After standing up, Zhao Wuji glared angrily at Lu Tianyu. "You claim your innate talent is insufficient even with a level nine innate soul power? Does that mean you have to have full innate soul power to be considered average?"
After glaring at Lu Tianyu for a while, Zhao Wuji said, "Get ready, Mu Bai. If you can't defeat this kid within an incense stick's time, see how I deal with you."
Dai Mubai, a Soul Venerable with level thirty-five soul power, hurriedly nodded in agreement.
Defeating a Soul Master with only level 30 soul power and two soul rings within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn is no surprise. Turning to Lu Tianyu, he said, "Lu Tianyu, use your full strength."
"Although I really want you to become my junior, I won't hold back."
Lu Tianyu looked at Dai Mubai with a warm smile, his eyes crinkling into crescents as he softly said, "That's how it should be. Holding back in battle is an insult to yourself and your opponent."
Dai Mubai felt that Lu Tianyu's words and actions were somewhat reckless. Since becoming the gatekeeper of the fourth level of Shrek Academy, he had never encountered anyone who spoke like Lu Tianyu.
Li Yusong and Zhao Wuji both stepped aside, wanting to see just how much talent Lu Tianyu had to dare to say such things.
Lu Tianyu and Dai Mubai walked into the small courtyard overgrown with weeds and stood facing each other, ten meters apart.
Zhao Wuji lit an incense stick and flew to an open area visible to both Lu Tianyu and Dai Mubai, saying, "Now, the timer begins..."
Upon hearing Zhao Wuji's words, a glint of light flashed in Dai Mubai's evil eyes as he activated his soul power, summoning his martial soul and shouting, "White Tiger Possession!"
Three soul rings—two yellow and one purple—appeared above Dai Mubai's head, and simultaneously, a three-meter-tall white tiger phantom appeared behind him.
After Dai Mubai completed the martial soul possession, the white tiger phantom transformed into specks of spiritual light and entered Dai Mubai's body. A powerful surge of soul power and aura erupted from him, sweeping over Lu Tianyu wave after wave.
"Martial Soul Possession..."
Lu Tianyu summoned Dai Mubai's martial soul and also activated his soul power to summon his own.
Upon seeing the colors of the soul rings appearing above Lu Tianyu's head, Zhao Wuji nearly bit his tongue again.
Zhao Wuji nudged Li Yusong with his shoulder and said, "You troublemaker, where did you summon this monster from? This soul power fluctuation has reached level 30!"
Zhao Wuji was a level 76 Soul Saint, so he could naturally sense Lu Tianyu's exact soul power level when Lu Tianyu activated his soul power.
Li Yusong shook his head with a wry smile and said, "I think this little monster was found by that old ghost Flander. No wonder that old ghost insisted that I continue to guard the gate today."
In the courtyard, Dai Mubai was also startled by the purple soul ring under Lu Tianyu's feet, but now was not the time for him to be shocked by Lu Tianyu's soul ring configuration.
With a thought, the second soul ring slowly rotating around Dai Mubai flashed.
"Second Soul Skill - White Tiger Blazing Light Wave."
A large ball of soul power shining with two golden dots was spat out from Dai Mubai's mouth, heading straight for Lu Tianyu, who was ten meters away. Seeing this,
Lu Tianyu stomped his body and leaped into the air, shouting, "Shave, Storm Kick - Chaos!"
Lu Tianyu's legs moved rapidly through the air, each kick sending a three-meter-long cyan energy blade hurtling towards Dai Mubai with a whooshing sound.
Dai Mubai didn't sense any soul power fluctuations in the energy blades Lu Tianyu unleashed, but cautiously used his first soul skill.
"First Soul Skill - White Tiger Protective Shield..."
As Dai Mubai's first soul ring flashed, a golden energy shield, resembling protective qi, appeared around him.
"Boom boom boom boom boom!"
The thirteen energy blades Lu Tianyu kicked continuously struck the protective shield around Dai Mubai. The immense impact transmitted through the shield to the ground, causing the dirt and dust beneath Dai Mubai's feet to churn.
Dai Mubai, along with Zhao Wu and Li Yusong who were watching, frowned slightly, because the energy blades from the Storm Kick struck Dai Mubai's first soul skill without any soul power fluctuations.
As soon as Lu Tianyu landed, Dai Mubai leaped off the ground and charged towards him.
Clearly, after the initial clash of soul skills, close combat was about to begin.
Lu Tianyu, with a thought, deliberately summoned his second soul ring and shouted, "Second Soul Skill: Tiger Soul Staff!"
He secretly channeled his soul power into his spine, summoning the external soul bone usually attached to it.
Li Yusong, seeing Lu Tianyu summon a staff that resembled white jade, felt a surge of wild joy in his eyes and involuntarily clenched his fists.
Lu Tianyu reached out and grabbed the Tiger Soul Staff, habitually twirling it, before engaging Dai Mubai in combat.
Dai Mubai's tiger claws possessed terrifying power; the first attack sent Lu Tianyu staggering back three steps.
Just as Dai Mubai was about to press his advantage, Lu Tianyu's figure vanished before him.
"Shave."
Lu Tianyu reappeared behind Dai Mubai, swinging his Tiger Soul Staff and striking Dai Mubai from behind.
"Bang."
Dai Mubai staggered from the blow, but quickly regained his balance.
He turned and lashed out with his right leg towards Lu Tianyu's chest; if Lu Tianyu were hit, he would surely be injured.
"Shave."
Just as Dai Mubai was about to strike, Lu Tianyu vanished and reappeared beside him.
Simultaneously, he swung his staff, striking Dai Mubai's left shin, sending him sprawling to the ground.
Dai Mubai thought to himself: This unpredictable speed is typical of an agility-type Soul Master, or perhaps Lu Tianyu lied during his introduction?
At the edge of the courtyard, Li Yusong, watching Dai Mubai being swept to the ground by Lu Tianyu's staff, smirked. He turned to Zhao Wuji, whose face was ashen, and said, "Blind Bear, if nothing unexpected happens, Lu Tianyu will be my disciple."
"Tsk tsk tsk, I didn't expect that... he's already made his teacher look good so soon after just starting out."
After falling to the ground, Dai Mubai hurriedly used a sweeping leg to stop Lu Tianyu from getting closer. Lu Tianyu did want to get close to Dai Mubai and beat him while he was down.
However, before he could attack, he was stopped by the sweeping leg and instinctively leaped into the air to avoid Dai Mubai's attack.
At this moment, Dai Mubai had already stood up, and a smug look flashed in his eyes as he watched Lu Tianyu jump into the air to dodge his sweeping leg.
"Second Soul Skill - White Tiger Blazing Light Wave..."
Seeing this, Zhao Wuji raised his palm, which was as big as a fan, and patted Li Yusong's shoulder, saying, "In the end, he lacks experience and jumped into the air to become a target."
Lu Tianyu noticed the smugness in Dai Mubai's eyes while in the air, but it was only in the air that he had the advantage.
"Moon Step..."
Just as Dai Mubai's soul skill was about to strike Lu Tianyu, Lu Tianyu suddenly stomped his right foot in mid-air.
He retreated swiftly to the side as if stepping onto the ground, narrowly avoiding Dai Mubai's second soul skill.
"Pfft pfft pfft."
Lu Tianyu then took three more steps in mid-air, soaring back to where he was standing in front of Dai Mubai.
Zhao Wuji, Li Yusong, and Dai Mubai stared dumbfounded at Lu Tianyu, who was still flying. They couldn't understand how he could move so easily in mid-air without any leverage.
"Storm Staff - Lotus..."
Using Moon Step to fly above Dai Mubai, Lu Tianyu seized the opportunity of Dai Mubai's momentary daze and quickly swung his Tiger Soul Staff.
The tip of the Tiger Soul Staff left a lotus-like afterimage in the air; this was a derivative move Lu Tianyu had applied to the Tiger Soul Staff using the technique of Storm Kick.
The air blades, flying towards Dai Mubai simultaneously in a very short time, appeared to Li Yusong and Zhao Wuji, who were watching from the sidelines, as if Lu Tianyu had thrown a pale blue lotus the size of a bathtub.
Dai Mubai felt a pang of fear as he watched the lotus formed by the rapidly approaching pale blue air blades. He initially intended to use his first soul skill for defense, but ultimately channeled his soul power into his third soul ring.
"Third Soul Skill - White Tiger Vajra Transformation..."
"Boom!"
Just as Dai Mubai unleashed his third soul skill, the bathtub-sized pale blue lotus struck him.
A dust mushroom cloud over thirty meters high was blasted into the courtyard, obscuring the sky and blocking everyone's vision.
Lu Tianyu also landed back on the ground at this moment, focusing intently on the suppressed soul power fluctuations within the dust.
After all, Lu Tianyu had a certain understanding of Dai Mubai's previous soul skills; Dai Mubai's third soul skill, White Tiger Vajra Transformation, could significantly enhance Dai Mubai's defensive capabilities.
The upgrade would also amplify other attributes; the moves he had just used were insufficient to defeat Dai Mubai, who had unleashed his third soul skill.
Suddenly, a surge of soul power emanated from in front of Lu Tianyu. He stomped his feet forcefully on the ground, and his figure vanished from the spot.
"Shave."
"Boom..."
Just as Lu Tianyu's figure disappeared, Dai Mubai, nearly 1.8 meters tall with bulging muscles, appeared where Lu Tianyu had been.
Dai Mubai swung his tiger claw, creating a gust of wind that swept away the dust that filled the courtyard.
With the dust no longer obstructing his vision, Dai Mubai saw Lu Tianyu standing opposite him, holding a staff. A hint of shame and anger flashed in his wicked eyes.
"Lu Tianyu, your strength is truly beyond my expectations. You shouldn't be a power-attack type Soul Master, but rather an agility-attack type Soul Master, right?"
Lu Tianyu, not understanding why Dai Mubai said this, hurriedly explained, "I am a power-attack type Soul Master. Does being a little faster make me an agility-attack type Soul Master?"
Upon hearing Lu Tianyu's words, Dai Mubai cursed inwardly: Damn it, is this what you call a little faster? Compared to a true agility-attack type Soul Master, it's definitely faster, not slower!
Lu Tianyu could see the shame and anger in Dai Mubai's eyes, and sighed helplessly, "Alright, alright, I won't bully you with speed, okay?"
With that, Lu Tianyu sheathed his Tiger Soul Staff, raised his right hand, and assumed a gesture for using the Soft Fist technique, saying, "But if I use this soul skill against you, you might end up bedridden for half a month."
Dai Mubai could no longer contain his anger and shouted, "How dare you! Let's see who gets bedridden for half a month!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Dai Mubai lunged at Lu Tianyu, raising his tiger claw, as large as a casserole dish, to grab Lu Tianyu's chest.
"Soft Fist Technique - Bagua Empty Palm."
Lu Tianyu's feet changed direction with incredible agility, causing his body, which was directly facing Dai Mubai, to quickly rotate halfway to the side.
At the same time, Lu Tianyu thrust out his right palm, unleashing a powerful force when it was still a foot away from Dai Mubai's tiger claw.
The force of the blow sent Dai Mubai's tiger claw flying backward, and then Lu Tianyu's left hand lightly struck Dai Mubai's abdomen.
Dai Mubai's tall body was sent flying three meters, sliding two meters on the ground before coming to a stop. He
felt as if he'd been kicked hard in the stomach, his internal organs throbbing with pain.
He gritted his teeth to suppress a cry, but he hunched over like a lobster, kneeling on one knee, one hand clutching his abdomen, the other gasping for breath.
"My Soft Fist technique can penetrate your defenses and attack your internal organs directly. You can't defend against it. That's enough, okay?"
Lu Tianyu truly didn't want to continue fighting Dai Mubai. The Soft Fist technique looked weak and didn't seem to hurt,
but its true power was terrifying, and the injuries it caused were difficult to heal. Therefore, Lu Tianyu rarely used the Soft Fist technique in sparring.
Dai Mubai stood up and activated his soul power, saying, "Is this the end? Didn't you say before the battle that holding back during a soul fight is not only an insult to yourself but also to your opponent?"
"Lu Tianyu, I acknowledge you as my brother, but I hope you won't insult me or yourself. Show me your full strength."
Seeing the seriousness in Dai Mubai's eyes, Lu Tianyu felt he had indeed insulted him. He lowered his head and took a deep breath.
Then, he slowly raised his head, opened his narrowed eyes, and looked at Dai Mubai, saying, "Alright, I'll go all out with Soft Fist Technique: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms."
As he spoke, Lu Tianyu adopted a very strange stance, crouching and leaning forward, his left hand pointing forward to the ground, while his right hand pointed to the sky behind him.
Dai Mubai watched Lu Tianyu's comical movements, his eyes burning with anger. Being completely overwhelmed by a second-level Soul Venerable with only level thirty soul power—how could someone with such strength possibly control his own destiny?
"Come on, let me see your true strength."
The words had barely left his lips when Dai Mubai pounced on Lu Tianyu like a tiger, but Lu Tianyu's feet moved with lightning speed, instantly appearing before Dai Mubai and completely avoiding the tiger's claws radiating surging soul power.
"Eight Trigrams Second Palm..."
Lu Tianyu's left and right hands struck Dai Mubai's chest and abdomen with a speed imperceptible to the naked eye. Dai Mubai suddenly felt all the strength drain from his body, frozen in place. (