Chapter 76 – Zhu Zhuqing's Battle
Zhu Zhuqing was an agility-type Soul Master, naturally skilled at concealing her presence.
Qi Tian's first soul skill, Disguise, possessed an even greater ability to hide one's aura—making the two of them completely invisible to the trio ahead.
Qi Tian gently squeezed Zhu Zhuqing's hand and whispered, "Zhuqing, don't be impulsive."
"To catch a thief, you need the loot. To catch an adulterer, you need the pair. Wait until they actually start doing something, then show yourself. That way, he'll have nothing to say."
Of course, what they were about to catch might not be just a pair, but as long as Zhu Zhuqing caught him in the act, she would have the moral high ground.
"Mm." Zhu Zhuqing nodded lightly.
Qi Tian only said this to ease her heart a little. Otherwise, he wouldn't have waited—he would've just let her go straight in to complete her mission.
As night fell, Dai Mubai swaggered out, arms wrapped around two women, with a third hanging from his neck. He was leading the trio toward a nearby hotel, ready for a night of indulgence.
Suddenly, beneath the faint moonlight, a woman veiled in black appeared before him, her cold gaze sharply fixed on his face.
For some reason, Dai Mubai felt a strange sense of familiarity and closeness from her aura.
"You there—who are you? Why are you blocking my way?" he demanded.
He studied the woman's eyes and brows above the veil. With his years of experience, he could tell at a glance—this was a beauty.
So, instead of getting angry, he decided to play it polite first and ask who she was.
Zhu Zhuqing remained silent, her expression calm and distant.
Dai Mubai frowned inwardly. Playing the cold beauty, are you?
"Young Master Dai," one of the women hanging off his chest teased, "could she be a jilted lover of yours? Someone you tossed aside, now chasing after you in obsession?"
"Possible," Dai Mubai said with a smirk. "But I don't remember her."
He'd been with far too many women—how could he possibly remember them all? Only a few with special traits—like twin sisters—left an impression.
Perhaps it was because he'd heard that his elder brother's fiancée and his own fiancée were twin sisters. Maybe that was why he had this peculiar fondness for twins—it let him fantasize about the Zhu sisters together.
At last, Zhu Zhuqing spoke coldly,
"Dai Mubai, I am Zhu Zhuqing."
Dai Mubai's heart skipped a beat.
'Zhu Zhuqing? My unseen fiancée?'
But instead of releasing the triplets in his arms, he frowned and said, "What are you doing here? Can't you just let me live peacefully for a few years?"
"I just want to enjoy life while I can. When my brother turns twenty-five, that's when I die. If you want to taste a man before your death, I can oblige. The five of us can have fun tonight!"
However, the moment Zhu Zhuqing removed her veil, Dai Mubai immediately regretted his words.
Because Zhu Zhuqing was breathtaking—so beautiful that even the three sisters beside him couldn't compare.
Under the moonlight, her frosty, flawless face resembled that of a celestial goddess—pure and untouchable.
"Zhuqing, actually, I was just playing with them!" Dai Mubai hurriedly released the woman in his arms and pushed the other two away.
The triplets tried to protest, but Dai Mubai quickly threw them a bag of gold soul coins. "Take the money and leave."
Zhu Zhuqing's expression didn't waver. Her tone was icy and resolute.
"My man must be a true man—upright and fearless—not a coward who runs away."
"From this day forth, I dissolve our engagement. You are no longer my fiancé."
Dai Mubai's heart filled with regret, but he still tried to argue.
"Zhuqing, our engagement was arranged between the royal family and the Zhu family. We can't simply break it off!"
Zhu Zhuqing replied firmly, "The rules between the Dai and Zhu families—I will break them with my own strength."
At that moment, Zhu Zhuqing released her Martial Soul, entering her Martial Soul Possession state.
She wanted to test Dai Mubai's strength—to see the true power of the White Tiger Martial Soul—and prepare for the day she'd stand against the Dai family itself.
Dai Mubai, however, thought she was giving him a chance to prove himself.
"Zhuqing, I'm not a coward! I've been training hard all these years. Let me show you my strength!"
Dai Mubai thought to himself, 'As long as I can prove my strength, Zhu Zhuqing might change her mind about me.'
He immediately activated his Martial Soul Possession. His muscles swelled, his frame broadened, and streaks of white tiger fur appeared amidst his golden hair.
Three soul rings pulsed rhythmically beneath his feet—he had already reached the realm of a Soul Elder.
"Zhuqing, I'm now a thirty-second rank Soul Elder!" he declared proudly.
Zhu Zhuqing gave no reply. As an agility-type Battle Soul Grandmaster, facing a power-type Soul Elder in direct combat placed her at a severe disadvantage. She could only raise her focus to the absolute limit.
She recalled Qi Tian's battle with Zhu Zhuyun and drew confidence from it—if he could defeat a Soul Elder, then so could she.
After all, Zhu Zhuyun was a rank thirty-seven Soul Elder—no weaker than Dai Mubai in strength.
The first soul ring beneath Zhu Zhuqing's feet lit up, and her figure blurred, vanishing into the night.
"White Tiger Shield Body Barrier!" Dai Mubai shouted, instantly activating his first soul skill.
The next moment, a sharp flurry of metallic sounds rang out—ding! ding! dang! Zhu Zhuqing's claw strikes landed in a storm of precision, but her Hell Spirit Cat Claws couldn't pierce through the golden protective aura surrounding Dai Mubai.
However, amidst her attacks, Zhu Zhuqing subtly flicked several Dragon Beard Needles toward him.
These thin, deadly needles were designed to pierce through defensive energy barriers—and each one embedded itself into Dai Mubai's flesh.
Zhu Zhuqing continued to weave through the shadows, her movements graceful and unpredictable, before unleashing her second soul skill—Hell Hundred Claws!
Each claw carried terrifying penetrative power, enough to slice through defensive barriers like paper.
Even the White Tiger Shield Body Barrier couldn't fully block it.
But Dai Mubai seized his opening and countered, his tiger claws slashing fiercely toward her.
As a power-type Soul Master, one solid hit from him could easily end the fight.
Zhu Zhuqing understood this clearly. She quickly retreated, but Dai Mubai pursued relentlessly, launching a White Tiger Intense Light Wave that blasted toward her.
The tables had turned—he was now the aggressor, driving Zhu Zhuqing back step by step.
Yet she remained calm, silently counting down in her heart—waiting for the Dragon Beard Needles inside his body to activate.
"—Hiss!"
Suddenly, Dai Mubai gasped sharply, his movements seizing up.
"What's going on? Why does my body hurt so much?"
Panic flickered in his eyes. He no longer cared to hold back, immediately using his third soul skill—White Tiger Vajra Transformation!
His body expanded, muscles bulging even further. But the Dragon Beard Needles already embedded within him twisted and coiled tighter with his transformation, tearing through his muscle fibers.
"Ahhh! It hurts! It hurts so much!" he screamed. The pain was unbearable—his Martial Soul state shattered, collapsing entirely.
In the next instant, Zhu Zhuqing struck again.
This time, Dai Mubai could no longer resist.
Moments later, his body was covered in wounds, and he fell heavily to the ground, groaning in agony.
Zhu Zhuqing had achieved her goal—she had tested the White Tiger Martial Soul's power. She did not deal a killing blow.
Just as she was about to withdraw her claws, a sudden roar echoed through the forest.
"Bold girl! How dare you injure a disciple of Shrek Academy! You'll come with me!"
A middle-aged man with a flat, shoe-like face appeared out of thin air. He released a wave of soul power that instantly suppressed Zhu Zhuqing's movements.
A faint smile of surprise and appreciation crossed his face as he looked her over.
He had sensed the battle's energy fluctuations earlier and had come to investigate, quietly observing from nearby.
Now that he had witnessed her strength and composure firsthand, he was deeply impressed.
'A girl this talented… She belongs in my Shrek Academy!'
But Zhu Zhuqing didn't panic. She didn't even try to escape.
Because she was prepared for this moment.
At midnight, Qi Tian would possess her body and use his skill to let her escape from danger. Everything was unfolding exactly according to their plan.
—
End of Chapter