Chapter 29: Challenging the Great Spirit Master

The color drained from Zi Dianxiong’s face with visible speed, shifting from a leaden blue to a ghastly pale, and finally settling into an ashen gray. His Adam’s apple bobbed; he wanted to offer some polite pleasantries, but his throat felt as dry as if it had been scoured with sandpaper, and not a single word would pass his lips.

The clansmen behind him were even more terrified, not daring to draw a full breath. The youth in purple, who had been clamoring so arrogantly just moments before, was now kneeling on the ground, his body trembling like a sieve in the wind. His mind was a blank slate, occupied only by those eight soul rings. In particular, the last three pitch-black, ten-thousand-year soul rings spiraled and magnified endlessly before his eyes, crushing all his pride and malice into dust.

He finally understood why this disheveled old man had dared to look at him with such disdain. It was because they possessed the qualification to do so. In the presence of a Soul Douluo, his cultivation as a Great Soul Master and his status as an outer disciple of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan were nothing more than a colossal joke. With a single flick of a finger, the man could crush him and his martial soul into nothingness.

Bai He relished this sensation. What he loved most was watching these people, who usually held their heads so high, struggle to maintain their arrogance in the face of absolute power, only to fail miserably. He did not continue to exert his pressure; that would be beneath him. Instead, he slowly retracted his soul rings, returned to his lazy posture, crossed his arms over his chest, and looked askance at the Soul King of the Zi Dian family, who remained frozen in place.

"Well? Are you unconvinced?" Bai He picked his ear with his little finger and blew on it, his movements indescribably dashing and uninhibited. "You were quite aggressive just a moment ago. Why have you gone mute now? Come on, use that fifth soul skill of yours. Let me open my eyes a bit."

Hearing this, Zi Dianxiong shuddered, nearly dropping to his knees on the spot. Use his fifth soul skill? Against an eight-ring Soul Douluo? That wouldn't be a spar; that would be suicide—the kind where you end up gutted and dead in a truly unsightly fashion. He squeezed out a smile that looked worse than a sob and bowed deeply to Bai He, lowering his posture as far as it would go.

"Senior... Senior is joking. It was I who lacked the vision to recognize a true master and offended you. I beg the Senior, in your great magnanimity, not to hold it against us juniors."

*Able to bend and stretch; he’s quite the character,* Bai He thought to himself, though he remained relentless in his speech. "Don't say that. I'm no senior; I'm just an old man from the countryside, out to let my granddaughter see a bit of the world. I don't have the vast resources of your Zi Dian family, where even a two-thousand-year soul beast requires several Soul Sects and Soul Elders to fail at capturing it. Tsk, tsk, such a grand display."

Every word was like a resounding slap across Zi Dianxiong’s face. He was mocking the incompetence of the Zi Dian family—that they couldn't even handle a two-thousand-year soul beast, suffered casualties, and finally had to have an old man from the countryside clean up the mess. Zi Dianxiong’s face flushed red and turned white in turns. In his heart, he cursed the ancestors of this mysterious old monster, but on the surface, he had to keep smiling.

"Senior is right to lecture us. It is our lack of skill that has brought shame upon the family." He lowered his posture further, appearing almost servile. "This Wind-Thunder Demon Wolf was obtained by your strength, Senior; it is only right and proper. We shall leave at once and will not disturb you any further."

As he spoke, he prepared to lead his terrified clansmen away in disgrace. Face? Dignity? Under the deterrence of a Soul Douluo, these things were worthless. Saving their lives was enough.

"Wait." A crisp voice suddenly rang out from behind Bai He.

The crowd looked toward the source of the sound and saw the six-year-old girl, who had been shielded behind him the whole time, stepping out. Her small frame stood beside Bai He, and her clear eyes watched them calmly. Bai He looked at his granddaughter with some surprise, wondering what she intended to do.

Zi Dianxiong’s heart sank; he sensed trouble. If this old monster didn't speak himself but let the little one out, he was likely about to demand an exorbitant price. He braced himself and forced an even more humble smile. "May I ask what this young lady requires?"

Bai Chenxiang ignored him. Her gaze bypassed everyone and landed directly on the youth in purple, who was still kneeling on the ground. "You, stand up," she said coolly.

The youth in purple shuddered, looking up instinctively to meet Bai Chenxiang’s eyes. They were eyes so clear, yet they seemed capable of peering into one's soul. He even felt that deep within those depths, tiny flecks of electric light were flickering—purer and more intimidating than the lightning he produced when his own martial soul was manifested.

"I... I..." The youth’s lips trembled; he could not utter a complete sentence.

"I told you to stand up." Bai Chenxiang’s voice remained flat, yet it carried an indisputable weight.

The youth in purple struggled, and under the murderous glare of his third uncle, he finally scrambled to his feet, keeping his head low, not daring to look at anyone.

"What is your name?" Bai Chenxiang asked.

"Zi... Zi Dianchen."

"What is your cultivation?"

"Thirty... thirty levels. Peak Great Soul Master." Zi Dianchen’s voice was as thin as a mosquito’s buzz. He wished he could crawl into a hole. Admitting his level of thirty in front of a Soul Douluo was a humiliation in itself.

"Very good." Bai Chenxiang nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer. She turned her head, looked at the completely stunned Zi Dianxiong, and said calmly, "Let him fight me."

What? The entire crowd was shocked. Zi Dianxiong suspected there was something wrong with his ears. Bai He was also stunned; he grabbed his granddaughter and lowered his voice. "Xiangxiang, what nonsense are you spouting! Although he is unpromising, he is still at level thirty. Even without absorbing his third soul ring to break through to Soul Elder, he still has two soul rings!"

"I know," Bai Chenxiang replied, giving her grandfather a reassuring look. "I just obtained my soul ring and haven't tested my skills yet. It just so happens that I can use him for practice."

Her words were light and airy, yet they exuded an unparalleled self-confidence. The people of the Zi Dian family looked at each other, their faces wearing expressions as if they had seen a ghost. A six-year-old girl wanted to challenge a level-thirty Great Soul Master with two soul rings? If she wasn't crazy, she was stupid!

Zi Dianchen suddenly raised his head, his face filled with disbelief. Humiliation, anger, and a spark of madness ignited by being looked down upon surged into his heart. He admitted he was afraid of that old monster, but what was this little girl? A milk-faced toddler who hadn't even grown her hair out? No matter how good her talent was, her first soul ring couldn't be more than four hundred years old. What kind of ability could she possibly have? To dare say she would use him for practice? This was an utter insult!

"Fine!" Before Zi Dianxiong could speak, Zi Dianchen roared, "I'll fight you!"

Consumed by anger, he forgot that a god of death was standing right beside her. He only wanted to trample this ignorant little girl underfoot and let her know the true majesty of a Great Soul Master!

"Silence!" Zi Dianxiong barked, slapping Zi Dianchen across the face and sending him staggering.

"Third Uncle! Why are you hitting me? She was the one who challenged me!" Zi Dianchen covered his face, both shocked and furious.

Zi Dianxiong was trembling with rage. He pointed at the boy’s nose and cursed, "You idiot! Do you really think this is a normal spar? If you win, it's expected, and word will spread that our Zi Dian family bullies the small! If you lose—if you lose to a six-year-old girl—you will have thrown away every shred of our family’s honor!"

This was a trap from start to finish! Regardless of win or loss, they were the losers. Such deep scheming! Such a vicious method! Zi Dianxiong looked at Bai He with intense trepidation. He was certain this had been orchestrated by the old monster to humiliate their Zi Dian family.