At first, everyone had assumed Manager Wang was simply upholding the hotel's reputation, treating the young man and two women as esteemed guests and refusing to take back the room key, which led to the clash with Dai Mubai.
But now, it was clear: the "honored guest" in Manager Wang's words was Lu Feng.
And with just a single sentence, Lu Feng had promoted both the manager and the clerk, revealing his extraordinary authority within the Merchant Alliance.
"Seems your man holds quite a high position in the Alliance," Zhu Zhuyun murmured to Zhu Zhuqing.
They knew Lu Feng did business with the Commerce Alliance, but they hadn't pried further. In a world where martial strength reigned supreme, cultivation was the priority. Business was secondary, even for noble spirit masters.
Before the rise of the Douluo Merchant Alliance, many nobles had looked down on merchants, considering trade a lowly profession.
But as the Alliance rapidly grew into a colossal financial force, its influence became impossible to ignore, forcing even the proudest nobles to reconsider their prejudices.
"Lu Feng, just what is your status?" Dai Mubai demanded.
"Guess."
Lu Feng had no intention of explaining.
"You're with the Merchant Alliance. Is this hotel yours?"
"You could say that. So, are we fighting or not?"
"We fight! But remember this is a fair duel between individuals. Not an affront to the Merchant Alliance."
Dai Mubai insisted on the battle, but his earlier arrogance had withered. He no longer dared to act so high and mighty.
Lu Feng nodded. "Fine. You just said you'd cover all losses."
"...I did."
A sinking feeling crept into Dai Mubai's chest like he was stepping into a trap but he had no choice now.
No matter what, he had to reclaim some dignity through combat.
Lu Feng took a step forward. "Then come."
"White Tiger, Possess!"
A violent white light erupted from Dai Mubai's body. His arms spread wide, chest thrust forward as his bones crackled like popping firecrackers. Muscles bulged unnaturally, straining against his clothes until the fabric nearly split.
The air around him grew frenzied.
His hair and body hair lengthened, transforming into a mix of black and white stripes. Tiger-like markings spread across his face, twisting his handsome features into something fierce and monstrous. His heterochromatic eyes gleamed with feral intensity.
From his fingers, eight-inch claws extended, sharp as blades, glinting coldly.
Beneath his feet, three radiant spirit rings surged upward in succession:
Two yellow. One purple.
As the spirit rings revolved, his aura swelled into a crushing wave of pressure.
"A thousand-year spirit ring!" Manager Wang gasped at the sight of the purple ring.
Manager Wang and the clerk exchanged uneasy glances.
Most spirit masters they'd encountered had hundred-year spirit rings for their third slot. Yet this "Young Master Dai" had a thousand-year ring proof of his prodigious talent. The White Tiger was a top-tier beast martial soul, and achieving three rings at his age meant he was already a Spirit Elder past the 30th rank.
But their Elder, Lu Feng, looked even younger than Dai Mubai. A flicker of worry crossed their minds.
Merchant Alliance Elders weren't appointed solely for combat prowess. Exceptional skills or monumental contributions could also earn the title.
"Dai Mubai. Martial Soul: White Tiger. 37th-rank Battle Spirit Elder. I await your guidance."
Dai Mubai announced his soul and rank, formalizing the challenge.
Under the weight of his spirit power, Lu Feng's fighting spirit ignited.
Slowly, he raised his right hand.
A surge of emerald-gold light erupted as a sapling sprouted from his palm. Its trunk and leaves bore faint, ancient patterns, exuding a primal aura. In an instant, the sapling exploded into a towering tree's phantom behind Lu Feng—its canopy so dense it resembled a forest. Ten stars circled its crown: nine shrouded in shadow, but one pulsed with faint radiance.
Then,
Two purple and one black spirit ring rose from Lu Feng's feet.
The rings orbited him, their overwhelming pressure neutralizing Dai Mubai's aura. A violent gust of energy sent Manager Wang and the clerk stumbling back, toppling chairs and shattering teacups.
"Th-thousand-year…a ten-thousand-year spirit ring?!" The two gaped, jaws nearly hitting the floor.
They'd known there was a reason this youth became an Elder, but not one so earth-shattering.
Dai Mubai's face paled. Suddenly, he understood: Zhu Zhuqing's affection and Patriarch Zhu's approval weren't due to Lu Feng's family, but his own monstrous talent.
For three seconds, he'd basked in Manager Wang's awed gasp.
Then Lu Feng's two purple and one black rings crushed that pride to dust.
"Lu Feng. Martial Soul: Starry Sky Tree. 33rd-rank Spirit Elder. I await your guidance."
Lu Feng stood tall, his hair whipping in the energy storm, a peerless young genius, breathtaking in his brilliance.
Zhu Zhuqing and Zhu Zhuyun stared, lips curling into proud smiles.
By the door, the twin sisters' eyes sparkled like stars. Compared to Dai Mubai's bestial ferocity, Lu Feng looked like an immortal descended to earth, elegant, untouchable, and utterly transcendent.
Dai Mubai abandoned all arrogance and went all out. His third spirit ring blazed with light as his white fur thickened, transforming him into an even more fearsome White Tiger.
"Third Spirit Ability—White Tiger's Vajra Transformation!"
Almost instantly, his second ring also ignited. A surge of white energy condensed before him, and with a thunderous roar, he spat out a searing orb of milky light.
"Second Spirit Ability—White Tiger's Radiant Wave!"
Dai Mubai unleashed both abilities simultaneously—Vajra Transformation to maximize his physical prowess, and Radiant Wave as a direct attack. At the same time, his body shot forward like an arrow, closing the distance to Lu Feng in a flash.
He had to strike first.
With Lu Feng's superior spirit rings, hesitation meant defeat. Dai Mubai's strategy was brutal and straightforward: overwhelm with his strongest moves from the start, then chain into relentless assaults to secure victory.
But the moment Dai Mubai activated his second spirit ability, Lu Feng's third ring also flashed.
Lu Feng had no intention of dragging this out.
Dai Mubai possessed a top-tier beast martial soul, higher spirit power, and the overwhelming offense of a power-type spirit master. Underestimating him would be fatal.
As the Radiant Wave shot forward, Lu Feng's Nature's Truth Soundwave rippled outward, distorting the air in its path.
The moment the white energy orb met the invisible soundwaves, it vanished without a trace, swallowed whole as if sinking into quicksand.
Then, Lu Feng's second ring lit up. A pulse of emerald light descended onto Dai Mubai's head.
Dai Mubai's body turned sickly green. His charge faltered.
At the same time, the soundwaves slammed into him, draining his strength and slowing him further.
Lu Feng stood just one step away—close enough that Dai Mubai's claws could have torn into him in an instant.
But before he could move—
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
Dozens of gnarled roots burst through the floor tiles, coiling around Dai Mubai's legs like serpents, locking him in place.