# Chapter 15: Dominance
Chen Sheng had already made up his mind. He had to give Dai Mubai a thorough beating—his brother just looked too uncomfortable to tolerate. The arrogance, the entitlement,... it was infuriating.
Chen Sheng's White Tiger martial soul blazed with greater intensity, its thunderous roars causing primal terror in the hearts of everyone present.
Purple lightning crackled across its magnificent silver-white form, making it appear less like a beast spirit and more like a divine judgment made manifest.
Without using any soul skills, Chen Sheng launched himself forward with explosive speed.
His claw, wreathed in crackling thunder energy, drove straight toward Dai Mubai's chest.
"Heh heh, is that all?" Dai Mubai sneered, attempting to maintain his confidence.
Originally, he had planned to block this claw attack by relying purely on the physical enhancement brought by his martial soul possession.
However, as the attack rapidly approached, the overwhelming pressure it carried made him feel as if he was facing a genuine life-or-death threat!
This isn't just a casual strike! Dai Mubai's instincts screamed at him.
"First Soul Skill: White Tiger Barrier!" Dai Mubai desperately activated his defensive ability.
He clenched his fists and crossed them in front of his body, protecting his vital points. Faint white light emanated from his entire form as his defensive capabilities increased by fifty percent.
CRACK!
The sound of thunder meeting flesh echoed through the hotel lobby.
Dai Mubai's body shuddered violently from the impact. His veins bulged prominently, and he was forced backward several steps by what should have been an unremarkable physical attack.
His shirt sleeve tore completely, revealing skin covered in bloody claw marks where the thunder had seared his flesh.
『DING! DETECTED Dai Mubai's Humiliation emotions toward host. Congratulations! Reward: Treasure Chest acquired!』
Dai Mubai was completely stunned, staring at his injured arm in disbelief. How is this possible? That was just a basic attack without any soul skill, and it broke through my White Tiger Barrier like it was paper!
Xiao Wu and Tang San, watching from the sidelines, were already accustomed to Chen Sheng's overwhelming physical capabilities. They had witnessed his training and knew that his enhanced body was something truly extraordinary.
『DING! DETECTED Xiao Wu's Satisfaction emotion toward host. Congratulations! Reward: Treasure Chest acquired!』
Realizing he couldn't win through simple exchanges, Dai Mubai cupped his hands in front of his mouth, forming a circle as his second soul ring lit up with power.
"Second Soul Skill: White Tiger Light Wave!"
A concentrated beam of white energy shot from Dai Mubai's mouth directly toward Chen Sheng, carrying significant destructive force.
"Chen Sheng, aren't you so powerful? If you have the guts, take this head-on!" Dai Mubai continued his verbal provocation, hoping to goad his opponent into a mistake.
Chen Sheng had originally planned to simply dodge the attack, but he suddenly remembered they were still in the hotel lobby. It would be better if their battle didn't cause too much property damage—he didn't want to deal with compensation issues.
Moreover, since Dai Mubai had specifically challenged him to take it directly... how could he refuse such an invitation?
With casual disdain, Chen Sheng raised his hand and caught the White Tiger Light Wave with his bare palm.
The concentrated energy swirled against his hand for a moment before Chen Sheng simply squeezed, compressing the attack, then flicked his wrist to send it flying back at Dai Mubai with even greater force.
『DING! DETECTED Dai Mubai's Terror emotion toward host. Congratulations! Reward: Treasure Chest acquired!』
Dai Mubai's expression froze in absolute horror. He gritted his teeth desperately, and his third purple soul ring blazed with light as it rose from beneath him.
"Third Soul Skill: White Tiger Vajra Transformation!"
The moment his thousand-year soul ring activated, Dai Mubai's aura underwent a dramatic transformation. His muscles bulged grotesquely as his physical attributes were enhanced to their maximum.
The surrounding atmosphere seemed to grow heavier with the pressure of his unleashed power.
Under the boost of his third soul skill, Dai Mubai managed to block his own reflected White Tiger Light Wave, though the effort clearly strained him. His face was flushed with exertion, and sweat poured down his temples.
However, his expression didn't reflect victory—only profound humiliation and rage.
"Bastard! Are you looking down on me?!" Dai Mubai roared, his pride thoroughly wounded. Being forced to use his third soul skill just to block his own reflected attack was the ultimate insult.
『DING! DETECTED Dai Mubai's Rage emotion toward host. Congratulations! Reward: Treasure Chest acquired!』
Beside them, Yu Xiaogang attempted to intervene before the situation escalated further. "Chen Sheng, that's enough! You're all going to be Shrek Academy students tomorrow. Stop while you're ahead!"
Dai Mubai's eyes widened slightly at this revelation. This person is joining Shrek Academy?
But to everyone's surprise, Chen Sheng responded coldly, "Grandmaster, people like this don't understand reason. They only respect whoever has the harder fist. Isn't that right, Dai Mubai?"
His expression grew more dangerous. "Besides, although my fist isn't particularly hard... my claws certainly are!"
Dai Mubai felt a chill run down his spine.
Is he really going to—
But it was too late!
Chen Sheng's martial soul blazed with renewed intensity as he launched himself forward with terrifying speed. This time, his intent was unmistakably lethal—his thunder-wreathed claws aimed directly at Dai Mubai's throat.
Even Tang San and Xiao Wu, who were familiar with Chen Sheng's temperament, felt their expressions change. Is Chen Sheng really going to kill Dai Mubai?
『DING! DETECTED Tang San's Alarm emotion toward host. Congratulations! Reward: Treasure Chest acquired!』
『DING! DETECTED Xiao Wu's Shock emotion toward host. Congratulations! Reward: Treasure Chest acquired!』
Dai Mubai, still boosted by both his first and third soul skills, had no confidence whatsoever in blocking this incoming strike. The killing intent radiating from Chen Sheng was genuine and overwhelming.
He desperately fired another White Tiger Light Wave to intercept the attack, but Chen Sheng simply batted it aside with his free hand without even slowing down.
The thunder claws struck true.
Dai Mubai was sent flying backward, crashing hard against the hotel's reception desk. When he struggled to his feet, his appearance was absolutely wretched. His magnificent clothes hung in tatters, and there was hardly a single intact spot on his entire body. Claw blood marks on his chest, and the scent of burned flesh from the thunder element hung heavy in the air.
『DING! DETECTED Zhu Zhuqing's Satisfaction emotion toward host. Congratulations! Reward: Treasure Chest acquired!』
This was because Chen Sheng had deliberately held back. He didn't want to blow things completely out of proportion—after all, he still planned to continuously "harvest" treasure chests from Dai Mubai in the future. A thorough lesson was sufficient, which was why he had deliberately avoided all vital points.
Otherwise, with his attack power comparable to a level 40 Soul Ancestor, combined with his martial soul's enhancement and thunder attribute, Dai Mubai wouldn't have had a single chance to resist or survive!
"How about it? Do you want to continue?" Chen Sheng asked coldly, standing over his fallen brother. "If it weren't for Dean Flender's relationship with Grandmaster, you would already be a corpse."
At that precise moment, someone rushed into the Rose Hotel from outside, moving with the urgency of someone responding to an emergency.
It was a middle-aged man with distinctive four-eyed night owl martial soul and the lean build of a speed-type Soul Master. His sharp eyes immediately took in the scene—Dai Mubai injured and defeated, Yu Xiaogang standing with several young students, and the clear aftermath of a one-sided battle.
This was Flender, the Four-Eyed Owl and Dean of Shrek Academy.
His small shop was located nearby. He had been sleeping soundly when sudden, powerful soul power fluctuations had jolted him awake.
When he rushed over to investigate, he was shocked to discover Dai Mubai—his student and one of Shrek's most promising talents—engaged in combat with an unfamiliar young man.
But the most shocking aspect was the current situation: Dai Mubai appeared to have been completely dominated.
"Mubai! What's going on here?" Flender demanded, his voice carrying both authority and concern.
He looked between the combatants with a solemn expression. Seeing Dai Mubai so seriously injured and nearly depleted of soul power, his heart shook with realization. Was all this damage caused by this young boy?
Dai Mubai had completely lost his earlier aggressive temperament. His fighting spirit had deflated entirely, replaced by the bitter acceptance of defeat. "I lost," he admitted quietly, the words clearly painful to speak.
Then he turned toward Zhu Zhuqing, his expression carrying genuine remorse. "Sorry, Zhuqing. I shouldn't have... I was wrong."
『DING! DETECTED Zhu Zhuqing's Complex Emotions (relief, vindication, lingering closeness) toward host. Congratulations! Reward: Treasure Chest acquired!』
Yu Xiaogang stepped forward to greet his old friend. "Flender, it's been too long."
As Yu Xiaogang provided a brief explanation of the situation—carefully editing out the most damaging details but making it clear that Dai Mubai had provoked the confrontation and behaved inappropriately toward a woman he was supposed to be engaged to—Flender's expression grew increasingly displeased.
My student was essentially caught red-handed while consorting with prostitutes by someone he knew from his past, Flender realized with growing embarrassment. And apparently, the relationship between their families is quite complicated.
His disappointment in Dai Mubai was evident. The boy had tremendous potential, but his personal conduct left much to be desired.
Flender then turned his attention to Chen Sheng, Xiao Wu, and Tang San with growing interest. He had actually encountered this group briefly some time ago when they were traveling.
It had been that encounter which prompted Flender to strongly urge Yu Xiaogang to bring these three exceptional students to Shrek Academy. They were truly monstrous geniuses!
At such young ages—barely twelve years old—they had already reached level 30 or above, far surpassing even his academy's current star students like Oscar and Dai Mubai. The thought both excited and slightly depressed him.
I really must supervise those brats more strictly when I return to the academy, Flender resolved. If students three years younger can surpass them so thoroughly, it means my current students have been slacking in their cultivation!
Looking at Chen Sheng specifically, who had just dominated Dai Mubai so completely, Flender felt both impressed and wary. This child possessed not only exceptional talent but also a ruthless edge when provoked.
He'll either become one of Shrek's greatest students, Flender thought, or the most troublesome.
The hotel manager, who had been hiding behind the front desk throughout the battle, finally emerged with a pained expression as he surveyed the damage to his establishment. The lobby floor was cracked, furniture was splintered, and scorch marks from thunder attacks marred the walls.
"About the damages..." he began weakly.
Flender sighed and reached for his coin purse. "Bill me for the repairs. These are my future students, so I'll take responsibility."
As the evening wound down and arrangements were made for everyone's accommodations—with Dai Mubai being escorted to receive medical treatment—Chen Sheng reflected on the night's events with satisfaction.
This much treasure chests from a single confrontation, he noted. And I've firmly established dominance over Dai Mubai while earning Zhu Zhuqing's approval. An excellent outcome.
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