Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear Spirit, Truly Overbearing

The vast Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect arena plaza was silent as death.

The echoes of the earth-shaking blast had yet to fade, but the minds of everyone present had already been utterly shattered by the scene before them, one that overturned everything they knew!

Too strong—fucking too strong.

So he had never been a madman or a clown. Everyone sitting here was.

On the arena stage, the young man stood tall and straight, his robes snapping in the wind as he looked down upon the crowd below.

Eleven years old, twin martial souls, and soul rings beyond the limit!

This child had the makings of an Ultimate Douluo.

Every mockery from before had now turned into a resounding slap, viciously striking every single person across the face!

They had finally come to their senses completely!

He had never been showing off without reason. He truly possessed absolute strength.

They were merely frogs at the bottom of a well, blind fools—the real clowns.

The next instant, frantic gasps rang out one after another!

The crowd, previously intimidated by Ning An's ruthlessness, had now been thoroughly convinced.

"Misunderstanding! It was all a misunderstanding, Young Sect Master Ning!"

The first to crack was the Longwind Sect Master. His face was deathly pale as he hurried forward and bowed deeply, bending so low his back was nearly parallel to the ground. His tone was humble to the extreme.

"I've always deeply respected the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. It's all because that stupid woman in my family misled me. Once I return, I'll kill her! Please forgive me, Young Sect Master!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his hand without hesitation. The sharp-eyed disciples behind him immediately stepped forward.

They took out box after box of gleaming soul coins, rare ores, and century-old spirit herbs from their storage soul tools, piling them in the center of the plaza.

"These are modest gifts from the Longwind Sect as an apology! I have seen through that woman's foolishness, so not only will the Longwind Sect no longer demand sixty percent of the profits, our sect will take only ten percent. The remaining ninety percent will all belong to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!"

Once there was a first, countless others followed.

The members of the other vassal sects rushed forward to apologize, afraid that being even a step too late would provoke Ning An's anger.

"I was misled by Big Yellow from my sect. I have recognized my mistake! The Jade Water Sect is also willing to offer compensation! We will present our sect's treasured resources and take only ten percent of the profits from now on!"

"The Azure Rock Sect admits its mistake!"

"We were all blinded by treacherous people. We beg the Young Sect Master to be magnanimous!"

One sect after another that had previously clamored to carve up the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's foundation now lowered their heads and begged humbly for mercy.

Not only did they completely give up on forcibly demanding sixty percent of the profits, they even voluntarily lowered their original thirty percent share to ten percent.

Below the arena, everyone from the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect erupted in jubilation!

"We won! We won!"

"The Young Sect Master is too strong! The Young Sect Master is awesome!"

"Our Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will surely restore the glory it possessed ten thousand years ago under the Young Sect Master's leadership!"

The white-haired elders trembled with excitement, tears streaming down their aged faces.

And today!

They had watched with their own eyes as their Young Sect Master, only eleven years old, had single-handedly held up the sky.

He had protected the sect's foundation and reclaimed the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's honor!

Ning Tian stood at the front of the crowd, her delicate little face filled with overwhelming excitement and admiration. Her clear eyes sparkled as she stared fixedly at the tall figure in the center of the arena.

Big Brother was incredible!

A breeze passed by as the young man stood quietly atop the arena, his expression indifferent as he looked at the sect members below who had lowered their heads and begged for mercy.

To be honest, he was hurting just a tiny bit.

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear was a top-tier ferocious beast martial soul, overwhelmingly tyrannical and brimming with monstrous savagery.

He had only been a support-type Soul Master before, and after using those two soul skills of the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, the burden on his body far exceeded his imagination!

His meridians burned with unceasing agony, every muscle in his body ached as if torn apart, and countless capillaries had burst and begun to bleed. He could barely remain standing.

Every breath he took brought unbearable stabbing pain.

But he could not fall.

He forcibly suppressed all his pain, revealing not the slightest flaw on his face as he maintained his domineering posture.

"Leave the things behind, and you... get lost."

With that simple sentence, the people from the various sects shuddered all over. They hurriedly kowtowed and agreed, not daring to utter a single word of objection.

"Thank you, Young Sect Master!!"

No one dared linger for even a moment longer. The sect masters and elders hurriedly gathered their unconscious disciples and fled the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in a miserable state with their remaining men, not daring to look back even once.

In an instant, the plaza that had just been filled with clamor and coercion became quiet.

All that remained were the rare resources piled across the ground as compensation, along with the wildly ecstatic members of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Countless disciples cheered and leapt with joy.

The elders busied themselves taking stock of the mountain of resources, the smiles never leaving their faces.

Ning Tian rushed onto the arena and ran toward Ning An with a face full of delight. "Brother! You're incredible! You're the most powerful person on the Douluo Continent!"

But just as she was about to reach him.

Ning An, who had been forcibly holding himself up all this time, suddenly let his taut nerves relax.

Extreme exhaustion and searing pain instantly swept through his body. His vision went black, and his upright body could no longer hold on as he fell straight forward!

"Brother!"

Ning Tian cried out and hurriedly reached out to catch him.

The elders who had been inventorying the resources were alarmed by the shout and rushed onto the arena.

"Quick! Protect the Young Sect Master!"

"Summon the sect physician at once!"

In a flurry, everyone caught the unconscious Ning An. Seeing the boy's paper-pale, bloodless face, they were immediately terrified.

No one knew how much time had passed.

Warm, gentle sunlight filtered through the window lattice and spilled into the elegant bedroom.

Ning An slowly opened his heavy eyelids. A dense soreness that seemed to seep into his bones spread throughout his body; even the slightest movement brought tearing pain.

He looked down. White bandages were wrapped around his limbs, chest, and abdomen, with traces of blood faintly soaking through their surface—a shocking sight.

The meridians within his body were empty and dry, his soul power nearly completely depleted. Every muscle had been strained and was bleeding internally, while exhaustion engulfed him like a tide.

"What an overbearing martial soul..."

Ning An sighed softly, realization filling his eyes.

He had long expected the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear martial soul to be powerful, but he had never imagined it would be this domineering.

So Bear Lord challenging Di Tian to a duel and even injuring him had been true.

Ning Tian, who had been lying beside the bed, seemed to sense something and abruptly raised her head.

"Brother, you're awake? That's wonderful! Brother, you're finally awake. You worried me to death." Ning Tian laughed and cried at once, staring unblinkingly at Ning An.

Then, as though she had remembered something, she said, "Brother, stay put and don't move. I'll go find the physician."

"Alright."

While Ning Tian was out, Ning An summoned the system.

[Ding! Novice Mission: Hold Up the Heavens Against the Odds, Aid the Sect in Suppressing Its Enemies, has been perfectly completed!]

[All mission requirements have been fulfilled. The reward has been unlocked and may be claimed at any time!]

As he looked at the lines of text, a brilliant light instantly lit up in Ning An's weary eyes.

The reward he had been anticipating most had finally arrived.

Taking a deep breath and suppressing the discomfort throughout his body, Ning An focused his mind and spoke solemnly within his heart.

"System, claim the reward!"