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*****
"Roar!"
As Dai Weisi let out a deafening roar toward the sky, the terrifying sound wave suddenly exploded in all directions. In an instant, the shockwave rumbled across the entire area.
"Ahhh!!!"
"Help! My ears are going deaf!"
"Damn it! What kind of soul skill is this?!"
"Yan Zi, are you alright?!"
One after another, Yu Tianheng and the others clutched their ears in pain, unable to move as they collapsed to the ground, their faces twisted in agony.
Even Shi Mo and Shi Mo'er, both defense-type soul masters, couldn't withstand Dai Weisi's White Tiger Heaven-Shattering Roar. They could only cover their ears and fall to the ground in pain.
And this was with Dai Weisi holding back. At a distance of just twenty meters, had he used his full strength, the result for Yu Tianheng and the others might have been utter devastation—their organs shattered, their lives extinguished.
But this was, after all, just a sparring match. Dai Weisi hadn't intended to cause real harm. He wasn't like that double-standard brat Tang San, who once broke an opponent's bones on the competition stage.
Seeing that Yu Tianheng and the others had all gone down, Dai Weisi ceased his attack and chuckled lightly. "You lost!"
With that, he took the initiative to walk over and help Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, and the others up one by one. When his gaze met Dugu Yan's emerald-green eyes, a flicker of thought passed through his mind.
He silently mused: It hasn't shown obvious symptoms yet, but Dugu Yan is definitely deeply poisoned. Otherwise, her pupils wouldn't be green. The toxin must have already spread throughout her body—it just hasn't reached her organs and bone marrow yet.
In his past life, he had read many martial arts novels and was especially familiar with the story of "Bian Que Meets Duke Cai Huan." He understood well that once a poison reaches the bone marrow, no one short of a deity could cure it.
Looking at the disheveled Yu Tianheng, Dai Weisi couldn't help but grin. "Well? Convinced now?"
"I... I'm not—"
Yu Tianheng wanted to refuse, but the moment Dai Weisi opened his mouth as if preparing to roar again, fear gripped him. That feeling of his eardrums nearly bursting—he absolutely didn't want to go through that again.
Besides, he could clearly feel that Dai Weisi's soul power was incredibly deep. It was obvious he hadn't even gone all out earlier.
Although Yu Tianheng was prideful, he wasn't stupid. Watching Dai Weisi fight one against seven without showing the slightest panic, he knew he had lost. In the end, he let out a helpless sigh, lowered his head, and admitted defeat.
"I lost. And I admit it wholeheartedly! It seems there's a reason why the Star Luo Empire has always held the advantage over Heaven Dou for so many years."
They were both crown princes, but while Star Luo's Dai Weisi could earn his respect, Heaven Dou's Xue Beng was nothing more than a spoiled wastrel. The contrast couldn't be starker.
Though Yu Tianheng accepted his defeat, he quickly changed his tone. "But I won't yield so easily! This time, I lost only because I wasn't familiar with your soul skills. Three years from now, I hope you'll still be able to defeat us so easily!"
Hearing this, Dai Weisi was tempted to say: Those who fall before me are never worthy to be my opponents. I'll give you time to surpass me—until you can no longer even see my shadow.
But after thinking about it, that sounded way too pretentious. He still needed Dugu Yan's help to gain access to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well and obtain celestial herbs, so he couldn't afford to insult the Emperor Battle Team too harshly.
In the end, he simply laughed and said, "Hahaha, alright! I'll be waiting for the day you surpass me. Three years from now, let's fight again!"
Yu Tianheng also burst into a hearty laugh, his usual pride returning. "Don't worry, Your Highness. We will defeat you."
"Maybe three years from now, you will be able to beat me. But don't forget—three years from now, it won't be one against seven. It'll be seven versus seven."
"..."
Upon hearing that, Yu Tianheng's expression changed. Dai Weisi's meaning was obvious—in the next Soul Master Tournament, he wouldn't be alone; he'd have his teammates too.
Thinking of this, Yu Tianheng couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh in his heart. The confidence he had just regained was once again shattered. Despair crept in as he thought: Dai Weisi alone is already this powerful—if he adds six teammates, how are we supposed to fight that?
In the end, Yu Tianheng could only sit cross-legged on the ground in resignation, meditating to recover his soul power. Meanwhile, Ye Lingling activated her Nine-Hearted Begonia martial soul to heal and restore the group.
While the others were focused on their recovery, Dai Weisi approached Qin Ming and, pretending to be curious, asked, "Teacher Qin Ming, that young lady named Dugu Yan—her martial soul is the Jade Phosphor Serpent, correct? Is she by any chance related to the esteemed Poison Douluo?"
Qin Ming replied, "As expected of Your Highness—so knowledgeable, you recognized Yan Yan's martial soul with just one glance. You're right. Yan Yan is indeed the granddaughter of the honored Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo. She inherited his Jade Phosphor Serpent martial soul."
"So I guessed right after all. She really is related to Poison Douluo. But I find something rather strange."
"Oh?" Qin Ming raised an eyebrow, his face filled with confusion. At first, he had assumed Dai Weisi might be interested in Dugu Yan romantically and was simply using this as an excuse to bring her up.
After all, Dugu Yan was Dugu Bo's precious granddaughter—he thought it best to warn Dai Weisi not to act carelessly. But now, it didn't seem like Dai Weisi had any such intentions.
"I just noticed something odd about the girl's eyes. Her pupils were an unnatural shade of green, which is usually a sign of poisoning. So I took a closer look and discovered that she's already deeply poisoned."
"The toxin has infiltrated her muscle tissue. But what's strange is—if she really is Poison Douluo's granddaughter, why would he let her suffer from such a condition?"
Qin Ming was stunned. "Huh? You're saying Yan Yan is poisoned? That… that seems unlikely. She's the Poison Douluo's granddaughter! Your Highness, could it be you made a mistake?"
He wanted to believe Dai Weisi was mistaken, but in truth, it wasn't uncommon for poison-type soul masters to accidentally poison themselves.
Dugu Yan was only eighteen years old, and the Jade Phosphor Serpent was notoriously venomous. It wasn't impossible that a small mishap led to her becoming poisoned.
Dai Weisi chuckled. "Teacher Qin Ming, you underestimate me. I've read plenty of medical texts in my spare time."
"Besides, my martial soul is the Evil-Eyed White Tiger. Those first two words—'Evil-Eyed'—aren't just for show. Once I activate my martial soul, I can see the meridians within a person's body."
Of course, that was total nonsense. Dai Weisi's Evil-Eyed White Tiger mainly enhanced his physique and strength. If any martial soul could see through human meridians, it was likely only something like Huo Hang's Spirit Eye.
He paused for a moment, then continued, "I've already examined her. Dugu Yan's condition is severe. The poison is currently confined to her muscles, so her life isn't in danger for now."
"But if it spreads to her organs or bone marrow, even a god wouldn't be able to save her. The reason I'm telling you this, Teacher Qin Ming, is because I hope you'll quickly inform Poison Douluo to detoxify his granddaughter—before it's too late for regrets."
"Understood! Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness!" Qin Ming cupped his hands in a respectful salute. He had no way of verifying if what Dai Weisi said was true, but given the gravity of the situation, he knew better than to take it lightly.
More importantly, Dugu Yan was the granddaughter of Dugu Bo. If something happened to her, Dugu Bo had a thousand ways to make him suffer a fate worse than death.
"In that case, I'll be taking my leave," Dai Weisi said with a light smile. With that, he stepped into his carriage and began the journey back to Star Luo City.
(End of Chapter)