"Boom!" Another resounding boom erupted forth, and Tang Wulin's legs sank three inches further into the ground, but Ma Shan was forced to stumble back in retreat for five steps, and only then was he just barely able to arrest his own momentum.

On this occasion, his expression had truly changed. Even though he hadn't used any soul skills, his Herculean Divine Ape martial soul was a pure strength-type martial soul that had been passed down in his family for generations! In a clash of pure strength, he was confident that he could even oppose a Titled Douluo.

However, he had been bested in several consecutive clashes of strength against Tang Wulin, and that was making him quite frustrated.

Tang Wulin took a deep breath, and said, "It would be rude of me not to reciprocate your offerings; take this spear strike from me, Corps Commander Ma!"

Piercing light erupted from Tang Wulin's eyes as his yin yang vortex began to rotate at a rapid speed. His feet were firmly planted into the ground, and his Golden Dragon Spear was thrust forward with mountainous force amid a thunderous dragon's roar. It could be clearly seen that there were countless Bluesilver Emperor vines erupting from the ground like a series of miniature golden dragons. These golden dragons revolved around the Golden Dragon Spear before fusing into it one after another, and a massive golden dragon head erupted from the front tip of the spear. A deafening dragon's roar rang out, and the golden dragon head abruptly detached itself from the Golden Dragon Spear before hurtling directly toward Ma Shan.

It was his blood soul fusion skill, Blue Emperor Golden Dragon Shocks the Heavens!

There was a significant disparity in terms of cultivation rank, so Tang Wulin unleashed one of his powerful blood soul fusion skills from the get-go.

Ma Shan's expression changed slightly, and he finally used his soul skills for the first time as his first and third soul rings lit up in unison. A sheen of metallic light immediately appeared over the surface of his skin, and at the same time, his body swelled once again to over 12 meters, making him comparable in size to a generic melee combat mecha. His fists also abruptly expanded to a diameter of over a meter, and they were both launched toward the Golden Dragon Shocks the Heavens at once.

"Boom!"

This third boom was much louder than the previous two, and the snow from even further away was flung up into the air from the resulting shockwaves.

Long Yuxue had already attempted to rush out of the forging workshop on three separate occasions, but one powerful shockwave arrived after another, preventing her from being able to do so.

Each shockwave was becoming more powerful than the previous one, and she was feeling extremely distressed, but she couldn't do anything.

How did this happen? Please don't get hurt, Wulin!

Tears of frustration and desperation had already welled up in her eyes, and she released her martial soul in an attempt to charge out of the workshop with all her might.

However, right at this moment, one of the walls of the workshop was suddenly shattered, and a massive figure with golden light flashing over his body flew into the room, knocking over two shelves that were holding uncommon metals, then crashing violently into the ground, creating a massive human-shaped crater.

Long Yuxue faltered slightly before her hand flew over her mouth.

My God! Is that... Corps Commander Ma?

It had to be! Such a massive body could only belong to Ma Shan!

Ma Shan: rank 84 Soul Douluo; Tang Wulin: ?

Long Yuxue had always known that Tang Wulin was very powerful, but never did she think that he would be powerful enough to send the commander of the Iron Will Corps flying! This was absolutely extraordinary!

However, the truth was being presented right before her eyes, and as Long Yuxue rushed out in an urgent manner, Tang Wulin was pulling his feet out of the ground in a nonchalant manner, then carried his Golden Dragon Spear and walked over to the workshop with a calm look on his face. At this point, sirens were already blaring, and a series of figures were rapidly rushing toward them; they were none other than the powerful beings of the military law department.

Tang Wulin turned to Long Yuxue with a resigned shrug, and his shiny epaulets shimmered as he did so. Long Yuxue was suddenly struck by a sense of disorientation, and she discovered that she had never truly understood Tang Wulin.

Could he really be...

The members of the military law department converged toward the scene, and Ma Shan was also making his way out of the workshop, but he was in a rather sorry state.

His military uniform had already been torn into oblivion following his transformation, and his chest was riddled with several dozens of bleeding gashes; those had all been inflicted by the Golden Dragon Shocks the Heavens. His fists were completely unscathed, yet there were a few scuff marks on his head, and his eyes were shimmering with a ferocious light.

Upon catching sight of the personnel from the military law department, he no longer maintained his martial soul form and reverted back to his original appearance. However, his expression was still filled with astonishment and frustration.

There was no way for him not to be frustrated; everything that had just happened had far exceeded his realm of comprehension.

The personnel from the military law department were being led by a colonel, and he couldn't help but falter slightly at the sight of the handsome Tang Wulin with the Golden Dragon Spear in his hand.

His pristine military uniform blended in with the white snow around him, and as he held his golden spear by his side, it was only natural that he'd draw a lot of attention.

However, his expression immediately changed slightly as he caught sight of Tang Wulin's epaulets, and his first reaction was exactly the same as that of Ma Shan; how could there be such a young major general? However, he wasn't as reckless as Ma Shan was.

The colonel descended lightly in front of Tang Wulin before extending a military salute, one that Tang Wulin returned.

"Superior, may I ask which department you're from and what's happened here?" Prior to ascertaining Tang Wulin's true identity, he could only refer to him as superior based on his epaulets.

Tang Wulin replied in a serious voice, "I am the newly appointed Blood Nine of the Blood God Battalion. Commander Ma of the Iron Will Corps here expressed doubt over my identity and insisted on a physical altercation. This is my Blood God Bracelet; you can examine it for verification."

Tang Wulin raised his left hand to reveal his Blood God Bracelet as he spoke.

The colonel from the military law department was also stunned to hear what Tang Wulin had just said, and Ma Shan was also rooted to the spot as he emerged from the forging workshop.

He hadn't believed Tang Wulin at all prior to this, but now, he was more than a little convinced. No way! Blood Nine? However, he really had bested him in a clash of strength. An argument could be made that he hadn't fought with his full power, but neither had his opponent!

Ma Shan's expression was becoming rather strained, while an extremely complex look had appeared in Long Yuxue's eyes.

He had only been a part of this legion for a few months, yet he had already been promoted from second lieutenant to major general, and become Blood Nine of the Blood God Battalion! Was this really possible? It didn't appear to be possible, but after witnessing him sending Ma Shan flying, she was becoming more and more convinced that this was indeed true.

The colonel from the military law department examined Tang Wulin's Blood God Bracelet before handing it back to him in a respectful manner, then extending another military salute. "Thank you for your cooperation, Superior."

He then turned and made his way over to Ma Shan. "Greetings, Corps Commander Ma."

Ma Shan was absolutely flabbergasted at this point. "No way! He, he's the real deal?"

The military law department colonel wore a serious look on his face as he said, "I have just verified that he is indeed the newly appointed Blood Nine, and the promotion ceremony was held just this morning."

Ma Shan gulped in a nervous manner, and it was beginning to dawn on him that he was in a lot of trouble.

Right at this moment, Tang Wulin strode over, and said, "Nothing much actually happened here; Corps Commander Ma and I were both in admiration of one another's strength, so we clashed in the heat of the moment. Apologies for the disturbance and trouble that we caused; would you be able to let things slide on this occasion? If we want to spar again next time, we'll definitely go to the combat rooms, and we'll also be repairing all of the damage here ourselves, would that be alright?"

The military law department colonel turned to the dumbstruck Ma Shan, then glanced at the benevolent Tang Wulin, and it wasn't difficult for him to deduce what had happened. Thus, he cleared his throat, and said, "Alright, but please make sure this doesn't happen again. After all, it'll be difficult for us to turn a blind eye if you create such a massive commotion again."

After that, he extended military salutes to both Ma Shan and Tang Wulin before departing with the rest of the military law department personnel.

Tang Wulin heaved a faint sigh. "Corps Commander Ma, will you acknowledge my identity now?"

Ma Shan gulped as he rubbed his large bald head. "What the heck is all this? Ar, are you really Blood Nine?"

Tang Wulin couldn't help but burst into laughter. "We can go for another round in the combat rooms if you still don't believe me."

Ma Shan waved his hands, and said, "There's no need for that; I trust in the judgment of the military law department. I was too reckless and unreasonable, and for that, I apologize to you."

Tang Wulin shrugged in response. "There's no need for an apology, but you have to repair all the damage that was caused to my workshop."

"No problem! Leave it to me." Ma Shan also had a very straightforward personality, and he immediately agreed. At the same time, he was quite grateful toward Tang Wulin. The military laws of the Blood God Legion were very strict. Even though he had a very untamed personality, he knew the consequences that would await him if Tang Wulin had decided to press charges. He was a senior colonel, yet Tang Wulin was a major general, so he had just attacked a superior of his, and the attack was completely unprovoked. He had tried to take down Tang Wulin with insufficient evidence, and he was completely in the wrong. If Tang Wulin hadn't stepped in to save his hide, he would've been in a lot of trouble. Not only would he have had to pay a fine in accolades, he would even have to be suspended for a period of time, and that would be very humiliating.