Douluo Dalu 1: The Tang Family Rebel

Hearing Tang San's words, Ma Hongjun snorted disdainfully. "Who do you think you are? You dare meddle in my affairs? Looking for trouble, huh?"

Tang San's expression darkened. "Who's your father?"

Ma Hongjun's rat-like whiskers twitched. "Whoever meddles in my business, I'm their father!"

Tang San moved. No matter how good his temper was, he couldn't let someone insult him like this. Stepping into Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, he kicked toward the little fatty's chest. His kick was controlled masterfully—restrained yet poised to unleash force at any moment. If the little fatty were an ordinary person, at most, he'd just get knocked over.

But if he had some special abilities, then the force hidden within Tang San's kick could be unleashed at will.

Just as Tang San suspected, the little fatty was not simple. Seeing Tang San's kick coming, he didn't hesitate to counter, raising both fists in front of him to block. A faint purple glow shimmered around his body, clearly indicating soul power fluctuations.

Tang San's foot, which had been kicking out, suddenly paused in midair. He changed the kick into a stomp, aiming at the fatty's lower abdomen instead.

Ma Hongjun reacted swiftly. His raised fists swung downward at the same time, striking toward Tang San's foot.

With a muffled bang, both retreated after the clash—Tang San pulled his foot back, while Ma Hongjun was forced to step backward as well. They were evenly matched, with the fatty's soul power seemingly only slightly weaker than Tang San's.

Ma Hongjun was momentarily stunned. "So you're a Soul Master too. No wonder you dared to interfere in my business. Let me show you what real strength is."

As he spoke, Ma Hongjun let out a low shout. "Phoenix Possession!"

Upon hearing the word Phoenix, both Tang San and Xiao Wu were startled. Among Beast Martial Souls, there were a few that were particularly powerful, and one of them was the Phoenix.

The Phoenix, also known as the Seven-Colored Bird, was an exceptional Martial Soul. Not only did it grant its host the ability to fly, but it also bestowed immense fire-based attack power. It was one of the top-tier Battle Martial Souls!

Purple-red light surged out of Ma Hongjun's body. His short hair suddenly grew longer, gathering toward the center of his head into a Mohawk-like style. Though no wings appeared, the purple-red light emitted intense heat. Two yellow soul rings rose from beneath his feet. His thick, bare arms extended with long plumes of feathers, and his hands transformed into claw-like shapes.

Seeing his transformation, Xiao Wu couldn't help but giggle. "Is there such a fat Phoenix? No matter how I look at it, he seems more like a barnyard chicken."

At this moment, Ma Hongjun did look somewhat comical—his round body, arms covered in long purple-red feathers, and his upright hairstyle. If someone called him a Phoenix, few would believe it. He resembled a plump hen far more than a majestic Phoenix.

Ma Hongjun reacted as if his reverse scale had been touched. He flew into a rage. "Who are you calling a barnyard chicken?!"

He raised his hands, and his first soul ring suddenly lit up. With a fierce motion, he opened his mouth and spat out a thin stream of purple-red flames, shooting directly toward Xiao Wu.

The high heat distorted the air, and the purple fire didn't appear very wild—it extended in a straight line like a flame whip.

"Be careful!"

Tang San swiftly swung his right hand, sending a long blue vine wrapping around Xiao Wu's slender waist, pulling her to his side and dodging Ma Hongjun's flames.

But Ma Hongjun clearly didn't intend to let them go. His mouth continued to spew fire, maintaining a five-meter-long flame stream that swayed like a fiery weapon, pursuing Xiao Wu.

Tang San pulled Xiao Wu back while several strands of Blue Silver Grass rapidly extended along the ground. After brief observation, he had already identified a flaw—Ma Hongjun's flames had an extremely high temperature but were limited in range to just five meters. As long as his movements were restricted, dealing with him wouldn't be difficult.

Just as Ma Hongjun was about to give chase, he suddenly felt something tighten around his legs. Blue Silver Grass had coiled around them, bringing an intense stabbing pain followed by a numbing sensation.

Startled, Ma Hongjun looked down to see the Blue Silver Grass wrapping around him. Without hesitation, he activated his second soul skill.

Boom!

Violent purple flames erupted from his body, instantly spreading outward. The moment they touched the Blue Silver Grass, the vines ignited and burned to ashes within seconds.

Witnessing this, Tang San was shocked. He could clearly sense that Ma Hongjun's Martial Soul was the natural nemesis of his own.

Although his Blue Silver Grass had become much tougher with the enhancement of two soul rings, it was still a plant—and plants were highly susceptible to fire.

Engulfed in purple flames, Ma Hongjun now appeared even more intimidating, his eyes burning with fury as he charged toward Tang San and Xiao Wu, spouting flames as he went.

"I'll handle this!"

Before Tang San could react, Xiao Wu had already leaped forward. Her fluffy rabbit ears twitched as she moved at high speed, her body glowing red with fully released soul power.

Tang San's fingers twitched slightly, readying several hidden weapons in his hands. His Purple Demon Eye gleamed—if Xiao Wu were in danger, he would not hesitate to strike. This fatty's Martial Soul was strong, but from their earlier exchange, Tang San knew that his soul power was still inferior to his own. Unlike Grandmaster, Ma Hongjun wouldn't be able to block his hidden weapons.

Seeing Xiao Wu rushing at him, Ma Hongjun was delighted. Without hesitation, he spewed a circular stream of flames, sealing off all of her possible paths forward.

Ma Hongjun smirked internally. You dare call me a barnyard chicken? I'll teach you a lesson. But she is quite pretty... I'd better not burn her too badly.

With this thought, the flames he spat became slightly weaker—enough to injure but not kill.

Xiao Wu immediately noticed the drop in temperature. Is this fatty holding back? Fine, then I'll be gentle too.

Just when Ma Hongjun thought Xiao Wu was about to be hit by his Phoenix Fire Line, she suddenly curled into a ball midair, twisting in an incredibly agile motion. Her supple body seemed to defy human limits as she squeezed through a gap in the fire. In the next instant, she was right beside him.

What was Xiao Wu's true strength?

Even without Tang San's hidden weapons, he could only fight her to a draw at best—and that was if she didn't get close. Despite Ma Hongjun's Bathing Fire Phoenix being a powerful defensive and offensive second soul skill, Xiao Wu's fully released soul power let her withstand its effects for a short time.

As soon as she reached him, Tang San knew the fight was over and retracted his hidden weapons.

Sure enough, Xiao Wu didn't give Ma Hongjun any chance to react. She flipped behind him, planted her hands on the ground, and clamped his neck with her legs.

Her first soul skill, Waist Bow, activated.

Xiao Wu's entire body arched like a full moon bow, her first soul ring glowing brilliantly. In the next moment, she exerted force like a drawn bowstring, sending Ma Hongjun flying.

Waist Bow's effect: Instantly increases waist strength by 100% and flexibility by 50%. Every level above ten adds an extra 1% boost. At her current level, she could amplify her waist strength by 119%—enough to throw any non-strength-type opponent below rank 50.

Of course, Waist Bow was powerful, but it required close range to be effective. Otherwise, all that strength would be useless. It was hard to imagine how her slender waist could generate such immense force.

Since Ma Hongjun had retracted his flames, Xiao Wu showed mercy, hurling him skyward instead of smashing him into the ground.

However, she overestimated Ma Hongjun's control—he flailed midair before crashing down with a dizzy thud.

"Stop fighting! Please, stop!"

A worried voice called out. The girl, Cuihua, rushed over to Ma Hongjun's side.

The flames on Ma Hongjun's body seemed to extinguish instantly. He sat up dizzily, shaking his head to clear his vision.

Cuihua patted the dust off his clothes. "Are you okay?"

Ma Hongjun snorted, "I'm not dead yet. Rabbit girl, let's go again!"

Xiao Wu suddenly jumped up and kicked off her shoes with two swift motions. Although she had used her soul power to block most of the effects of Ma Hongjun's second soul skill, Bathing Fire Phoenix, her shoes, which had been in direct contact with his purple flames, were still affected.

To her surprise, the purple flames had a strangely sticky quality. Even after landing, they didn't immediately go out. Left with no choice, she had to kick off her shoes, now standing barefoot on the ground with her fair and delicate feet exposed.

"Cuihua, what's going on here?" Xiao Wu asked, puzzled by Cuihua's concerned attitude toward Ma Hongjun. Wasn't this chubby guy bullying her before? Why is she…

Cuihua pleaded, "Please, stop fighting. Actually, Hongjun is a good person. It's just that… we're not right for each other. That's why I had to break up with him. Please just leave. I'll explain things to him myself."

Ma Hongjun growled in anger, "Stay out of my business! Move aside!" He shoved Cuihua away and was about to charge at Xiao Wu again. This time, however, he refrained from using his second soul skill, not wanting to risk hurting Cuihua.

At that moment, a surprised voice called out, "Tang San, Fatty, what are you two doing?"

Tang San and Ma Hongjun both turned toward the voice.

Not far away, a figure with neatly combed hair was walking toward them—it was Dai Mubai.