Repelling the King of the Forest

The Titan Giant Ape moved again.

This time, it did not test him.

Its massive body bore down like a black mountain. Both fists crashed toward him, Soul Power mingling with the force of its blood to form an almost solid shockwave. Before the wind from its punches even touched the surrounding trees, their crowns were ripped apart.

Bai Jin stood at the center of the storm and wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth.

His organs were shaking.

His Soul Power was burning, too.

The might of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast was not something he could dismiss just because he "knew the plot."

But the greater the danger, the more excited he became.

In all his time on the Douluo Continent, he had dealt with Evil Soul Masters, sparred with Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, and been dragged to the Worship Hall by Qian Daoliu for training. But fights that could push every one of his Soul Skills to its limit were rare.

This one qualified.

He remembered something Qian Daoliu had once said.

"Bai Jin, your talent is too sharp. So sharp you seem less like a Soul Master and more like a calamity."

Back then, Bai Jin had been lying on the roof of the Worship Hall, basking in the sun. All he had said was, "There are good calamities and bad calamities. I should count as one of the good-looking ones."

Qian Daoliu had not laughed. He had merely told Bai Jin to get back to training.

Now, in the midst of this battle, Bai Jin finally understood why the old man had always kept such a close eye on him.

His path strayed too far from the norm.

Others stacked Soul Rings one by one to build themselves higher. He wielded Soul Skills as though he were dismantling the rules of the world. As long as he had enough Soul Power and his mind could hold out, the Six Eyes could turn anything that made no sense in battle into something he could use.

"Kids."

Bai Jin did not look back.

"Watch closely."

"A Soul Master doesn't win a fight just by having more Soul Power."

The Titan Giant Ape's fist thundered down.

Bai Jin raised his left hand.

Limitless stopped the first punch.

The second followed close behind, swinging in from the side.

Bai Jin's foot slid. Shrinking Earth activated, and his whole body seemed to dissolve in the wind. In an instant, he appeared beyond the fist's path. At the same time, Blue erupted at the Titan Giant Ape's elbow, dragging the force of its blow downward.

Its fist smashed into the ground.

The earth caved in.

He detonated from beneath the surface a heartbeat later.

Dark-red repulsive force surged up the Titan Giant Ape's arm, jolting its shoulder.

Tang San stared fixedly at the scene.

He understood a little of what was happening.

Bai Jin was not merely dodging.

He was teaching.

He was breaking down a head-on fight for them to see.

No matter how great an enemy's strength, it had a starting point, a direction, and a point of impact. If you could see them clearly, you could change them. Blue Silver Grass, Hidden Weapons, Soul Skills—it was all the same at heart.

Xiao Wu suddenly stepped forward.

Tang San stopped her at once. "Xiao Wu!"

Xiao Wu bit her lip and said nothing.

She could feel that Er Ming was truly furious.

But she could also feel that Bai Jin had never intended to kill him.

One of them could not be hurt. The other could not lose.

For the first time, her secret felt like a rope tightening around her throat.

Bai Jin glanced at her from the corner of his eye and sighed inwardly.

What a headache.

Children's secrets were the worst.

He raised a hand. His Fourth Soul Ring lit up, and Reverse Cursed Technique covered his chest, forcing back the injuries the shock had caused.

Then his Sixth Soul Ring lit up again.

Unlimited Void.

This time, its range was smaller.

It covered only the thirty feet between him and the Titan Giant Ape.

And it was far more vicious.

All that information became countless fine needles, stabbing precisely into the Titan Giant Ape's senses. Its movements stalled again, and confusion briefly clouded its golden pupils.

Bai Jin stepped forward.

Azure.

Gravity seized the Titan Giant Ape's chest.

He.

Repulsive force shoved its right arm aside.

Shrinking Earth.

Bai Jin appeared before its jaw.

Limitless.

It blocked the blast of air from the ape's counterattack.

Reverse Cursed Technique.

It repaired the bones in his hand, cracked by the impact.

Blue and Red gathered together.

Hollow Technique: Purple.

This time, the purple light was no thin line.

It was like a purple sun compressed to its utmost limit, slowly rising from Bai Jin's palm.

The entire forest was bathed in cold violet.

Zhao Wuji's scalp prickled.

"Everyone, get down!"

The people of Shrek threw themselves flat almost by instinct.

Ning Rongrong gritted her teeth and held her enhancement at its limit. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda shone so brightly it hurt to look at.

"Bai Jin!"

Xiao Wu finally could not help shouting.

Bai Jin did not turn around.

"Don't worry."

He smiled as he spoke.

"I know when to stop."

Purple light blasted forth.

This time, the Titan Giant Ape did not take it head-on.

It slammed both arms into the ground and used the force to retreat, but Bai Jin's Blue had already caught its center of gravity. With its escape cut off and purple light capable of tearing through anything ahead of it, it had nowhere to go.

The Titan Giant Ape roared, crossed its fists, and met the attack head-on.

Heaven and earth thundered.

The curtain of rain evaporated in an instant.

A brief vacuum opened among the wooded hills. Then air rushed back in, forming a white ring of shockwaves. When the blast reached the others, Zhao Wuji held it back by sheer force, his feet gouging two bloody trails through the ground.

"Damn it!"

He cursed.

"Is that kid really just a Soul Saint?"

No one answered.

Because everyone had seen it: the Titan Giant Ape had been driven back.

Its huge body slid backward, smashing through countless giant trees, until one knee crashed into the mud. A deep-purple scorch mark crossed its chest. Blood streamed down both arms, and its breathing had grown noticeably heavier.

Bai Jin dropped from midair.

His knees buckled slightly, and he nearly collapsed, but he forced himself to stay upright.

His Soul Power was nearly spent.

His mind felt as though it had been pierced with needles.

But he was standing.

Standing in front of them all.

The Titan Giant Ape raised its head and fixed its gaze on him.

Bai Jin looked back at it.

"Want to keep going?"

Only the sound of rain falling once more remained in the forest.

After a long while, the Titan Giant Ape let out a low growl.

It was not a sign of surrender.

It sounded more like acknowledgment.

It turned to look at Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu's eyes reddened, and she gave a gentle shake of her head.

The Titan Giant Ape fell silent for a moment. Then its massive form slowly retreated and vanished into the depths of the forest.

The Titan Giant Ape had backed down.

Zhao Wuji let out a long breath, as though he had just crawled back from death's door.

Ma Hongjun dropped onto his backside.

"I'm never saying Brother Bai's just handsome again."

Oscar said dazedly, "He can really fight, too."

Dai Mubai added quietly, "It's more than that."

He stared at Bai Jin's back, his eyes trembling.

"He's absurdly strong."

Tang San said nothing.

He merely looked at Bai Jin and, for the first time, truly understood what it meant to stand at the pinnacle.

Bai Jin turned around. His face was pale, but the corners of his mouth still lifted.

"What are you looking at?"

He raised a hand and pulled his blindfold back down.

"Never seen a handsome guy save the day?"

Everyone: "..."

The awe that had just risen in them suddenly dropped a little.

But this time, no one dared laugh.

Because they all knew.

That grinning man had just driven back a Titan Giant Ape head-on.

A Soul Saint had repelled the king of the forest.

None of them would forget that sight for the rest of their lives.

Ning Rongrong pressed a hand to her chest. The light of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda had faded, but that thunderous impact still rang in her ears.

She had seen Sword Douluo draw his sword and Bone Douluo tear open space.

That was the power of Titled Douluo.

But Bai Jin was no Titled Douluo.

That was precisely what made this battle so absurd—and made her blood surge all the more.

Oscar murmured, "If word gets out, won't the Soul Master World explode?"

Dai Mubai said grimly, "It already has."

Zhao Wuji did not argue.

Everyone there understood. The moment the Titan Giant Ape retreated, Bai Jin's name ceased to belong only to the freak of the Spirit Hall Special Squad. Twenty-one years old. Level seventy-three. Had driven back the king of the forest head-on.

Those few facts alone were enough to keep countless so-called geniuses awake at night.

Bai Jin, however, acted as though nothing had happened and reached into his pocket for candy.

He rummaged for ages but found none.

Only then did his expression change.

"Who knocked all the candy out of my pocket?"

Everyone fell silent.

That question seemed to pain him more than the battle itself.

Looking at him, Zhao Wuji felt much of his astonishment suddenly fade.

The man really was strong.

And he really was asking for a punch.

Tang San looked down at his hands.

That battle had taught him that being called a genius merely qualified him to set foot on the path. A true powerhouse was someone who could make an entire forest remember his passing.

He clenched his fists.

For the first time, he was not striving to catch up with his peers.

He wanted to catch up with that silver-clad figure.