Four people: two middle-aged men, one young man, and one boy.
The boy looked to be about twelve or thirteen years old, much stronger than Ma Hongjun!
"Brother, what should we do?"
The boy looked at the battle in the arena and said to the young man with some worry. Obviously, the three of them, including Ma Hongjun, had discovered the Spotted Demon Tiger first. After all, they arrived later.
The young man glanced at the martial souls and soul rings of Ma Ping and the other two, shook his head disdainfully, and said to the boy, "Don't rush, let them fight first. This demon tiger is yours, it can't escape."
The situation was delicate at the moment. The sudden appearance of this group of people made the three of them, Ma Ping and the Spotted Demon Tiger, tense.
"Hey, kid, are you here to hunt for your first soul ring?" The boy saw Ma Hongjun, first with doubt, and then asked in a haughty manner.
Because of the growth accelerated by the evil fire, Ma Hongjun looked like a child of about nine years old. It was normal for someone his age to obtain his first soul ring. The other three didn't find it strange at all.
Ma Hongjun observed the four people. Their purpose was clear: they wanted the Spotted Demon Tiger. Moreover, they didn't back down despite seeing Ma Ping and his companion's strength, clearly disregarding them, proving this group was stronger than them.
Ma Hongjun nodded slightly, tacitly agreeing.
"Are you mute? Why aren't you speaking?" The boy, whether ignoring Ma Hongjun's nod or deliberately provoking him, spoke aggressively.
Ma Hongjun's eyes narrowed, coldly staring at the boy.
The boy, clearly unfazed, pointed at the Spotted Demon Tiger and loudly proclaimed,
"Oh, you're still not convinced? That's a five-hundred-year-old Spotted Demon Tiger! Can you absorb it?"
"Cheng Wang, it's not that kid absorbing it. It's that Great Soul Master using the wooden spear who wants the Spotted Demon Tiger as his third soul ring." The young man didn't stop the boy but explained.
Over the past three months, Ma Ming had also made great progress while training with Ma Hongjun, breaking through to level twenty-nine, just one level away from level thirty, their soul power difference not significant. The young man clearly assumed Ma Ming was about to use the Spotted Demon Tiger to break through to level 30.
"Cheng Wang, stop arguing with him. Just watch the Spotted Demon Tiger's attack patterns; you'll be absorbing its spirit rings later."
"Okay, Big Brother,"
the boy replied, ignoring Ma Hongjun and looking towards the arena.
Ma Hongjun called out, signaling Ma Ming and Ma Ping to retreat.
The Spotted Demon Tiger was too strong; killing it wouldn't be easy. Ma Ping found an opportunity and pulled Ma Ming away.
The Spotted Demon Tiger wasn't stupid; seeing the increasing number of humans, it had long wanted to escape. Now that Ma Ming and Ma Ping had retreated, it turned and ran.
"Don't let it get away!"
the young man shouted at Ma Ping and Ma Ping, his tone commanding.
In the blink of an eye, the Spotted Demon Tiger had already run a long way, its speed extremely fast.
"You two, chase after it!" he glared angrily at Ma Ping and Ma Ping, then turned to the two middle-aged men.
The two middle-aged men immediately released their martial spirits; three spirit rings lit up, all white and yellow.
One of them possessed an eagle spirit, granting him incredible speed, and quickly caught up.
The other, with a vine spirit, followed closely behind.
"Didn't you two hear me?" he angrily demanded of Ma Ping and the other, then his clothes began to swell.
A powerful, dense black light erupted from his body, his arms simultaneously extending to the sides, his chest puffing out, his bones cracking and his muscles bulging, straining against his clothes. Every muscle beneath his clothing became visibly defined, and even the air around him seemed to churn. His
once brown hair turned black, and a "king" character appeared on his forehead.
His hands underwent the most dramatic change, more than doubling in size, covered in black hair. With a flick of his fingers, short, dagger-like claws extended and retracted from his palms. Each claw was like a blade, a full twenty centimeters long, gleaming with a chilling, sinister light.
This was the first time Ma Hongjun had seen a beast spirit possess a body in its entirety, far more complete than his own Evil Fire Phoenix, and this spirit seemed incredibly powerful.
Ma Ping's face, which was initially showing anger, turned to surprise. He clearly recognized the spirit and said in a deep voice, "This is the Black Tiger Spirit."
The Black Tiger Spirit was considered a top-tier spirit. Although not as powerful as the White Tiger Spirit, it was still a king among tiger-type spirits, ranking among the top three.
Immediately afterward, three spirit rings rose from beneath his feet, hovering from his feet to the top of his head. Their colors were yellow, yellow, and purple.
The purple one at the top was particularly striking.
His second spirit ring lit up.
"Black Tiger Shadow Transformation."
Before Ma Ming could react, he was struck in the chest by the rapidly approaching Black Tiger, flying backward and crashing into a tree, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"Dad!"
Ma Hongjun quickly ran over and helped Ma Ming up.
"Dad, how are you?"
Ma Ming coughed and said, "Hongjun, Dad is fine."
"Dragon Soul Spear."
Ma Hongjun murmured, and a golden dragon shadow flashed in his right hand, and a silver spear appeared in his hand.
Despite knowing he was no match for his opponent, Ma Hongjun's anger, fueled by his father's injury, erupted uncontrollably.
"What are you doing? Trying to kill someone here?"
Ma Ping shouted, but the young man ignored him, his second spirit ring lighting up again as he attacked, his actions proving his intentions.
Ma Ping had no choice but to meet the attack with his staff, but he was no match for the young man's strength and was constantly at a disadvantage, clearly not expected to last much longer.
Enraged, Ma Hongjun charged forward with his Dragon Soul Spear.
"Hongjun, come back!" Ma Ming called anxiously from behind.
The young man smiled slightly as he saw Ma Hongjun attack.
"Kid, your spirit looks pretty good. I'll play with you."
The young man rushed in front of Ma Hongjun, speaking mockingly.
Then, his gaze hardened, and he shouted,
"Black Tiger, Possess!"
His spirit was also a black tiger, and a yellow spirit ring rose from beneath his feet.
Ma Hongjun's eyes were resolute; he remained unmoved, thrusting his Dragon Soul Spear directly at him.
"A Hundred Birds Emerge from the Nest."
The boy's yellow spirit ring lit up.
"Black Tiger Sky-Piercing Strike."
The Dragon Soul Spear clashed with his tiger claw in mid-air, producing a metallic clang.
The "A Hundred Birds Emerge from the Nest" move emphasizes the spearhead; power gathers at the spearhead, instantly creating ten spear flourishes, as if a hundred spearheads were striking.
The boy sneered, thinking that a kid without even a spirit ring dared to confront him head-on, truly fearless.
But the next second, his smile vanished.
The Dragon Soul Spear pierced through his tiger claw and was pulled out, drawing blood.
He screamed in agony as his spirit possession became unstable, flickering between existence and non-existence.
Ma Hongjun spun the Dragon Soul Spear in mid-air, then slammed it into the boy's shoulder.
The boy was sent flying, spitting out blood, his spirit being forced back into his body.
He struggled to get up, but the pain in his shoulder prevented him from gathering strength.
All of this took only ten seconds.
Ma Hongjun quickly sheathed the Dragon Soul Spear, conserving his remaining spirit power.
Then he walked to the boy's side, grabbed him by the throat, and said,
"I'll help you up!"
In those ten seconds, Ma Ping was also defeated by the young man, leaning on his spirit staff, trembling as he stood.
The young man's third spirit ring lit up, and he was about to deliver a fatal blow to Ma Ping when suddenly a voice rang out from behind.
"Don't move, or I'll kill him."