To deliver the greatest possible blow to Dai Mubai, he immediately unleashed his trump card.
The God-Locking Ring appeared before Lei Dong for the second time. But Dai Mubai acted as if he hadn't even noticed the coalesced light of the ring. His first Soul Ring lit up, and a layer of white light covered the surface of his body. It was Dai Mubai's first Soul Skill—the White Tiger Protective Barrier.
Lei Dong was furious, glaring at Dai Mubai as he charged forward, as if asking, are you really planning to use your first Soul Skill to block my fourth Soul Skill? You're looking down on me far too much.
The God-Locking Ring vanished from before Lei Dong, and the next instant, it had fully taken effect on Dai Mubai. The ring tightened, and Dai Mubai's advancing body came to an abrupt halt. Dense bolts of lightning burst from the God-Locking Ring, instantly spreading across Dai Mubai's entire body. Just as Lei Dong had expected—how could the defense of a first Soul Ring possibly withstand the restriction of a fourth Soul Ring?
Dai Mubai's gaze didn't change. His Evil-Eyed double pupils continued to stare at his opponent. After unleashing this fourth Soul Skill, Lei Dong clearly showed signs of Soul Power overexertion. His entire body swayed, his face ashen.
A trace of disdain appeared at the corner of his mouth. Dai Mubai suddenly tilted his head back, and a roar erupted from his mouth. Immediately after, a sight that left every teacher and student of Thunder Academy completely dazed appeared. The Soul Rings on Dai Mubai's body hadn't changed, but a brilliant golden radiance surfaced across his body, and the white fur produced by his Martial Soul Possession had, in this very moment, completely turned golden.
Crack! A shattering sound rang out. Every muscle in his body tensed, and power was released in an instant. Dai Mubai's Evil Eyes widened, and the God-Locking Ring binding him actually let out a fragile groan.
Bang— Specks of blue light scattered through the air as the God-Locking Ring shattered. Dai Mubai lunged forward like a tiger poised to strike.
How is this possible?
In that moment, it wasn't just Lei Dong—every person from Thunder Academy had gone blank in the head. They couldn't understand how Dai Mubai, who clearly hadn't used any Soul Skills, had managed to break free from the restraint of Lei Dong's fourth Soul Skill. Why hadn't he been paralyzed by the intense lightning contained in the God-Locking Ring?
Dai Mubai naturally wouldn't give them an answer. By the time the Thunder Academy teachers came to their senses, Dai Mubai had already arrived before Lei Dong. Still without using any Soul Skills, he simply brought a tiger paw down in a sweeping blow, slamming heavily into Lei Dong's shoulder. The moment the tiger paw struck, the tiger claws extended.
Lei Dong's body flew straight out of the arena like a scarecrow. Before losing consciousness, he clearly heard the sound of his own bones shattering.
The tiger claw blades left five deep gashes across his back. The bones of his entire left shoulder had completely shattered. If Dai Mubai hadn't held back, this single palm strike alone would have taken his life.
After sending his opponent flying, Dai Mubai turned around as if he hadn't done anything at all, walking back to his starting position before the match. His gaze met Tang San's. A faint shimmer of purple passed through his Evil Eyes.
A slight smile appeared on Tang San's face as he gave Dai Mubai a thumbs-up.
While they exchanged glances, the other side—Thunder Academy—wasn't going to let it slide. Lei Dong's injuries were extremely severe. By now, his entire back had been stained red with blood. He was unconscious, his left arm hanging limp. Dai Mubai's strength was even more domineering than imagined—along with the shattered shoulder bones, several ribs also showed signs of fractures. With injuries this severe, forget about the last two promotion matches; he probably wouldn't be able to participate in the finals either.
The Thunder Academy teachers protested to the tournament organizing committee almost immediately.
The referee ran up to Dai Mubai for questioning. Dai Mubai's explanation was simple: although he had the upper hand at the time, his opponent hadn't conceded. He hadn't killed his opponent either—he'd only knocked him out of the arena. There had been no violation of the match rules.
And that was indeed the truth. No matter how you looked at it, Dai Mubai had no intention of killing his opponent. And the Thunder Academy side had indeed not signaled surrender at the time.
Dai Mubai still stood proudly at the center of the arena. He looked down at his right tiger paw, and a feeling of blood-pumping excitement surged through his heart.
Finally, he no longer had to hide his true strength. Holding himself back all the time had been truly unpleasant.
Ever since the promotion matches began, at the Great Master's request, he had never used his full strength. As the team captain, he watched his companions win match after match on the field, while his own victories were hardly outstanding. For someone as competitive as Dai Mubai, how could he possibly feel comfortable about that? Only the Great Master could have made him do it.
In terms of age, Dai Mubai was the oldest among the Shrek Seven Devils, and had cultivated the longest. He was no longer at Rank 44—he was now Rank 45. He had just broken through the day before yesterday. The fact that he had been able to break free from his opponent's restraint with nothing but his first Soul Skill was by no means luck. When he thought of all this, Dai Mubai felt a surge of deep gratitude toward Tang San.