From the very beginning, Dai Huabin had never taken Wang Dong's team seriously.
So what if Wang Dong had a thousand-year soul ring for his second ring? A lazy dog who had barely broken past the 20th rank by the age of twelve—how could he possibly compare to him, the son of the White Tiger Duke?
From childhood, Dai Huabin had received the finest training, the best resources, and the most rigorous cultivation. Otherwise, how could he have reached the Soul Elder realm by twelve?
Not to mention, he also had his… star slave—no, wait—his scabbard—uh, no, that wasn't right either.
He had his Martial Soul Fusion Skill tool—Zhu Lu!
Dai Huabin was born to be superior. He was destined to stand above all others!
With this mindset, how could a trash like Huo Yuhao—with his measly ten-year soul ring—ever catch his attention?
Hell, when he drew his lot for the finals and realized he wasn't matched against Lin Yun or Ning Tian's team, he'd been furious.
What, do you all look down on me so much that you won't even let me fight a Soul Elder team? Instead, you stick me with this ten-year-ring garbage?!
Dai Huabin's blood pressure skyrocketed.
And now, after being hit with Soul Impact twice in a row—first Cui Yajie, then himself—Dai Huabin's eyes were practically bleeding with rage.
He could not tolerate suffering such a humiliation at the hands of someone he despised.
Instinctively, he wanted to call Zhu Lu over and activate their Martial Soul Fusion Skill to crush Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong one by one.
…Only to remember—the cooldown wasn't over yet.
Damn it!
"You asked for this!" Dai Huabin lost all restraint, his soul rings lighting up one after another.
White Tiger Barrier + White Tiger Vajra Transformation!
His upper body's clothes exploded as his hands swelled into massive tiger claws, covered in black-and-white fur. Stripes of the same colors spread across his body like a living pelt, and on his forehead, the character for "King" (王) emerged in stark black.
With both buffs active, Dai Huabin felt unstoppable. Wiping the spot where Wang Dong's Wingblades had struck him, the lingering pain only fueled his fury.
"Come on, then!" he roared, charging at Wang Dong while spewing a blast of White Tiger Light Wave—so potent it might as well have been vintage '82 soda.
Wang Dong didn't underestimate it. A double-buffed White Tiger Light Wave was nothing to scoff at. Activating his thousand-year soul ring, he countered with Butterfly Goddess's Light, the two attacks colliding and canceling each other out in a burst of energy.
From the smoke, Dai Huabin pounced, his razor-sharp claws slashing toward Wang Dong with enough force to gut him if he didn't dodge.
But Wang Dong wasn't about to trade blows head-on. Using his flight advantage, he danced around Dai Huabin, turning the fight into a bizarre game of cat and butterfly—neither landing a decisive hit.
Strangely, Dai Huabin seemed to have fixated all his rage on Wang Dong, completely forgetting who had actually set him up for that Wingblades smack.
And Huo Yuhao?
He wasn't about to remind him.
His hands flashed over the Twenty-Four Bridge Moonlit Night (high-quality knockoff), fingers loading up with an arsenal of hidden weapons—bone-piercing needles, shuriken, throwing daggers, crossblades—you name it.
While Wang Dong kept Dai Huabin busy, the true master of cheap shots began his performance.
"Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers!"
Zhu Lu, who had been halfheartedly trading blows with the background-character teammate, noticed Huo Yuhao's ambush and shrieked:
"HUA BIN, WATCH OUT! SNEAK ATTACK!"
What?! Sneak attack?!
Dai Huabin whirled around—just in time to see a black storm of projectiles descending upon him.
No time to dodge.
He crossed his arms over his head, bracing as the barrage clanged against his reinforced body. Thankfully, White Tiger Barrier and Vajra Transformation made him tough enough that the weapons only stung without piercing.
But…
There's always a weak spot.
And Huo Yuhao had thrown enough weapons that one of them—a particularly vicious bone-piercing needle—found its mark.
Right in Dai Huabin's least armored area.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH—!!!!"
A scream so shrill it could shatter glass echoed across the arena.
Dai Huabin's eyes bulged, veins threatening to burst, his face turning eggplant purple.
His "jade stalk" had been skewered. (Tragic.)
Even Huo Yuhao was startled—but when he saw where the needle had landed, a dark satisfaction flickered in his hate-filled eyes.
Heh. Dai Hao, you bastard. Since you couldn't control your "little duke" and ruined my mother's life…
…I'll help you discipline your son's.
The match was over. No way to continue after that. And since Huo Yuhao hadn't intended to maim anyone (wink), the victory went to Wang Dong's team by default.
Dai Huabin, rushed to the infirmary, passed out from sheer rage.
After emergency treatment, his "jade stalk" was saved—but one of his "jade eggs" had to be sacrificed.
Whether it was the protagonist's special buff or sheer bad luck, the needle had severed a critical nerve in that particular orb—something even a Titled Douluo healer couldn't fix.
Thus, Dai Huabin earned himself a new title:
"The Solitary Brave Warrior."
(Well, that came later.)
Due to Dai Huabin's injury, Ning Tian's team automatically secured third place the next day without a fight, leaving only Lin Yun's team and Wang Dong's team to battle for the championship.
When Lin Yun heard the news in the cafeteria that night, his expression was priceless.
Dai Huabin had always been an arrogant, insufferable sore loser—even Lin Yun found him obnoxious.
And now Huo Yuhao had taken one of his balls?
Karma? Poetic justice?
Hard to say.
Special thanks to Qidian reader [Zero Dust Realm] for the 1666 + 1666 yuan tip! Much appreciated!
(End of Chapter)
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