As the yellow, purple, purple configuration of three soul rings appeared beneath Ge Erdan's feet—without any visible martial soul—Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai exchanged puzzled glances.
Then Dai Mubai stepped forward, letting out a low roar. A pair of yellow, yellow, purple, purple soul rings rose beneath him. A white light spread over his body, muscle mass began to bulge, his once-blond hair turned striped black and white, and a '王' character appeared on his forehead. His hands transformed, sprouting white fur and morphing into tiger claws.
He said in a cold voice, "Dai Mubai. Martial Soul: Evil Eye White Tiger. Rank 43 Power Attack System Soul Ancestor. Please advise."
As soon as the words fell, Dai Mubai's eyes gleamed with aggression. With a roar, he launched forward like a tiger, charging straight at Ge Erdan. His speed was explosive, nearly forming afterimages, and in a flash he reached Ge Erdan, swiping at his chest with razor-sharp claws.
If that claw landed cleanly, it would be enough to rip open the chest of any ordinary Soul Elder.
Xu Yang didn't intervene. Sometimes, only by personally experiencing the difference in power could one truly understand it.
Though Erdan was only a Soul Elder, he had been trained personally by Gu Rong. Coupled with gravity bracelets to stimulate potential, his body martial soul had been thoroughly developed.
In recent years, his cultivation had advanced rapidly—already comparable to Xu Yang at the same level back then. His combat ability far exceeded that of a typical Soul Ancestor.
And then there was the Great Sun Body Technique. If anyone in the entire Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was most suited to cultivating this technique, it was undoubtedly Ge Erdan. Not even Xu Yang, its creator, could match that affinity. Over time, Erdan had even begun showing signs of a second martial soul awakening.
True to expectations, Ge Erdan didn't disappoint. As Dai Mubai lunged, he calmly sidestepped with a smooth slide step, completely dodging the attack. He turned around, smiling cheerfully.
"You're no match for me. The two of you should come at me together."
"Don't look down on me!"
Hearing the condescension in Erdan's voice, Dai Mubai was instantly enraged. He had never been the patient type. Being underestimated like this only made him boil with fury.
His third soul ring lit up. His already massive body expanded again, now towering over two meters tall. The upper half of his shirt burst apart, exposing muscular skin marked with black tiger stripes. He exuded a domineering, feral aura—like a true king of the jungle.
"Third Soul Skill: White Tiger Vajra Transformation!"
"First Soul Skill: White Tiger Shield Body Barrier!"
Without hesitation, he activated his first soul skill. A white protective shield wrapped around him as he dashed forward again, creating afterimages, and began throwing punches at Ge Erdan.
"First Soul Skill: Vajra Transformation!"
Erdan's first soul ring lit up, and his body underwent a strange transformation. A faint golden glow shimmered across his skin. His muscles tensed and swelled slightly, making him look even more powerful. Raising his right fist, he met Dai Mubai's strike head-on.
Boom!
The two fists collided with a bang, stirring ripples in the surrounding air.
To outside observers, the two appeared evenly matched. But if one looked closely, they would notice the corner of Dai Mubai's mouth twitching slightly, his face contorting as his arm trembled subtly. Meanwhile, Ge Erdan remained calm and composed.
Clearly, Erdan had the upper hand.
"Second Soul Skill: Dark Gold Power!"
Seeing that one punch wasn't enough, Erdan grinned. His second soul ring lit up, and his skin took on a metallic dark-gold sheen. Dai Mubai suddenly felt a crushing force surge into his arm, followed by a sharp wave of pain that forced him to stagger back several steps, widening the distance.
He looked up at Ge Erdan, stunned. He couldn't believe he had lost in raw power to a Soul Elder.
After all, he had one more soul ring than Erdan. Among soul masters, each soul ring was a chasm. The power boost a soul ring brought was all-around—strength, defense, speed. Logically, he should have had the advantage. Yet the truth was clear: Erdan was vastly stronger.
This completely contradicted everything the Grandmaster had taught him!
But Erdan didn't press the attack. Instead, he smiled and said, "My second soul skill comes from a two-thousand-year-old Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear. It greatly boosts my strength and defense—and doubles my speed. You really can't beat me alone. You should fight me together with that Zhu Zhuqing girl."
Dai Mubai seethed. His second soul ring lit up as he opened his mouth and fired a white energy beam at Erdan—
White Tiger Intense Light Wave—the Dai Clan's hereditary second soul skill!
But Erdan's reaction was totally unexpected. In fact, both Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing were stunned by what they saw.
Ge Erdan calmly raised his right hand. The dark-gold glow on his skin intensified until it became bronze. Then, with a simple swing—
Whoosh!
The White Tiger Intense Light Wave was swatted aside by a single slap, veering into the sky before quickly dissipating.
Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing were both dumbfounded.
This was the Dai Clan's signature second soul skill—known for its formidable destructive power. Its damage scaled with cultivation and was far more potent than standard millennium-level attack skills. And yet, Ge Erdan had deflected it so effortlessly.
At the side, Xu Yang simply smiled.
This was the result of fusing the Great Sun Body Technique, derived from Mysterious Jade Hand, with a body-type martial soul.
Originally, Erdan's soul skills caused little visible change—his martial soul was, after all, his skeleton. But after cultivating the Great Sun Body, his physical power could now manifest outwardly, enhancing his strength, defense, and speed tremendously.
That slap just now was a perfect example. He had condensed all his strength into one arm—its power was tremendous.
In fact, no one was more suited to strength-type soul rings than Erdan. Anyone with a basic understanding of human physiology knew that bones—not muscles—were the foundation of strength. Muscles only handled the output.
Ning Rongrong leaned in and nudged Zhu Zhuqing with her elbow, whispering, "Zhuqing, you'd better fight together with Boss Dai. I know Erdan—he hasn't even used half his strength yet. He's way stronger than you'd think, especially once he uses his third soul skill!"
"…Alright."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded silently, then tapped her foot and flashed to Dai Mubai's side.
Her martial soul—the Hell Spirit Cat—had already possessed her body. She extended her right hand in formal greeting and said:
"Zhu Zhuqing, Rank 34 Agility Attack System Soul Elder. Please advise."