Initially, Tang San had planned to let Huo Yu'er cool off since he knew he was in the wrong. However, his thoughts abruptly shifted—he now wanted to showcase his strength by thoroughly defeating Huo Yu'er.
Observing the speed and power of Huo Yu'er's attack, Tang San couldn't help but marvel at her prowess. Among those at the same cultivation level, she undoubtedly ranked among the strongest.
"Unfortunately for her, she met me.
First Soul Skill—Entangle!"
Since Tang San's home had been unoccupied for years, it was overrun with various weeds and Blue Silver Grass. These Blue Silver Grass strands naturally became the medium for his soul skill, rapidly growing and entangling themselves around Huo Yu'er.
However, Tang San knew that merely restraining Huo Yu'er wouldn't be enough to make this "heavenly favored daughter" yield. He decided to let her experience the might of his fists as well.
But as Tang San made contact with Huo Yu'er, he immediately sensed something was off.
"Why does it feel like I hit nothing?"
The thought barely formed when Tang San suddenly felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, followed by his body being sent flying three to four meters away.
The force of the punch was both powerful and merciless. As Tang San collapsed on the ground, he spat out a mouthful of bile.
In that fleeting moment—barely a second—Tang San recalled an incident from a few years ago when Huo Yu'er first arrived at the academy to establish her dominance.
Unlike most soul masters who liked announcing their soul skills, no one knew the name of Huo Yu'er's first soul skill. However, Tang San, who had observed carefully back then, deduced it was likely a type of interference-based ability.
With his Purple Extreme Demon Eye failing to detect any anomalies, Tang San instantly understood the effect of Huo Yu'er's soul skill.
"So, it interferes with vision?"
After realizing how he had fallen victim to the skill, Tang San immediately deactivated the Purple Extreme Demon Eye and redirected his focus to his hearing.
Sound-based positioning was a basic technique for handling concealed weapons. Unfortunately, Tang San had concentrated too much on his sight, diminishing his auditory perception.
Though the pain in his abdomen slightly impaired his judgment, Tang San still managed to detect Huo Yu'er's approach through sound.
Her movements were so light and unhurried, without even a follow-up attack to finish him off. A chill ran down Tang San's spine.
"She dares to look down on me so much—a truly arrogant person."
Quickly, Tang San formulated his next battle strategy in his mind. Activating soul skills would inevitably cause his soul rings to glow, which Huo Yu'er would surely notice. Thus, his second soul skill, Parasitic, was unusable for now. So—
"Hidden Weapons Manual—Celestial Maiden Scatters Flowers!"
With lightning speed, Tang San unleashed a surprise attack. Countless hidden weapons erupted from his Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges storage device, flying wildly toward Huo Yu'er.
Although Tang San hadn't yet mastered poisons to enhance these weapons, hundreds of hidden weapons striking Huo Yu'er would leave any soul master either dead or severely injured.
However, Tang San was startled a moment later.
Ordinary people's limb movements produced faint sounds, but Tang San's acute hearing detected that Huo Yu'er had effortlessly evaded his barrage of hidden weapons.
Huo Yu'er, having dodged every single projectile, shot Tang San a disdainful glance.
"Is this really your confidence to fight me, Tang San? Such pitiful tricks aren't worth mentioning."
Angered by the insult to his pride, Tang San grew furious and reached for more hidden weapons to demonstrate their true power.
But at that moment, Tang San noticed something shocking: Huo Yu'er was holding one of the throwing knives he had just launched.
"What is she planning to do with my weapon?"
The question flashed through Tang San's mind, but Huo Yu'er quickly provided the answer.
Taking a throwing stance, Huo Yu'er coldly declared:
"Watch closely, Tang San. When you have sufficient strength, there's no need for petty tricks with any weapon!"
With that, she hurled the knife straight at Tang San.
"Too fast!"
Though focusing on his hearing allowed Tang San to resist the effects of Huo Yu'er's soul skill, his ears simply couldn't match the precision of his eyes.
Tang San now found himself torn between trusting his ears or his eyes. But by the time he detected the whistling sound of the flying knife slicing through the air, blood-red flowers had already bloomed across his body.
The knife Huo Yu'er threw was now embedded firmly in the doorframe behind him.
Due to the incredible speed of the attack, Tang San didn't feel much pain.
But being wounded by his own crafted hidden weapon was something Tang San could not tolerate!
Huo Yu'er dared to humiliate him with his own weapon—she had signed her death warrant!
Tang San's killing intent surged, and he unleashed an unrestrained barrage of hidden weapon attacks!
"Hidden Weapons Manual—Celestial Maiden Scatters Flowers!"
"Hidden Weapons Manual—Feinting Strike!"
"Hidden Weapons Manual—Rain of Blades!"
This time, Tang San pushed his potential to the limit, sealing off all possible avenues for Huo Yu'er to evade.
However, Huo Yu'er keenly sensed Tang San's murderous intent and inwardly sneered at his fragility. She wondered how this man could ever become her rival in the future.
But none of that mattered.
If she couldn't dodge, why bother? Huo Yu'er summoned two shields from her storage-type soul tool, using them to deflect and block while dodging.
Tang San's hidden weapons were indeed impressive, but as Huo Yu'er demonstrated, they excelled in ambush tactics but lacked the power to penetrate her defenses. Not a single weapon managed to wound her.
At this point, Tang San's mental fortitude shattered.
Cursing inwardly, Tang San raged at Huo Yu'er for "lacking martial ethics" as a soul master for relying on external tools.
Yet, he conveniently forgot that his own hidden weapons were also external tools.
By now, Huo Yu'er had closed the distance between them once again.
Gritting his teeth, Tang San resolved to rely on other secret techniques of the Tang Sect to defeat her!
"Achieving great things requires breaking free from trivial constraints!"
Just as Tang San prepared to unleash Controlling Crane, Capture Dragon and Mysterious Jade Hand, Huo Yu'er simply slammed her shield into his face, sending him flying backward once more. This time, he crashed directly into his already dilapidated blacksmith house, creating a massive hole in its walls.
Still, Tang San was the son of the Blue Silver Emperor. Though not fully awakened, his physical resilience was extraordinary. Despite the brutal impact, he didn't pass out and even struggled to his feet, determined to continue fighting Huo Yu'er.
Huo Yu'er had already vented her anger and was about to call it quits, but seeing Tang San's persistence, she decided to deliver another round of punishment to teach him who was truly dominant!
In the end, Tang San lay battered and bruised amidst the ruins of his crumbling home. Xiao Wu, seeing the house was uninhabitable, went to stay at Ye Wen's place instead.
Alone in the wreckage, Tang San shed tears of regret.
"How is this possible? Master said her innate martial soul has little combat capability—that she only dominates through high soul power and unique soul skills.
So why did I lose so miserably?"
The harsh reality of his defeat, coupled with the desolation of his empty home, overwhelmed Tang San. After living two lifetimes, he couldn't hold back his tears and sobbed uncontrollably.
As he cried, Tang San's heart grew heavier with bitterness.
To think he had been utterly humiliated by a native of this backward world! He no longer felt like a genius. Even the girl he liked had ended up with someone else—and worse, another woman. Tang San felt deeply insulted and pained.
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