Faced with Lin Mu's mockery, Yu Tianheng's face was filled with shock and disbelief. He was the most outstanding genius of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, yet this man actually looked down on him.
This person appeared to be at most twenty-three or twenty-four years old. How high could his soul power be?
Even at the very peak, he would only be a Soul Ancestor. What right did he have to look down on him? His Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was a top-tier martial soul.
"Presumptuous fool!"
Dugu Yan was the first to lose her temper.
Her jade-green eyes blazed with fury—how dare this man insult her man?
As the granddaughter of Poison Douluo Dugu Bo, she had always had a fiery temper.
Seeing Dugu Yan prepare to attack, Qin Ming inwardly cried out in alarm. He quickly stepped forward to hold her back and said in a deep voice, "Student Yan, you must not be rude!"
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the indignant team members, and explained, "Teacher Lin Mu's strength is above mine. Having him guide you will better stimulate your potential and lead you to achieve even better results in the Soul Master Tournament."
"Stronger than you?"
Yu Tianheng's pupils constricted. His face was filled with disbelief.
As the most outstanding student of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, he considered his talent to be at the top tier.
Even if there were those stronger than him, they wouldn't be that much stronger.
Yet the young man before him appeared at most two or three years older than himself.
How could he believe that this person possessed strength surpassing the Soul Emperor rank?
Throughout the entire Royal Fight Team, only Ye Lingling, standing at the very back, kept her limpid, gem-like eyes fixed on Lin Mu. There was not a trace of doubt in her gaze.
Seeing that most of them did not believe him, Qin Ming sighed inwardly.
In order not to dampen his students' confidence, he had deliberately refrained from revealing that Lin Mu was a Soul Sage.
These students were indeed quite talented; Yu Tianheng's talent, in particular, was not far inferior to his own.
But!
Compared to Lin Mu, their talent was utterly insignificant. They simply were not on the same level.
Looking at these proud and arrogant students, a faint, aloof smile curled at the corner of Lin Mu's mouth.
His gaze fell upon Yu Tianheng, who stood at the front, and he said in a tone that brooked no argument:
"Use your strongest attack. If you can so much as injure me, then Teacher Qin can continue teaching you."
Yu Tianheng was momentarily startled.
He then looked over at Qin Ming, and upon seeing him nod in agreement, he immediately made up his mind.
With his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul and his thirty-ninth rank of soul power, he refused to believe he could not injure this man.
Seeing Yu Tianheng so brimming with confidence, Qin Ming shook his head inwardly.
Yu Tianheng definitely had talent, but his flaw was being too blindly overconfident.
"Teacher Lin Mu, forgive my impertinence!"
Yu Tianheng's gaze sharpened.
Powerful soul power erupted instantly as his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul fused with his body.
His right arm transformed into a dragon claw, wreathed in dazzling blue electric light.
Two yellow and one purple, three soul rings spiraled up, and the third, the purple soul ring, suddenly blazed bright.
"Third Soul Skill: Rage of Thunder!"
In an instant, the lightning energy surrounding him surged explosively, his attack power and lightning attributes greatly enhanced.
Immediately after, his first soul ring also lit up. His right fist, carrying violent thunder, shot towards Lin Mu's chest like an enraged dragon surging forth from the sea.
"First Soul Skill: Thunderous Dragon Claw!"
This strike used all his strength. Even a Soul Ancestor would not dare meet it head-on.
Yet, facing this swift and violent assault, Lin Mu remained standing right where he was, showing absolutely no intention of dodging, nor any movement to summon his martial soul.
But then, the very next second, Yu Tianheng's pupils contracted sharply.
This man actually intended to catch his full-force attack with just one hand!
"Bam!"
A dull thud.
That Thunderous Dragon Claw, capable of rending metal and stone, was caught firmly in his single hand.
The violent lightning crackled within his palm, yet it could not harm him in the slightest.
What shocked Yu Tianheng the most was that he felt a sensation of being suppressed.
He had to remember, his martial soul was the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, one of the most top-tier beast martial souls on the entire continent. Even if this man's soul power surpassed his, he shouldn't be suppressed by him!
Before he could dwell on it, Lin Mu moved. He kicked Yu Tianheng, sending him flying.
Yu Tianheng only felt an unimaginably immense force strike him.
His whole body flew backwards like a kite with its string cut, tracing a parabolic arc through the air before crashing heavily onto the ground over ten meters away, kicking up a cloud of dust.
At this moment, the entire arena fell into absolute silence.
"Tianheng!"
Dugu Yan shrieked, her eyes turning bloodshot, her fury reaching its peak.
"Bastard, I'll kill you!"
Before her words faded, her third soul ring suddenly ignited.
Opening her mouth, she expelled a thick cloud of purple venom mist, which spread rapidly through the air, carrying a pungent, acrid stench as it surged towards Lin Mu.
"Futile effort."
Lin Mu's form flickered, vanishing from Dugu Yan's sight in an instant.
He reappeared directly in front of her and, with another kick, sent her flying, landing precisely beside Yu Tianheng.
The entire sequence was executed without the slightest hesitation, leaving the onlookers utterly astounded.
To be this ruthless with Yu Tianheng was one thing, but he made no exception even for Dugu Yan because she was a woman.
He kicked her flying just the same; just watching it looked painful.
Yu Feng, and the others all swallowed hard.
Good thing they hadn't stirred up trouble earlier; otherwise, they might be lying over there with their captain right now.
"Does this guy even know what mercy is?"
A flicker of peculiarity passed through Xue Qinghe's eyes.
He had previously considered trying the honey trap strategy; now, it seemed he'd have to think this through more carefully.
Only Tang San and Xiao Wu's expressions remained unchanged. They understood very well—their teacher had already shown restraint.
After roughly two minutes, Yu Tianheng finally picked himself up from the ground.
Clutching his slightly constricted chest, he looked at Lin Mu with completely transformed eyes.
There was no longer any trace of doubt, only deep reverence and shock.
This Teacher Lin Mu hadn't even released his martial soul.
Relying solely on his physical strength, he had easily caught his full-force attack—something even Teacher Qin Ming couldn't do.
It was very clear that this extraordinarily young Teacher Lin Mu was indeed stronger than Teacher Qin Ming.
Yu Tianheng glanced at Dugu Yan beside him, the reverence in his eyes deepening further.
He took a deep breath, suppressing his churning vitality, walked before Lin Mu, and bowed respectfully. "Teacher Lin Mu, we were rude earlier. We are thoroughly convinced of your strength."
Facts speak louder than words. In this world where strength reigns supreme, merely the portion of power Lin Mu had revealed had already crushed their pride.
Compared to this young leader, the talent they prided themselves on was utterly insignificant.
Just then, Dugu Yan also scrambled up from the ground.
Her eyes still blazed with anger, and had Yu Tianheng not held her back, it seemed she might have launched herself at Lin Mu again.
"Being convinced is enough."
Lin Mu's expression remained calm.
He then pointed to Tang San and Xiao Wu beside him, assigning: "Starting today, they officially join the Royal Fight Team. They will train with you and participate in the Soul Master Tournament together."
Hearing this, everyone's gaze immediately focused on Tang San and Xiao Wu.
Their faces were youthful; they appeared much younger than the rest.