Victory

Below the stage, Lin Yang watched the marks emerge on Xiao Wu's face, a trace of satisfaction appearing in his eyes.

Just as he had thought.

Pressure was the driving force for breaking past one's limits!

This little rabbit was sharp-witted. Once they grew familiar, she showed him no respect for seniority and did not even bother hiding her badmouthing from him.

If he took action himself, he probably would have struggled to achieve the intended effect.

She was extraordinarily gifted, and her strength far surpassed others at her level. Ordinary Soul Masters could hardly pose a genuine threat to her.

And in the Star Dou Forest, with two overlords protecting her, she had probably rarely faced a true fight to the death.

That was why Lin Yang had taken such a roundabout route, arranging both a death match and a one-against-two fight.

He had only one goal: to make the little rabbit truly face a life-or-death crisis where she had to stake her life.

That would serve as the opportunity to awaken her Demon Slayer Mark.

And the result was just as he had expected.

At that moment, the three on the stage clashed once more.

This time, Xiao Wu held nothing back.

With the Demon Slayer Mark's enhancement, her strength, speed, and perception all increased dramatically.

Fighting at full strength, Xiao Wu instantly subjected the Tiger Leopard Brothers to suffocating pressure.

In strength, she completely overpowered Cheng Hu, whose specialty was strength.

In speed, Jin Bao was crushed until not even a scrap remained.

To say nothing of the exquisite techniques she unleashed one after another.

The two of them were like a pair of unenlightened wild beasts, utterly toyed with in the palm of her hand.

"Second Soul Skill, Tiger Roars in the Mountain Forest!"

Cheng Hu roared, and violent sound waves howled outward from him in every direction.

An area-of-effect sonic Soul Skill could easily cover the entire cramped stage.

But Xiao Wu simply leaped into the air, swiftly twisted her body, and slammed both feet down like heavy hammers on either side of Cheng Hu's shoulders.

Crack!

A crisp sound of fracturing bone rang out. Cheng Hu's face contorted, and both his arms instantly drooped limply.

But it was not over yet.

She remembered that brush with death perfectly clearly.

A fierce glint flashed through Xiao Wu's eyes, and the Soul Ring around her lit up.

"First Soul Skill, Waist Bow!"

She concentrated her Soul Power in her waist and abdomen, unleashing extraordinary flexibility and strength.

Xiao Wu's feet clamped around his neck with the momentum, and her core erupted with power, actually wrenching the burly Cheng Hu clean off the ground.

Then she used that momentum to bend backward like a fully drawn bow and smashed him headfirst into the hard floor.

Breath of Softness, Second Form: Reverse Bow Grappling Throw!

It all happened in an instant. By the time Jin Bao reacted, Cheng Hu was already lying on the stage with his head covered in blood.

He lay motionless, his fate unknown!

Jin Bao's eyes instantly turned bloodshot. "Brother Hu!"

Amid his roar, the Second Soul Ring beneath his feet suddenly blazed.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two figures identical to him instantly appeared beside him.

All three figures sprang into action simultaneously, lunging at Xiao Wu from different angles.

Six leopard claws gleamed coldly, their slashing winds tearing through the air and sealing off every avenue of escape.

A clear, sharp cry escaped Xiao Wu's lips, and her figure became a blur of pink light.

Like an arrow loosed from its string, she charged straight at one of the figures at a speed almost impossible to track.

With the Demon Slayer Mark's enhancement, all five of her senses had been strengthened.

Her hearing in particular picked up the pounding heartbeat beneath his chest with incredible clarity.

Jin Bao saw only a blur before Xiao Wu was already in front of him.

She sprang up into a flying kick, her toes as precise as a probe, striking the exact same spot on his chest three times in an instant.

Breath of Softness, Third Form: Bone Shatter, Triple Strike!

Thud, thud, thud!

The three muffled impacts almost merged into one.

Jin Bao's pupils abruptly contracted. Indescribable agony exploded in his chest and instantly swept through his entire body.

He could feel that not only his breastbone but even his spine had broken completely.

He opened his mouth but could not make a sound.

The world spun, and his body toppled stiffly backward as darkness swiftly swallowed his vision.

Looking at the two men on the stage, their fates unknown, Xiao Wu let out a long breath, and the marks on her face immediately vanished.

The audience sat in silence, as though someone had pressed pause.

After a brief, deathly silence, earth-shaking cheers and shouts erupted.

"Charming Rabbit-!"

"Charming Rabbit!"

Waves of cheers swept through the entire Eighth Branch Arena.

After a brief moment of stunned silence, the announcer hurried forward to check on the Tiger Leopard Brothers.

A quick examination revealed that Cheng Hu had long since stopped breathing.

Though Jin Bao was still alive, he was gravely injured, his bones and internal organs severely damaged. Even if he could be saved, he would probably be crippled.

The announcer smacked his lips. In all his years hosting matches, he had seen situations even more gruesome than this.

But the person responsible for today's scene was actually a girl with only one Soul Ring.

The ruthlessness of her methods shook him.

He composed himself, then raised an arm, his booming voice instantly drowning out the uproar.

"The winners-the Gui Mei Blade Rabbit Team!"

The stands erupted in cheers.

"Shit, I'd completely forgotten this was a fucking team!"

"One against two. The Tiger Leopard Brothers are really finished now. I doubt they'll ever be able to hold their heads up again."

"Forget finished. One of them's already stopped breathing."

"Holy shit, that ruthless?"

"You're telling me. That little girl looks all soft and sweet, but she really plays dirty!"

In this Soul Fighting match, the Gui Mei Blade Rabbit Team had completed their debut with a resounding victory despite the harsh conditions of facing two-ring opponents with one ring, one against two.

Xiao Wu's codename, "Charming Rabbit," also became a topic many people relished discussing.

Of course, where some believed it, others naturally thought it was exaggerated.

But for the time being, none of this gossip had anything to do with Lin Yang and Xiao Wu.

After registering their points, the two returned directly to their rented courtyard.

Lin Yang used his Soul Bone Skill to heal the wound on Xiao Wu's neck, leaving not even a scar.

Then he looked at Xiao Wu and gently reassured her.

"Don't overthink it. Get a good night's sleep tonight."

The little rabbit lifted her smiling face. "Relax. It's no big deal. I'm not that fragile."

"Then that's all for the best."

Lin Yang gave Xiao Wu a long look.

This rabbit's bones were supple enough, but her mouth was certainly tough.

Sure enough, the next day, Xiao Wu emerged from her room with dark circles under her eyes, yawning nonstop.

Clearly, she had slept very poorly the night before.

"Why not sleep a little longer?"

Lin Yang, who had been practicing sword techniques in the courtyard, stopped and could not help chuckling at the listless Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu rested her arm on the table, propped her little face up with one hand, and yawned.

"Aren't we going to the Great Soul Arena today?"

"You did very well yesterday and successfully mastered the Demon Slayer Mark, so I'm giving you an extra day off today." Lin Yang shrugged.

"After all, I'm not some devil."

"Hmph." Xiao Wu snorted and rolled her eyes at Lin Yang.

"I'm going shopping!"

"Suit yourself, but don't get so carried away shopping that you forget everything else. You still need to do your daily training."

"Got it."

After breakfast, the two went out together.

They headed in different directions, however. Xiao Wu went to the shopping district, while Lin Yang made the rounds of various medical clinics and merchant associations.

That was right. With his purse full once more, Lin Yang planned to buy medicinal herbs and whale rubber again.

Whale rubber in particular-he would take as much as he could get.

Ten-year and hundred-year varieties had negligible effects on him, but they were just right for the little rabbit.

Only whale rubber aged a thousand years or more was Lin Yang's primary target.

As for ten-thousand-year whale glue, even if he wanted to buy it, he would need a measure of luck.