye filled with unwillingness.

"You..."

"Do you concede?" Zhu Zhuqing's voice was flat, devoid of triumph or provocation.

It was as if she were asking a perfectly ordinary question.

Dai Mubai gripped his tiger claws, his knuckles grinding against the stone floor with a creak.