"Dai Mubai, your turn."
Dai Mubai still looked sickly, but his voice remained strong. "Yes. My martial soul is the White Tiger."
"Oh~ Then, Brother Dai, are you a member of the Star Luo Empire's royal family?"
At Ma Hongjun's question, Dai Mubai could not help giving a bitter smile and waving a hand.
"Right now, I'm just an ordinary monster of a soul master."
"Brother Mubai, with your strength, emerging victorious from that competition shouldn't be too difficult, should it?"
Tang San also knew about the struggle for the Star Luo Empire's throne. It was truly too cruel.
There, the law of the jungle-where the victor became king and the loser an outlaw-was no mere metaphor. It was the genuine article.
Several eligible princes would compete against one another, and the winner would inherit the throne.
The losers would either be killed or crippled, exiled to the frontier, or used as breeding stock for marriage alliances.
If their descendants had sufficient talent, they could also participate in the next selection for the throne.
"Perhaps. But I don't want brothers slaughtering one another, nor do I want to stay in that family devoid of warmth and become a king as cold as a machine."
Dai Mubai spoke without much ambition.
Hearing this, Grandmaster frowned and began studying Dai Mubai closely.
"Wow, you're just like Brother San. You're both such fussing mother hens," Ma Hongjun said, realization dawning on him.
"There's nothing wrong with that. But Brother Mubai, sooner or later, you'll have to face that destiny, won't you?"
Tang San laid a hand on Ma Hongjun's shoulder, and the fat boy instantly broke out in a cold sweat.
"Actually, on our way here, we met a girl who might be your intended partner."
"Zhu Zhuqing?" Dai Mubai looked startled. Why had she come? Hadn't she refused to leave with him back then?
"Dai Mubai, sorry for the trouble, but please hold out your hand."
Grandmaster approached Dai Mubai as he spoke.
Flender motioned for Dai Mubai to do as Grandmaster asked.
Dai Mubai was somewhat puzzled, but he still held out his hand.
Then he felt a current of soul power flow into him. It felt somewhat murky, but it was controlled well enough that it did not affect him.
Grandmaster's soul power traveled through Dai Mubai's body. After carefully probing for a moment, he withdrew it.
He told Tang San, "Xiao San, have a contest of soul power with Dai Mubai. Show everyone what you can do while you're at it."
None of them understood Grandmaster's intentions except Tang San. He suspected that Grandmaster had noticed something wrong with Dai Mubai.
How could the White Tiger, king of all beasts, possibly possess such a feeble presence?
"Everyone, make some room. You two, be careful too. Don't damage the treasures here, or you'll pay ten times their original price!"
Flender directed them.
Ma Hongjun grumbled inwardly. Isn't it just a pile of scrap metal? How much could it possibly be worth?
Then he glanced at the price tags and jumped in fright. He could not help silently agreeing with Grandmaster: this fellow really was shameless and crafty.
"Brother Mubai, don't hold back on my account. I may not look it, but I do have some strength."
Tang San told Dai Mubai not to feel pressured and to come at him freely.
"Just call me Mubai. Here I come, then. Be careful."
Dai Mubai narrowed his eyes slightly. Rather than immediately invoking his martial soul, he simply mobilized his soul power and pressed it toward Tang San.
But Tang San remained perfectly composed.
"At this level, you can't even force me to bring out my martial soul."
Tang San's words piqued the curiosity of the three from Shrek. Just what was his martial soul?
"All right! Watch closely, then!"
Dai Mubai activated Martial Soul Possession. His body grew taller and larger, a fierce gleam appeared in his double pupils, and he unleashed a tiger's domineering might.
His soul rings-two yellow and one purple, the standard optimal combination-were more than enough to intimidate the vast majority of soul masters.
Even so, Tang San merely frowned slightly, mobilizing his soul power and spiritual power to dissolve the pressure of that domineering soul power.
At the same time, he analyzed it.
Dai Mubai's level of control was also impressive. None of the surrounding merchandise was affected, and his strength was formidable, just as Tang San had estimated.
Only...
"I still haven't forced out your martial soul? Tang San, you really are remarkable."
A rare trace of a smile appeared on Dai Mubai's face. His contest with Tang San brought him a seldom-felt thrill.
It was as though, however he performed, Tang San could always respond perfectly and strike back. He could unleash everything he had without restraint!
At that thought, Dai Mubai immediately activated his third soul skill.
White Tiger Vajra Transformation!
In an instant, Dai Mubai's strength surged, finally stirring Tang San's martial soul.
Countless strands of blue silver grass sprouted out of thin air, turning the spot where Tang San stood into a small patch of grass.
"Blue silver grass!?" ×3
The three from Shrek were stunned. It was actually blue silver grass! Tang San had cultivated this trash martial soul to such a level!?
Then something even more unbelievable happened. Braving Dai Mubai's pressure, Tang San calmly stepped forward, a patch of grass appearing with every step.
Tang San came before Dai Mubai and held out his fist.
Understanding his intent, Dai Mubai also extended his hand and bumped fists with Tang San.
"Huh? Why does it feel so much easier now?" Oscar asked, puzzled as he felt the atmosphere grow less oppressive.
"That's what you get for slacking off!" Flender rapped Oscar on the head.
"Brother San and Brother Dai concentrated their soul power contest on their fists. Oscar, you're so lame."
"Ugh, I'm a food-type soul master. When it comes to fighting and killing, I can just run away."
Oscar muttered.
"But without enough perception to detect danger, you won't even have a chance to run."
Grandmaster pinpointed Oscar's flaw with surgical precision, trying to correct his attitude.
Then he turned to complain to Flender.
"How exactly have you been teaching your students? His laziness is so obvious, yet you still haven't helped him overcome it."
"You didn't even notice that Dai Mubai's martial soul had been sabotaged, and you depleted his reserves to that extent. Just how have you been using that half-copy of the Dharma Sutra?"
"How do you have the nerve to run Shrek Academy?"
Flender flared up at once.
"Hey! If you hadn't been so selfish back then-the Golden Iron Triangle broke up because of your cowardice! Do you have any idea how many times Erlong cried because of you?"
"Must you bring up Erlong to beat me down every time we argue!?"
"Of course! You're the one Erlong loves! You let her down! Back then, I kindly stepped aside as your big brother so you two could be together, and this is how you repay me?"
Watching their teachers suddenly erupt into an argument, Ma Hongjun and Oscar exchanged looks.
The two men looked like shrews trading insults in the street.
And they kept bringing up their old romantic troubles. It was so embarrassing.
These were their own teachers, too. They had utterly disgraced themselves.
Meanwhile, as Dai Mubai clashed with Tang San's soul power, he felt a surge of vitality wash through his body.
He felt considerably more alert than before.
His thoughts flowed more freely, too.
It was as though the clouds and mist had parted, leaving everything suddenly clear.
"Whew..."
With unspoken understanding, both withdrew at the same time. Dai Mubai looked at Tang San with gratitude.
"As I thought, your mind must have been tampered with back then, weakening your vitality, energy, and spirit, which in turn affected your martial soul."
The tiger was the king of all beasts, and the White Tiger stood foremost among them.
Yet Dai Mubai's bearing was the complete opposite.
He lacked that most essential pride and confidence.
Tang San had just probed with his spiritual power and, sure enough, discovered a wisp of black energy within Dai Mubai's mind.
According to the knowledge in his head, this was a hex that used hypnosis to damage a person's mind.
It was an extremely vicious method.
It made Tang San understand clearly what it meant to say that no household was more heartless than an emperor's.
The struggle for the throne was dark and terrifying indeed.
Before you continue