After his right arm had been torn off by Dugu Bo, Tai Tan—though seething with hatred—could only force a smile and kneel in submission.
"Many thanks for your mercy, Your Excellency Poison Douluo," Tai Tan said through gritted teeth. "I shall head to Heaven Dou Imperial Academy immediately to apologize to Immovable King Zhao Wuji!"
With no other choice, Tai Tan went straight to the academy, bowed before Zhao Wuji, and let himself be beaten in return—repaying the insult with a proper dose of his own medicine.
Upon learning that it was Ye Yu who brought Dugu Bo directly to the Strength Clan's doorstep to demand justice, Zhao Wuji was deeply moved.
"Your Excellency Ye Yu... why are you so good to me, this old Zhao?"
"This kindness—how could I possibly repay it?"
The next time they met, Zhao Wuji knelt down in front of Ye Yu, eyes red with emotion.
"Your Excellency Ye Yu, thank you for bringing Lord Poison Douluo to stand up for me. Without you, I'd have taken that beating from Tai Tan for nothing.
I have no way to repay such a favor...
Please—allow me to serve under you as your loyal subordinate!"
Seeing how insistent Zhao Wuji was—and knowing his strength and innate talents were far from weak, not to mention the immense value of his two gravity-based Spirit Abilities for training purposes—Ye Yu could only smile wryly and nod in agreement.
"Teacher Zhao, please rise."
"Master, from now on, just call me Wuji," Zhao Wuji said solemnly.
Days passed in the blink of an eye.
That morning, after Ye Yu had completed his daily training and returned to Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, Zhao Wuji came rushing over to report.
"Master, the team battle schedule for tomorrow is out!
Shrek Academy will be facing Canghui Academy!"
So it's finally here.
Ye Yu nodded. "Understood. Teacher Zhao, you may go handle the preparations."
With that, he left the academy and made his way to Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena to monitor the situation from the shadows.
At the moment, Shi Nian was still in Canghui's lineup. Since Shrek's match wasn't scheduled until the afternoon, it meant Shi Nian likely hadn't had the chance to make a move on Tang San yet.
That afternoon.
After Shrek Academy finished their team battle against a squad called Purple Star, the other students wanted to stay at the arena to watch more matches.
Tang San, however, decided to return to the academy for more cultivation. Alone, he left the arena—unaware that Shi Nian had been lying in wait.
Using his Nightmare Martial Soul, Shi Nian cast Tang San into a deep illusion.
At the same time, Ye Yu had already summoned his Blue Silver Jade Tree Martial Soul, embedding its sub-bodies into trees along the road. Each one bloomed with silver flowers, dispersing pollen that silently settled onto Tang San's body as he walked beneath them.
As Shi Nian followed close behind, Ye Yu remained even further back—keeping watch through the foliage.
Before long, Tang San strayed from the main road, wandering into a secluded park on the outskirts of Heaven Dou City.
Deep inside the woods, Ye Yu activated the pollen that had fallen on Tang San, causing Blue Silver Jade Tree seedlings to sprout from the ground and from nearby trees. These sprouts then connected into Blue Silver Space, granting Ye Yu remote vision of the entire area.
Within the Illusion—
To Tang San, it looked as though he were still walking down the sunlit streets of Heaven Dou. But after a while, he noticed something strange.
The sun was shining... yet he felt cold.
Even stranger, he still hadn't arrived at Shrek Academy.
A sense of unease crept into his heart.
"Heh... impressive. As expected from one of Shrek's top students," a cold voice echoed.
Shi Nian finally revealed himself, arms crossed, his shadowed face curled into a sinister grin.
Seeing him, Tang San's expression darkened.
"Teacher Shi Nian of Canghui Academy? May I ask why you've brought me here?"
Shi Nian sneered. "Oh, nothing special... I just want you to disappear."
"With you out of the picture, Canghui Academy will have a far better chance of advancing in the qualifiers."
Tang San's pupils shrank.
He understood now—Shi Nian intended to kill him.
Trying to stall, Tang San spoke calmly.
"You think eliminating me will guarantee your team's advancement?"
"If killing you isn't enough, I'll just keep going.
Yu Tianheng. Dai Mubai. I'll find opportunities to kill them too," Shi Nian said with cruel indifference.
"Now get ready to die."
At that moment, Tang San suddenly pulled out a Zhuge Godly Crossbow from his Twenty-Four Moonlight Bridges storage Soul Tool.
Without hesitation, he aimed—not at the figure in front of him, but at a different direction entirely.
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
Multiple bolts shot out, flying toward Shi Nian's real body hidden nearby.
Though his Purple Demon Eye couldn't pierce the illusion, Tang San had previously used Controlling Crane, Capturing Dragon—and found it completely ineffective against the "Shi Nian" in front of him.
That confirmed it: the illusionary figure was fake.
Using feedback from his technique, Tang San triangulated the real location and fired his bolts.
Unfortunately, without the Yama's Invitation, the Zhuge Godly Crossbow alone clearly wasn't enough to kill a Spirit Saint like Shi Nian.
Still, the surprise attack did injure Shi Nian—several bolts piercing his clothing and one puncturing his right arm.
A furious roar followed.
"You little bastard—I'll kill you!!"
From a nearby Blue Silver Jade Tree seedling, Ye Yu tapped into Blue Silver Space, gaining real-time vision.
Having consumed the Immortal Herb – Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew and cultivated the Purple Demon Eye, Ye Yu was completely unaffected by Shi Nian's illusion.
He saw everything:
Shi Nian, surrounded by seven Spirit Rings—two yellow, two purple, and three black—stood there fuming, his right arm bleeding from a bolt wound.
Then, as he prepared to unleash his Sixth Spirit Ability—
Suddenly, his body seized.
Shi Nian clutched his head, screaming in agony, and collapsed to the ground.
An unexpected twist had occurred.