"Barely Becoming a Titled Douluo, and the Counterattack System Arrives

Before Lin Fan could even finish his sentence, Tang Hao directly interrupted him.

Seeing this, Lin Fan's face darkened.

"Tang Hao, that's going too far. Soul beasts belong to no one. Don't think just because you're strong, you have the upper hand."

"With my speed, even if I killed her, you wouldn't be able to stop me."

"And by then, even if I don't get her soul bone, your entire plan would still fall apart."

Tang Hao slowly removed the bamboo hat from his head, revealing a face even more weathered and rugged than Lin Fan's.

"Go ahead and try," Tang Hao said coldly, "Let's see whether you kill her first… or I kill you first."

Lin Fan pointed his Azure Shadow Sword at Tang Hao and replied,

"Ever since I became a Titled Douluo, I've never fought someone of the same rank."

"Tang Hao, while your soul power may be at Rank 95, you were seriously injured during that great battle twelve years ago. Those old wounds still severely limit your true strength."

Tang Hao's expression remained calm as he said,

"Though I carry old wounds, I'm not someone that a newly advanced Titled Douluo can look down on."

"Since you insist, I'll beat you until you acknowledge that."

How does he know about my injuries?!

Tang Hao's expression remained steady, but his heart was in turmoil.

He can't be a rogue cultivator… But he doesn't seem like someone from the Spirit Hall either. What faction does this man belong to?

"First Soul Skill—Azure Shadow Manifestation!"

Lin Fan immediately activated his first soul ring ability.

In an instant, both Lin Fan and his sword were shrouded in a faint blue aura, resembling misty smoke under the morning light.

This skill boosted Lin Fan's attack speed by 30% and his attack power by 20%.

Lin Fan moved like lightning, leaving behind a trail of afterimages as he launched a flurry of stabbing and slashing attacks toward Tang Hao.

"First Soul Skill—Power Amplification!"

Tang Hao gripped the Clear Sky Hammer tightly.

"Clear Sky Body Protection!"

"His attack frequency is indeed faster than mine," Tang Hao calmly analyzed, "But with just this, it's still not enough to break through my Clear Sky Body Protection."

Lin Fan's strikes continued to clash against Tang Hao's defense, seemingly ineffective for now.

Still, Lin Fan kept attacking from all directions, attempting to find a weakness.

He knew full well—though Tang Hao's explosive strength was terrifying, his endurance was lacking.

To win, Lin Fan couldn't face him head-on. A war of attrition was the only viable option.

He knows my physical condition… These harmless attacks mean he wants to drag this into a prolonged battle.

Hmph! Does he think I'll give him that chance?

Tang Hao quickly realized Lin Fan's plan.

"Sword Shadow, you underestimate me far too much," Tang Hao sneered.

"And you overestimate yourself!"

"You think I'll let you play this endurance game? Dream on!"

"Chaotic Wind Hammer Technique!"

With that, Tang Hao's Clear Sky Hammer began spinning violently as he seized an opening and swung at Lin Fan with crushing force.

Can't clash head-on!

Lin Fan's gaze sharpened, immediately switching his strategy.

A flash of blue light streaked through the air.

"Second Soul Skill—Draw Sword Slash!"

Boom!

The clash of sword and hammer sent shockwaves in all directions, forcing both men back several steps.

Nearby grass and trees were instantly blown apart by the impact.

However, Lin Fan was pushed one step farther than Tang Hao.

In this direct clash, Lin Fan had lost by a small margin.

Although Lin Fan's Draw Sword Slash boosted his attack power by 200% in that instant, pure power-wise, he still fell short against Tang Hao.

Tang Hao remained steady and quickly resumed his relentless hammer strikes, showing no signs of stopping after being pushed back.

Knowing he couldn't keep clashing head-on, Lin Fan immediately activated his fifth black soul ring—a ten-thousand-year ability.

"Fifth Soul Skill—Sword Shadow Clones!"

In an instant, five identical clones emerged, each possessing 80% of Lin Fan's combat power and capable of using his first four soul skills.

Together with his clones, Lin Fan launched coordinated attacks, combining them into a self-created technique: Phantom Sword Dance.

This technique's power was on par with a top-tier fifty-thousand-year soul skill.

Of course, this was also thanks to Lin Fan's in-depth knowledge of Douluo Dalu's world, his keen study of martial souls, and his targeted hunting of soul beasts that suited his needs perfectly.

He had thoroughly researched how every soul beast would affect his martial soul's abilities, painstakingly planning every single step.

"Typical soul masters… Always cooking up flashy but useless tricks. Do you think this will work?"

Tang Hao growled in frustration as Lin Fan and his clones surrounded him, making it impossible to tell who was the real one.

"Why don't you try it and see for yourself?"

Lin Fan replied with a smirk, and immediately, he and his five clones all unleashed their Draw Sword Slash simultaneously.

"Clear Sky Body Protection!"

"Draw Sword Slash!"

Among his first five soul skills, Draw Sword Slash had the highest burst damage, making it the only choice for this situation.

Though Tang Hao's body defense was formidable, facing simultaneous attacks from Lin Fan and five clones was too much, even for him.

With a combined strike, they shattered his Clear Sky Body Protection.

Can these clones attack?! They're not just illusions? This soul skill isn't bad at all…

Though his defense was broken, Tang Hao immediately reacted—he swung his hammer at the ground, triggering a massive shockwave.

The quake knocked all of Lin Fan's clones down, leaving only Lin Fan himself standing.

Lin Fan quickly recalled the clones back to his side and arranged them in a curved formation.

Gripping his Azure Shadow Sword tightly, Lin Fan and his clones slashed in unison, their sword auras converging into a single point, forming a colossal five-meter-wide sword wave.

"Phantom Sword Dance!"

"Chaotic Wind Hammer Technique—Ninth Strike!"

Sword aura clashed against hammer force in a titanic collision, producing a deafening, earth-shaking shockwave that echoed through the mountains.

What terrifying power! What's happening in the back mountain?!

Meanwhile, Flender had returned to Shrek Academy.

Zhao Wuji had just woken up, his face still bruised and swollen. The five academy teachers gathered, discussing Lin Fan's shocking strength.

Suddenly, they all sensed the enormous energy fluctuations coming from the back mountain, their expressions turning grim.

"Don't tell me this was caused by Sword Shadow Douluo… Who's fighting him now?"

Flender adjusted his glasses, stunned.

"It must be another Titled Douluo to produce such a fierce clash," Zhao Wuji added confidently, rubbing his swollen face.

"No shit. If it wasn't a Titled Douluo, why would they need such overwhelming soul power to fight? You think they'd need all that just to deal with a Soul Saint like you?"

Lu Qibin immediately roasted him.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean? You wanna spar with me? I wouldn't mind,"

Zhao Wuji growled, cracking his knuckles loudly.

"Hmph! And you, Old Li!"

Zhao Wuji glared at Li Yusong in frustration.

"You two knew Sword Shadow was heading my way, but you didn't bother warning me! Look what happened—I got beaten for nothing!"

"Old Zhao, I heard from Mubai that you were the one who challenged Sword Shadow Douluo yourself."

Flender said, barely holding back his laughter.

It took everything he had not to burst out laughing.

"Damn it, Flender! You're laughing? You better pay me extra for this—it counts as a work injury!"

Zhao Wuji finally snapped and stood up in protest.

"The fourth exam was supposed to be Dai Mubai's trial. You were only there as a supervising teacher. Who told you to jump in?"

"No money! If you want compensation, go ask the guy who beat you up!"

Flender immediately switched to his stingy mode, showing no mercy.

"Tch! Useless…" Zhao Wuji grumbled, realizing it was pointless.

Meanwhile, back in the forest, Lin Fan and Tang Hao remained locked in a standoff.

Tang Hao's eyes were cold.

"Still want to keep going?"

Just as Lin Fan was about to reply, the system suddenly issued a new mission.

New author, new book! Please support, collect, and keep reading!