Doulou Dalu 44

"Yes, this is my own martial spirit. I can take it back. How could I let my dog-beating stick hit me?"

The disciple of the Dog Beating Sect, named Xiaobai, realized what had happened only after being knocked to the ground. Crying out in pain, he quickly retracted his martial spirit. The dog-beating stick in Lin Fan's hand immediately returned to Xiaobai, who was no longer in the mood to continue the fight. With a swift kick, Lin Fan sent Xiaobai—who was a level 32 disciple of the Dog Beating Sect—flying out of the ring. Xiaobai crashed into the golden barrier surrounding the arena and fainted on the spot.

Though Lin Fan was only a level 34 Soul Master, with the power of his Shadow Battle Axe and Blood Demon Strength, his attack power was comparable to that of a low-level Soul King. Against Soul Masters of the same level, his battles were completely one-sided. However, if he had to face three Soul Masters above level 40 who had thousand-year soul skills, it would be far more challenging unless he used his own abilities wisely.

This was precisely why he tricked his previous three opponents into stepping down. Unlike the first three soul skills of his primary martial spirit, his other abilities were far too powerful. With Qian Xunji and the top sects of the world present, exposing his trump cards prematurely would put him at a disadvantage.

"You shameless bastard! You're courting death!"

Seeing Xiaobai knocked unconscious, the three remaining Dog Beating Sect disciples flew into a rage. The third soul rings on all three of them lit up simultaneously.

"Third Soul Skill: Universe-Breaking Strike!"

As they activated their abilities, their Dog Beating Sticks thickened, turning into silver iron rods. At the tip of each stick, an iron wolf's head appeared—a result of fusing their weapons with a thousand-year wolf soul ring. The best-suited spirit rings for the Dog Beating Sect's martial spirit were, naturally, those of wolf-type soul beasts. This explained why their soul skills were identical.

Lin Fan finally saw that the Dog Beating Sect was not as weak as he had initially thought. Those who qualified for the Elite Soul Master Competition all had genuine abilities.

Even the Nebula Hall, which had fought earlier, had impressive Soul Masters, with their strongest member reaching level 46. Unfortunately, their captain had lacked composure—surrendering before the fight even began.

The three Dog Beating Sect disciples rushed forward, swinging their iron rods directly at Lin Fan's head.

In an instant, purple flames surged around Lin Fan's body, forming a flame armor. Now that his first martial spirit had fully possessed him, these flames could be attached to his body or even his Shadow Battle Axe, causing his attacks to inflict a burning effect on his enemies.

Though not as strong as Liu Erlong's dragon flames, Lin Fan's Purple Fire had the unique ability to evolve alongside his martial spirit. As it advanced, the flames would change color and gain new, more powerful attributes.

"First Soul Skill: Purple Flame Tiger Claw!"

His first soul ring lit up as sharp tiger claws, wreathed in purple flames, materialized on his hands.

Lin Fan swiftly intercepted the three incoming attacks. His tiger claws, hardened by his flame-forged strength, clashed against the Dog Beating Sticks. The impact was so powerful that the weapons trembled violently before being knocked out of their owners' hands. The three disciples staggered backward from the recoil.

"Take back your martial spirits, quickly!" one of them shouted.

Before they could react, three Dog Beating Sticks suddenly fell from above, striking them squarely on their heads.

BANG!

All three disciples collapsed, dazed and unconscious, their expressions frozen in bewilderment. The moment they fainted, their martial spirits instinctively returned to their bodies.

Lin Fan smirked. "You call this 'Beating the Universe'? More like 'Beating Your Own Heads'."

With a graceful landing, Lin Fan stood victorious. The three Dog Beating Sticks had, of course, been thrown by him. Under normal circumstances, martial spirits strongly repel foreign interference. However, Lin Fan's purple flames had negated that effect, allowing him to wield his opponents' weapons against them.

Even if the three disciples regained consciousness, their injuries would leave them mentally impaired. Lin Fan had no intention of showing mercy—after all, they had tried to ambush him. He had also overheard them mentioning that the Spirit Hall had promised them a hefty reward for eliminating him.

Lin Fan lifted his gaze toward the VIP section, where his eyes met those of Bibi Dong. Despite the massive arena and the crowd between them, an unspoken connection seemed to linger in their gaze.

"I came for you. I am willing to fight for you. I would risk everything for you. Have you ever felt my heart?"

However, the moment Lin Fan sensed Qian Xunji's murderous intent, he immediately averted his gaze.

"He won't dare act against me in this arena. But he'll certainly try to have me killed in the ring. Using the Dog Beating Sect to do his dirty work? How ridiculous. Did you really think I would die so easily?"

Lin Fan looked around the arena and announced, "This fight is over. The disciples of the Dog Beating Sect have successfully knocked themselves out. Let's move on to the next match."

"You—you dare insult our Dog Beating Sect?!" one of the sect's elders roared, his face flushed with anger. However, he did not dare to rush into the ring.

After all, the tournament's golden barrier had instantly vaporized an earlier rule-breaker.

"Hmm? Is he really just a level 34 Soul Master?"

From the floating VIP platform, a young woman studied Lin Fan with intrigue. She picked up the microphone and spoke.

"Haotian Sect versus Dog Beating Sect: Haotian Sect wins. The restrictions are now lifted. This new Haotian Sect disciple is not even fifteen years old, yet he has won two consecutive matches. Let's look forward to his next battle."

As Lin Fan stepped off the stage, voices erupted in the audience.

"This is unfair! That guy cheated in the first match. How is that considered a winning streak?"

"He tricked his second opponent into leaving the ring. He has no real strength at all!"

"If he dares, he should fight me openly! I could beat him easily!"

However, the female disciples in the crowd had a completely different reaction.

"You guys are just jealous! That's called strategy. Don't you have any brains?"

"Yes! He's only fifteen and already a Soul Master. He defeated four opponents effortlessly!"

"The most important thing is… he's handsome."

In a corner of the stands, a lovely girl with ice-blue hair looked at Lin Fan with admiration. "He's my age, Qing'er. Should I go talk to him?"

Her friend, Shui Qing'er, rolled her eyes and pinched her. "You're dreaming. Besides, he's only level 34."

The girl pouted. "So what? I can wait for him. If needed, I'll protect him instead."

"You're hopeless," Shui Qing'er sighed. "Anyway, we'll get our turn to fight him soon. When I do, I'll make sure he never charms another girl again."

Lin Fan chuckled inwardly at the reactions. It seems that while my cultivation talent in this life is only average, my charm is exceptional.

Just as he stepped off the stage, he saw Tang Yiran waiting for him.

"Xiao Fan, you did great! Come with me—I have VIP access today," she said, grabbing his hand.

VIP seating? That meant sitting near Bibi Dong and Qian Xunji…

As they approached the VIP section, Lin Fan was met by a handsome young man in white, accompanied by a brown-haired woman in a turquoise dress.

Seeing the woman, Lin Fan's eyes widened in shock.

"Ning Rongrong?"

The young man chuckled. "You must be mistaken, young friend. This is my wife—Xue Ling'er."

Lin Fan's mind raced. Xue? Could she be from the Tiandou Royal Family? If so, then Ning Fengzhi's close ties with Emperor Xue Ye suddenly make a lot more sense…