Dai Mubai: I Will Become Stronger By Any Means Necessary!

Above the Sky Screen, the images flowed with crystalline clarity.

Countless eyes across Douluo Continent were currently focused on a single, furtive figure.

In the world of Swallowed Star.

Within the spacious corridors of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall headquarters in Jiangnan Base City, Dai Mubai wore a large, black waterproof trench coat, his signature blonde hair completely hidden beneath a hood.

He carefully avoided the surveillance cameras on the perimeter of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall, walking briskly along the shadowed alleyways.

After taking seven or eight turns through the city to ensure no one was tailing him, he finally stopped in front of a secluded, dimly lit café.

He pushed open the glass door, and the bell gave a crisp chime.

Dai Mubai pulled his hat brim low and walked straight to a private booth in the deepest corner of the café.

Pushing open the door, he found three burly, composed men already seated inside. They wore uniform deep-purple training suits, with a striking emblem of two crossed lightning bolts embroidered on their chests.

People from the Thunderbolt Martial Arts Hall.

Seeing Dai Mubai enter, the middle-aged man with a scar on his face sitting in the center pointed to the empty sofa opposite him, signaling for him to sit.

"What do you want with me?"

Dai Mubai instinctively lowered his voice. These past six months had been enough for him to understand the entire base city inside and out.

The Extreme Martial Arts Hall and the Thunderbolt Martial Arts Hall were outwardly cordial but secretly locked in endless conflict. For the people of the Thunderbolt Martial Arts Hall to seek him out privately like this, it was certainly nothing aboveboard.

The scarred man chuckled and said, "Our time is precious, so I'll get straight to the point."

"We at the Thunderbolt Martial Arts Hall have our eyes on that Spirit Master prospect you're with, the one named Cuihua."

As soon as Dai Mubai sat down, his breath hitched for a split second upon hearing this.

But he masked it well; his face did not betray much surprise. He simply picked up the ice water in front of him and took a sip to hide his inner turmoil.

The scarred man leaned forward slightly and added, "To go from an ordinary person who hadn't even touched the threshold of a martial artist to the peak of a junior Spirit Master in just half a year—that is quite the feat."

"Our Thunderbolt Martial Arts Hall is very interested in such talent."

"As long as you are willing to hand over the intelligence you have on her, the Thunderbolt Martial Arts Hall will not treat you unfairly."

As he spoke, the scarred man waved his hand, and one of his companions pulled an exquisite silver metal briefcase from under the table and pushed it toward Dai Mubai.

The briefcase clicked open automatically, revealing five glass vials emitting a lustrous blue glow, neatly arranged inside, along with a contract stamped with the highest-level seal of the Thunderbolt Martial Arts Hall.

"These are five high-grade Gene Serums of the highest purity. They are enough to push your physical fitness up by a significant margin."

"In addition, the Hall will tailor a set of top-tier martial artist equipment just for you."

"How about it?"

The generous stakes were laid out clearly on the table.

Dai Mubai looked at the five glowing Gene Serums and the lucrative conditions; he was almost stunned into silence!

He craved strength too much.

Dai Mubai closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He didn't reach for the case immediately, instead leaning back slowly against the sofa, forcing his voice to sound steady.

"The risk is too high."

"Cuihua's teacher is a high-ranking official in the Extreme Martial Arts Hall. Once word gets out, I won't have a place to stand in Jiangnan City."

Dai Mubai opened his eyes, his gaze flickering with uncertainty.

"Gentlemen, I need time to think this over carefully."

The scarred man was not surprised by this answer and pointed to the contract in the case.

"You don't need to worry about safety. As long as you sign this contract, we will arrange for you to transfer directly to the Thunderbolt Martial Arts Hall."

"Furthermore, if you do transfer to the Thunderbolt Martial Arts Hall, we will provide you with five times the cultivation resources you currently receive at the Extreme Martial Arts Hall!"

Another raise of the stakes.

Dai Mubai said nothing.

The scarred man waited a moment, smiled, stood up, and patted Dai Mubai on the shoulder.

"Caution is a good thing."

"But remember, the doors of our Thunderbolt Martial Arts Hall are always open to you."

With that, the three men from the Thunderbolt Martial Arts Hall pushed open the booth door and strode out of the café.

The booth door closed once more.

Dai Mubai was left alone in the room.

The composure he had maintained just a second ago completely distorted and collapsed.

"Bang!"

Dai Mubai slammed his fist onto the table, his expression twisted and terrifying.

"Why! Why on earth!"

"It's because of Cuihua again!"

"The people from the Thunderbolt Martial Arts Hall approached me and offered such a high price, not because they valued my talent, but simply because I am close enough to Cuihua!"

"Why does a lowly village girl who used to sell her body in Soto City get to live better than me in this world?"

Dai Mubai gritted his teeth, scenes from the past six months flashing through his mind.

When they first formed their alliance, Cuihua didn't understand anything.

Facing those high-tech devices and the instructors at the martial arts hall, she was always timid and didn't even dare to speak loudly.

Back then, she had to rely on Dai Mubai's knowledge and courage, obeying his every word and following him around with a submissive attitude.

But what about now?

Cuihua had become a high and mighty peak-level Spirit Master!

Her voice grew louder, her attitude became increasingly casual, and sometimes, the look in her eyes when she stared at him even carried a hint of condescending arrogance!

That look!

He was all too familiar with it.

It was the look of a noble staring at a commoner.

But clearly, he was the noble; this should have been the look he gave that commoner, yet now, that commoner actually dared to look at him this way!

Could he really still be considered Cuihua's ally?

Dai Mubai suddenly raised his head, his eyes locked onto the chandelier on the ceiling, a chilling ruthlessness permeating his gaze.

"I must become stronger!"

By any means necessary!

Over the following period, the audience of the Douluo Continent witnessed a textbook-level betrayal unfold on the Sky Screen.

First, he secretly contacted the Thunderbolt Martial Arts Hall, spilling every detail of Cuihua's cultivation progress, and even the specific routes and times she took to and from the martial arts hall.

Subsequently, Dai Mubai exploited Cuihua's trust in him as a fellow villager, logically tricking her into granting him management authority over her daily life and cultivation resources.

"Cuihua, you are now a key trainee of the martial arts hall; your focus should be entirely on the cultivation of your spirit telekinesis. Leave those trivial matters and resource scheduling to me; I guarantee I'll handle everything perfectly for you."

Watching Dai Mubai's face, which wore an incredibly sincere smile on the light screen, countless people across the Douluo Continent felt a wave of nausea.

After gaining the authority, Dai Mubai began to greedily line his own pockets.

He secretly intercepted the resources issued to Cuihua by the Extreme Martial Arts Hall every month, swapped out her Gene Serum, and embezzled her cultivation materials.

He even went so far as to madly remove a set of high-grade alloy flying knives belonging to Cuihua from the armory, replacing them with defective ones!

After finishing all of this, Dai Mubai felt the time was ripe.