Tang Feng vs. Dai Mubai! The Difference Between Clouds and Mud! A Crushing Defeat!

Tang Feng lowered his head and glanced at her.

"You're blocking it."

Dugu Yan did not let go.

"I'm putting it on for you, and you're complaining that I'm in your way?"

"It's already done."

"I know."

She smoothed out the last crease before finally withdrawing her hand.

Ye Lingling stood beside them.

She looked at the silver badge on Tang Feng's chest.

"Captain."

Tang Feng raised his eyes.

"Mm."

Starting today.

Tang Feng officially became the captain of the Imperial Fighting Team.

Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Afternoon.

Tang Feng left the Imperial Fighting Team captain's badge in his room and departed the academy alone.

After cultivating continuously for several days, he needed to familiarize himself with the changes brought by his thirty-third level Soul Power.

The Blue Silver Domain also needed further adjustment.

Tang Feng followed the mountain path into Heaven Dou City.

Many flowers and plants grew along both sides of the street.

Vines hung down from beneath the eaves.

Blue Silver Grass sprouted from cracks between the stone slabs.

Branches extended over the courtyard walls.

All of them entered his perception.

Tang Feng did not spread out his full domain.

His spiritual power merely extended slowly through the ordinary plants.

Dozens of meters.

A hundred meters.

Even farther.

The footsteps and auras of passing pedestrians entered his consciousness through blades of grass.

This form of perception was more comprehensive than sight.

As long as plants existed nearby, cover became meaningless.

Tang Feng passed an intersection.

A familiar life aura suddenly entered his domain.

He stopped walking.

Across the street.

Zhu Zhuqing also stopped where she stood.

She wore a fitted black combat outfit, cinched at the waist with a narrow belt. The hem gathered above her knees, making it easy for her to move at any moment.

Her long black hair was tied into a high ponytail that fell behind her slender waist.

Her long legs were wrapped in boots, and her steps were light and crisp.

After this period of cultivation, her aura was stronger than when they had parted in the Star Dou Forest.

Zhu Zhuqing looked at Tang Feng standing at the intersection.

"Tang Feng?"

"Long time no see."

Tang Feng withdrew the spiritual power spread throughout the street and walked toward her.

The tension in Zhu Zhuqing's brows eased.

She had left Shrek Academy today precisely to avoid Dai Mubai.

These past few days, Dai Mubai had constantly looked for chances to approach her.

No matter how she rejected him, he had never completely given up.

Zhu Zhuqing no longer wanted to remain at the academy and listen to those explanations.

She had not expected to encounter Tang Feng the moment she entered Heaven Dou City.

The two came together.

Zhu Zhuqing lifted her eyes and examined him.

"You've gotten taller."

"After my Soul Power increased, my body changed too."

"What level?"

"Thirty-three."

Zhu Zhuqing paused.

She remembered that when they had parted in the Star Dou Forest, Tang Feng had only been level twenty-two.

How long had it been?

He had already become a Soul Elder.

Zhu Zhuqing resumed walking, moving down the street shoulder to shoulder with Tang Feng.

Her shoulder occasionally brushed his arm, but she did not deliberately pull away.

"What about your third Spirit Ring?"

"Ten thousand years."

Zhu Zhuqing turned to look at him.

"Another ten-thousand-year one?"

"Mm."

She fell silent for a moment.

"I said before that you were the real monster. It seems I wasn't wrong."

Tang Feng looked at her.

"Who did you say that to?"

"Ning Rongrong."

Zhu Zhuqing tucked the loose strands of hair beside her face behind her ear.

"She asked me what I thought of Tang San and Xiao Wu's talent."

"I said they were alright."

Tang Feng nodded.

"That was an accurate assessment."

A faint smile appeared on Zhu Zhuqing's lips.

The frustration that had built up over the past few days had already faded after seeing Tang Feng.

The two slowly continued down the street.

Pedestrians passed by them.

Zhu Zhuqing suddenly recalled Ma Hongjun returning to the academy yesterday.

A footprint had been left on his chest, and there were still marks on his wrists from being bound by vines.

Even the Evil Fire Phoenix had been suppressed.

In all of Shrek Academy, no one else could have extinguished his flames so thoroughly.

"Ma Hongjun got beaten up yesterday."

"From the description, I thought it sounded like you."

Tang Feng did not deny it.

"He was asking for it."

"What did he do?"

"He harassed an ordinary woman."

Disgust returned to Zhu Zhuqing's brow.

"Then he did deserve it."

She recalled Ma Hongjun's miserable state upon returning to the academy, then looked again at Tang Feng's calm expression.

"Dai Mubai questioned him for a long time."

"Ma Hongjun said you stepped on his chest and warned him that if he dared bully ordinary people again, you'd cripple his Martial Soul."

"That's right."

Zhu Zhuqing lightly pressed her lips together.

She could not hold it back and laughed.

"You're still the same as before."

"How am I the same?"

"You look like someone who doesn't like meddling in other people's business."

Zhu Zhuqing's gaze settled on him.

"But when you really come across something, you never ignore it."

Tang Feng glanced at her waist.

The water pouch he had given her back then was still tied there.

It had been cleaned, and the damaged spot had been neatly stitched with black thread.

"You still have the water pouch?"

Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head to look at it.

"Didn't you tell me to carry it on the road?"

"You've already reached Shrek Academy."

"I got used to it."

She raised a hand and touched the edge of the water pouch.

"And I still have to return it to you someday."

Tang Feng did not press the matter further.

The two arrived on a relatively quiet street.

Tall plane trees grew on both sides of the road.

The shadows of the trees fell across Zhu Zhuqing, giving her black combat outfit a shifting sheen of light and dark.

As she walked, the narrow belt around her waist swayed gently.

Tang Feng activated his Soul Tool.

A jade box appeared in his palm.

Zhu Zhuqing looked at the jade box.

"What is that?"

Tang Feng lifted the lid.

A completely white Immortal Herb lay quietly within.

Its leaves seemed carved from crystal, while the flower's center glimmered with faint jade light.

A crisp medicinal fragrance slowly spread through the air.

Zhu Zhuqing's Nether Civet Martial Soul was drawn to it, and her Soul Power began circulating on its own.

She immediately sensed the connection between the Immortal Herb and herself.

Tang Feng held the jade box out before her.

"Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone."

"It's for you."

Zhu Zhuqing froze.

She did not reach out to take it.

"Why?"

"It suits agility attack-type Spirit Masters."

Tang Feng looked at the Immortal Herb in the box.

"It can strengthen your muscles, bones, and meridians. It can also increase your cultivation speed."

Zhu Zhuqing knew the value of this Immortal Herb could not possibly be low.

The Martial Soul resonance she felt merely from approaching it far surpassed any medicinal herb she had ever seen.

"Why are you giving me something so precious?"

"In the Star Dou Forest, you helped me hunt Soul Beasts."

Zhu Zhuqing looked at Tang Feng.

"You were the one who saved me that time."

"Without you standing guard, I wouldn't have been able to absorb the Spirit Ring smoothly."

"Even without me, you could have dealt with that Ghost Shadow Leopard."

"The outcome wouldn't have changed."

Tang Feng pushed the jade box forward slightly.

Zhu Zhuqing lowered her eyes to look at the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone.

The white petals reflected in her eyes.

She still did not accept it immediately.

Tang Feng said, "Then you can repay me later."

Those words were almost the same as when they had parted.

Zhu Zhuqing raised her eyes.

Only a jade box stood between them.

A phoenix tree leaf drifted down from the branches and landed beside her shoulder.

Tang Feng reached out and removed the leaf.

His fingertips brushed past her tied-up black hair.

Zhu Zhuqing did not dodge.

She merely looked at Tang Feng, who stood so close before her, while a faint blush gradually spread across the side of her face.

"You say that every time."

"Haven't you always remembered?"

"I remember very clearly."

Zhu Zhuqing extended both hands and took the jade box.

Her fingertips touched Tang Feng's.

Neither of them withdrew their hands at once.

The fresh fragrance of the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone lingered between them.

After a moment, Zhu Zhuqing held the jade box against her chest.

"Alright."

"Remember it this time too."

Tang Feng withdrew his hand.

"When taking it, eat the stamen first, then the petals."

"When refining its medicinal power, don't rush to break through your rank."

"Strengthen your meridians first."

Zhu Zhuqing nodded.

"I understand."

She put the jade box into her Soul Tool, then raised her hand to straighten Tang Feng's collar.

Her fair fingers brushed over the fabric.

There were still faint marks where the Imperial Fighting Team badge had been pinned.

"You joined a team?"

"The Imperial Fighting Team."

Zhu Zhuqing's movements paused for an instant.

"The Soul Master Tournament?"

"Mm."

She withdrew her hand and returned to Tang Feng's side.

"Then we might meet on the arena in the future."

"Shrek will be participating too?"

"That is the dean's arrangement."

Zhu Zhuqing turned her face slightly.

"If we really meet, will you use that ten-thousand-year spirit skill on me?"

"I will."

She stared at Tang Feng for a moment.

"You really don't hold back."

"I can control the vines so they won't hurt you."

Zhu Zhuqing slowed her steps.

Her shoulder brushed Tang Feng's arm again.

"That's more like it."

Not far away.

Ma Hongjun had just stepped out of a shop by the roadside.

He carried a bag of food in his hand, while pain still lingered in his chest from where Tang Feng had stomped on him.

Ma Hongjun looked up at the street.

Tang Feng immediately came into view.

His footsteps stopped on the spot.

The next moment.

Ma Hongjun saw Zhu Zhuqing walking beside Tang Feng.

The two were very close.

Zhu Zhuqing's normally cold face still carried a faint smile that had not yet faded.

The water pouch Tang Feng had given her hung from her waist.

She had even personally straightened Tang Feng's collar just now.

Ma Hongjun's expression changed.

He immediately turned around and ran toward Shrek Academy.

He had to tell Dai Mubai at once!

Outside Heaven Dou City.

Shrek Academy.

Ma Hongjun rushed through the academy gates.

His chest injury had not fully recovered, and pain kept stabbing through him as he ran.

Flender was inspecting the students' cultivation at the edge of the training grounds.

Yu Xiaogang stood beside him, holding a training plan.

Dai Mubai had just finished cultivating.

The Soul Power brought by his White Tiger Wuhun had not fully receded, and three Spirit Rings beneath his feet were gradually fading away.

Ma Hongjun braced himself against the academy gate and gasped several times.

"Boss Dai!"

"I just saw Zhu Zhuqing in Heaven Dou City!"

Dai Mubai immediately turned around.

"Where is she?"

Ma Hongjun hurried over.

"She's with Tang Feng!"

"That brat keeps pestering Zhuqing, and he even gave her something!"

Dai Mubai's face instantly darkened.

Seeing his reaction, Ma Hongjun continued.

"They were standing especially close."

"Zhu Zhuqing even straightened Tang Feng's collar herself."

"Tang Feng touched her hair, and she didn't dodge either."

Dai Mubai's right hand abruptly clenched.

A series of sharp cracks rang out from his knuckles.

"Tang Feng."

His White Tiger Wuhun was stirred by his emotions and appeared directly behind him.

His golden hair was blown upward by the current of Soul Power.

White tiger stripes rapidly spread along his arms.

Flender pushed up his glasses.

"Mubai, put your Martial Soul away first."

"Who Zhuqing meets is her own business."

Yu Xiaogang stepped forward as well.

"If you go over there now, you'll only make things worse."

Dai Mubai did not stop.

He strode past them and headed outside the academy.

"I'll ask her myself."

Flender raised his hand, preparing to stop him.

Soul Power burst out beneath Dai Mubai's feet, and he had already shot through the academy gates.

Ma Hongjun watched him leave and immediately followed.

Flender lowered his hand.

"Fatty added quite a few details this time."

Yu Xiaogang looked toward the academy gates.

"Dai Mubai won't listen right now."

Heaven Dou City.

Phoenix Tree Street.

Tang Feng and Zhu Zhuqing had already reached the street corner.

The setting sun fell across the treetops on either side, and fragmented light and shadow swayed with the branches and leaves.

The jade box Zhu Zhuqing had held was already stored in her Soul Tool.

The water pouch at her waist rested against her black fitted outfit, lightly bumping against her leg with each step.

She stopped walking.

"I should go back."

Tang Feng nodded.

"When refining the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone, use your Soul Power to protect your meridians first."

"The medicinal power of an Immortal Herb won't harm you, but after consecutive breakthroughs, you'll need time to stabilize your Soul Power."

Zhu Zhuqing looked up at him.

"I'll remember."

She reached out and touched Tang Feng's sleeve.

Her fingertips lingered for only a moment before withdrawing.

"See you at the Soul Master Tournament."

Tang Feng was about to speak.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded from ahead.

Dai Mubai charged over from the other end of the street, blocking their path.

His golden hair hung loose behind his shoulders.

His chest rose and fell violently. His gaze fell first on Zhu Zhuqing, then turned toward Tang Feng.

"Stay away from Zhuqing!"

The nearby pedestrians stopped one after another.

Zhu Zhuqing's brows, which had just relaxed, tightened again.

She stepped half a pace forward and stood beside Tang Feng.

"Dai Mubai, my affairs have nothing to do with you."

Dai Mubai looked at the two standing side by side.

"Zhuqing, do you know what kind of person he is?"

"I know better than you do."

Zhu Zhuqing raised her hand, stopping Dai Mubai from coming any closer.

"Move aside."

Dai Mubai did not step back.

He stared at Tang Feng.

"What kind of man hides behind Zhuqing?"

Tang Feng stepped out from Zhu Zhuqing's side.

"You want to fight?"

Three Spirit Rings rose directly beneath Dai Mubai's feet.

Yellow.

Yellow.

Purple.

"White Tiger, possess me!"

White light covered his entire body.

Dai Mubai's body rapidly swelled.

The muscles in his arms bulged as white fur grew across his skin.

His five fingers transformed into sharp tiger claws.

A distinct king-character marking appeared on his forehead.

His purple evil eyes locked onto Tang Feng.

His first Spirit Ring suddenly lit up.

"First Soul Skill!"

"White Tiger Bodyguard Barrier!"

A layer of white Soul Power barrier spread tightly over Dai Mubai's body.

A fierce gust swept up all the fallen leaves on the street.

Zhu Zhuqing's expression changed slightly.

"Dai Mubai, stop!"

Dai Mubai ignored her.

The second Spirit Ring beneath his feet lit up immediately afterward.

A mass of blazing white light gathered before his mouth.

"Second Soul Skill!"

"White Tiger Radiant Wave!"

Boom!

A blazing white beam tore through the street, shooting straight at Tang Feng's chest.

Tang Feng stood where he was.

Blue-gold light lit up in his right palm.

[Blue Silver Domain!]

An invisible ripple spread out instantly.

The plane trees lining both sides of the street.

The vines hanging from the wall.

The Blue Silver Grass growing between the stone slabs.

Every plant entered Tang Feng's senses at once.

The changes in Dai Mubai's Soul Power also became clear.

The force in his waist and abdomen.

The turn of his shoulders.

The direction of the White Tiger Radiant Wave's deflection.

All of it was caught in advance.

Tang Feng shifted to the left.

The blazing white beam grazed his shoulder and blasted into the stone wall behind him.

A large amount of shattered stone flew outward.

Dai Mubai suddenly pushed off the ground.

His fur-covered body charged straight forward.

His tiger claws swept toward Tang Feng's head and neck.

Tang Feng took half a step back.

The tiger claws slashed past his face.

Dai Mubai twisted his waist, and his other tiger claw immediately clawed toward Tang Feng's chest.