"Alright, for the sake of the Young Master of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan, I'll give you some face. I'll fight you one-on-one, and we'll stop at the appropriate moment!" Ye Zhiqiu said reluctantly. He was still somewhat intimidated by Tian Lin and had already made up his mind to hold back a little during the fight. Even if he won, he wouldn't force Tian Lin to kneel and kowtow.
After all, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan was not someone he could afford to provoke.
"In that case, let's fight outside. We don't want to cause trouble for the owner." Tian Lin pointed toward the outside and walked out first.
"Thank you, thank you, my lord!" The shop owner immediately expressed his gratitude to Tian Lin. If these two soul masters fought here, his small shop would need to be completely rebuilt by tomorrow.
"Brother Tianlin, his martial soul is of the Mysterious Tortoise type, so his defense must be excellent, though his speed is lacking. I suggest you don't confront him head-on. Use the flexibility of your longsword to engage him in a speed battle. You'll have a good chance of winning that way," Tang San advised as he approached Tian Lin.
Tian Lin smiled faintly. "Thank you for the advice, Brother Tang. However, I have my way of fighting. Just watch."
Seeing Tian Lin's confident demeanor, Tang San didn't say anything further. In truth, he was also curious to see the true limits of Tian Lin's offensive power. Just how strong was it?
The group moved outside, and Tian Lin said, "Mr. Ye Zhiqiu since your Mysterious Tortoise martial soul must have defensive soul skills, I'll only use one move. If you can withstand it, I'll immediately concede."
"What did you say?" Ye Zhiqiu was furious. Even saints have tempers. His martial soul was a defensive type, yet this young man claimed to defeat him in one move while he used his defensive skill. This was outright disrespect!
"Fine! Let's see how the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan's genius plans to break through my defense in one strike. Protection!"
Ye Zhiqiu's turtle shell instantly solidified, forming a thick armored layer. He was confident that even a soul master of the same level would find it nearly impossible to defeat him with a single blow, let alone someone as young as Tian Lin.
"Sister Rongrong, isn't the boss being a bit too confident? That's a Soul King we're talking about! Even without his defensive soul skill, it'd be nearly impossible to defeat him in one move, let alone with it activated," Ma Hongjun muttered worriedly to Ning Rongrong.
"Don't worry. Sword Brother never does anything he's not confident about. Just watch!" Ning Rongrong said with unwavering confidence. After all, she had witnessed Tian Lin's strength firsthand. Ever since he obtained his fourth soul ring, his offensive power was strong enough to break through the defenses of some Soul Emperors within their clan.
As for Ma Hongjun's mention of relying on raw soul power to defend, that would be suicidal. Even the Sword Douluo Chen Xin couldn't achieve that, and the Poison Douluo would have to use his fifth soul skill, Serpent Python Sky Shield, to fully defend against such an attack.
"Are you ready? Then take this!" Tian Lin no longer concealed his strength. His true soul ring colors began to appear.
Yellow, Purple, Purple, Black!
The sight shocked the Shrek group. Although they had already heard about Tian Lin's soul rings from Tang San, seeing such a configuration in person was still a first for them.
Ye Zhiqiu's eyes widened in disbelief. "A thousand-year second ring, a ten-thousand-year fourth ring... You're the Sword Prince of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan, Jun Tian Lin!"
He had kicked an iron plate. No, this time, he had kicked a steel wall. Behind this Sword Prince stood four Title Douluo. If he hurt Tian Lin, he was guaranteed to be torn to pieces.
"You don't need to worry. This fight has nothing to do with my master or anyone else. Just defend against my attack with all your strength. Fourth Soul Skill!" Tian Lin said calmly. He raised his demon sword, and the fourth soul ring began to glow.
A massive phantom image of the sword extended into the sky, over a hundred meters long. As soul power poured into it, the phantom gradually solidified, and the sword emitted a deafening roar of thunder.
Tian Lin's fourth soul ring wasn't just from any ordinary ten-thousand-year soul beast. It came from a fifteen-thousand-year Thunder Lion. To ensure Tian Lin successfully absorbed the ring, Yin Yang had to personally intervene, using Title Douluo-level lightning attacks to subdue the beast completely.
"What terrifying pressure! Brother Tianlin's fourth soul skill must have unimaginable offensive power!" Tang San felt an intense sense of danger. If this sword were aimed at him, he would undoubtedly die.
"Slash!"
With a loud shout, Tian Lin swung his sword downward.
Although Ye Zhiqiu's turtle shell had excellent defensive power, it didn't last even a second before the demon sword broke through. Just as Ye Zhiqiu was about to despair, Tian Lin adjusted the angle of his sword slightly, diverting its power to the ground.
A massive chasm, stretching hundreds of meters and unfathomably deep, appeared on the earth.
"Gulp!"
Ye Zhiqiu swallowed hard, nearly wetting himself. If Tian Lin hadn't held back at the last moment, he would have been dead without a doubt.
"Well, Mr. Ye Zhiqiu, this is my fourth soul skill: Glimmering Immortal-Slaying Slash. Do you still want to continue?" Tian Lin withdrew his sword with a smile.
"No... no need! I concede! I was wrong! It was our arrogance that caused this trouble. We'll never make the same mistake again!" Ye Zhiqiu immediately knelt and apologized, then fled the tavern with his students in disgrace.
Tian Lin didn't pursue the matter further. It was, after all, a minor conflict, not something worth killing over. The idea of exterminating entire clans for small offenses was merely a demonstration of their clan's resolve, not actual cruelty.
"Boss, you're too strong! Joining the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan was the right choice. With you around, who would dare bully me?" Ma Hongjun ran over, flattering Tian Lin.
"Don't just think about relying on others. Your strength is the key. Hongjun, your talent is extraordinary. You must train diligently. Otherwise, one day, this Glimmering Immortal-Slaying Slash might land on you when you're slacking off!" Tian Lin teased, a mischievous smile on his face.
Ma Hongjun broke out in a cold sweat. Although he knew Tian Lin was joking, the sight of the deep chasm before him and the terrifying power of that attack sent shivers down his spine.
"Brother Tianlin's offensive power is truly astonishing. I am deeply impressed," Tang San said respectfully. Because he believed that he and Tian Lin came from the same world, Tang San often spoke with a martial artist's tone, which always felt a bit odd to Xiao Wu.
"You flatter me. It's merely a minor technique," Tian Lin replied with a smile, leading Ning Rongrong back into the tavern.
As he passed by Dai Mubai, the latter didn't dare to act arrogantly anymore. He knew that even with his White Tiger Barrier and White Tiger Vajra Transformation fully active, he wouldn't be able to withstand such an attack.
In the shadows, Zhao Wuji observed quietly, astonished. He had been aware of the commotion caused by his students but hadn't intervened, wanting to see how far they could go against a Soul King. However, he hadn't expected that the Soul King couldn't even withstand a single strike from Tian Lin.
"Now this is a true monster. The little monsters of Shrek are still far from his level." Zhao Wuji sighed. He had hoped for Shrek Academy to shine in the upcoming Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament, but if they encountered Tian Lin, they would have no chance of winning.