Meanwhile, Ma Hongjun rushed back to the inn in a panic and told them everything about Dai Mubai injuring someone in public and charging off alone toward the little shop on the outskirts.
Yu Xiaogang, Flender, Zhao Wuji, Tang San, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Oscar were shocked to hear this. Not daring to delay, they followed Ma Hongjun toward the shop at full speed.
Just as they reached the entrance, they saw a figure fly out of the shop and land heavily at their feet with a thud. It was Dai Mubai, looking utterly bedraggled.
Their hearts sank. They frowned toward the shop and saw a young man in his twenties looking their way with a mocking expression.
Enduring the severe pain in his cheek, Dai Mubai climbed to his feet. The sight of the Shrek group filled him with delight, and he roared with hysterical frenzy:
"Teacher Zhao! You're finally here! Avenge me! Kill him! I want him dead without a place to bury him!"
Flender's expression turned cold and stern as he said in a low voice:
"What nerve, daring to injure a student of Shrek!"
Zhao Wuji clenched his fists, his powerful soul power faintly surging, and echoed coldly, "Don't worry, Mubai. We'll definitely get justice for you!"
Tang San, Xiao Wu, and the others nodded, their eyes filled with indignation. They felt that the other party was far too overbearing and unreasonable, injuring people at will.
Meanwhile, Oscar activated his food-type martial soul. Amid a faint white glow, a fragrant Recovery Big Sausage instantly materialized, and he hurried over to hand it to Dai Mubai.
"Boss Dai, hurry and eat this to heal your injuries!"
Without another word, Dai Mubai opened his mouth and swallowed the Recovery Big Sausage.
Gentle soul power instantly spread throughout his body. The swelling and pain in his face quickly subsided, most of his internal injuries eased, and his condition improved considerably.
With his injuries somewhat relieved, Dai Mubai grew more confident and stared venomously at Lin Yue and Zhu Zhuqing inside the shop.
The next moment, he followed the Shrek group back inside.
"Were you the one who injured my student?"
Zhao Wuji stepped forward first, fixing his icy gaze on Lin Yue, who stood calmly before the counter. His question carried a condescending tone.
The smile on Lin Yue's face did not fade. He nodded and answered mildly, "That's right. It was me."
Zhao Wuji narrowed his eyes and sized him up. Detecting no fluctuations of soul power whatsoever, his eyes immediately filled with contempt and arrogance.
"Dai Mubai may have acted rashly, but you injured him this badly. Unless you give us a satisfactory explanation today, I don't think this shop of yours needs to stay open!"
Flender stood to one side with his arms folded, making no attempt to intervene, clearly tacitly approving of Zhao Wuji's attitude and actions.
The other members of Shrek also wore expressions of anticipation, as though they could already see how the man would submit, beg for mercy, and apologize.
In response, Lin Yue tilted his head, putting on a thoughtful look.
A moment later, he pretended to have finally hit upon an answer and said:
"Then how about I compensate you with... ten billion Gold Soul Coins?"
The air inside the little shop seemed to freeze for an instant.
The Shrek group exchanged glances, scarcely believing their ears.
Even Dai Mubai, born into the Star Luo Imperial Family and accustomed to gold, silver, and riches since childhood, caught his breath.
It was an astronomical sum, enough to support several elite Soul Master legions for ten whole years. Even the Star Luo Empire's treasury might not be able to produce it easily.
Ning Rongrong unconsciously tightened her grip on her cuff as well. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect possessed wealth unrivaled beneath the heavens, and she had been exposed to its accounts since childhood. Precisely because of that, she understood the weight of ten billion Gold Soul Coins better than anyone present.
Meanwhile, Flender, who had always valued money as much as his life, stood rooted to the spot as though his soul had left him. His eyes gleamed, and the corners of his mouth curled up uncontrollably.
His mind was filled with mountains of glittering Gold Soul Coins. One moment he imagined expanding the academy, the next he considered equipping every student with a top-grade Soul Tool. He was even planning to replace the battered abacus he had used for decades with one made of pure gold inlaid with jade!
Likewise, satisfaction filled Zhao Wuji's eyes. He nodded slowly, then spoke with cruel indifference:
"At least you know what's good for you."
"But money alone isn't enough."
"If you dare hurt someone from Shrek, you have to pay the price. I'll cripple every tendon and bone in your body and leave you bedridden for the rest of your life, so you'll remember this lesson!"
His words were icy, his killing intent undisguised. He had already pronounced Lin Yue's fate.
Looking at the lofty Shrek group, who believed they had everything firmly in hand, Lin Yue finally could not help snorting with laughter.
The sudden laughter stunned everyone, leaving them puzzled.
Flender frowned, afraid his beautiful dream would shatter, and immediately snapped, "Brat! What are you laughing at? Death is at your door, and you still refuse to repent?"
Lin Yue raised his eyes, sweeping his gaze over everyone present, undisguised mockery on his lips:
"At how stupid you are, of course. Like pigs."
"Ten billion Gold Soul Coins? I was joking, and you actually took me seriously."
In an instant, the entire room fell abruptly silent!
The smugness and satisfaction on the Shrek group's faces froze, replaced by utter fury.
Zhao Wuji in particular had lost all face after being toyed with by an ordinary mortal. Soul power erupted around him!
Heavy soul rings of intermingled black and purple lit up in layers, and the savage pressure of the Great Strength Vajra Bear swept through the entire shop.
"You're courting death! You ignorant bastard who doesn't know how high the heavens are!"
With an enraged roar, he unleashed a killing move:
"Second soul skill, Great Strength Vajra Palm!"
The heavy force of his palm tore through the air with a tremendous roar, striking straight at Lin Yue's face with enough power to split mountains and shatter stone.
Faced with a Soul Saint's all-out blow, Lin Yue's expression never wavered. His lips parted, and he quietly uttered two words:
"Kneel down."
Hum!
An invisible, formless restraining force, terrifying and vast as the might of heaven, abruptly enveloped the room.
Zhao Wuji had barely taken half a step, his palm strike yet to arrive, when his body suddenly stiffened. His bones crackled as an absolute force capable of crushing both soul and flesh came crashing down!
He had no room to resist. His massive body sank, and his knees struck the floor with a thud. He was forcibly suppressed, kneeling before Lin Yue, unable to move a muscle!
Deathly silence spread through the shop, the chill piercing to the bone.
Everyone stared fixedly at Zhao Wuji, kneeling motionless on the floor, their hearts convulsing wildly.
He was a level seventy-eight Soul Saint!
He was Shrek's strongest fighter!
Throughout Star Dou Town and even the surrounding cities, he was a top expert who could do as he pleased!
Yet such a powerful figure had been forced to his knees and suppressed by a single sentence from this young man, who seemingly possessed no soul power at all!
Flender was the first to recover a shred of reason from his overwhelming horror, his gaze fixed firmly on Lin Yue. He understood Zhao Wuji's strength better than anyone.
A horrifying thought exploded in his mind: A Titled Douluo?
But even the youngest known Titled Douluos on the continent had only crossed that threshold after turning forty.
Yet the man before him looked barely past twenty...
By now, the venom on Dai Mubai's face had long since vanished, replaced by pallor and bewilderment.
Only moments ago, he had been hysterically clamoring to leave the man dead without a burial place. Now he trembled uncontrollably, not daring to make a sound.
Ning Rongrong's slender fingers clutched Oscar's sleeve, her knuckles white.
Tang San quietly shielded Xiao Wu behind him, circulating the Mysterious Heaven Skill furiously through his meridians. Yet a chill from the depths of his soul left his palms slick with cold sweat. Before such overwhelming power, every technique became a joke.
Xiao Wu hid behind him, her rabbit ears flattened against her scalp in fright, her eyes brimming with panicked tears. Oscar's face was white as paper. Although he wanted to feign composure before the girl he liked, he still could not control his trembling body.
The fat on Ma Hongjun's plump cheeks quivered wildly. He instinctively retreated half a step, only to be pinned in place by a fierce glare from Flender.
Fear rose like a swelling tide, engulfing them all.
Would they die? Like ants crushed underfoot...
Yet amid the deathly silence and terror, Yu Xiaogang was actually the first to regain his composure.
He took a deep breath, adjusted his glasses, and forcibly suppressed the dizziness brought on by his racing heart. Straightening his slightly disheveled robes, he stepped forward, passed Flender, and stopped three paces from Lin Yue.
He studied Lin Yue carefully.
Young, far too young. Smooth skin, calm eyes, no fluctuations of soul power leaking from anywhere on his body, nor any sign of weakness after taking action.
Even if he really were a Titled Douluo, suppressing Zhao Wuji could not possibly have cost him no soul power. Yet his breathing was so steady that it seemed nothing had happened...
A bold conjecture took shape in Yu Xiaogang's mind.
He cleared his throat, offered what he considered an appropriate smile, and spoke in a gentle yet poised manner:
"Young friend, you may not know me. My name is Yu Xiaogang. I have something of a reputation in the martial soul world."
He paused. Seeing that Lin Yue merely watched him with interest without interrupting, he continued:
"At first, I also thought you might be a Titled Douluo. But even the youngest Titled Douluo on the continent was never as young as you."
"So I suspect that the means you used to send Dai Mubai flying and subdue Zhao Wuji probably weren't your own strength, were they?"
He pushed up his glasses meaningfully:
"Instead... you relied on some external object. A rare Soul Tool, for instance, or some sort of single-use Forbidden Artifact."
Lin Yue neither agreed nor disagreed. His smile remained unchanged as he watched silently, his gaze like that of someone watching a one-man show.
In Yu Xiaogang's eyes, however, that silent attitude became confirmation of his assumption.
His back unconsciously straightened, and his tone grew even calmer and more confident:
"Young friend, I see no injuries anywhere on your body, whereas our academy's student, Dai Mubai, was indeed injured by you."
"As his teachers, surely we're not being unreasonable by seeking justice for our student?"
He paused, then pressed further:
"If you hurt someone, compensation and an apology are only right and proper. If you insist on relying on an external object to behave so outrageously, I'm afraid word getting out would harm your reputation as well. I, Yu Xiaogang, have some standing in theoretical circles. If I were to write an account of this matter..."
His words now carried measures of reassurance, warning, and negotiation.
But before he could finish-
"Stop."
Lin Yue raised a hand, casually cutting off his lengthy speech.
"I thought that mouth of yours might have something different to offer. Turns out it's just like you: full of hot air."
"No wonder those Ten Core Theories of Martial Souls are incoherent bullshit too."
"You!"
Yu Xiaogang's face instantly flushed red, the fury of public humiliation rushing straight to the crown of his head.
His knowledge and theories were precisely what he took pride in. Having them contemptuously dismissed as "hot air" hurt even more than a slap across the face.
He unconsciously clenched his fists, his tone growing hurried and indignant:
"Young friend! I treated you courteously out of respect for your hidden abilities."
"Do you know the breadth and depth of my knowledge of martial soul theory? Do you know my research into the Soul Master cultivation system and my contributions to the entire continent? You say I'm 'full of hot air,' but do you dare compete with me in martial soul theory?"
"Sure."
Lin Yue's voice was quiet, yet like a pebble dropped into stagnant water, it abruptly cut off Yu Xiaogang's torrent of words. With undisguised contempt on his face, he said:
"But before that, let me ask you something. 'There are no useless Soul Masters, only useless martial souls.' You really did say that, didn't you?"
Yu Xiaogang froze, then involuntarily puffed out his chest even further. A proud flush even rose to his face.
This was precisely the central thesis he was proudest of and best known for, hailed as a golden saying that shattered the martial soul innate theory.
He nodded emphatically:
"Indeed! It is the foremost core theory proposed by me, Yu Xiaogang! Although martial souls are born with differences in strength, cultivation methods and their application are what determine the heights a Soul Master can reach..."
"Enough, enough."
Lin Yue interrupted again, looking increasingly as though he were staring at an idiot, and said impatiently:
"Since you said it, aren't you yourself the best counterexample? What else is there to say?"
Yu Xiaogang's expression stiffened. "What do you mean?"
Lin Yue sighed, nearly driven to tears by the man's stupidity, and patiently explained:
"Your own martial soul, Luo Sanpao, is a variant of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, trash among trash martial souls. According to your own theory, you should have more motivation and more ways than anyone to cultivate yourself into a top expert."
He paused, the disdain in his voice deepening:
"But what about you? You've squandered half your life, and you're still only a Soul Grandmaster in your twenties of levels, aren't you? You spend all day parading around with that armchair strategizing, trotting out your 'theories' to everyone you meet, as though you're the only person under heaven who understands martial souls."
"You can't even prove your theory with yourself, yet you dare use it to teach others? How is that any different from a cripple teaching people to run?"
Yu Xiaogang's face alternated between livid and pale. He wanted to say that theoretical guidance and practice were two different things, wanted to mention the constraints of environment and resources, wanted to say...
But Lin Yue gave him no opportunity and directly ordered them out.
"Get out. You don't get a third chance. If there's a next time, I imagine you know what will happen without me having to say it."
Before you continue