Douluo Dragon King: I, Huo Linfei, the Mecha Illusionary Lin God

Huo Linfei put the two rings on his hands and felt their weight, not from physical weight, but from responsibility and expectations.

As Huo Linfei stepped out of the association's gate, the sun was already setting. Only then did he remember, "Oh no, I have to report to Donghai Academy today!"

He took off running towards the college.

Donghai College is located in the eastern part of the city, and its area is indeed much larger than that of Hongshan College.

The school gate is tall, the teaching building is magnificent, and the mimicry training area and mecha training ground are faintly visible in the distance.

But Huo Linfei has no time to appreciate these things right now.

He was late.

And what's worse—he didn't know where the dormitory was.

Huo Linfei wandered around the campus for almost half an hour, asking several passing students for directions, before finally finding the freshman dormitory area. It was a row of five-story buildings, each with a number hanging at the entrance.

"Building A... Building B... Building C..." Huo Linfei muttered as he walked, then stopped.

It wasn't because he found his own dormitory building.

It was because he saw someone.

Tang Wulin.

Moreover, Tang Wulin was fighting.

Two figures were moving quickly in the open space in front of the dormitory building. Huo Linfei recognized one of the blue-haired boys as Tang Wulin at a glance.

The other boy was slender and agile, holding two daggers that gleamed coldly in the setting sun.

The two exchanged blows quickly. Tang Wulin used his fists and feet, each strike powerful and heavy, accompanied by the sound of wind cutting through the air. The slender boy, on the other hand, was like an eel, always managing to dodge attacks by the slightest margin, and then thrusting out his dagger like a venomous snake.

Huo Linfei's heart jumped.

Is my second brother fighting with someone? Who is the other person? Why are they fighting?

He was about to rush over when he suddenly stopped.

Because he saw Tang Wulin's expression—not anger, not fear, but a kind of...focus. Huo Linfei was all too familiar with that focus; it was the expression Tang Wulin only showed when forging.

Moreover, their exchange was less of a fight and more of a friendly sparring session.

Huo Linfei squinted and observed carefully.

As expected, although Tang Wulin's attacks were heavy, he always avoided vital points. The slender boy was the same; although his dagger was sharp, he never aimed for fatal spots.

"Interesting." Huo Linfei crossed his arms and leaned against a tree trunk, deciding to take a look first.

The battle on the field had reached a fever pitch.

The slender boy suddenly leaped backward, creating distance, his two daggers crossed in front of him: "It's time to end this."

A yellow spirit ring rose up beneath his feet.

A martial spirit possession! And a hundred-year-old spirit ring at that!

Tang Wulin also stopped what he was doing and took a deep breath. A yellow spirit ring also rose from beneath his feet—it was given to him by the hundred-year-old spirit he had recently fused with.

"Come on!" Tang Wulin struck a pose.

The slender boy moved. He was so fast that he left a trail of afterimages as his two daggers transformed into two streaks of silver light, piercing straight for Tang Wulin's chest.

Tang Wulin did not dodge.

He raised his hands, and the phantom of Blue Silver Grass appeared in his palms. The grass leaves grew and intertwined rapidly, forming a vine shield in front of his chest.

The dagger struck the rattan shield with a dull thud.

The slender boy was taken aback, clearly not expecting Tang Wulin to defend in this way. But in that moment of hesitation, Tang Wulin moved.

The vine shield suddenly dispersed, and the blue silver grass coiled towards the slender boy like countless tentacles. At the same time, Tang Wulin stepped forward and punched the boy directly in the abdomen.

The slender boy reacted extremely quickly, using his dagger to defend and try to block. But Tang Wulin's punch was delivered with full force, the force of the blow causing the air to explode.

boom!

The dagger was knocked away, and the fist landed squarely on the slender boy's stomach.

The boy groaned and stumbled back five or six steps before barely managing to regain his footing. He clutched his stomach, his face pale, but his eyes held no anger, only a hint of...satisfaction?

"I lost." The slender boy sheathed his dagger and readily admitted defeat.

Tang Wulin also withdrew his martial spirit and stepped forward: "Are you alright? I didn't control my strength just now..."

"It's nothing." The boy waved his hand. "It's just a friendly spar, getting a little hurt is normal. But that last hit of yours really hit me hard, I almost threw up."

The two looked at each other and suddenly laughed.

Huo Linfei then walked over.

"Second brother."

Tang Wulin turned his head, saw Huo Linfei, and his eyes lit up: "Big brother! Why are you so late? I've been waiting for you for ages!"

"Something came up and I was held up." Huo Linfei glanced at the slender young man beside him. "And this is?"

"Oh, this is Xie Xie," Tang Wulin introduced. "He's my roommate. We had a little misunderstanding just now, so we had a fight... no, I mean, a friendly spar."

Xie Xie sized up Huo Linfei, his eyes filled with curiosity and scrutiny: "You're the 'Boss Huo' that Tang Wulin keeps talking about?"

"Huo Linfei." Huo Linfei extended his hand. "Nice to meet you."

Xie Xie shook hands, his expression somewhat arrogant: "I heard you're very powerful? Tang Wulin just said that his older brother could beat me with one hand."

Huo Linfei laughed: "He's exaggerating."

Xie Xie curled his lip: "I knew it, you're just a nobody from the Second Ring Road..."

He stopped before he could finish speaking.

Two spirit rings rose up beneath Huo Linfei's feet.

Not white, not yellow, but two... deep yellow, almost orange soul rings.

A hundred-year-old soul ring, and a high-quality one at that!

What shocked Xie Xie even more was that red armor suddenly appeared on Huo Linfei's body. The armor started from his wrists and spread to cover his entire body, with a sharp design and radiating a scorching aura.

Armed mode activated.

"And now?" Huo Linfei asked, his voice coming from inside the helmet with a metallic resonance.

Xie Xie opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything for a long time.

He could feel the oppressive aura—it wasn't a suppression based on soul power level, but rather… a suppression of essence. It was like a rabbit facing a lion; even before the lion moved, the rabbit already knew who was stronger.

"You..." Xie Xie swallowed hard. "What kind of soul skill is that?"

"First Soul Skill, Armor." Huo Linfei disarmed himself, his armor turning into specks of light and dissipating. "So, can you call me 'Boss Huo' now?"

Xie Xie stared at Huo Linfei for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed.

There was no resentment or jealousy in that smile, only the excitement of finding a worthy opponent.

"Boss Huo," he called out crisply, then added, "but don't get cocky, I'll catch up. One day, I'll defeat you fair and square."

Huo Linfei laughed too: "Okay, I'll be waiting."

He patted Xie Xie on the shoulder: "But before that, you have to defeat my second brother first."

Tang Wulin scratched his head: "Big brother, don't make me a target of hatred..."

The three looked at each other and burst into laughter.

The setting sun cast long shadows of the three boys, whose laughter echoed in front of the dormitory building.

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