Douluo Dalu 1: The Tang Family Rebel

"We can't drag this out any longer—we need to finish this quickly!" Ye Zhiqiu realized that these kids weren't ordinary, and if he continued to waste time, he might end up being the one who suffered an unexpected defeat.

With that thought, the fifth soul ring around his body shone brightly!

Fifth Soul Skill: Mysterious Water Tide!

"Boom!"

A massive surge of black water erupted from Ye Zhiqiu's body, rolling forward like an overwhelming tide, crashing down upon Tang San and his group.

"Not good! Dodge quickly!"

The attack covered a vast area, and Tang San's expression changed drastically. He never imagined that this teacher would be so ruthless, launching such a powerful attack without hesitation. He immediately shouted for Dai Mubai and the others to evade, but the attack was too wide and too fast. There was no way to dodge in time—they were struck directly by the incoming black water tide.

"Bang!"

The once-arrogant Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun were instantly blasted away by the dark tide. Only Zhu Zhuqing barely managed to avoid it thanks to her agility as an assault-type soul master.

The entire battlefield was in ruins.

The black tide carried a strange oscillating force that shattered the muscles and bones of those it hit, leaving them completely powerless. Moreover, the water contained an intense chill, freezing their bodies and rendering them stiff and immobile.

The battle was over.

This time, there was no Zhao Wuji to interfere. Against a Soul King like Ye Zhiqiu, Tang San and his group were completely overwhelmed in an instant. If Tang San had been able to use his hidden weapons, he might have stood a chance—but unfortunately, he was already paralyzed and unable to move.

The strongest among them—Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun—were now completely incapacitated due to being hit by Mysterious Water Tide.

Only two auxiliary soul masters, Oscar and Ning Rongrong, and two relatively low-offense attack-type soul masters, Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing, remained. They had no means of breaking through Ye Zhiqiu's defenses.

The outcome was obvious.

"San Ge, are you okay?" Xiao Wu rushed over to Tang San, whose entire body was stiff and whose face had turned pale blue. As soon as she touched him, she felt a wave of icy coldness spreading from his body. Instinctively, she cried out, "So cold!" and quickly withdrew her hand.

"I'm... fine..." Tang San said with difficulty.

At this moment, for the first time, Tang San felt a rare pang of regret. If he had known earlier, he would have used his hidden weapons from the start. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been caught off guard and defeated so easily.

Lying nearby, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun had the same thoughts as Tang San. They didn't regret provoking the fight—they only regretted underestimating their opponent. This just proved that Shrek's education methods had serious issues.

"Well? Do you still want to fight?" Ye Zhiqiu saw that the strongest three had been taken out, and the remaining ones couldn't break through his defense. He relaxed a little, though he still maintained his soul skill to prevent any sneak attacks.

"Are you surrendering? If you are, then go get your teacher!"

Ye Zhiqiu believed that the Shrek students had a strong background, so he had remained relatively polite throughout the fight. Ironically, it was Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun who had acted arrogantly and thrown insults.

"Surrender your mother!" Despite being defeated, Ma Hongjun wasn't afraid. He had their teacher, Yun Chuan, backing them up, so he continued to provoke Ye Zhiqiu, "If you know what's good for you, let us go now! Otherwise, when our teacher gets here, you're dead!"

"Even at death's door, you still dare to be foul-mouthed!" Ye Zhiqiu was completely enraged by Ma Hongjun's arrogance.

"You all—teach him a lesson!" Ye Zhiqiu turned to his students and ordered.

Hearing this, the students who had been beaten earlier eagerly cracked their knuckles, grinning coldly as they approached Ma Hongjun, who was lying helpless on the ground.

Seeing this, the still-mobile Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing naturally couldn't stand by and watch their teammate get beaten. They tried to intervene but were immediately frozen by Ye Zhiqiu's Second Soul Skill: Mysterious Water Freeze, meeting the same fate as Tang San and the others.

Now, the only ones left standing were the support-type soul masters, Ning Rongrong and Oscar.

"Old bastard! I'm warning you—let us go right now! You're messing with the wrong people!" Dai Mubai glared at Ye Zhiqiu and warned, "Otherwise, when our teacher arrives, you'll regret it!"

"Your teacher? Hah!" Ye Zhiqiu sneered, then turned to Ning Rongrong and Oscar, "Fine, I'll give you a chance—go call your teacher. I want to see what kind of teacher could raise such arrogant students!"

Ning Rongrong and Oscar exchanged glances and, without hesitation, ran back in the direction they had come from. At this point, they had no choice but to call for backup.

"As for you lot..." Ye Zhiqiu looked down at the helpless Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun and smirked, "Weren't you acting tough just now? Boys, go give them a proper greeting. Don't touch the girls."

The students, who had momentarily stopped, eagerly advanced again. They raised their feet and began ruthlessly stomping, kicking, and stepping on Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun.

Like ragdolls, the three of them were kicked and tossed around, suffering a brutal beating from the Canghui Academy students.

"San Ge..." Nearby, Xiao Wu watched with teary eyes but was powerless to help.

As for Zhu Zhuqing, she showed no distress upon seeing Dai Mubai get beaten. Instead, she felt a hint of satisfaction. After all, she had been abandoned in the dangerous Star Luo Empire while her so-called fiancé lived a carefree life here. She had long held a deep grudge.

Among the three, Ma Hongjun suffered the worst beating. He had been the loudest and most obnoxious, so most of the students focused their kicks on his face. His already round body swelled up even more from the beating. Yet, nobody at the scene sympathized with him in the slightest.

After a round of relentless stomping—

Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun were now completely bruised and swollen. Their faces were covered in shoe prints, their noses bloodied, looking utterly pitiful—nothing like their former arrogant selves.

At that moment, Ning Rongrong and Oscar finally returned, accompanied by a black-haired, white-robed young man.

As soon as they arrived, they saw their teammates being mercilessly kicked around. Oscar immediately shouted, "Stop!"

"We brought our teacher!" Ning Rongrong also called out.

'Good job!' Yun Chuan, seeing Tang San and the others getting beaten like stray dogs, felt utterly satisfied. This is exactly what these three deserve!

Of course, he couldn't let his emotions show. Instead, he furrowed his brows, put on a stern expression, and shouted, "Enough!"

His voice, amplified by powerful soul energy, echoed throughout the area, making everyone's eardrums buzz. The students kicking Tang San and the others stopped and turned toward their teacher.

"You're their teacher?" Ye Zhiqiu frowned at Yun Chuan's youthful appearance, remembering the overwhelming soul power in his voice, and felt a deep unease.

"That's right. I'm their teacher." Yun Chuan's brows furrowed as he looked at his students' miserable state.

Ye Zhiqiu spoke coldly, "Your students insulted our Canghui Academy. Don't you think you should give us an explanation?"

Yun Chuan turned to him and said calmly, "I already know what happened. My students were in the wrong. But if they need discipline, that's my job—not yours! As for an explanation—this should be enough!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yun Chuan vanished from his spot.

In an instant, he appeared in front of Ye Zhiqiu and slapped him with immense force.

"So fast!"

Ye Zhiqiu panicked and used Mysterious Water Freeze at full strength, hoping to defend himself. But it was useless.

In the next second, Ye Zhiqiu's body was sent flying through the air like a ragdoll, struck by Yun Chuan's powerful slap. Cracks spread across his turtle shell armor, and he was flung over ten meters before crashing heavily onto the ground.

After delivering the slap, Yun Chuan didn't even glance in Ye Zhiqiu's direction. Instead, he turned and walked toward Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun, who lay on the ground in an utterly miserable state. Seeing their swollen, bruised faces, his lips twitched slightly. He barely managed to suppress his laughter, forcing himself to put on a grim expression.

Yun Chuan stood in silence.

Ye Zhiqiu, supported by several Cang Hui Academy students, struggled to get up. As soon as he did, he coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood. His back felt as if it were being crushed by a mountain, making it difficult to breathe. Fear crept into his heart—he knew his own defensive abilities better than anyone. Yet, his opponent had managed to injure him severely with a casual slap, without even using a martial spirit. Even if the other party was a power-type soul master, the gap in strength had to be at least fifteen levels, if not more.

The more he thought about Yun Chuan's soul power level, the more terrified Ye Zhiqiu became. He eyed Yun Chuan's back warily, torn between wanting to retreat immediately and fearing that doing so might provoke the powerful soul master's wrath. For a moment, he was stuck in a dilemma, unsure whether to leave or stay.

"What? Do you want another beating?"

At that moment, Yun Chuan's voice rang out, offering him a way out of the predicament.

Ye Zhiqiu let out a quiet sigh of relief—this meant the other party didn't intend to pursue the matter further. He cast a somewhat grateful look at Yun Chuan before hastily gathering his students and making a dejected exit.

(End of Chapter)