Encountering Dai Mubai

Seeing that their son had broken through level twenty to become a Soul Grandmaster and had even hunted a thousand-year soul beast all by himself,

Father Lin and Mother Lin finally felt at ease letting Lin Yuan leave home.

And so, Lin Yuan packed his luggage, brought along the provisions his parents had prepared for him, and set out on the "road to study" toward Suotuo City under their watchful eyes.

To keep his future actions from implicating his parents, Lin Yuan did not rush to hire a carriage. Instead, after leaving the city, he covered his face with black cloth, donned a veiled bamboo hat, and raced all the way to another city several hundred li away before renting a carriage.

To prevent anyone from recognizing him, he even wore gloves.

Only after doing all that did he sit cross-legged and cultivate in peace.

In the blink of an eye, seven days passed.

When the carriage was only two or three hundred li from Suotuo City, a sudden voice pulled Lin Yuan out of his cultivation.

"Whoever's inside, get the hell out here. This young master wants this carriage."

The voice was outrageously arrogant, carrying the unmistakable air of a spoiled young master.

"My lord, someone is blocking the road outside."

The driver was an honest, dependable middle-aged man. When Lin Yuan had rented the carriage, he had caught a glimpse of the Soul Grandmaster badge Lin Yuan had "inadvertently" revealed, and had treated him with great respect ever since.

Lin Yuan lifted the curtain and saw, from afar, a blond-haired, double-pupiled youth blocking the carriage's path. Though his clothes were luxurious, he looked exceptionally bedraggled.

He looked as though he had suffered some misfortune.

"It's actually him!"

In Soul Land I, someone with double pupils appearing at this time on the only road leading to Suotuo City could be none other than Dai Mubai. Lin Yuan could think of no one else.

Dai Mubai had clearly noticed Lin Yuan, his face hidden beneath a black robe. Seeing that he still was not getting out, Dai Mubai immediately threatened, "You hiding in there like a rat, why aren't you getting down? If you don't, don't blame this young master for getting rough."

As he spoke, a phantom White Tiger appeared behind him. Two soul rings slowly rose beneath his feet, their dazzling radiance swirling around his body.

"I'll just teach him a lesson."

Thinking this, Lin Yuan said nothing and merely stepped down from the carriage.

Seeing Lin Yuan get out, Dai Mubai could not help revealing a smug grin, as though saying, At least you know what's good for you.

But before he could enjoy himself for long, he saw the black-robed figure opposite him curl the fingers of his right hand into a claw and reach forward. Blue flames rose from his palm as he grabbed at him with lightning speed.

"You've got some nerve!"

Dai Mubai was both startled and furious. He was startled by the terrifying speed of his opponent, and furious because he had already been bullied by his elder brother, Dai Weisi, back in the Star Luo Empire.

After fleeing the Star Luo Empire, was he still supposed to be bullied by others? Wouldn't that mean he had fled for nothing?

His muscles immediately swelled, barbed hooks sprang from his fingers, and he swiftly completed his White Tiger Possession before meeting the attack with a claw.

Bang!

The tiger claw that could normally shatter even stone was forcibly halted the instant it touched the blue flames.

At the same time, immense force and an intense burning sensation surged from his palm.

With a crack, the sound of bone breaking rang out.

Then Dai Mubai was sent flying backward like a kite with its string cut.

Before losing consciousness, he saw Lin Yuan walking toward him and muttered, "How could he be this strong...?"

After saying that, he crashed to the ground and skidded several meters. Then his eyes rolled back, and he passed out completely.

Dai Mubai was not an idiot. The reason he had dared provoke the other party was because he could tell that the Soul Power fluctuations around him were not particularly strong—at the very least, they were weaker than his own.

Yet with only a single strike, he had been defeated by someone who had not even released his martial soul and whose Soul Power was lower than his. The crucial part was that he had not even seen his opponent's face. If he wanted revenge later, he would have nowhere to look. Where was the justice in that?

Naturally, Lin Yuan had no idea what Dai Mubai was thinking. Even if he had known, he would not have cared.

Ever since cultivating the Supreme Sacred Heaven and Earth Technique and the Five Thunder Heavenly Heart Formula, his strength could no longer be measured merely by Soul Power or the number of soul rings he possessed.

With the Supreme Sacred Heaven and Earth Technique at its third level, if he could not instantly defeat a Dai Mubai who was only a Soul Grandmaster, then he might as well stop trying to make a name for himself, go home, take several wives and concubines, and live a cozy life with his wife and children.

After knocking Dai Mubai unconscious, Lin Yuan habitually stepped forward to loot him.

The driver was no longer surprised by this.

That was because the previous city was quite far from Suotuo City.

Along the way, they had encountered several groups of bandits.

Every time, this Lord Soul Master would kill them off, then turn around and search them for money.

The reason the driver had been willing to take this job was, on one hand, because Lin Yuan paid well.

On the other hand, Lin Yuan had promised to protect him along the way and, upon reaching their destination, give him enough money to hire a local Soul Grandmaster to protect him on his return trip to his original city.

But this time, perhaps because the man blocking the road had only wanted to steal the carriage, Lin Yuan did not kill him.

Instead, after taking his money, he tossed him into the most conspicuous spot by the roadside as though throwing aside a dead dog.

Only then did Lin Yuan take Dai Mubai's Soul Tool and return to the carriage, setting off once more.

Inside the carriage, Lin Yuan inspected Dai Mubai's belongings.

There was a storage Soul Tool bracelet with a capacity of ten cubic meters.

Inside the Soul Tool bracelet were roughly two or three thousand Gold Soul Coins, a gold card, a Star Luo Imperial Family token, and several changes of clothes.

Lin Yuan casually tossed the useless things, such as the clothes, out the carriage window.

He also transferred the Gold Soul Coins into his own Soul Tool.

The token might prove useful someday, so Lin Yuan chose to keep it for the time being.

But this gold card was truly rather useless. It actually bore a White Tiger emblem.

"Dai Mubai is a prince of the Star Luo Empire. Before entering Shrek Academy, someone must have been secretly protecting him."

"As long as I don't kill or cripple him, those people won't intervene."

"As for this gold card, if the people behind him haven't followed us, I'll take it out and spend it all in one go."

Having made up his mind, Lin Yuan lifted a corner of the curtain and looked behind them.

Sure enough, after the carriage had gone some distance, several black-clad figures darted out from a nearby grove.

After setting Dai Mubai's bone, one healing-type Soul Master gave him some basic treatment.

Once that was done, they quickly concealed themselves again, as though they had never been there.

"Driver, take the left road."

When they reached the next fork in the road, Lin Yuan lowered his voice, making it sound like that of an adult.

"But my lord, that road leads to Balak City, the capital of the Balak Kingdom, not Suotuo City." The driver glanced at the signpost and spoke hesitantly.

"Balak City is exactly where I'm going." Lin Yuan's tone brooked no doubt.

"Yes." The driver did not dare ask further and immediately changed direction.

Activating the Five Thunder Heavenly Heart Formula and the Supreme Sacred Heaven and Earth Technique at the same time, Lin Yuan gathered power in his eyes and observed the road ahead.

To guard against any flying Soul Masters among those secretly protecting Dai Mubai, he even paid particular attention to the sky.

Only after confirming that no one was pursuing them did he leave behind the fare and the money for hiring a Soul Master guard, then quietly got out of the carriage.

By the time the driver realized what had happened, the carriage compartment was already empty except for a stack of Gold Soul Coins.