"Hmm?"
When the Blue Silver Grass entangled him, Dai Mubai initially thought he could easily break free. But the strength of the vines was unexpected—and worse, they were lined with thorns that pierced his skin.
Blue Silver Grass was widely regarded as a useless martial soul. For it to exhibit such power was truly surprising.
Still, Dai Mubai assumed a slight surge of spirit power would be enough to shake it off.
Yet, even after exerting some effort, he remained trapped.
This is no ordinary Blue Silver Grass!
Only then did Dai Mubai take the situation seriously. He increased his spirit power further and finally tore himself loose.
He retreated a few steps, eyeing Tang San with newfound wariness. "Heh, your martial soul isn't standard Blue Silver Grass, is it? It must be a variant—or something that merely resembles it. Am I wrong?"
His tone was confident.
"Presumptuous fool."
Tang San sneered and immediately activated his first spirit skill again: Entanglement.
"Tch." Dai Mubai smirked. "Your martial soul is unusual, I'll give you that. But it's still not enough to restrain me."
With a single punch, reinforced by potent spirit power, he shattered the incoming vines.
Now, Tang San would have a harder time ensnaring him.
Yet Tang San persisted, as if deliberately trying to drain Dai Mubai's energy.
"Enough of this!"
A yellow spirit ring flashed around Dai Mubai as he activated his second spirit skill:
White Tiger's Fierce Light Wave!
A beam of light shot from his mouth.
"Ranged attack, but inflexible."
Tang San dodged nimbly while seizing opportunities to lash out with more Blue Silver Grass.
Dai Mubai swiveled his head, the beam slicing through the vines effortlessly. Even when entangled, a simple twist of his neck severed the bindings.
Their battle raged on, thrilling the distant spectators—though the Rose Hotel's manager winced at the growing damage.
"Young Master Dai, please, stop this! Can't we talk it out?" the manager pleaded.
Dai Mubai waved him off. "I'll pay double for any damages."
The manager promptly shut up and found a safe spot to watch.
"Pathetic." Dai Mubai shook off the last clinging vines. "You think you can exhaust my spirit power? You still don't understand the gap between us. How laughable!"
He was certain Tang San would run dry long before he did.
Nearby, Xiao Wu fretted but held back—Tang San hadn't signaled for help.
"The only laughable one here will soon be revealed," Tang San retorted calmly, his confidence unshaken.
Abandoning the beam attack (too unwieldy), Dai Mubai charged forth with fists alone. His three spirit skills comprised one offensive, one defensive, and one strength-boosting ability. Raw power would suffice now.
He bulldozed through the vines, closing the distance rapidly.
"Parasite!"
Tang San triggered his second spirit ring. Vines sprouted from Dai Mubai's body, rooting him momentarily.
"Entanglement!"
More vines surged, cocooning Dai Mubai entirely.
Humiliated at being restrained by a control-type soul master, Dai Mubai snarled:
"Third Spirit Skill: White Tiger's Vajra Transformation!"
A purple spirit ring erupted as blinding white light shredded the vines from within.
The power boost was immense.
"Impressive strength. No wonder he's an assault-type Spirit Elder," Tang San acknowledged, unfazed.
"This farce ends now!"
Dai Mubai's pent-up fury from earlier humiliations (courtesy of Xu Yunhan and Zhu Zhuqing) erupted. Crushing this upstart would vent his rage.
Crack!
The ground fractured as Dai Mubai vanished—
"Too fast!"
Tang San barely activated Parasite in time, but the vines snapped instantly against Dai Mubai's enhanced might.
Yet Tang San remained composed.
Purple Demon Eyes locked onto Dai Mubai's trajectory.
Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track evaded the worst blows.
Mysterious Jade Hands deflected the rest.
Dai Mubai grew increasingly frustrated. How was this control-type Soul Master dodging everything? These weren't spirit skills!
"You've forced my hand," Tang San warned coldly.
"Empty threats!" Dai Mubai scoffed. "Show me what you've got!"
"You asked for it."
From his Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges storage pouch, Tang San produced several hidden weapons.
Mysterious Jade Hands ensured perfect throws.
In Douluo Continent, hidden weapons were crude tools used by commoners—utterly useless against spirit masters.
Which made them the perfect surprise.
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
"ARGH!"
Dai Mubai staggered as projectiles embedded in his limbs. Pain and sudden numbness froze him mid-charge.
(Tang San had deliberately avoided lethal spots—too many witnesses, and Dai Mubai's background was troublesome.)
In private, Dai Mubai would already be dead.
"Had enough?" Tang San asked as Dai Mubai trembled helplessly.
The humiliation burned. Losing to a mere Soul Master? Unthinkable!
Yet here he stood, defeated by some unknown trick.
"...You win. The room's yours."
Turning away, Dai Mubai limped toward the exit—every step agony.
"Wait."
Dai Mubai glared back.
"Let me remove the projectiles. Left in too long, they'll cripple you."
(No point making an enemy when killing wasn't an option.)
Crippled?!
Dai Mubai paled. "You'd help me?"
"We weren't enemies to begin with," Tang San said evenly. "This started because of your arrogance."
Silent, Dai Mubai acquiesced.
With practiced motions, Tang San extracted the hidden weapons. "Apply medicine and rest. You'll recover."
Oddly, Dai Mubai found himself... grateful. Compared to Xu Yunhan and Zhu Zhuqing, this opponent was downright reasonable.
Perhaps... they could become allies?
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 30 on my patreon, go check it out.
Give me all your power stones