At this moment, the entire arena fell into a deathly silence.
Dai Mubai and his group of five students were frozen in place, their pupils dilated, their faces filled with disbelief.
What had they just witnessed?
The incredibly powerful Vice Dean, the Soul Saint-level expert, the Immovable Bright King Zhao Wuji, was now being brutally beaten to the ground like a human punching bag by that suddenly appearing fiery red figure!
There were no dazzling clashes of colorful Soul Skills, no lengthy tactical entanglements. There was only the simplest, most brutal, and most terrifying display of absolute power crushing an opponent!
Each punch was accompanied by a dull thud and a slight tremor in the ground, striking heavily on the hearts of everyone present.
Gulp.
Ma Hongjun swallowed hard, his fat face twitching uncontrollably. He seemed to have forgotten the pain of being thrown by Xiao Wu; only boundless horror remained in his mind.
"Brother Dai, am I dreaming? Teacher Zhao was actually..."
Dai Mubai's face was ashen. His heterochromatic eyes were filled with shock and a barely perceptible hint of humiliation.
His pride and joy in his own strength were utterly insignificant before Tang San, and now his trusted academy backer, Vice Dean Zhao Wuji, was being publicly humiliated, completely powerless to fight back.
This stark contrast caused him to clench his fists, his knuckles turning white from the strain.
"This senior is too powerful! He didn't even use his Soul Skills, yet he knocked Teacher Zhao down purely with physical strength."
Oscar almost dropped the sausage in his hand. His mouth was agape, wide enough to fit an egg, his face filled with terror.
Ning Rongrong's bright eyes, however, sparkled with curiosity and excitement.
As the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, she had seen many powerful individuals, but she had never seen one as domineering and direct as this.
In an instant, a thought flickered in her mind: 'If I could recruit this powerful figure to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, Father would surely praise me.'
Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing stood at the edge of the group. Though her usually cold face remained expressionless, a fierce undercurrent surged within her deep, beautiful eyes.
Her gaze was fixed on the fiery red figure.
Strong. Too strong!
The overwhelming aura emanating from this raw strength sent a jolt through her heart.
In contrast, her nominal fiancé, Dai Mubai, who had been swaggering over a mere verbal dispute, had been easily subdued by the other man's disciple.
And now, their academy's Vice Dean was being beaten like a dead dog.
She was already disappointed by Dai Mubai's escapism and debauchery, and now that disappointment had turned into a chilling reality.
Following such a useless person, she saw no hope of ever defeating her sister and Davis in the family struggle.
However, this ferocious and powerful red figure before her was like a ray of light piercing the darkness. It allowed her to feel a faint yet real stirring of emotion and longing amidst the endless coldness of her fate.
'If I possessed such power, or received the protection of this powerful figure, I wouldn't have to live in fear anymore.'
Bang!
The final punch landed, and Zhao Wuji was practically embedded in the mud floor of the inn. His face was bruised and swollen, his clothes torn. He was utterly devoid of the imposing presence of the Immovable Bright King.
After retracting his fist, Lin Mu slowly rose. The flames around him receded, and no Soul Rings flashed on his body, only his imposing, suffocatingly oppressive fiery red armor remained visible.
Throughout the beating, Zhao Wuji dared not use his Martial Soul True Body. This was because Lin Mu hadn't displayed any Soul Rings, leading Zhao Wuji to strongly suspect that this person was a Titled Douluo who had returned his rings to his body.
Otherwise, there was no way to explain his terrifying physical power.
Using his Martial Soul True Body would mean escalating to a fight to the death with a Titled Douluo, which offered absolutely no chance of survival.
Therefore, he could only pray that this powerful figure would spare his life after venting his anger.
"The Immovable Bright King... he's quite resilient."
At this moment, Zhao Wuji didn't even have the strength to move a finger. His internal organs were churning, and his bones felt like they were falling apart.
He struggled to lift his head, looking up at the figure towering above him, his eyes filled with terror. He had no doubt that if the other party had wanted to kill him, he would already be a corpse.
"Senior, spare my life!"
Zhao Wuji's voice was hoarse, pleading. "Yes, I was blind and offended your disciple. I will never dare to do it again."
The situation was beyond his control, leaving him no choice but to submit completely.
Having been in the world of Soul Masters for many years, he knew exactly what to do when he kicked a hornet's nest.
After confirming that Zhao Wuji posed no further threat, Lin Mu deactivated his armor fusion. The moment the armor dissipated, everyone except Tang San and Xiao Wu froze in place.
The figure that had been covered by the armor was now fully revealed.
Short, dark brown hair was neat and stylish. His face had distinct features, a high nose bridge, and bright, deep eyes. He looked remarkably young, yet possessed a composure and sharpness beyond his years.
"So young!"
This was the only thought in their minds for a moment.
In Dai Mubai and the others' eyes, a powerhouse capable of overwhelming Teacher Zhao was at least a Soul Douluo with immense strength, perhaps even a Titled Douluo.
But they never expected this person to be so young, probably only in his early twenties.
"A Titled Douluo in his early twenties?"
Thinking of this possibility, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun turned pale and instinctively took a few steps back.
If this person wanted to deal with them, they wouldn't have a chance to fight back, and even their family backgrounds wouldn't be much of a deterrent to such a prodigy.
Lin Mu entered the inn, not rushing to deal with Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, but going straight to Tang San.
At this moment, blood trickled from the corner of Tang San's mouth, and he could barely stand even with Xiao Wu's support.
"Little San, are you alright?"
Tang San shook his head, his eyes filled with awe and gratitude as he looked at Lin Mu. "Master, I'm fine. I just need to recuperate."
He had a clearer understanding of his Master's strength now; even a Soul Saint was so easily defeated by him.
"Little San, take this pill. It can heal your internal injuries."
Lin Mu took out a jade-green pill from his storage bracelet and handed it to Xiao Wu. With Xiao Wu's help, Tang San took the pill.
Before his adoptive grandfather, the old pharmacist, passed away, Lin Mu had learned about herbs from him. Combined with the alchemy techniques he obtained from Tang San's knowledge of the Mysterious Heaven Skill, he had mastered basic alchemy after some study.
Besides alchemy, Lin Mu had also acquired the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track technique from Tang San and created a new movement technique by combining it with the power of wind.
Even without using the Hurricane's Carry armor form, his speed far surpassed that of other Soul Saints.
It's worth mentioning that when the Main Quest completion rate reached 20%, he successfully unlocked the Hurricane's Carry (Wind Armor Summoner).
Currently, the Main Quest completion rate has reached over 38%. In addition to the Hurricane armor, he also obtained two levels of Soul Power and a 10,000-year age increase card for any Soul Ring.
Without these rewards, Lin Mu wouldn't have been able to cultivate to Level 70 so smoothly.