Meanwhile, in the world of Douluo Dalu...
"I want to run, but there's no escape!"
Li Si stared at the "Evil-Eyed White Tiger" Dai Mubai, utterly dumbfounded.
There was no need to guess—this Dai Mubai was clearly not his old friend Lin Fan.
"Kid, get out of my way!"
Dai Mubai exuded an aura of arrogance, blocking the path of two young women. His heterochromatic eyes gleamed with self-satisfaction, his lips curling into a smirk.
Li Si and Xiao Wu, while walking together, had inadvertently wandered into Soto City.
It was too late to enroll in Shrek Academy or any other advanced spirit master academies.
In fact, Shrek Academy hadn't accepted a single new student this year. Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing had mysteriously gone off course by thousands of kilometers, while Li Si had deliberately stayed away from Soto City.
But fate seemed determined to bring him there.
"Blondie, arrogance requires the strength to back it up. I doubt you have it," Li Si said coldly.
The streets of Soto City were wide, yet Dai Mubai's deliberate provocation was impossible to miss.
It was clear as day—this Dai Mubai had internalized the mantra, 'Those who fear causing trouble are mediocre.'
"Well, well!"
Dai Mubai sneered, a trace of disdain flashing in his eyes.
"Kid, in this Soto City, who dares disrespect me, Dai Shao?"
"Strength? My strength is unmatched!"
The twin sisters accompanying him chimed in eagerly, nodding in sync.
"Exactly! Dai Shao is the man of Soto City. Who would dare cross him?"
"This kid dared disrespect you, Dai Shao!"
Not far away, two girls were watching the commotion. The girl in black wore a frosty expression, puzzling the one in blue beside her.
What's gotten into her?
"Li Si, why are you wasting words on this blondie? Just beat him up and teach him a lesson!" Xiao Wu said, her pink eyes brimming with frost.
One look at Dai Mubai told her he was up to no good. Beating him up would be an act of justice!
"Hmm."
Li Si nodded thoughtfully and glanced around.
The nearby civilians had already scattered. Despite the youth of Li Si and Dai Mubai, their attire marked them as anything but ordinary.
If both sides were spirit masters, a fight could break out at any moment, and staying nearby would be dangerous. By the time civilians tried to flee mid-fight, it might be too late.
"Xiao Wu, this isn't a good place for a fight. Let's wait a bit," Li Si said to her.
It wasn't out of concern for collateral damage, but rather the fear of unintentionally injuring others while pounding Dai Mubai into the ground.
A fight? No. This would be a one-sided beatdown.
Gossip Among the Bystanders
"Wow, where did this kid come from? He must have a death wish, trying to fight Dai Shao!"
"True! Dai Shao, backed by the teachers of Shrek Academy, bullies everyone without consequence…"
"Shh, lower your voice! Don't let Dai Shao hear you!"
"So what if he hears? Doesn't he enjoy hearing this stuff?"
"Didn't he break some guy's leg just the other day and mock the guy's girlfriend for being ugly?"
"…"
Dai Mubai showed no shame at their words, even appearing proud.
'Those who fear causing trouble are mediocre.' He, Dai Mubai, would never be mediocre!
"Kid, did you hear that?"
Dai Mubai's smug grin widened.
Initially, he had approached this man and woman out of curiosity, sensing they were spirit masters. His intent was to spar.
But their defiance had changed his mind—he would teach them a lesson instead!
"Scared yet? If you're scared, kneel and kowtow to me a few times, and I'll let it slide."
"In-city combat is technically forbidden, after all, to avoid harming civilians."
Li Si ignored Dai Mubai's provocations, speaking calmly.
"However, there are exceptions."
Without releasing his spirit or emitting any spirit power, Li Si moved like a phantom, appearing in front of Dai Mubai in an instant.
Dai Mubai's heterochromatic eyes widened in shock, cold sweat dripping from his brow.
This kid… is stronger than I thought!
No spirit activated, no visible spirit power fluctuations, yet he had moved as if teleporting. Dai Mubai barely registered his approach.
The twin sisters had already retreated. When Dai Mubai had demanded that Li Si kneel, he had shoved them aside.
Spirit master battles were dangerous, with errant attacks often proving lethal to bystanders who lacked a spirit master's resilience.
The Slap
Just as Dai Mubai opened his mouth to speak, Li Si swung his right arm, landing a slap across Dai Mubai's left cheek.
"SLAP!"
The sound echoed.
Dai Mubai spun twice in mid-air, landing heavily on the ground.
Unprepared, he hadn't activated his spirit power for protection. Several bloodied teeth flew from his mouth during the rotation.
The onlookers were stunned.
But the most shocked person wasn't Dai Mubai, nor Zhu Zhuqing or Ning Rongrong.
It was Xiao Wu, who had been with Li Si for over six years.
Her pink eyes were filled with confusion.
Li Si isn't a combat-type spirit master. He's a food-type spirit master with a weak Blue Silver Grass spirit… right?
How did he slap this heterochromatic guy so hard? Is this blondie just an ordinary person?
But no… he doesn't seem ordinary either!
This was the first time Xiao Wu had seen Li Si fight. He had never lifted a hand before, not even during exams. Yet his first strike was so devastating?
Dai Mubai Strikes Back
"Roar…"
Dai Mubai staggered to his feet with a carp flip. With a growl, he activated his spirit possession. Yellow, yellow, and purple spirit rings appeared around him.
"Kid, I was careless earlier—"
Before he could finish, Li Si dashed forward, delivering a backhanded slap to Dai Mubai's right cheek.
"SLAP!"
Dai Mubai was once again sent flying, landing heavily on the ground. His once-flawless face now sported symmetrical palm prints.
Dai Mubai was dazed, utterly confused. What just happened? What… does it take to…
(End of Chapter)