Douluo: Martial Soul Thunder Dragon, A Century of Glory

On the battlefield...

"Thunder Dragon — Crushing Fist!"

With his first soul skill, Yun Yibai activated full attribute enhancement.

Golden lightning gathered and coiled around his right fist.

He deliberately used only his first soul ring to conserve energy —

channeling and stabilizing lightning also consumed soul power,

and without control, the thunder force could spiral out of hand.

"First Soul Skill: Molten Charge!"

Molten Rhino brought up his Trueform Armor to block, right arm raised across his chest.

Qingyin's voice echoed in the arena:

"As expected of Thunder Dragon — swift as lightning!

After using electric force to resist Molten Rhino's lava, he charges forward with deadly speed!"

"Look — Thunder Dragon's fist is brimming with concentrated lightning,

but Molten Rhino isn't staying on defense either!

He counters with his first soul skill!"

Even in the heat of battle, Qingyin's commentary remained calm and insightful —

a testament to the Grand Arena's professional training.

She explained every exchange clearly, breaking it down for the thousands watching.

Yun Yibai's body was like a bolt of golden lightning.

In a flash, he closed the distance.

Boom!

His thunder-charged fist slammed against Molten Rhino's armored defense.

The explosion of electricity and lava sent a shockwave pulsing through the air.

Many in the audience instinctively covered their ears from the ear-splitting blast.

Molten Rhino's expression changed instantly.

He felt it — a faint crack forming in his Trueform Armor under the blow.

At this moment, the two were closer than ever since the match began.

Molten Rhino gave a grim smile.

"You're… pretty good.

No wonder they specifically asked me to take you on."

"It's a shame though — we could've been the same."

Yun Yibai responded coolly:

"There's nothing to regret.

Because I know one thing — I won't lose."

To casual spectators, it was all dazzling lights and explosions.

But for trained soul masters, the real depth of the fight was beginning to show.

The four students from Heaven Dou Imperial Academy watching from the crowd

were growing increasingly serious.

Shi Mo turned to Yu Tianheng:

"Boss, be honest — if it were you up there, would you win?"

The question made sense — Yu Tianheng had once defeated a Soul Elder in school.

Yu Tianheng considered it carefully.

"That's hard to say.

My Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul is better than his.

And our soul power levels should be pretty close…"

"But he's a full-grown adult. His body, strength, and experience give him the edge.

He's won nineteen straight matches in the Grand Arena.

I'd say… I wouldn't perform as well as Yibai is right now."

Truthfully, Yu Tianheng knew the answer:

If he were the one in the ring, he would lose.

He might last longer, sure — but the outcome would still be defeat.

Shi Mo frowned.

"Didn't you say his soul skills are just soul power boosts?

How can he be this strong?"

Yu Tianheng shook his head.

"Only people who don't know him would believe that."

"Yes, his soul skills do boost his soul power — but the truth is,

both of his soul rings grant full attribute enhancement."

Dugu Yan's eyes narrowed.

"Both soul rings? Full attribute enhancement?"

"That's right."

Yu Tianheng nodded.

"Most soul masters treat attribute buffs as secondary.

One is fine — but both rings focused on it?

Everyone thought he was crazy."

"But Yibai's… not like most soul masters.

He has his way."

The others nodded thoughtfully.

In this world, self-created soul skills were incredibly rare.

They required massive effort, talent, and experimentation.

Most soul masters wouldn't risk it —

if it failed, they'd waste years, or worse, stunt their growth.

That's why everyone focused on acquiring powerful, fixed soul skills.

Shi Mo still didn't understand.

"But why take that risk?"

Yu Tianheng shrugged.

"Who knows?

He's always been… different.

He thinks on another level.

We can't follow his logic."

Shi Mo nodded slowly.

"Well, one thing's clear — his strength's real."

Dugu Yan agreed:

"Full attribute buffs mean improvements to soul power, speed, defense, offense — everything.

Combined with his innate lightning attribute,

he's a nightmare to deal with."

She then added, eyes narrowing slightly:

"So that thunder-charged punch earlier… that wasn't a soul skill, was it?

That was something he created himself."

"Huh?!"

All three turned to Yu Tianheng.

He raised both hands in surrender.

"Don't look at me like that. I can do that too —

focusing elemental energy into an attack."

"But the difference is, we don't need to.

We've got ready-made soul skills for that."

"I never understood why he went out of his way to do things the hard way…"

"But I remember —

right after he got his first soul ring, he challenged me with that punch.

Back then, it wasn't even half as strong."

"Time has proven he was right."

Dugu Yan, ever the realist, analyzed calmly:

"That's to be expected.

With constant training over years,

his technique would naturally evolve and grow stronger."

Back in the ring, Qingyin's lively commentary had the crowd fired up.

The gold and red lights colliding again and again were a visual feast.

The fight had gone on for a while now.

Both Yun Yibai and Molten Rhino were running low on stamina and soul power.

Qingyin's voice rose:

"After a fierce battle, Thunder Dragon's soul ring lights up again!

Is this his final strike?!"

"Crushing Fist!!"

That signature golden lightning enveloped his fist once again.

Molten Rhino smirked.

"Trying that trick again?

It won't work."

He respected the power of that technique —

but figured if he could just dodge, it would be fine.

And that's exactly what he did —

as Yun Yibai's crushing fist charged toward him,

Molten Rhino activated his first soul skill and slid beneath it in a low slide.

Or so he thought.

Just as he was about to smirk again, his instincts screamed danger.

Snap!

A sharp crack rang out.

He'd been hit — square in the back.

His Trueform Armor shattered, the sound echoing crisply across the stadium.

The dual soul ring enhancement behind Yun Yibai's attack had done its job.

Molten Rhino had thought of many outcomes —

but not this.

He hadn't expected Yun Yibai to move even faster than before.

To strike with such precision.

Had he seen it coming, he could've reinforced himself with soul power or activated a defense.

Boom!!

He was launched across the ring —

slamming hard into the ground.