At this moment, the entire scene fell into a deathly silence.
Dai Mubai and the other four were as if frozen by a body-binding spell, rigid in place, their pupils trembling, faces etched with utter disbelief.
What were they seeing?
In their eyes, the incredibly powerful Vice Dean, the Soul Sage-level powerhouse, the Immovable King Zhao Wuji, was now being pummeled into the ground like a human sandbag by that suddenly appearing fiery red figure!
There were no dazzling spirit skill clashes, no prolonged grappling, only the simplest, most brutal, and most heart-palpitating absolute suppression by pure power!
Each falling fist was accompanied by a dull impact sound and a slight tremor of the ground, also pounding heavily on the hearts of everyone present.
Gulp...
Ma Hongjun swallowed hard with difficulty, the fat on his face trembling.
The pain from being thrown by Xiao Wu earlier seemed forgotten, replaced only by boundless terror.
"D-Dai... Boss Dai, am I dreaming? Teacher Zhao is actually being..."
Dai Mubai's face was ashen, his heterochromatic eyes filled with shock and a trace of barely perceptible humiliation.
The strength he took pride in had been utterly useless against Tang San, and the academy backing he relied on, Vice Dean Zhao Wuji, was now being publicly trampled without any ability to fight back. This stark contrast made his fists clench tightly, knuckles turning white.
"This... this senior is too fierce! He didn't even use a spirit skill and just beat Teacher Zhao down," Oscar stammered, the sausage in his hand almost dropping, his mouth agape wide enough to fit an egg, his face full of horror.
In Ning Rongrong's lively eyes, flashes of curiosity and excitement gleamed.
As the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, she had seen many powerful individuals, but one so domineering and direct was a first for her.
For a moment, her mind became active. If she could recruit such a powerhouse to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, her father would surely praise her.
As for Zhu Zhuqing standing at the edge, though her aloof face still showed little expression, tumultuous waves surged within her deep, beautiful eyes.
Her gaze closely followed that fiery red figure.
Strong! Too strong!
This sense of absolute suppression brought by pure power shook her heart profoundly.
In contrast, her nominal fiancé Dai Mubai had been flaunting his power over a petty quarrel earlier, only to be effortlessly subdued by the other party's disciple moments later.
And now, their academy's vice dean was being beaten like a dead dog.
Her disappointment in Dai Mubai's escapism had already existed, but now, that disappointment almost solidified into tangible ice.
Following such a useless person, she couldn't see any hope of defeating her sister and Dai Weisi.
Yet, this red figure before her was like a ray of light tearing through the darkness, allowing her to feel a faint but genuinely existing flutter of emotion and yearning amidst the endless cold.
If she could possess such power, or receive the care of this powerhouse, perhaps she wouldn't have to live in fear anymore.
Thud!
With the final punch, Zhao Wuji was almost embedded into the dirt, bruised and swollen, his clothes tattered and torn.
There wasn't the slightest trace left of the Immovable Ming King's imposing manner.
Retracting his fist, Lin Mu slowly stood up.
The flames around him dissipated, and not even a spirit ring had appeared on his body — only that majestic, oppressively intimidating suit of fiery red armor.
From beginning to end, Zhao Wuji hadn't dared to use his Spirit Avatar.
Because Lin Mu hadn't manifested any spirit rings, he strongly suspected this person was a Title Douluo. Otherwise, there was simply no explanation for such terrifying power.
Once he used his Spirit Avatar, it would signify a fight to the death with this Title Douluo, and he would have not the slightest chance of survival.
Therefore, he could only pray that after venting his anger, this great figure would spare his pitiful life.
"Immovable Bright King... quite resilient indeed."
At this moment, Zhao Wuji didn't even have the strength to move a finger. His internal organs were in turmoil, and his entire skeleton felt like it had fallen apart.
He raised his head with difficulty, looking at the figure looming above him, his eyes filled with terror. He had no doubt that if the other party had intended to kill him just now, he would already be a corpse.
"Se-Senior... spare me..." Zhao Wuji's voice was hoarse, carrying a plea. "It was... my eyes failed to recognize greatness, offending your disciple... I-I won't dare again..."
Circumstances forced humility; he had no choice but to bow his head. Having lived in the spirit master world for many years, he knew well what to do when one kicks an iron plate.
Confirming that Zhao Wuji posed no threat, Lin Mu deactivated the armor fusion state.
The moment the armor dissipated, everyone except Tang San and Xiao Wu froze in place.
The figure previously covered by the armor was now fully revealed.
The dark brown hair was neat and stylish, his facial features sharply defined with a high nose bridge. A pair of bright, deep eyes, seemingly young yet carrying a steadiness and sharpness incongruous with his age.
"He's actually so young!"
For an instant, this was the only thought in their minds.
In the eyes of Dai Mubai and the others, a powerhouse capable of single-handedly trashing Teacher Zhao had to be at least an extremely powerful Spirit Douluo, or even a Title Douluo.
Yet none of them had expected this person to be truly this young, appearing to be probably just in his early twenties.
"A Title Douluo in his twenties?!"
The moment this thought occurred, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun's faces turned deathly pale, and they instinctively took several steps back.
If this person wanted to deal with them, they would have absolutely no means to retaliate. Even their backing wouldn't offer much deterrence.
Lin Mu walked into the inn. Without rushing to deal with Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, he went straight to stand before Tang San.
At this moment, Tang San had blood at the corner of his mouth, barely able to stand with Xiao Wu's support.
"Xiao San, are you alright?"
Tang San shook his head, looking at Lin Mu with reverence and gratitude. "Master, I'm fine. I just need to regulate my breathing."
His understanding of his master's strength had become clearer. A Spirit Sage powerhouse was actually so helpless before his master.
"Little San, this pill can help recover from Xiao injuries."
Lin Mu took out a pill from his storage bracelet and handed it to Xiao Wu. With her help, Tang San consumed the pill.
Before the old apothecary passed away, Lin Mu had studied herbal medicine with him.
Combined with the alchemy techniques he had acquired from Tang San, he had delved into research and learned pill refining.
Besides alchemy techniques, Lin Mu had also acquired the movement skill Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and, combining it with the power of wind, created an entirely new movement technique.
His speed far surpassed that of other Spirit Sages.
It's worth mentioning that when the Main Mission completion rate reached 20%, Kushala Daora Armor was successfully unlocked.
Currently, the Main Mission completion rate had already exceeded 38%.
Besides Kushala Daora Armor, he had also received two levels of spirit power and the ability to increase the age of any spirit ring by ten thousand years.
Without these rewards, Lin Mu wouldn't have progressed to level 70 so smoothly.