After trekking for more than ten hours, Dai Mubai finally saw a magnificent steel fortress appear at the end of the horizon.
Sixth Satellite City!
Thinking back on the hardships of the journey, Dai Mubai almost had the urge to burst into tears.
Along the way, he had witnessed firsthand the cruelty of the Wilderness Zone.
What he saw through the Sky Screen felt completely different from seeing it in person.
On the Sky Screen, those monsters merely looked frightening. The pressure and oppression they gave off had been weakened by dozens, perhaps even hundreds of times.
Only after seeing those monsters with his own eyes did Dai Mubai understand just how terrifying this other world truly was.
The monsters wandering through the ruins, whether in size or bloodthirsty instinct, far surpassed the ordinary Soul Beasts on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, he had remained highly vigilant the entire way. He had even maintained Martial Soul Possession throughout the journey, and by now, his Soul Power had been completely exhausted.
Fortunately, he had been lucky. The beastly instincts granted by his White Tiger Martial Soul had helped him avoid several large herds of beasts.
That was why he had managed to spot the satellite city before his Soul Power ran out completely!
The towering metal walls were like a crouching beast, cold and heavy. Rows of thick cannon barrels stood atop them, gleaming with an icy light.
Dai Mubai blended into a group of ragged, dust-covered scavengers and passed the identity check at the city gate without incident.
After the Great Nirvana, people from survivor settlements in the wild occasionally came to seek refuge. The guards at the gates were long accustomed to it. As long as they confirmed that no virus was being carried and completed a simple registration, they let them through.
Once inside the city, the sight before Dai Mubai opened his eyes.
Wide, smooth asphalt streets stretched ahead, flanked by skyscrapers dozens of stories tall. Streamlined flying buses occasionally streaked through the air overhead. This level of prosperity far surpassed the imperial capital of the Star Luo Empire.
"Gurgle—"
His stomach protested.
Dai Mubai swallowed a mouthful of dry saliva, feeling rather helpless.
After crossing into another world, he had not a penny to his name. Back on Douluo Continent, he had been a prince with no worries about food or drink, much less any skills for making a living.
Now, even filling his stomach was proving difficult.
"Ah, the most urgent matter is to figure out this world's strength system first, then find a place to settle down."
Lost in thought as he walked, Dai Mubai looked up again and found a strangely shaped building before him.
It was an enormous structure covering a vast area, its entire body carrying a deep-blue metallic sheen. Its shape resembled a massive spaceship docked in the heart of the city.
Four flamboyant characters hung above the front of the building—Extreme Martial Arts Hall!
Dai Mubai's heart stirred.
That short-haired youth had mentioned before that martial arts halls were places that trained Martial Artists.
Whether he wanted to gather information, make a living, search for cultivation techniques, or obtain resources, this was an excellent place.
With that thought, Dai Mubai tugged at his tattered coat and quietly slipped into the martial arts hall's first-floor lobby along with the crowd flowing in and out.
The first-floor lobby was exceptionally spacious. It contained all kinds of strange instruments he had never seen before, while several hundred people were scattered throughout different areas, exercising in a sweat.
At the center of the lobby stood a machine resembling a large punching target.
Several people gathered beside it, taking turns punching the black target. Every time a fist landed, a number flashed on the screen above the machine.
"Is this a device for testing strength?"
Dai Mubai silently guessed.
He waited patiently for a while. Only after the people in that corner had dispersed, leaving the machine standing there alone, did he stride over.
Standing before the punching-strength tester, Dai Mubai took a deep breath.
He wanted to see what level his proud thirty-seventh-rank assault-type Battle Soul Elder cultivation stood at in this world!
"White Tiger, Possession!"
With a low shout, Dai Mubai mobilized every last trace of Soul Power within him and unleashed it without reservation!
Then, his bones crackled, his muscles swelled, and his hands instantly transformed into broad tiger claws. To produce the ultimate result, he even activated his third Soul Skill directly—White Tiger Vajra Transformation!
Under the enhancement of his third Soul Skill, his strength and attack power instantly doubled.
Dai Mubai bent his knees slightly and forcefully twisted his waist. Power traveled along his spine into his right arm, and with a piercing roar of air, he slammed his fist viciously into the black testing target!
Bang!
A dull impact echoed through the corner.
The punching target shook violently.
Dai Mubai withdrew his numbed right arm and raised his head expectantly, looking at the display above the machine.
The red numbers flickered rapidly before finally settling.
"920 kg."
Seeing that number, a satisfied smile finally appeared on Dai Mubai's tense face.
That short-haired youth on the Sky Screen had said that the passing mark for a Junior Martial Artist was 900 kilograms. After activating White Tiger Vajra Transformation, he had produced a result of 920 kilograms. That meant he had entered the ranks of Junior Martial Artists!
In this dangerous world, he finally had a little capital to protect himself.
However, the smile at the corner of his mouth had not yet fully bloomed.
A thin youth carrying a backpack, who looked only fifteen or sixteen years old, walked over from the side while yawning.
He casually tossed his backpack onto the ground.
Then, without even taking a stance, the youth merely twisted his waist casually and threw a light punch at the target.
Bang!
The sound was crisp and powerful.
Dai Mubai instinctively turned his head and looked at the screen above the youth's machine.
The red numbers flickered.
"1050 kg!"
At that instant, Dai Mubai felt as though he had been struck by lightning. His entire body froze in place.
His proud White Tiger Martial Soul, his proud third Soul Skill, White Tiger Vajra Transformation, the ultimate result he had achieved by giving everything he had... was actually inferior to a casual strike from a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old child!
The pride of a prince of the Star Luo Empire and the halo of a Shrek Academy genius were shattered at that moment.
Outside the Sky Screen, on Douluo Continent.
Star Luo Empire, imperial palace hall.
The ministers who had just been congratulating Dai Mubai for successfully blending into the city all fell silent.
A pin could have been heard dropping in the hall.
Star Luo Emperor Dai Tianfeng sat upon the White Tiger Throne, both hands gripping the pure-gold armrests tightly. Veins bulged on the backs of his hands, and his eyes were filled with disbelief.
"How... how is this possible!"
The Evil-Eyed White Tiger Martial Soul was itself a top-tier beast martial soul, and the Soul Ring configuration his son used was the one employed by the Star Luo Empire's royal family!
The inheritance of countless generations had thoroughly tested and continuously refined this Soul Ring configuration.
By now, it had reached its optimal arrangement. There was no room for further improvement!
With Martial Soul Possession active and White Tiger Vajra Transformation in effect, Dai Mubai's raw strength could even cross two ranks and match that of a Soul King!
Yet that random passing high school student, without even a Martial Soul, had actually displayed strength beyond Dai Mubai's!
Before you continue