After the Sword Douluo unleashed his Ninth Soul Skill, Lin Mu transformed into Hurricane Armor once more, retreating to a safe distance before returning to his original position.
Immediately afterward, his armor reverted to the Nava Flame Armor.
Then, the Molten Scale Blade appeared in his hand. His fifth and sixth soul rings simultaneously illuminated, condensing into a massive, flaming blade tens of meters long.
With a terrifying power capable of incinerating everything, it slashed toward the Sword Douluo, causing space to slightly distort in its path.
The entire process was fluid and decisive.
At this moment, the Sword Douluo had just finished his Ninth Soul Skill and hadn't even caught his breath when he saw the flaming giant blade hurtling toward him. He instantly froze in shock.
'This kid has no sportsmanship!'
Without time to think, the Sword Douluo decisively used his Fifth Soul Skill, instantly unleashing countless powerful sword energies in an attempt to block the attack.
However, amplified by Lin Mu's sixth soul skill, this flaming giant blade was now comparable to an Eighth Soul Skill.
BOOM!!
With a deafening roar, the flaming giant blade shattered the sword energy barrier. The Sword Douluo barely dodged the direct impact, but the shockwave still sent him flying a dozen meters.
Seeing this, Lin Mu switched back to the Hurricane Armor, ready to create distance at any moment.
"It's that armor again..."
Seeing the cyan-green armor on Lin Mu's body, the Sword Douluo was utterly speechless, his original fighting spirit completely gone.
'I can't even hit him. How could I possibly win?!'
How could there be such an outrageous martial soul in the world? He was only at the Soul Saint level, yet possessed such terrifying speed.
He could even switch to other armors!
Apart from the cyan-green armor, the attack power of the other two armors had completely reached the level of a Titled Douluo.
"Let's stop fighting!"
The Sword Douluo quickly called a halt. This guy's martial soul was too unfair. Continuing to fight like this wouldn't necessarily hurt Lin Mu; it would only cause the Sword Douluo himself to suffer more serious injuries.
"Giving up after just a few rounds?" Lin Mu asked, slightly disappointed.
In truth, he knew very well that in close combat, he was no match for the Sword Douluo. Even with his armor, he couldn't be immune to all damage. He was only able to hold his own against the Sword Douluo by constantly switching between three sets of armor.
Hearing this, the Sword Douluo's forehead was covered in black lines. This was the first time he'd encountered an opponent he hadn't had his fill of fighting, and a junior in his early twenties at that.
After this battle, he had truly witnessed Lin Mu's strength.
Once Lin Mu cultivated to the level of a Titled Douluo, he would likely possess the strength to rival a Super Douluo, even without relying on speed.
"Lin Mu, I'll challenge you to another duel next time."
With that, the Sword Douluo flew away on his sword, his retreating figure showing a hint of loneliness.
"He's leaving already?"
Lin Mu was slightly taken aback, not expecting the Sword Douluo to be so unfazed.
On the other side, the Snake Lance Douluo, seeing Sword Douluo's hasty departure, became even more convinced of his earlier thought: Only such a monstrous talent was worthy of their Young Master.
On a rooftop further away, Tang Hao witnessed this scene and whispered, "Lin Mu, with you guiding Little San, I can finally rest easy."
With that, he vanished.
After the battle, Lin Mu deactivated his armored form and looked around. The surroundings were littered with sword marks, charred remains, and a large crater.
Soon, he noticed Tang San and Xiao Wu at the entrance of the Great Soul Arena.
Approaching them, he noticed their distraught appearance and immediately guessed that it was probably due to the Titan Giant Ape's soul ring.
"Master!"
Seeing Lin Mu appear, Tang San finally roused himself, quickly standing up and rushing to greet him.
The usually lively and energetic Xiao Wu, however, remained motionless. She didn't even look up, silently shedding tears.
Besides crying, there was nothing else she could do.
Even if she wanted revenge, with her level 37 Soul Power, how could she possibly be a match for Lin Mu? Especially since Lin Mu was Tang San's master.
"Master, the Titan Giant Ape we encountered... was Xiao Wu's brother," Tang San said, looking up at Lin Mu with a hint of pleading in his eyes. "Master, please explain to Xiao Wu."
However, Lin Mu shook his head.
Of course, he knew the Titan Giant Ape was Xiao Wu's brother. He had even used Xiao Wu as leverage to force it to sacrifice itself to him.
Even so, Lin Mu didn't think he had done anything wrong.
At first, Xiao Wu was just a spare soul ring in his eyes, so why would he care about the Titan Giant Ape's life?
Just then, Xiao Wu finally recovered from her grief. She looked up at Lin Mu and asked in a tearful voice, "If you knew Er Ming was my brother, would you still have killed him?"
"Yes."
Lin Mu uttered just one word, and Xiao Wu felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar. Even the way she looked at Tang San changed.
'Could it be that I am just a spare soul ring to them?'
Hearing his master's answer, Tang San was equally incredulous, unable to understand why his master was so heartless.
"Soul Masters and Soul Beasts are inherently mortal enemies. Since it attacked us first, what's wrong with me absorbing its Soul Ring?"
As he spoke, Lin Mu stepped forward, grabbed Xiao Wu's shoulders, and said earnestly, "Since you chose to transform into a human, you should understand this reality."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Wu was speechless.
Tang San nodded secretly, completely agreeing with his master's statement. Soul Masters hunting Soul Beasts to obtain Soul Rings was an unchanging law of this world.
"However, if there's an opportunity in the future, I will consider resurrecting your brother."
To appease Xiao Wu, Lin Mu added this condition.
Once he became a God or possessed God-level combat power, the Titan Giant Ape's Soul Ring and Soul Bone would no longer be critical to him, and resurrection could be considered.
Sure enough, with this guarantee, Xiao Wu immediately perked up, at least having a glimmer of hope.
If anyone else said this, it would certainly lack credibility. But Lin Mu's words carried weight; at least Tang San and Xiao Wu believed in his abilities.
"Thank you," Xiao Wu said gratefully.
Hearing this, Lin Mu was momentarily stunned.
A simple verbal promise could resolve such resentment? With such mental fortitude, it was no wonder she could even let go of the hatred for her mother's murder in the original timeline.
At this moment, Tang San suddenly asked, "Xiao Wu, do you have another brother?"
"Brother, why are you suddenly asking?"
"Nothing. I just heard you mention the name 'Er Ming', so I asked," Tang San said calmly.
Hearing this, Xiao Wu was silent for a moment before slowly saying, "I do have another brother. His name is Da Ming."
Seeing this, Lin Mu secretly shook his head, realizing the Azure Bull Python had wasted ten thousand years of his life protecting her for nothing.
However, now that he had captured the Titan Giant Ape, he certainly couldn't miss the opportunity to capture the Azure Bull Python. Rather than letting Bibi Dong take advantage of it, it would be better for him or Tang San to absorb it.
They could revive it later when they became Gods.
Next, Lin Mu led Tang San and Xiao Wu back to the Great Soul Arena. Due to the battle outside, the team competition had been postponed.
This was perfect, avoiding another day's delay.
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[TL/N: Why doesn't Lin Mu use his base armor? Because once Lin Mu uses the Nava Flame Armor, Hurricane Armor, or Thundercliff Armor, his base Metal Armor is already present, it's in the process of transforming. He can't transform into the Nava Flame, Hurricane, or Thundercliff Armors without it, and without these armors, the base armor wouldn't have a specific attribute. That's why he only says that he can switch between three sets of armor.]