"Yunhan, you're going to be Dai Mubai's opponent."
Zhao Wuji shifted his attention and said to Xu Yunhan, "Don't lose, okay?"
Then he turned to Dai Mubai, "Dai Mubai, as long as you defeat Xu Yunhan or hold out for the duration of an incense stick burning, you'll pass."
In truth, Zhao Wuji had already acknowledged Dai Mubai's strength in his heart. This arrangement was partly to test Dai Mubai's abilities, but also to use him to help train Xu Yunhan.
"All right."
Xu Yunhan nodded.
Dai Mubai looked at Xu Yunhan, eager for the fight.
Their soul power levels differed by only one grade, a small gap, and both had aggressive Tiger-type martial souls. Dai Mubai was confident he wouldn't necessarily lose.
"This is going to be exciting," Ma Hongjun said, already running over to sit beside Zhao Wuji.
Oscar also came over. "Dai Mubai definitely isn't the boss's match. I doubt he can even hold out for the incense stick's time. Teacher Zhao, if Dai Mubai loses, you're really not going to accept it?"
Zhao Wuji smiled but said nothing.
He watched Xu Yunhan and Dai Mubai, then lit an incense stick and stuck it into the ground. "Alright, begin."
Without hesitation, Xu Yunhan immediately released his Three-Eyed White Tiger martial soul.
Dai Mubai stared intently. It looked very similar to his own Evil Eye White Tiger—just with an extra pair of wings and one more eye, like a mutated version of his own.
How strange.
He paid little mind to the two yellow soul rings appearing on Xu Yunhan's body since he also had two yellow rings.
What Dai Mubai didn't know was that both of Xu Yunhan's soul rings were much older than his own.
Xu Yunhan's first soul ring was nearly six hundred years old, and the second was close to a thousand years—both absorbed far beyond his own level.
Even more unusual, both soul rings had willingly accepted Xu Yunhan, with no danger involved.
Flandre and the others could only conclude that Xu Yunhan's mutated martial soul had a special attraction to soul rings, making them "throw themselves" at him.
Xu Yunhan had no better explanation either.
No matter what, this was a good thing.
Next time he absorbed a soul ring, Xu Yunhan planned to be bolder—trying for one close to ten thousand years, or even a ten-thousand-year ring—to see if the soul ring would still "throw itself" at him.
Since Xu Yunhan's soul rings were older than Dai Mubai's, his soul skills would draw more soul power from them and therefore be stronger.
Dai Mubai released his Evil Eye White Tiger martial soul, displaying two yellow soul rings.
With their martial souls materialized, the soul rings disappeared, restoring their original appearance, but both fighters' soul powers could be felt radiating from them.
"I'm going to make the first move."
Dai Mubai stepped forward, preparing to strike.
"Come."
Xu Yunhan remained calm and steady.
Dai Mubai planted a foot and charged at Xu Yunhan.
He didn't use any soul skills, choosing instead to attack with raw soul power to test Xu Yunhan's strength.
Xu Yunhan stood his ground without using soul skills either.
He met Dai Mubai's incoming fist with his own.
Bang!
Xu Yunhan didn't step back an inch, and Dai Mubai was knocked back several steps by the recoil, his fist aching.
"His defense is much stronger than mine!"
Unexpected.
"Again!"
Dai Mubai pressed on with his attacks.
But the result was the same each time. He had to admit the gap in both defense and strength.
"You can't win without using soul skills. And don't expect to stall like this forever."
Xu Yunhan said calmly.
Those words annoyed Dai Mubai. Did he really need to resort to delaying tactics?
"Fine, then I'll show you my soul skills!"
"First soul skill: White Tiger Protective Barrier!"
Dai Mubai activated his soul skill. A soul ring flickered briefly on his arm and disappeared.
A protective white light enveloped his body.
This was a defensive soul skill that enhanced his defense—and simultaneously boosted his attack power.
With renewed strength, Dai Mubai threw a punch at Xu Yunhan again.
Xu Yunhan still stood firm, blocking with his fist.
Once more, Dai Mubai was pushed back by the recoil.
However, this time the distance he retreated was much shorter, thanks to the "White Tiger Protective Barrier's" added defense and power.
Still, in terms of sheer strength, Dai Mubai was far behind Xu Yunhan.
"How is this possible!"
Dai Mubai was shocked. Only now did he truly realize Xu Yunhan was far stronger, and he was outmatched.
Still, he refused to admit defeat.
He quickly stepped back to create some distance, his face serious.
"Second soul skill: White Tiger Fierce Light Wave!"
This was an offensive soul skill.
A beam of light shot from Dai Mubai's mouth, aimed directly at Xu Yunhan.
A second-level soul ring offensive skill—its power was no joke.
Xu Yunhan didn't try to block it head-on; he simply dodged.
A linear beam like that was easy to evade.
Seeing Xu Yunhan dodge, Dai Mubai saw an opening and kept spinning and twisting, attacking with the light beams from all angles.
Xu Yunhan's dodging grew faster and faster, his sudden bursts of speed surprising Dai Mubai.
Before long, Xu Yunhan was already beside Dai Mubai.
Dai Mubai couldn't keep up with his speed.
A punch came flying!
Right to the face—Xu Yunhan's fist struck Dai Mubai hard, sending him flying several meters back.
What force!
"Ugh, that looks painful!" Oscar remarked.
Ma Hongjun nodded repeatedly, feeling it deeply.
During their usual sparring sessions, Ma Hongjun and Oscar were often a pair, and Ma Hongjun always got beaten up.
Of course, Ma Hongjun took the brunt of it.
They could only blame Oscar for being too ruthless.
"Martial soul, soul rings, soul skills, talent—Yunhan surpasses Dai Mubai in every way. No way he loses."
Zhao Wuji watched with great interest. "Let's see how long Dai Mubai can hold out."
Oscar said, "If the boss takes it seriously, Dai Mubai would have lost long ago."
"Exactly!" Ma Hongjun agreed wholeheartedly.
But Xu Yunhan knew Zhao Wuji had already recognized Dai Mubai, so the outcome wasn't important.
He didn't mind toying with Dai Mubai and collecting some 'interest' on the side.
After all, Dai Mubai was Tang San's brother, and even more so, an ancestor of Huo Yuhao.
No matter how he dealt with him, it was deserved.
"Come on, keep going. Don't chicken out."
Xu Yunhan said to Dai Mubai with a tone full of disdain and provocation.
"Damn it!"
Dai Mubai hated losing. He had already lost too much in the Xingluo Empire.
He glanced at the incense stick—about a third of it had burned—and thought he should at least hold out that long.
"White Tiger Fierce Light Wave!"
Dai Mubai attacked again, giving it his all.
But once again, he couldn't keep up with Xu Yunhan's dodging speed.
As expected, Dai Mubai took another hit to the face.
He got up again, continued attacking, and got hit again.
The battle was completely one-sided.
"The boss is definitely just toying with him," Oscar remarked, thinking his leader was getting more and more terrifying.
"Better watch out in the future," Ma Hongjun said with a heavy heart.
Zhao Wuji felt it was no big deal; letting Dai Mubai endure some hardship was good for him.
As for Xu Yunhan, Zhao Wuji had his own plans to deal with him later.
When sparring with Zhao Wuji, Xu Yunhan also got beaten sometimes—though occasionally Zhao Wuji let his guard down and got surprised.
And so, Dai Mubai endured a beating that lasted the entire time the incense burned, but he held on.
He should be thankful Xu Yunhan hadn't taken it seriously.
Though he'd been beaten, Dai Mubai felt no real resentment toward Xu Yunhan. When the skill isn't there, getting hit is normal.
Of course, Xu Yunhan's first soul skill, "Charm," played a part, subtly increasing Dai Mubai's liking and trust for him.
Over time, once they got used to each other, Dai Mubai would probably be calling him "Boss" so often he'd even help count the money if he got sold out.
"That's enough. The incense has burned down."
Zhao Wuji stood up. "Dai Mubai, you've passed all the tests and are now officially a student of Shrek Academy."
Then he said to Oscar, "Xiao Ao, bring some sausages for Dai Mubai to help him recover."
"All right."
Oscar cheerfully walked over to Dai Mubai and began chanting, "I have a big sausage..."
Dai Mubai, bruised and battered, watched this and felt a bit queasy about eating Oscar's sausages.
Zhao Wuji said sternly, "Xiao Ao's first soul skill produces sausages that can restore stamina and heal injuries. You'll have to get used to eating them from now on."
There was no other choice, so Dai Mubai endured and ate a few. Surprisingly, they tasted pretty good. After eating, his energy began to recover and his wounds started to heal.
"I also have detox sausages. If you ever get poisoned, come find me," Oscar said with a wink. His second soul skill made detox sausages, which were also quite effective.