"Fine, then!"
Yun Yibai let out a soft chuckle.
"Perfect timing — I still wasn't fully warmed up today."
Before the words had fully left his mouth—BOOM!
The ground beneath Yun Yibai's feet cracked with a loud explosion, unable to withstand the force he released. Fragments of stone scattered as his entire body shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bowstring, lunging straight at Tai Long with astonishing speed.
"Sh*t!"
Tai Long's heart jumped, and he couldn't help cursing. He hadn't expected Yun Yibai to attack without warning — not giving him even a second to prepare.
"Trying to clash head-on with me?! Don't underestimate me, damn it! I'm from the Strength Clan!"
As Yun Yibai dove in with a powerful punch, Tai Long dropped into a stable stance, knees bending and body lowering to brace himself. He clenched both fists tightly, muscles tensing like steel cables.
BOOM!
Their fists collided mid-air. A shockwave tore through the air with a howling roar, dust erupting in all directions. The nearby students quickly backed away to avoid being caught in the blast.
What the hell? Why is his punch so strong?
Tai Long was stunned, struggling to hold his ground.
Yun Yibai didn't care what Tai Long was thinking.
After the initial strike, he twisted to the side and unleashed a roundhouse kick aimed at Tai Long's head.
Tai Long raised an arm to block it.
The kick slammed into Tai Long's arm with a deep, dull thud. A massive force surged through his limb, leaving his arm numb and tingling — he nearly lost his balance.
Without pausing, Yun Yibai vanished and reappeared at Tai Long's side, launching another punch straight at his waist.
Tai Long reacted quickly, twisting his body just in time to barely dodge it — but Yun Yibai's next move followed instantly: a low sweeping kick aimed at Tai Long's legs.
Startled, Tai Long pushed off the ground with both feet, leaping backward to avoid it.
This was Tai Long's weakness — for all his brute strength, his speed was sorely lacking.
"Shameless coward!"
"HAH!"
Tai Long roared in frustration.
"Tai Long — Martial Soul: Giant Strength Ape. Level 26, Power Attack-type Grand Soul Master!"
A brown soul mark appeared above his head, engraved with the image of a massive ape.
Apparently, now that the warm-up was over, Tai Long decided to formally announce the start of their Martial Soul battle.
"Oh? Not bad. Didn't expect a brute like you to have such gentlemanly manners."
"Yun Yibai — Martial Soul: Thunder Dragon. Level 28, Power Attack-type Grand Soul Master."
A golden soul mark shimmered above him, bearing the imprint of a dragon's head. The aura surrounding Yun Yibai rose sharply.
"Level 28?! That's higher than Boss Tai!"
"And his martial soul looks like a dragon... Wait—is that a dragon?!"
"Should we bail? Boss Tai might be in trouble this time…"
"Yeah, I think we should!"
Hearing Yun Yibai reveal his Martial Soul and soul power level, Tai Long's lackeys began whispering nervously behind him.
Tai Long's face turned black.
"Shut up!"
"Come on, then!"
With a roar, Tai Long activated Martial Soul Possession.
Two yellow soul rings appeared around him, his body bulging in size. His physique grew even more massive, and two pieces of brown soul armor formed on his arms.
With his Martial Soul active, Tai Long's raw strength surged several levels higher.
"First Soul Skill: Power Surge!"
"Second Soul Skill: Explosive Strength!"
As both skills activated in sequence, Tai Long stomped the ground and launched himself forward, accelerating faster than before — at least twice his earlier speed.
"Thunder Dragon."
Yun Yibai's smile faded.
His variant Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul flared to life. His first and second soul rings emerged in succession, and a surge of thunderous pressure enveloped him.
Golden lightning crackled and danced across his body.
If one looked closely, they'd notice that his second soul ring, though still yellow, had a subtle trace of purple—a sign it was already approaching the thousand-year threshold.
"That's the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon!!!"
"He's actually from the main bloodline of the Blue Lightning Clan… Boss Tai's in trouble this time."
"Wait, no! The Blue Lightning Clan's lightning is supposed to be blue, isn't it? Why is his golden?"
"Must be a mutation. Even if he's not from the direct line, you and I still can't afford to provoke someone like that."
As Yun Yibai's first and second soul rings pulsed with radiant light, golden arcs of lightning flickered around him. His entire aura instantly surged to a whole new level.
His two amplification-type soul skills produced an extraordinary effect.
"Thunder Dragon..."
"Crushing Fist!"
This soul skill was inspired by a powerful character from his past life. Yun Yibai had adapted it into a technique that infused lightning from his mutated Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon into his fist, releasing a devastating thunder punch.
Not only did it deal immense physical damage, but it also carried electric shock effects.
The strike was incredibly fast.
BOOM!
Their fists collided in midair, a burst of lightning erupting outward with a thunderous crack.
Dust exploded around them, and the bystanders covered their ears to shield themselves from the deafening sound.
Tai Long felt as if he'd been hit by a raging beast. A torrent of electricity surged through his body, overwhelming him with pain.
His body flew backward uncontrollably.
CRASH!
Tai Long slammed into a wall with a deafening crash, sending a cloud of debris into the air.
Yun Yibai hadn't even used True Body Armor to enhance his strength.
"Looks like I overestimated you."
With that, Yun Yibai turned and walked away.
Gulp...
"That… was his soul skill? That looked terrifying…"
"This guy's a monster. He floored Boss Tai with one punch!"
"If I took that hit, I'd probably be in the infirmary for a month…"
The crowd murmured in disbelief.
Then suddenly — someone remembered something.
"Boss Tai!"
"Boss Tai!"
They rushed into the dust cloud to find Tai Long, who looked dazed and disoriented — his hair was literally standing on end.
"Boss, are you okay?!"
One of them reached out and shook him.
"Ugh—Ugh—Ugh—!"
"Stop shaking! Just help me up."
Tai Long quickly snapped out of it.
"Cough cough cough!"
"Where is he?"
Supported by his lackeys, Tai Long looked around through watering eyes and asked about Yun Yibai's whereabouts.
"Uh… Boss, he's already gone."
"Damn it!"
"Tsss—!"
His angry outburst tugged at his injuries, and he hissed in pain.
Meanwhile, Yun Yibai had arrived at the Blue Tyrant Academy's simulation training field.
The academy's training zone for lightning-attribute students was built into a mountain, where trees known as ironwood — capable of conducting electricity — had been planted.
Several lightning-type plant soul beasts had also been transplanted to the summit.
The school had thoughtfully placed warning signs all over the area, urging students not to venture too deep.
They also conducted regular inspections to monitor the soul beasts' ages, ensuring any threats were eliminated early.
When Yun Yibai arrived, the area was already populated with students in training.
This was the true difference between advanced soul master academies — and if even Blue Tyrant Academy was this well-equipped, one could only imagine how much better the top-tier academies were.