Defeating the Three-Eyed Golden Lion-Brother Qin?

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion fled. Qin Yu gave chase.

She ran, he pursued, and even wings wouldn't have helped her escape.

"If... if you keep chasing me, I'm really going to get angry!" the Three-Eyed Golden Lion threatened.

"Oh, quite the temper." Qin Yu smiled faintly. "If I don't make you admit defeat today, what will become of my authority as the young master?"

"Fine! Now I'm angry!"

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion skidded to a halt, spun around, and stared straight at Qin Yu.

Then the vertical slit between her brows slowly opened, revealing an eerie red eye that shimmered with a hazy, illusory glow.

"The Power of Destiny..."

Qin Yu murmured the words and immediately grew serious.

He dodged on instinct, but it was already too late. The light of destiny enveloped him, and a strange power swept through his body.

In an instant, the boosts to Qin Yu's strength, defense, and speed from his Soul Skills were erased.

"Hmph! I'll ram you flat!"

With a snort, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion flew at Qin Yu like a tiny sun.

Qin Yu raised the Heaven Dragon Halberd to block without thinking, but with his strength and defense weakened, she sent him flying.

Without his Soul Skills bolstering him, Qin Yu certainly couldn't match the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's strength.

That was one hell of a lucky charge.

Qin Yu didn't hit the ground. He quickly steadied himself with his dragon wings and hovered in midair.

Then the Three-Eyed Golden Lion came at him again.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's "lucky charge" packed a terrifying punch.

"Whew."

Qin Yu took a deep breath and put away the Heaven Dragon Halberd. His Fourth Soul Ring lit up. "Fourth Soul Skill: Purple Emperor Annihilation Claw!"

In an instant, the phantom of a massive Dragon Claw descended from the sky and swept toward the Three-Eyed Golden Lion with terrifying force.

The power behind that claw was fearsome.

A sharp pain stabbed between the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's brows. Her third eye was warning her that the attack was dangerous. She couldn't take it head-on.

She trusted the warning without hesitation and dodged at once.

The moment she moved aside, the Purple Emperor Annihilation Claw slammed into the ground with a deafening crash.

As the dust cleared, a massive Dragon Claw print appeared in the ground, more than a meter deep and surrounded by cracks.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion stared in disbelief.

"You lost."

A voice suddenly sounded beside her ear.

"I did not..." She turned her head instinctively, only to find another phantom Dragon Claw hovering above her.

It was the Purple Emperor Annihilation Claw!

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion fell silent.

She had lost.

If that claw came down, she would be hurt—badly.

Qin Yu looked at her, reached out with a dragon claw, and patted her head. "A bet's a bet. Come on, call me big brother."

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion fidgeted for a long while before forcing out the words, her voice full of embarrassment. "Big... brother."

"Not bad." Qin Yu stopped patting her and began stroking her head instead. He smiled. "It'd be even better if you sounded a little more natural."

"Hmph!" the Three-Eyed Golden Lion huffed, but she stole another glance at Qin Yu and silently called him big brother in her heart.

At the same time, Qin Yu released his Martial Soul Possession.

He looked calm, but he had reached his limit. His Soul Power was nearly spent, and he couldn't use another Soul Skill.

Using the Purple Emperor Annihilation Claw twice in succession had drained everything he had left.

"Whew." Qin Yu let out a long breath. Without putting on airs, he sat down where he stood and circulated his power, recovering a little Soul Power.

Though he had exhausted his Soul Power, he now had a rough idea of his strength.

At his current level, he could call himself invincible among Soul Sages. Two strikes of the Purple Emperor Annihilation Claw would be enough to kill one.

"You're exhausted too, aren't you?" The Three-Eyed Golden Lion edged closer and eyed him suspiciously. "You can't use another Soul Skill, can you?"

"Not at all."

"You're lying. You can't."

"What did you call me?" Qin Yu raised an eyebrow and glanced at her.

"Big... brother." The Three-Eyed Golden Lion said it reluctantly, her shy, hesitant tone strangely amusing.

Hearing that tone, Qin Yu's eyes darted aside as a mischievous idea came to him. "Say it again, but add my surname."

"Brother Qin?"

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion tilted her head and obediently repeated it.

She had no idea what it implied. To her, it was simply a way to address him.

Looking at her innocent expression, Qin Yu muttered to himself, Why do I feel like some creepy uncle coaxing a little girl?

"Are you... Brother Qin, are you all right?" The Three-Eyed Golden Lion looked at him in confusion.

"Ahem."

Qin Yu cleared his throat, rubbed her head, and smiled. "All right, I only wanted to hear it a few times. You don't have to keep calling me that."

"From now on, you don't need to call me big brother or young master. Just use my name."

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was a little clever, but more than anything, she was innocent, like a girl who had never seen the world.

Qin Yu had only wanted to tease her, not truly take advantage of her.

"Oh."

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion answered, but surprise flickered in her eyes. She clearly hadn't expected that from Qin Yu.

Was Qin Yu just going to let her off?

"Rest a while. We'll continue in a bit," Qin Yu suddenly said.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion: "..."

All right. She had gotten the wrong idea.

He had let her off on one thing, not let her off altogether.

Still, she wasn't satisfied with losing either. She was eager for another round.

"Fine, let's continue!" The Three-Eyed Golden Lion held her head high, her voice brimming with confidence. "You'll definitely lose this time!"

Their earlier clash had given her a rough understanding of Qin Yu's strength and methods. She was sure she could win another fight.

The only thing she had to watch out for was that claw attack he brought down from the sky.

"I still think you'll lose." Qin Yu smiled faintly.

"No, I won't!"

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion answered confidently, then changed the subject and asked curiously, "Big bro—Qin Yu, why didn't my mental attack work on you?"

"Is your Spiritual Power stronger than mine? Or are you immune to mental attacks?"

The Spiritual Power she prided herself on had failed to affect Qin Yu at all.

Even thinking back on it now, she was stunned.

"That's a secret."

Qin Yu gave her a mysterious smile.

"Stingy," the Three-Eyed Golden Lion muttered, turning her head away.

"What about you? What's with that third eye on your forehead? How could it erase the effects of my Soul Skills?" Qin Yu asked with a grin.

"...That's my secret too."

"Stingy."

"Y-you can't copy me!" the Three-Eyed Golden Lion protested indignantly.

Qin Yu only smiled. He stopped paying her any mind and focused on circulating his power, speeding up his Soul Power recovery for their next sparring match.

At the sight, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion bared her teeth and swiped a few times at Qin Yu with her paw.

Then she quieted down and began recovering her strength too.

Lying beside him, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion watched Qin Yu restore his Soul Power and thought to herself, Qin Yu's actually pretty nice. He didn't even force me to tell him.