Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): Shadow Monarch

After using his third soul skill, Dai Mubai's muscles rapidly swelled, and black stripes appeared across his skin.

By activating the White Tiger Vajra Transformation, his resistance to abnormal states, along with his attack power, defense, and strength, all doubled for thirty minutes—a near-perfect self-enhancement ability.

"Kid, you've really gotten yourself into trouble today!" Dai Mubai's eyes gleamed maliciously as his entire body radiated a white glow. His soul power surged outward, causing a sense of oppression among the onlookers.

Seeing this, Tang San's fingers twitched slightly. In an instant, he retrieved several hidden weapons from the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges. His eyes gleamed with a purple hue, ready to act at the first sign of danger to ensure Dai Mubai's safety.

"Lingling, step back." Cheng Xiao turned to Ye Lingling, who was standing beside him, and then looked at the Shi brothers behind him, who were silent but ready to release their martial spirits. "You two just focus on protecting Lingling."

Hearing this, the three of them nodded slightly. The Shi brothers naturally stood in front of Ye Lingling. As defense-type soul masters, their attack power wasn't strong, but in terms of defense, few soul masters could break through their defenses.

Moreover, this was precisely how the Emperor Battle Team's strategy worked—two defense-type soul masters protecting the support-type soul master, while the control-type soul master managed the battlefield and the assault-type soul masters launched direct attacks.

After giving these instructions, Cheng Xiao looked at Dai Mubai and casually cracked his neck, the sound of bones snapping echoing. Then he raised his right hand, activating the Ruler's Authority.

Cheng Xiao lightly waved his palm in front of him, and an invisible force surged out. Instantly, Dai Mubai's handsome face swelled up as if he'd been slapped, staggering backward.

Covering his face, Dai Mubai stared at Cheng Xiao, dumbfounded. What had just happened? How had he been slapped out of nowhere? What confused him more was that Cheng Xiao hadn't even touched him, yet the pain on his face was undeniable. He had been hit, no mistake about it.

"Die!" Realizing what had happened, Dai Mubai roared in anger, extending his sharp tiger claws at lightning speed, instantly closing the distance between him and Cheng Xiao.

Dai Mubai was confident. With his razor-sharp tiger claws, as long as he could reach Cheng Xiao, he could easily tear through his body.

However, things did not go as he expected.

Just as Dai Mubai extended his claws, Cheng Xiao, moving as fast as lightning, grabbed his wrist. Activating his "Vital Strike" ability, a surge of irresistible force burst out. With a crisp "crack," Dai Mubai's wrist snapped like a fragile twig in Cheng Xiao's hand.

"Ah!" Dai Mubai cried out in pain. He had not expected Cheng Xiao's strength to be so terrifying. Even after activating his third soul skill, White Tiger Vajra Transformation, his opponent had easily broken his wrist. How monstrous was Cheng Xiao's power?

At this moment, clarity returned to Dai Mubai's eyes. His earlier anger was replaced by disbelief and terror. He looked at Cheng Xiao, whose gaze was as cold as a reaper's.

But it wasn't over. Cheng Xiao didn't stop there. He once again activated the Ruler's Authority, forcing Dai Mubai's upper body to bend forward under an invisible pressure. Cheng Xiao's leg shot up high and came crashing down like a thunderbolt onto Dai Mubai's back. The impact was so powerful that it forced Dai Mubai to his knees.

In the next moment, Cheng Xiao's foot shot out like lightning, kicking Dai Mubai squarely in the abdomen. The force of the kick sent Dai Mubai flying like a kite with its string cut. His body arced through the air and crashed heavily into the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

"Boss Dai!" Cheng Xiao's movements had been so fast that everything happened in an instant. Tang San hadn't even had time to warn Dai Mubai before he saw him being kicked into the air.

Seeing this, Tang San's heart clenched. He swiftly extended his Blue Silver Grass, wrapping it around Dai Mubai's waist and quickly pulling him back.

"Oscar, hurry! Get out your big sausage!" Tang San called out to Oscar, urgently channeling his Mysterious Heaven Skill to help reconnect the bones in Dai Mubai's wrist.

But Dai Mubai showed no reaction, his face pale and blood slowly trickling from the corners of his mouth, clearly indicating his weakened state.

"I have a big sausage!" Seeing Dai Mubai's pale face, Oscar quickly chanted his incantation, producing a sausage and hurriedly stuffing it into Dai Mubai's mouth, fearing that any delay would leave irreversible damage.

Tang San's expression was dark as he looked at Dai Mubai, whose breathing was faint. A surge of killing intent rose from the depths of his heart. He looked up at Cheng Xiao, his tightly clenched fists turning white as jade.

This guy dared to harm a student from Shrek Academy, and not just any student, but his closest brother. In Tang San's eyes, Cheng Xiao had signed his own death warrant. Today, even if it meant killing him on the spot, there would be no problem. Hurting a student from Shrek Academy, hurting Tang San's brother—there was only one outcome: death!

Seeing Tang San's brooding expression, Oscar quickly grabbed his shoulder and said in a low voice, "Tang San, don't act rashly. Even Boss Dai wasn't his match. If we keep fighting, we'll just be throwing our lives away. Have you forgotten what the dean told us?"

"We should head back to the academy and get the dean. He'll make sure justice is served for us!"

Tang San's face remained dark, but after hearing Oscar's words, the white glow on his fist gradually faded. Looking up at Cheng Xiao and the others, his eyes were still filled with murderous intent.

"You just wait. After harming someone from Shrek Academy, you won't leave Suotuo City so easily!" Tang San's clenched fists slowly loosened, and the purple hue in his eyes faded. Having calmed down, he and Oscar helped the unconscious Dai Mubai and prepared to leave.

But just as they lifted Dai Mubai, a commotion suddenly broke out in the crowd.

"Wow, when did Suotuo City get so many pretty girls? Am I dreaming?"

"Dreaming? You'd only dream about someone like them. Those beauties aren't for regular folks like us to even think about!"

"Hey, brother, watch your words. You're making my friend feel uncomfortable. I suggest you take that back."

The sudden commotion made Tang San and Oscar stop in their tracks. They looked toward the dispersing crowd and immediately saw the girls who hadn't come with them earlier.

"Rongrong, why are you here?" Oscar asked awkwardly as he saw the newcomers.

Soon, Xiao Wu and the others emerged from the crowd. Seeing Dai Mubai unconscious and being supported by Tang San and Oscar, their pretty faces showed clear surprise. They hadn't expected Dai Mubai to be in such a state after only a brief moment.

Ning Rongrong frowned and asked, "Oscar, how did Boss Dai end up like this?"

Oscar forced a smile. "Don't ask. It only took three moves before Boss Dai was knocked out cold. Let's hurry back to the academy and find the dean."

This response stunned Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing. They knew Dai Mubai's strength well. For someone to defeat him so thoroughly, just what kind of opponent were they facing?

"Where's the person who hit you guys? I don't see them," Xiao Wu asked, scanning the area and not finding the person she had in mind.

"Xiao Wu…" Tang San, seeing Xiao Wu's anxious expression, thought she was concerned about him. Smiling slightly, he started to reassure her, "Don't worry, I'm…"

Before Tang San could finish his sentence, Xiao Wu, seemingly distracted by something, turned her head and ran past him, completely ignoring his concerned look.

Tang San was stunned. He instinctively turned around, only to see Xiao Wu running toward Cheng Xiao and his group. His heart skipped a beat—was Xiao Wu planning to seek revenge?

"Xiao Wu, don't! Come back!" Tang San shouted, abandoning Dai Mubai and rushing after her. But Xiao Wu didn't seem to hear him, continuing to run forward without hesitation.