The Clear Sky Sect's mountain gate.
Enraged, Tang Xiao lost his composure and swung his broad palm at the face of the person before him.
"Slap!"
A crisp slap echoed.
Tang Xiao, coming to his senses, looked at his sister clutching her cheek. Guilt and heartache immediately filled him, and he quickly apologized:
"Are you okay, Yue... Yuehua? Big brother didn't, didn't mean to, you..."
"No, Big Brother, you don't need to apologize," Tang Yuehua said, forcing down the pain on her face and blaming herself.
"This is my fault. Exploding Ring is a secret technique of our sect that is not to be taught, yet I imparted the profound meaning of Exploding Ring to an outsider."
"Even if there were reasons for my actions, that I had to do it to save Xiao San, the fact remains that I tricked you, Big Brother, out of the cultivation method for Exploding Ring."
"Therefore, you hitting me is deserved."
Hearing this, Tang Xiao looked at his sister's self-reproaching demeanor, and all his anger shifted to Lin Rong.
Tang Yuehua felt a mix of emotions seeing her brother like this.
Originally, she had returned to the Clear Sky Sect as usual to deliver living supplies for the sect.
She never expected that as she was about to leave, her elder brother Tang Xiao casually mentioned:
"Yuehua, what did Xiao San think after seeing Exploding Ring? Tell me about it."
If he hadn't asked, Tang Yuehua could have pretended nothing happened and continued to conceal it.
But with this question, Tang Yuehua felt guilty, spoke vaguely, and her words were evasive, immediately making Tang Xiao suspicious.
Under Tang Xiao's repeated questioning, Tang Yuehua, with no other choice, revealed the truth about Exploding Ring.
After Tang Xiao heard the entire cause, process, and outcome of the matter, his rage surged, leading to the scene where he had just slapped Tang Yuehua.
The stinging pain on her face prompted Tang Yuehua to use her domain's power to soothe the ache.
After a while, feeling better, Tang Yuehua asked Tang Xiao:
"Big Brother, since you already know, what are you going to do?"
Tang Xiao, who had been silent, uttered a single word upon hearing his sister's question:
"Kill!"
Tang Xiao was filled with killing intent, and he looked at his sister, saying in a deep voice:
"The profound meaning of Exploding Ring is a secret not to be passed down by our sect. No outsider can ever control it."
"What if he has a Titled Douluo guarding him? If he stole our sect's secret technique for Exploding Ring, he must die!"
"It's not convenient to act in Heaven Dou City, but there will come a day when he goes out to hunt for Spirit Rings."
"Yuehua, you need to keep an eye on his every move. The moment he makes any move to leave Heaven Dou City, inform me immediately."
"At that time, I will announce that I am going into seclusion, then secretly go down the mountain, bypassing the elders, and kill him myself!"
"So, Yuehua, you don't need to blame yourself too much. As long as he dies, this matter will be as if it never happened."
Tang Yuehua felt much better after hearing these words, but she still asked with some concern:
"Big Brother, although that steward from the Lin Clan only recently broke through to Titled Douluo, his strength is certainly no match for you, Big Brother."
"However, what if that steward uses Exploding Ring to take you down with him? What should we do then?"
Tang Xiao's heart warmed at his sister's concern for his safety. To put her mind at ease, he explained:
"Don't worry, not just anyone can successfully cultivate Exploding Ring."
"Cultivating Exploding Ring requires great talent."
"Although I am not as good as my second brother, I am considered a genius. If I cultivate for another ten years or so, I have hope of breaking through to level ninety-seven Soul Power."
"But even a genius like me has only reached the threshold for cultivating Exploding Ring in terms of talent."
"An old man who was lucky enough to get an opportunity and broke through to Titled Douluo will absolutely not have the talent to successfully cultivate Exploding Ring."
After speaking, Tang Xiao thought about his sister's words and then something else came to mind.
"However, now that you mention it, I am indeed not entirely safe going alone."
"If that steward fights me with all his might, there's still a chance that brat could escape."
"In that case, I'll have old Titan act with me. If he fails to protect Xiao San, it can be considered him atoning for his past mistakes."
"Then, I'll deal with the Lin Clan steward, and Titan will be responsible for capturing that brash kid."
"This way, there will be no room for error."
Tang Xiao's confident words completely relieved Tang Yuehua's worries.
The siblings chatted for a while longer, after which Tang Yuehua composed herself and left the Clear Sky Sect.
...
Star Dou Great Forest.
In the dead of night, in an open space somewhere.
Inside the tent, Yu Xiaogang and Flender were fast asleep.
Outside the tent, Dai Mubai sat on guard.
With only level thirty Soul Power and not yet having obtained his third Spirit Ring, he couldn't possibly detect Shi Nian hidden in the trees.
"If that stingy old Flender were on guard, it would be difficult for me to make a move."
"That guy's Martial Soul is a Four-Eyed Owl, with extremely strong night vision and higher Soul Power than me. With him on guard, it would be hard to act without being noticed."
"But unfortunately, the one on guard is just a kid, a quasi-Soul Elder."
Lingering Dream Martial Soul activated, weaving an illusion to draw the guard Dai Mubai into immersion.
Shi Nian had intended to weave an illusion of mental torment to make Dai Mubai sink into it, but before acting, he remembered Lin Rong's instructions: this operation couldn't let anyone know he had made a move against Yu Xiaogang.
Thus, with this concern, Shi Nian reluctantly wove a beautiful dream, causing Dai Mubai to fall into a deep sleep.
Having dealt with the guard, Shi Nian silently used his seventh Spirit Skill, "Nightmare," bypassing Flender in the tent and pulling only Yu Xiaogang into the nightmare.
...
"Xiaogang, this is the Spirit Hall's library, it contains almost all the literature and data on the continent."
Bibi Dong, in the bloom of youth, her face radiant with girlish vitality, held Yu Xiaogang's hand, her tone filled with encouragement and support.
"With this literature and data, your theoretical research will surely proceed smoothly."
"Xiaogang, I'm waiting for the day your name is known throughout the world."
At the same time, Bibi Dong silently added in her heart:
"Waiting for that day, when you gather the courage to confess to me, we can be together legitimately, together forever, never to be separated."
Yu Xiaogang gazed foolishly at the familiar yet detested face before him, unsure of what to say.
This was the most beautiful memory of his life, one he hadn't dreamed of in a very, very long time.
"Wait."
Yu Xiaogang heard Bibi Dong's unspoken thoughts, pulled his hand from hers, his expression a mixture of ferocity and complexity, and roared:
"No, no, in my memory, Bibi Dong never said this. This is fake, it's fake."
"Bibi Dong deliberately seduced me, making me research Martial Soul theoretical knowledge. After I achieved results, she stole them and then heartlessly abandoned me."
"This is the fact, this is the truth."
Ripples appeared in the surrounding space, and the scene changed.
But before the next scene could materialize, Yu Xiaogang, unable to bear the mental strain, was on the verge of sudden death.
"Damn it, what a piece of trash!"
Shi Nian sensed Yu Xiaogang's physical condition, cursed inwardly, and reluctantly canceled the Nightmare he was casting on Yu Xiaogang, turning to leave.
This was a long-term mission, and Shi Nian hadn't expected to complete it in one go.
But he hadn't expected that not only was Yu Xiaogang trash, but his physical condition was also incredibly poor.
As a twenty-nine-level Soul Grand Master, his physical condition was so bad that a slight emotional fluctuation almost caused him to die suddenly.
"Trash Martial Soul, trash Spirit Master. I really don't know how such a person managed to attract the current Pope and that crazy woman from Slaughter City?"
Without the Nightmare, Yu Xiaogang jolted awake from his sleep, his body drenched in sweat and sticky.
Beside him, Flender, who had been sleeping soundly, was awakened by the commotion Yu Xiaogang caused. He checked to confirm his old friend was just having a nightmare before falling back asleep.
After taking a few deep breaths, Yu Xiaogang lay down again, staring at the tent ceiling with a complex expression, lost in thought.
-----------
Machine Translation by: https:// beta.randomtranslator.com/
Read 999+ original & fanfic translations in English, Español, Português, Deutsch, Français, or Русский at: https:// beta.randomtranslator.com/
Join our Discord: https:// discord.gg/NSWvfN7vua
-----------