I Am Unrivaled in Heaven Dou

As everyone knew, in any family of even a modest size, not only were Martial Souls inherited, but Soul Rings and Soul Skills were largely similar as well.

Just as the Star Luo Imperial Family's first two Soul Skills were White Tiger Protection Barrier and White Tiger Fierce Light Wave, the brothers Xiao Feng and Xiao Jun would have identical Soul Skills for their first two Soul Rings.

To put it in modern terms, this was the wisdom of the ancestors-the optimal combination of Soul Skills that wielders of this type of Martial Soul had discovered through thousands of years of inheritance and exploration.

But the same moves clearly stood little chance of working against Su Lin and Pikachu.

"Pikachu, Lightning Sucker Punch!" Su Lin commanded in a low voice.

Golden lightning exploded around Pikachu. The little fellow's figure blurred, leaving several overlapping afterimages as he nimbly sidestepped the massive hammer hurtling toward him.

Boom!

Mountain-Splitting Heavy Strike slammed into the arena's bluestone surface. Shattered stone flew everywhere, and cracks spread like a spiderweb from the point of impact.

In the brief gap just after Xiao Feng's strength was spent, Pikachu had already circled behind him. He flipped in midair, and thick, blinding streams of golden lightning poured out of his body, striking straight at Xiao Feng's back!

Xiao Feng's brow furrowed. Not daring to delay, he instantly lit up his Second Soul Ring.

"Second Soul Skill, Mountain-Shaking Rock Armor!"

A thick layer of earthen-yellow rock armor covered his entire body, solid and heavy.

But lightning inherently possessed an extremely powerful penetrating property. The lightning slammed into the armor's surface, and countless tiny arcs seeped inward through its gaps. Waves of numbness swept through Xiao Feng's limbs, involuntarily stalling his forward charge.

"Now!"

Pikachu seized the opening and charged at full speed. All the lightning around him gathered in his tail, which lashed out fiercely with the tremendous might of thunder.

As the lightning-wreathed tail closed in, a vicious smile suddenly curled Xiao Feng's lips, and his third, purple Soul Ring blazed with light.

"Third Soul Skill, Mountain-Splitting Frenzied Strength!"

Under the purple Soul Ring's enhancement, Xiao Feng's entire right arm suddenly swelled, its muscles becoming more rugged and defined. An almost tangible earthen-yellow glow burst from between the fingers gripping his hammer.

He violently twisted his waist and angled his back, using that explosive surge of strength to swing his hammer hard toward the approaching Pikachu. The earthen-yellow wind from the hammer carried a violent surge of Soul Power, its momentum even fiercer than his previous two strikes.

Boom!

This strike still hit nothing but air. Pikachu flipped in midair using the gust raised by the hammer, then landed lightly about ten feet behind Xiao Feng, his feet planted firmly on the ground.

Tilting his head, Pikachu figured that since his master would not let him finish the fight quickly anyway, he might as well have some fun teasing this big oaf. He kept turning into a golden streak as he dashed back and forth across the arena, occasionally flicking out an arc of electricity to disrupt and restrain Xiao Feng. No matter how Xiao Feng's attacks raged like a storm, he never managed to touch so much as a hair on the little fellow.

"Too fast! What on earth did this Lightning Rat grow up eating? That speed is ridiculous!" Someone below the arena finally could not help speaking up. Another voice immediately followed. "This goes beyond ridiculous. Unless I'm seeing things, hasn't Xiao Feng been taking a beating this whole time without fighting back?"

"Damn! Is Xiao Feng actually going to lose? He's a rank thirty-three Soul Elder! If word gets out that he couldn't even handle one little Soul Beast, he'll be a laughingstock."

"Judging by how things stand, that really could happen!"

At those words, the atmosphere around the arena grew noticeably strange, and the looks directed at Su Lin by the arena's edge changed as well.

Before fifteen minutes had passed, the enormous cost of maintaining Mountain-Shaking Rock Armor for so long had gradually drained Xiao Feng's Soul Power. Pikachu seized a fleeting opportunity, turned into a bolt of golden lightning, and charged with pinpoint accuracy, slamming hard into his abdomen.

Oh, no!

Xiao Feng cursed inwardly. Seeing that golden light skimming toward him along the ground, he still tried to raise the Mountain-Splitting Hammer to block it horizontally, but his arm could no longer keep up with his thoughts.

Exactly like the move that had eliminated Xiao Jun earlier, the violent impact sent Xiao Feng flying. His back struck the ground of the plaza outside the arena with a dull thud.

[Your battle report has been generated]

[Your Pokémon Lightning Rat experienced a relatively easy battle, defeated an opponent of mediocre strength, and gained 50 experience points]

Xiao Feng lay on his back, dazed for a long time. Only when Xiao Jun hurriedly reached out and shook him did he slowly come to his senses.

"I lost?" He looked up at Su Lin, who stood calmly on the arena, his voice full of disbelief. "I refuse to accept this! There has to be something wrong with your Lightning Rat. There's no such thing as a seven-hundred-year Soul Beast with such terrifying combat strength!"

His words immediately drew a wave of laughter and jeers from the watching students.

Someone called out mockingly, "Xiao Feng, don't tell me you're a sore loser?"

Another immediately teased, "You can't even handle a seven-hundred-year Soul Beast, and you have the nerve to call yourself a Soul Elder? Did you force your Soul Power up by piling on pills?"

Laughter rose all around him. Xiao Feng's face alternated between ashen and pale, leaving him utterly embarrassed.

Gritting his teeth, he pulled five merit-point tokens from inside his clothes and hurled them onto the arena, leaving a vicious threat. "Just you wait!"

With that, he could not bear to stay a moment longer. He grabbed Xiao Jun and turned to flee in disgrace.

Su Lin had barely stepped off the arena and had not even managed half a sentence with Xiao Wu before a large crowd of older students, male and female, surrounded him so tightly that not a drop of water could get through.

Every gaze was fixed firmly on Pikachu on his shoulder.

"Impressive, junior! Is your Lightning Rat for sale? I can trade you a Thousand-Year Soul Beast!"

Everyone had already been privately speculating that this Lightning Rat was definitely a special Soul Beast that had mutated and undergone a variant evolution.

From explosive power to endurance and Soul Power reserves, he far surpassed ordinary Thousand-Year Soul Beasts in every respect. He simply could not be judged by the standards of an ordinary seven-hundred-year Soul Beast.

Surrounded by layer upon layer of people, Su Lin could neither push his way through nor retreat. He could only laugh and make vague responses while edging toward Xiao Wu. Once he finally squeezed out of the crowd, he hurried toward the academy gates.

But though he had left, the legend he left behind began to spread. Everything that had happened in the Soul Fighting Zone at noon traveled rapidly through the academy by word of mouth from the watching students.

Before nightfall, news that the brothers Xiao Feng and Xiao Jun had lost to a new student, ultimately falling to a seven-hundred-year Lightning Rat, reached the main campus of Heaven Dou Royal Academy and caused quite a stir.

Enjoying a spectacle was human nature, and that held just as true on the Douluo Continent.

Countless students grew intensely curious, wanting to see for themselves just what this Lightning Rat, whose abilities had been spoken of in such miraculous terms, could do. Among them, the many second- and third-year Soul Grandmasters and Soul Elders at the main campus were especially eager.