"Boom!!"
Accompanied by an ear-splitting, thunderous crash, facing the full-force strike of the Fire Kirin's true form, the Jade Phospor Serpent Emperor's true form finally reached its absolute limit and exploded into pieces with a resounding blast!
At the same time, Dugu Bo suffered a heavy blow. He was blasted dozens of meters away, crashing heavily onto the hard ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.
Immediately after, he violently spat out a mouthful of thick, viscous blood. His face turned deathly pale, his aura wilting, his appearance disheveled and wretched.
Where was the slightest shred of dignity befitting a Titled Douluo?
"His Excellency Poison Douluo has actually been defeated!"
Yu Tianheng and the others were filled with disbelief. Although they had vaguely anticipated this outcome, witnessing it with their own eyes still sent a shock through their hearts.
The renowned and illustrious Poison Douluo had been defeated by a young man in his early twenties.
This was utterly inconceivable.
"Grandfather!"
Dugu Yan let out a heart-wrenching wail as tears streamed down her face. She recklessly tried to rush over.
"Calm down!"
Yu Tianheng used all his strength to restrain Dugu Yan.
Given Teacher Lin Mu's ruthless methods, if she went over now, she would definitely receive a beating, and might even be in mortal danger.
As for Yu Feng and the others, their minds were still in a state of shutdown.
If Lin Mu were in his forties or fifties, possessing the strength of a Titled Douluo would be understandable. But Lin Mu was only in his twenties, not much older than them—and he had actually managed to defeat Poison Douluo!
This completely exceeded the bounds of their comprehension.
At this moment, Lin Mu had already deactivated his Martial Soul True Form, leaving only the Flame Conqueror Nava armor clad on his body.
Although Dugu Bo was severely wounded and had almost no power to resist, he was still a Titled Douluo, after all. He might have some desperate, life-staking tricks up his sleeve.
"Cough, cough... This old man will submit to your disposal, I only beg you to spare Yan Yan."
"If it were you, would you show mercy?"
Looking down at the somewhat miserable Poison Douluo on the ground, Lin Mu asked a rhetorical question.
Hearing this reply, a bitter expression appeared on Dugu Bo's face. Having roamed the continent for so many years, how could he not understand the principle of uprooting the weeds to eliminate the problem?
Just as his heart was ashen with despair, Lin Mu unexpectedly continued, "I'll give you a choice: submit, or die."
Although Dugu Bo was the weakest Titled Douluo, he was also the Titled Douluo strongest in group battles. War would likely break out in the future, and this Poison Douluo could still prove useful.
Besides, Dugu Bo hadn't tried to kill Tang San; he merely wanted to seize the hundred-thousand-year soul bone.
Any other Titled Douluo would have done the same when encountering a transformed soul beast.
"This old man is willing to submit!"
Dugu Bo completely set aside the pride in his heart. For the safety of his granddaughter, he had no choice but to submit.
Seeing this, Lin Mu nodded slightly. With the combat power of a Titled Douluo, securing his eighth soul ring in the future would be more assured.
Without a doubt, his eighth soul ring would have to be at least a hundred-thousand-year one.
Hunting a hundred-thousand-year soul beast would be impossible relying solely on himself.
However, this old poisoner had an eccentric temperament. To prevent a backstab, some measures had to be taken.
Immediately, Lin Mu pressed his index and middle fingers together and directly pointing on Dugu Bo's heart.
Following that, a wisp of fire, compressed to its extreme, emerged from his fingertips and instantly entering Dugu Bo's body.
"This fire seed has been planted within your heart. With just a thought from me, I can detonate it. I don't need to tell you the consequences; you should understand them clearly."
Hearing this, Dugu Bo's pupils shook. He could indeed feel an extraordinary heat in his heart, as if it could be detonated at any moment. This made him dare not harbor any other secret thoughts.
Even if he was a Titled Douluo, if his heart exploded, he would die just the same.
"This... this old servant understands. He absolutely dares not harbor any disloyal intentions."
Hearing the change in his self-reference, a glint of satisfaction flashed in Lin Mu's eyes. He turned and retrieved a medicinal pill from his storage bracelet, tossing it into Dugu Bo's hand.
Dugu Bo didn't even glance at it. He decisively put it into his mouth.
Now that his life was within Lin Mu's thought, whether this pill was poisonous or not was irrelevant.
As the pill entered his stomach, a gentle and pure medicinal force quickly dissolved, nourishing his damaged meridians and internal organs, allowing his injuries to recover slightly.
Witnessing the efficacy of the pill, his heart filled with even more regret.
If he hadn't coveted the hundred-thousand-year soul bone, he not only wouldn't have been injured, but would also have had the opportunity to resolve the martial soul problem that had plagued him for years.
On the other side, Qin Ming was leading the three Education Committee members, hastening their steps toward the training ground.
But the moment they arrived outside the training ground, all four were stunned by the scene before them.
The training ground was nearly reduced to ruins, with scorched and cracked traces visible everywhere. The air was thick with violent fire energy, and waves of heat surged from within.
It was a long time before the four managed to somewhat recover their senses. Their gazes first swept over Yu Tianheng and the others, then quickly fixed on Lin Mu and Dugu Bo.
On the way here, they had already felt the heart-stopping oppressive aura, and guesses had formed in their minds.
In their view, no matter how powerful Lin Mu was, with a gap of nearly twenty levels, he could absolutely not be a match for Poison Douluo.
It was to rescue this young prodigy that the three Education Committee members had rushed over so urgently.
But the scene before them was completely opposite to their guesses.
Lin Mu, clad in crimson armor, was not only in no danger—even his armor was completely undamaged.
Meanwhile, Poison Douluo, who held a nearly twenty-level soul power advantage, was tattered, covered in soot, streaked with wounds and bloodstains, and severely injured.
"This... how is this possible?!"
The pupils of the three Education Committee members shook. This completely exceeded their expectations.
Clearly, Lin Mu had won this battle. He had actually, with the cultivation of a Soul Sage, surpassed the level gap and defeated a Titled Douluo!
From the previous battle between Lin Mu and Qin Ming, they already knew Lin Mu's strength was extraordinary, likely comparable to a Soul Battle Master. But seeing this now, they had still underestimated him.
The three Education Committee members looked at each other, but not one of them spoke.
In their eyes, Lin Mu's talent was already astonishing enough. They never imagined his combat strength was even more terrifying—defeating a Titled Douluo as a Soul Sage was something that had absolutely never occurred on the continent.
Qin Ming was even more dumbfounded. He knew Lin Mu's strength far surpassed his own, but he had never dreamed it would reach such a level.
Meng Shenji took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the shock in his heart, and quickly stepped forward. With a hint of respect, he said, "Teacher Lin... Lin Mu, what... happened here?"
Bai Baoshan and Zhi Lin also followed closely behind, their expressions concerned, but showing even more awe in the face of a powerhouse.
Lin Mu waved his hand and said calmly, "Just a small matter. It's already been resolved."
Hearing this, the three Education Committee members could only suppress their curiosity. Neither Dugu Bo nor the even stronger Lin Mu were people they could provoke.
They just hadn't expected that their Heaven Dou Royal Academy actually had a teacher comparable to a Titled Douluo.
Nevertheless, since Lin Mu possessed such formidable strength, his previous benefit was clearly insufficient. They had to offer him the highest level of treatment.
There are two reasons for not killing Dugu Bo: firstly, keeping him is useful; secondly, if he were killed, Dugu Yan would be difficult to deal with.
If he were killed, some people would definitely criticize, saying this is simply not good character, because this isn't a soul beast.
Moreover, it would trigger chain reactions later, such as Yu Tianheng's relationship with the academy.
If he truly went on a killing spree, he would again be criticized and forced to rewrite overnight.