Golden Arrow vs. Netherworld White Tiger

"Lu Chen!"

"I'm going to kill you!"

Dai Huabin's voice was hoarse, as though squeezed out of his throat, filled with endless humiliation and fury.

"Third Soul Skill—White Tiger Vajra Transformation!"

Dai Huabin's third Millennium Purple Soul Ring suddenly lit up.

White Tiger Vajra Transformation—the core strengthening Soul Skill of the White Tiger Martial Soul after level thirty.

It could greatly increase a Spirit Master's strength and defense.

As Dai Huabin's third Soul Ring lit up, violent power instantly surged through every limb and bone in his body.

Dai Huabin's body expanded another size, his muscles bulging as he radiated an even more savage aura.

"Roar—"

The howl made the surrounding air hum.

Dai Huabin's speed skyrocketed. He became a golden afterimage and charged at Lu Chen once more.

Seeing this, Lu Chen released Zhu Lu's throat and gave her shoulder a light push.

The force was not great, but it was perfectly measured.

Zhu Lu staggered back seven or eight steps before barely stopping.

Once she stopped, Zhu Lu clutched her throat and gasped for breath, her chest heaving violently.

The coldness in her eyes was no longer arrogance or contempt, but deep fear.

Meanwhile, Lu Chen narrowed his eyes at the incoming Dai Huabin.

This time, he did not use the power of Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Sharing or Flash Step to evade.

Instead, he chose to clash head-on with Dai Huabin!

"Light-Speed Fist!"

Lu Chen charged forward.

"Bang!" A tremendous crash rang out.

Their fists collided, and the powerful recoil sent Lu Chen sliding back dozens of steps.

The White Tiger Martial Soul truly deserved its reputation as a top-tier beast Martial Soul.

Combined with the enhancement of White Tiger Vajra Transformation—

That punch made Lu Chen's arm go numb.

Ever since Lu Chen had fused with the Sagittarius Gold Cloth, he had trained according to the ways of a Saint.

And Saint training had always pursued breakthroughs of both mind and body.

It could be said that his Mental Power and physique now far exceeded what Spirit Masters of the same rank should possess.

But Dai Huabin was not nearly as fortunate.

Lu Chen had a powerful physique supporting him, but Dai Huabin did not.

After taking Lu Chen's Light-Speed Fist head-on, he was sent flying backward and crashed heavily onto the ground.

"Bang—!"

The dull impact made everyone present feel their hearts tremble.

By now, Dai Huabin had long since lost his initial arrogance.

Even his Spirit Avatar had been forcibly dispelled by that punch.

He lay flat on his back, his chest heaving violently. A thin stream of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth and slid down his cheek, staining his golden hair red.

The watching students widened their eyes, their mouths hanging open wide enough to fit an egg.

Some even subconsciously rubbed their eyes, wondering whether they had seen something wrong.

A second-year senior was the first to break the silence. "That punch just now—Dai Huabin used his third Soul Skill, White Tiger Vajra Transformation. That was the boost of a millennium Soul Skill!"

"And the White Tiger Martial Soul is already a top-tier beast Martial Soul..."

"Yeah. With an attack in that state, even some level-forty Spirit Ancestors might not dare take it head-on."

"But that Lu Chen... he not only took it head-on, he even sent Dai Huabin flying with one punch!"

"And did you notice? Lu Chen never even activated his Martial Soul from start to finish."

"Pure physical strength, and he shattered White Tiger Vajra Transformation with one punch? What kind of joke is that?"

"Forget White Tiger Vajra Transformation. It was already absurd when he caught Dai Huabin's first Soul Skill with one hand!"

"One hand! That was an attack from a Spirit Zun-level White Tiger Martial Soul! Who among you would dare take it without activating your Martial Soul? I sure wouldn't."

Among the crowd, a burly fourth-year senior said solemnly, "It wasn't just strength. Did any of you clearly see the speed of that punch?"

"No. I only saw a flash of light. It was too fast for the naked eye to follow!"

"Light-Speed Fist... light speed... Don't tell me that punch really reached the speed of light?"

"Stop talking nonsense. How could it possibly be light speed? That's just the name of the fist!"

"But even if the name is exaggerated, that speed definitely exceeded the limits of an ordinary Spirit Zun. In a real battle, an opponent would not have time to react at all."

At the edge of the field, Wang Dong's beautiful eyes were wide open.

She had thought she understood Lu Chen to some extent. After all, Lu Chen had crushed her just a few days ago.

But now, she realized that when Lu Chen had fought her, he might not even have used thirty percent of his strength.

Wang Dong bit her lower lip, her expression so complicated that even she could not tell what she was feeling.

Inside the field, Huo Yuhao was equally speechless.

His Spiritual Detection had remained active the entire time.

Because of that, he could "see" far more than everyone else.

In his spiritual vision, at the instant Dai Huabin and Lu Chen's fists collided—

Huo Yuhao clearly "saw" Dai Huabin's Soul Power fluctuations shatter the moment they touched Lu Chen's fist, without even the slightest room to resist.

"Is this Big Brother Lu's true strength?"

"No!"

"Big Brother Lu hasn't even released his Martial Soul or Soul Skills. This is nowhere near his true strength."

Huo Yuhao murmured to himself, so softly that only he could hear it.

Zhu Lu helped Dai Huabin up, her eyes filled with nothing but fear as she looked at Lu Chen.

From beginning to end, there had been no killing intent in Yan's eyes, no anger, not even seriousness.

There was only a calm composure that drove people to despair.

It was as though, to him, this battle that everyone considered utterly one-sided was merely a game to pass the time.

Lu Chen shook his slightly numb arm and casually looked at the two of them, his tone carrying a hint of teasing impatience. "Hey, blondie, are we still fighting or not? If not, then follow the wager and kneel, kowtow, and apologize."

"You!"

"Lu, don't push people too far!"

Dai Huabin's chest heaved violently. He had already recognized the gap in strength between himself and Lu Chen.

But as the second young master of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, he had his own pride as well.

"Heh, pushing people too far?"

"That's not what you said before. I preferred the way you were before—so wild and unyielding."

Lu Chen's words were light and casual, seemingly carrying a lazy indifference, yet they cut deeper than any vicious threat.

Somewhere among the onlookers, someone failed to hold it in and let out a snort of laughter.

Although that person immediately covered their mouth, the laugh was like a spark falling into dry grass, instantly setting the entire clearing ablaze.

Mockery, whispers, and irrepressible discussions surged in from every direction like a tide, swallowing Dai Huabin whole.

"Hahaha... that was way too ruthless..."

"He was so arrogant before. Now he's run into an immovable wall, huh?"

"The second young master of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion... tsk, tsk. He really lost face today."

Hearing the surrounding mockery, Dai Huabin trembled all over—not from his injuries, but from humiliation and rage.

"Lu Chen!"

"You forced me to do this!"

A crazed viciousness flashed in Dai Huabin's eyes.

Zhu Lu's expression changed upon hearing that. She hurriedly said in a low voice, "Huabin, no! There are so many people here. What if..."

The Zhu Family and the Dai Family had intermarried for generations because the Zhu Family's Netherworld Spirit Cat Martial Soul could perform the Martial Soul Fusion Skill—Netherworld White Tiger—with the Dai Family's White Tiger Martial Soul.

She and Dai Huabin could likewise perform the Netherworld White Tiger.

But the two of them had only recently mastered it, and their Martial Soul Fusion Skill was not stable.

Furthermore, given Dai Huabin's current condition, she was worried that the Martial Soul Fusion Skill would lose control.

"I said we're using it!"

Dai Huabin roared, his eyes bloodshot.

"If I don't cripple him today, how will I, Dai Huabin, ever stand firm in Shrek again!"

Zhu Lu looked at Dai Huabin, who was nearly hysterical, then at the calm-faced Lu Chen across from them. She gritted her teeth and finally nodded in agreement.

The two quickly moved closer together. Dai Huabin activated his Spirit Avatar once more, while intense black light began surging from Zhu Lu's body as well.

Two completely different yet fundamentally connected streams of Soul Power began to resonate and merge.

"This is... a Martial Soul Fusion Skill!"

"Netherworld White Tiger! It's the Netherworld White Tiger of the Dai Family and the Zhu Family!"

A wave of startled cries erupted from the surrounding crowd.

The students near the front all retreated several steps, afraid that the battle would spread to them.

Through his Spiritual Detection, Huo Yuhao sensed the terrifying energy contained within the fusion. His expression changed drastically as he hurriedly shouted, "Big Brother Lu, be careful!"

"The Netherworld White Tiger is the Martial Soul Fusion Skill passed down through the Dai Family and Zhu Family for generations. Its power is extremely terrifying!"

Even Wang Dong clenched her fists nervously. She knew very well how terrifying Martial Soul Fusion Skills were, especially fusion skills involving top-tier Martial Souls.

As Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu's figures intertwined amid golden and black light—

A low roar that shook the soul, as if it had come from ancient wilderness, rang out.

A giant tiger phantom seven or eight meters long gradually took shape, its entire body wrapped in black and gold radiance.

Its savage aura instantly locked onto Lu Chen.

Faced with the imposing Netherworld White Tiger, Lu Chen finally showed a serious expression.

"Spirit Avatar!"

With Lu Chen's soft utterance, brilliant golden light burst forth from his body. The magnificent Sagittarius Cloth flowed over his entire body like liquid, while two pairs of golden wings unfurled behind him.

Purple, purple, purple—three Soul Rings rose one after another beneath Lu Chen's feet, circling his body and radiating powerful Soul Power fluctuations.

"Th-three Millennium Soul Rings?!"

"How is that possible?!"

"It's him! I remember now—during new student registration a few days ago, there was supposedly a monster whose first three Soul Rings were all purple!"

The surrounding crowd instantly erupted.

Wang Dong's eyes widened as she stared in disbelief at the three dazzling purple Soul Rings on Lu Chen's body.

She had always been proud that her second Soul Ring was a millennium one, but now she was shocked to discover that Lu Chen's first Soul Ring had already been a millennium one!

It completely overturned everything she knew.

At the same time, the Netherworld White Tiger let out an earthshaking roar and pounced toward Lu Chen with destructive momentum.

Wherever it passed, deep trenches were carved into the ground.

"Come on, then. Let me see whether your Martial Soul Fusion Skill is stronger, or my Golden Arrow is!"

Lu Chen narrowed his eyes. Facing such a powerful Martial Soul Fusion Skill, he no longer held back and drew out the Golden Bow.

All the Soul Power around his body gathered into a single Golden Arrow.

"Soul Skill—Golden Arrow!"

In an instant, the Golden Arrow shot toward the charging Netherworld White Tiger like a meteor tearing through the night.

"Pop—!" A soft sound rang out.

Without the slightest hesitation, the Golden Arrow pierced through the Netherworld White Tiger's body.

The Netherworld White Tiger let out an unwilling wail before shattering inch by inch and dispersing into countless motes of light.

When the light faded, Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu reappeared. Their faces were pale as paper as they both spat out blood, then collapsed to the ground and fell unconscious.

Seeing the Netherworld White Tiger blasted apart by a single punch—

The entire field fell deathly silent.