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"Third Spirit Skill—White Tiger Vajra Transformation!"
The purple spirit ring beneath Dai Mubai lit up as he immediately activated his third skill, White Tiger Vajra Transformation.
In an instant, his body swelled, muscles bulging, his strength, speed, defense, and even the power of his spirit abilities all receiving a sharp boost.
"Second Spirit Skill—White Tiger Light Wave!"
His second ring flared right after.
Dai Mubai opened his mouth, gathering a mass of white spirit power.
With a sharp "whoosh," a blazing white energy beam shot forth like an arrow loosed from a bow, rushing straight at Zhu Zhuqing.
Tang San activated his Purple Demon Eyes, carefully observing the clash between Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing.
"Perfect, I can use Dai Mubai to test just how strong Lan Minghua's disciples really are."
Right now, with the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges sealed, most of his hidden weapons were unusable.
The few he carried on him could only work by catching opponents off guard.
But against a vigilant enemy, there was no way he could land a decisive strike.
Although he was now married into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and they had begun mass-producing hidden weapon components, Tang San himself still lacked any truly powerful hidden weapons.
That was why he was so eager to gauge the strength of Zhu Zhuqing and the others—he wanted to know if there would be opportunities for him to strike from the shadows.
Dai Mubai unleashed his full strength, the White Tiger Light Wave tearing forward with astonishing speed.
But just as the beam was about to strike Zhu Zhuqing, she finally moved.
Her figure vanished in an instant, leaving behind only a fading afterimage.
"So fast!"
Tang San's pupils shrank sharply. Even with the Purple Demon Eyes, he couldn't clearly track Zhu Zhuqing's movements.
His Purple Demon Eyes were only at the "micro" stage—far too slow to keep up with her current speed.
With a deafening boom, Zhu Zhuqing's afterimage was obliterated by the White Tiger Light Wave.
"Mubai, be careful!" Flender quickly warned. As a seventy-eighth rank Spirit Sage, he was the only one present who could still follow Zhu Zhuqing's movements.
But even with his warning, Dai Mubai reacted a step too late.
Zhu Zhuqing had already appeared before him, the second ring at her feet lighting up.
"Nether Hundred Claws!"
In the blink of an eye, countless claw shadows fell upon Dai Mubai's chest like a torrential storm.
His clothes shredded with a tearing sound, and blood instantly sprayed forth.
"Argh!" Dai Mubai screamed in agony as his body flew back like a kite with its string cut, crashing heavily to the ground and stirring up a cloud of dust.
Everyone stared wide-eyed at the savage claw marks across his chest, gasping sharply.
No one had expected the battle to be decided in a single instant.
Zhu Zhuqing stood coldly over him, her voice like ice:
"Dai Mubai, from this day forward, our engagement is unilaterally dissolved. I will no longer allow anyone to dictate my fate. Not even the Star Luo Empire can control my destiny."
With that, she turned away, her figure resolute and merciless as she left.
The crowd in the square was stunned into silence, unable to recover from the shock.
Who could have thought Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai's relationship carried such a hidden layer?
Lying on the ground, Dai Mubai's chest heaved violently, his eyes filled with pain and unwillingness.
He had never imagined that he would lose so utterly.
Ma Hongjun hurried over, crouching down to whisper: "Boss Dai, are you okay?"
But Dai Mubai didn't respond. He only stared fixedly at Zhu Zhuqing's departing back, his gaze venomous with hatred.
The others remained silent, each calculating in their own minds.
"Star Luo Empire? Dai Mubai's surname is Dai… and the royal family of the Star Luo Empire also bears the surname Dai. Add to that the empire's cruel system of succession, where royal princes are forced to slaughter each other until only one survives to claim the throne… Could it be that Dai Mubai is a prince of the Star Luo Empire?"
Flender thought to himself with a glint of scheming ambition:
"Now that I've boarded the Heaven Dou Empire's pirate ship, if I can leverage Dai Mubai to draw the Star Luo Empire into our camp against Lan Minghua, I might become a great hero. With that, endless wealth and honor would be mine to enjoy."
After all, once he left the Heaven Dou court, he had already tied himself to the Heaven Dou Empire.
If he kept wavering like a fence-sitter, it would only get him killed faster.
So Flender was already plotting how he could seize the chance to be the one credited with defeating Lan Minghua.
Tang San and Xiao Wu stood silently to the side, hearts surging with turmoil.
His eyes locked on Zhu Zhuqing's fading figure, Tang San brooded deeply.
"Zhu Zhuqing's strength has skyrocketed so quickly… just what method did Lan Minghua use? There must be secrets I don't know about. If I could learn them, wouldn't my own power rise just as fast?"
Thinking of how useful her teacher had been, Tang San's killing intent toward Yu Xiaogang grew stronger.
"If not for taking that useless Yu Xiaogang as my master, my achievements today would be far greater!"
His eyes burned with venom as he shot Yu Xiaogang a glare.
But Yu Xiaogang, face pale and shaken to the core, didn't notice at all.
He muttered under his breath in disbelief: "Impossible… this is absolutely impossible! How can a fourth spirit ring be at the ten-thousand-year level? According to Spirit Hall's theories, the fourth ring should never reach ten-thousand years!"
As a plagiarist, he had never once found any record in any sect's theories that supported the fourth ring being a ten-thousand-year ring.
Zhu Zhuqing's performance had completely overturned his entire understanding.
Flender's mind was racing when a terrifying thought struck him.
Turning toward Oscar, who was just about to leave, he asked sharply: "Oscar… don't tell me you've also become a Spirit Ancestor?"
The moment the words left his lips, Oscar became the center of everyone's attention.
Seeing that it was Dean Flender asking, and with Zhu Zhuqing already exposed, Oscar decided there was no point in hiding it anymore.
Scratching his head awkwardly, but with a hint of pride, he admitted: "Yes, Dean. I've also advanced to Spirit Ancestor. And not just me—Yiran and Yanzi have both become Spirit Ancestors as well."
As he spoke, Oscar revealed his spirit rings.
Sure enough, his configuration was identical to Zhu Zhuqing's—yellow, yellow, purple, black.
Following him, Meng Yiran also released her spirit rings.
The sight of both Oscar and Meng Yiran's four rings, especially the black one, made the crowd once again draw in a collective gasp.
No one had expected that Oscar and the others would also possess the yellow, yellow, purple, black configuration, completely overturning the so-called "optimal ring setups."
"No… no, this is all fake! It has to be fake!"
Yu Xiaogang's worldview shattered once again. His mind snapped as he shouted like a madman.
Moments later, overwhelmed by rage and despair, his eyes rolled back and he collapsed unconscious.
"Damn that Yu Xiaogang—what a disgrace. Tricking me into becoming the disciple of such a useless waste… you've already earned yourself a death sentence!"
Tang San's desire to kill Yu Xiaogang intensified, though he still lacked the opportunity.
Flender sighed and walked over to Dai Mubai. "Mubai, are you alright?"
Dai Mubai's eyes were hollow, his confidence shattered by Oscar and the others' overwhelming display, almost forgetting that his chest was still bleeding.
But soon, he forced himself back to his senses, growling through clenched teeth:
"Zhu Zhuqing, I won't let this go! You think you can escape me? You're not worthy!"
Flender patted his shoulder with a serious expression. "Don't be rash. We'll need to plan carefully."
Dai Mubai was far too important now—he was the key to pulling the Star Luo Empire onto their pirate ship.
Hearing Dai Mubai's voice, Tang San's mind stirred.
"So Dai Mubai is indeed a prince of the Star Luo Empire… If I help him become Crown Prince—or even Emperor—wouldn't the entire Star Luo Empire fall under my control? With the Upper Three Sects, the Heaven Dou Empire, and the Star Luo Empire united, Lan Minghua will have no way to survive!"
Tang San began plotting how to win Dai Mubai over.
Little did they know, Lan Minghua was secretly observing them, watching their shocked faces upon learning Zhu Zhuqing and the others' true strength.
"Good… the more of you that unite, the better. I hope you really do band together. Otherwise, the Tianlong Gang crushing you won't even be entertaining."
He had no intention of interfering.
For Lan Minghua was supremely confident in the strength of the Tianlong Gang.
"System, use the character card to summon a purple-quality character."
(End of Chapter)