"No need."
Yu Xiaogang waved dismissively at Salas's flattery and walked straight toward Lin Mu in the front row.
Seeing Yu Xiaogang approaching with an air of authority, Lin Mu raised an eyebrow, a cold glint in his eyes. This good-for-nothing dared to come looking for him, relying solely on his connections with Bibi Dong?
However, Lin Mu had even seriously injured Bibi Dong herself, so he naturally wouldn't take the arrogant Yu Xiaogang seriously.
Seeing that the two seemed to have a conflict, Emperor Xue Ye didn't intervene; he secretly hoped the conflict between Lin Mu and the Spirit Hall representative would escalate, forcing Lin Mu closer to the Empire.
"Lin Mu, I want to make a big bet with you. A ten-thousand-year soul bone. Are you in?"
Yu Xiaogang stood beside Lin Mu's seat, head slightly tilted back, exuding confidence and arrogance as he looked down at the younger man.
Seeing this, Ning Fengzhi and the Three Educational Board Members were utterly astonished.
All four of them knew Lin Mu's personality well; anyone who had spoken to him like that before had basically met with a bad end, regardless of their status.
"Gangzi, I have no objection to you raising the stakes... but I didn't like the tone you used just now."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Mu suddenly released his oppressive aura, focusing it entirely on Yu Xiaogang.
"BOOM!"
The invisible pressure slammed heavily onto Yu Xiaogang's shoulders like a mountain. His knees buckled instantly, and he knelt on the ground with a loud thud.
"CRACK!"
The impact caused a crisp sound of bones fracturing in Yu Xiaogang's knees, followed by a heart-wrenching howl of pain.
"AHHHH!"
After a while, Yu Xiaogang, enduring the excruciating pain, looked up at Lin Mu in his seat, his face pale and covered in sweat.
Throughout the entire ordeal, Lin Mu hadn't made a single unnecessary movement. He sat there like a supreme king, while Yu Xiaogang was merely a clown kneeling before him.
He had thought that under the watchful eyes of everyone, especially with Salas present, Lin Mu wouldn't dare to attack him. But Lin Mu seemed completely unconcerned with consequences.
"Lin Mu! You dare to attack Elder Yu! You're utterly audacious! This time, Spirit Hall will never forgive you!"
Salas strode over aggressively, shouting threats, though his voice wavered slightly.
Now that Yu Xiaogang's legs were broken under his watch, if he didn't do something, he would surely be punished by the Pope.
"Is that so?"
Faced with Salas's threat, Lin Mu's gaze sharpened. In a blur, his figure appeared before Salas like a whirlwind.
Witnessing Lin Mu's terrifying speed, Salas was startled and tried to summon his martial soul.
But even without using his spirit, Lin Mu possessed speed exceeding that of an Agility-type Soul Douluo; no wonder rumors circulated that Lin Mu's full speed was even above that of a Super Douluo.
"Lin Mu, don't be so arrogant! We still have several Elders in Spirit Hall!" Salas swallowed hard, his voice trembling as Lin Mu gripped his shoulder.
However, Lin Mu remained calm. He immediately activated the Hurricane Armor, transforming into a cyan hurricane and carrying both Salas and the screaming Yu Xiaogang away into the sky.
Seeing the three disappear without a trace, Emperor Xue Ye, Ning Fengzhi, and the others exchanged bewildered glances.
After a long while, Emperor Xue Ye finally recovered and looked at Ning Fengzhi beside him, asking, "Secr Master Ning, do you think we should stop this?"
"Your Majesty... with Lin Mu's speed, even Uncle Sword can't catch up. We can only wait and see," Ning Fengzhi said helplessly.
Hearing this, Emperor Xue Ye sighed and turned to "Xue Qinghe" beside him, instructing, "Qinghe, you must win Lin Mu over at all costs. His power is uncontrollable otherwise."
"Yes, Father."
"By the way... take Xue Ke to meet Lin Mu when you have time. If you can arrange a marriage between them, that would be the safest solution to tie him to the Royal Family."
"Ah?"
Hearing this arrangement, Xue Qinghe was stunned.
In her heart, Princess Xue Ke was no different from her own little sister, despite the bloodline difference. How could she possibly transfer her own "husband" to her sister?
"Father, I've already appointed my sworn sister as Lin Mu's personal assistant. If Xue Ke were to approach Lin Mu again, it might actually provoke his resentment or jealousy between women," Xue Qinghe advised quickly, her eyes flashing.
Although she treated her younger "sister" Xue Ke well, it didn't mean she was willing to share Lin Mu with her. Ye Lingling alone was already annoying enough; another one would be unbearable.
"Sworn sister?"
Emperor Xue Ye frowned slightly, looking surprised. "When did you take in a sworn sister?"
"Father, she used to be my personal maid. I saw that she was extremely beautiful and talented, so I took her in as my sworn sister, hoping she could be of use in winning over powerful allies," Xue Qinghe replied, having already prepared a response for Emperor Xue Ye's inevitable question about "Qian Renxue's" presence around Lin Mu.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Xue Ye's doubts dissipated, and he said with satisfaction, "You did well. Since your adopted sister is already working on Lin Mu, there's no need to send Xue Ke anymore; too many women would be counterproductive."
Seeing that Emperor Xue Ye didn't question him further, Xue Qinghe breathed a sigh of relief. If Emperor Xue Ye had insisted on sending Xue Ke to get close to Lin Mu, it would have been incredibly awkward.
Ning Fengzhi, who was standing to the side, heard their conversation, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
'I see. So that divine-like blonde woman Lin Mu is always with is actually the Crown Prince's adopted sister. That makes sense.'
With this adopted sister as an ally, the Crown Prince would eventually be able to win over Lin Mu completely.
At that time, Emperor Xue Ye might choose to abdicate, and Xue Qinghe would take over the Heaven Dou Empire. With Lin Mu as a pillar of strength, the Heaven Dou Empire would surely surpass Spirit Hall and the Star Luo Empire.
After some thought, Ning Fengzhi secretly decided, 'I must be bound to the Crown Prince's faction.'
Meanwhile, on the arena floor.
The battle below had reached its climax.
On the field, Oscar summoned several sausages emitting green smoke and threw them at his opponents.
"BOOM!"
The sausages exploded like poison gas bombs upon impact, the spreading toxic mist instantly restricting the movements of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Second Team.
This was Oscar's second soul skill after his spirit mutated: Poisonous Smoke Sausage!!
"Damn! Oscar, this skill is easy to accidentally injure your teammates!"
Seeing the spreading toxic mist, Dai Mubai exclaimed, quickly covering his mouth and nose and retreating.
At this moment, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's Second Team was trapped in the toxic mist. After inhaling some of the toxins, several players began to feel dizzy and even hallucinate.
"Let's see who dares to underestimate me now!"
Having witnessed the power of the Poisonous Sausage, Oscar's confidence swelled to unprecedented heights.
Rather than being a defenseless food-type Soul Master, he'd rather be a deadly poison master any day.
A moment later, Oscar suppressed his excitement, turned to Dai Mubai beside him, and said, "Boss Dai, help me control someone. I want to test my first soul skill."
"Okay."
Hearing this, Dai Mubai nodded slightly. His gaze locked onto the female support member of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's Second Team. He pounced like a black cheetah.
Although his martial soul mutation was somewhat strange, his strength and speed had increased significantly, indicating a positive mutation in combat capability.
With a clear difference in soul power and aggression, Dai Mubai easily controlled the opposing female player, pinning her down.
"Little Oscar, hurry up!"
"Coming!"
Oscar summoned a black sausage and forcefully stuffed it into the female player's mouth. It melted instantly, and she couldn't spit it out in time.
Soon after, the female player began foaming at the mouth, her eyes rolled back, and her head lolled to the side as she fainted from the neurotoxin.
It was a brutal, efficient victory.