The walk back from the impromptu weapon demonstration in the woods was filled with a vibrant, buzzing energy, almost all of it emanating from Ning Rongrong. The echoes of the gunfire and the scent of gunpowder still seemed to cling to the air, a testament to a power that defied the conventional rules of their world.
"That was just... astonishing, Zhang Tian!" Ning Rongrong chirped, her steps light as she practically bounced alongside him. "A 'shotgun,' you called it? The sheer force! And the 'sniper rifle'! To be able to strike something so precisely from so far away... my father will not believe it until he sees it! The tactical implications for protecting our clan's support masters are immeasurable!"
She prattled on excitedly, her mind, a whirlwind of possibilities for her sect. She was no longer just the spoiled princess; she was a visionary who had stumbled upon a revolution in warfare, and she was determined to be its broker.
Zhu Zhuqing walked on his other side, her silence a stark contrast to Ning Rongrong's effervescence. She was not thinking about tactics or clan benefits. Her mind was replaying a single, startling thought over and over again. 'With those weapons... with that power... do I still need Dai Mubai?' The question was a dangerous seed of hope, a potential path to freedom from a fate she had always believed was inescapable. Her cold, hard shell of resignation was beginning to crack.
Upon reaching the shabby dormitory buildings, the two girls bid him goodnight and returned to their room, their heads filled with very different but equally revolutionary thoughts. Zhang Tian, however, did not return to his own room. The night was still young, and the feeling of newfound power from his combat training with Ah Yin was a fire that demanded to be stoked.
He found a secluded clearing deep within the academy's overgrown grounds, a place where the grass grew thick and the old trees stood like silent sentinels. Here, under the watchful gaze of the moon, he began to practice.
He moved through the self-created forms he had developed, no longer just testing them, but refining them. The Bloodvine Cage erupted from the ground with greater speed and density. The needles of his Thousand Crimson Needles were sharper, faster, their swarm more controlled. His Viper's Kiss Strike was now a blur, the tip of the vine hardening to the consistency of steel in an instant. He was turning his intellectual creations into instinctive, fluid motions.
As he trained, his Blood Silver Domain remained a silent, ever-present net, cast over the surrounding area. And it felt a presence.
It was the same immense, oppressive power from the night before. Tang Hao. He had moved from the edge of the academy to the very woods where Zhang Tian had demonstrated his firearms. The Titled Douluo was standing in the clearing, his powerful spiritual sense examining the splintered trees, the hole-ridden bushes, and the faint, lingering smell of gunpowder.
'He's investigating,' Zhang Tian noted, his practice not faltering for a second. 'Let him look.'
Tang Hao stood amidst the destruction, his expression grim. He ran a hand over the tree trunk pierced by the pistol shot, his fingers tracing the perfectly round hole. He touched the shredded leaves of the bush decimated by the shotgun. He could feel the residual energy, the sheer kinetic force that had caused this damage. It was not spirit power. It was something else entirely. Something purely physical, yet devastatingly potent.
Even he had to admit, the power was impressive. For a Titled Douluo like himself, these weapons were a curiosity, a minor threat at best. But he replayed the scene of the trial in his mind. Thirty of those smaller exploding balls, stacked together, had been enough to injure a defensive Spirit Saint like Zhao Wuji, even after he had activated his Martial Spirit Avatar.
'If it had been a different Spirit Saint,' Tang Hao mused, 'an agility type or a less defensive power type, the injuries would have been grievous, perhaps even fatal. And this boy... he developed all of this himself? At such a young age, with no apparent support from a major clan or sect...'
The boy was a genius, a different kind of genius from his son, but a genius nonetheless. A thought, cold and pragmatic, entered his mind. Should he acquire these weapons for his son? Or better yet, force the boy to give up the blueprints? The Clear Sky Sect's forging techniques were the best in the world. With these designs, they could create a new generation of weapons that could shift the balance of power, giving their clan an undeniable edge when they finally re-emerged into the world.
But he quickly dismissed the idea of force. For now.
'The boy is now entangled with the heiress of the Seven Treasure Glaze Tile Sect,' he reasoned. 'Attacking him would be tantamount to offending the entire clan. I cannot afford such a powerful enemy, not in my current state.'
Besides, there was a better way. His son, Tang San, was now in the same academy, in the same dormitory. 'As long as they continue to interact, an opportunity will present itself. My son can befriend him, gain his trust. We can acquire these secrets through alliance, not conflict. This Zhang Tian could become a powerful asset for the Clear Sky Sect.'
Satisfied with his decision to continue observing, Tang Hao melted back into the shadows of the forest, his oppressive presence vanishing as silently as it had appeared.
Zhang Tian, unaware of the specifics of Tang Hao's plotting but unconcerned regardless, decided this was the perfect time to begin his next phase of training. Since the formidable watcher was distracted, it was time to practice the secrets he had stolen.
He sat cross-legged and began to circulate his internal energy according to the pathways of the Tang Sect's techniques. With the Mysterious Heaven Skill as his foundation, the other skills were surprisingly easy to grasp.
He practiced the Mysterious Jade Hand, channeling the purified energy to his palms. They began to glow with a faint, white-jade luster, feeling strangely warm and incredibly tough. He practiced the Controlling Crane Catching Dragon, extending his senses and learning to manipulate the flow of air and energy around him, pulling leaves from distant branches into his palm without moving.
Finally, he stood up and began to move, his feet tracing the complex, unpredictable patterns of the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. At first, his movements were clumsy, but his powerful physique and the guidance of Ah Yin helped him quickly find the rhythm. Within an hour, he was gliding through the clearing, leaving faint afterimages in his wake.
All the while, his Blood Silver Domain was active, drawing in a continuous stream of life force and spirit power from the willing Blue Silver Grass around him. He didn't corrupt any new grass, wary of Tang Hao's senses, but the existing network was more than enough. He channeled the absorbed spirit power into his cultivation and the excess life force into his body and spirit rings. His First Spirit Ring, 'Devour,' was now a solid 600-year ring. His Second, 'Parasitic Spores,' was at the very cusp of the thousand-year mark, a deep yellow 960-year ring. The rest of the life force was used to temper his physique, making it stronger, more resilient, ready for the next level of training.
After a few hours of intense practice, he felt a satisfying exhaustion. He returned to his room to find it empty. Tang San was still out, likely cultivating somewhere on his own. Zhang Tian lay on his bed and fell into a deep, restful sleep.
The first rays of dawn were just beginning to pierce the darkness when he awoke. Without opening his eyes, he activated his domain and began to cultivate the Purple Demon Eye. The purple qi of the nascent sun was absorbed by tens of thousands of grass blades and funneled directly into him. His mental energy surged, and he felt a distinct 'click' in his perception. He had reached the 'Survey' level. He could now perceive the most minute details with perfect clarity, from the beating wings of a distant fly to the subtle twitch of a muscle on a person's face.
Later that morning, the group gathered on the main field. They had all rested and bathed. Dai Mubai had finally rejoined them, his injuries from the explosion now completely healed, though the lopsided state of his singed hair gave him a slightly comical look. Zhao Wuji was also present, looking no worse for wear after his beatdown from Tang Hao. Oscar was the only one missing.
Dai Mubai's gaze immediately found Zhu Zhuqing. His expression was complicated—a mixture of guilt, annoyance, and a flicker of something else. "Zhuqing," he said, his voice lower than usual. "After today's class... can we talk? Privately?"
Zhu Zhuqing's face, already cold, seemed to drop another ten degrees. A part of her, the part that had been raised to see him as her only path to survival, screamed 'yes.' She knew she needed the Hell White Tiger Martial Spirit Fusion that only he could provide to have a chance against her sister, Zhu Zhuyun, and her powerful brother-in-law, Dai Weisi.
But another part of her, a newer, stronger part, recoiled. She remembered his casual promiscuity, the way he had dismissed her suffering with his carefree lifestyle . And she remembered the feeling of Zhang Tian's weapons in her hands. That was a different kind of power. A power that had the potential to help her overcome her fate. But even for that...She would need Dai Mubai's assistance.
Her internal conflict raged for a moment before pragmatism won, for now. She gave a curt, almost imperceptible nod. "After the training," she said, her voice clipped.
Dai Mubai seemed to accept this, a flicker of relief in his eyes.
Just then, Flender arrived, his sharp eyes scanning the group. He frowned. "Where is Oscar? Don't tell me he's late after I punished him."
As if on cue, Oscar came running towards them, his face flushed with an ecstatic, triumphant grin. "Dean! Teachers! Everyone! I... I did it!"
He released his spirit power, and his newly advanced spirit power level was known to all.
"Level 30!" he declared proudly.
A wave of shock went through the group. Flender's frown was replaced by a broad, delighted smile. "Excellent, Oscar! Truly excellent! A fourteen-year-old Level 30 Food System Spirit Master! Unprecedented!" He shot a subtle, smug look out of the corner of his eye towards Ning Rongrong, expecting to see a flash of envy.
He was disappointed. Ning Rongrong wasn't even looking at Oscar. She was busy in a quiet conversation with Zhang Tian, asking him about his favorite colors for which colored Spirit Tools he wanted as she would get him that colored Spirit Tool. Oscar's achievement didn't seem to register on her radar at all.
Flender sighed internally but hid it well. "Due to Oscar's breakthrough," he announced loudly, "Teacher Zhao will lead all of you to the Star Dou Great Forest to help him hunt for his third spirit ring! And as a show of team unity, each of you will eat one of his sausages to replenish your energy for the journey!"
A collective groan, both internal and external, went through the group. Dai Mubai, Tang San, and Ma Hongjun grimaced but knew better than to argue. The girls, however, looked utterly disgusted.
Oscar, beaming, produced a handful of his sausages with his vulgar chant. He handed one to each of them.
Dai Mubai and the other boys choked theirs down quickly. But when Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing were handed theirs, they hesitated, their expressions ones of pure revulsion.
Before they could refuse, Zhang Tian spoke up, his voice calm and direct. "Oscar."
Oscar looked at him, still grinning. "Yeah?"
"Turn around," Zhang Tian said simply.
Oscar's grin faltered. "Huh? Why?"
"Turn your head and face the other way," Zhang Tian elaborated, his blue eyes turning cold. "Who knows what vulgar thoughts you are imagining while watching young ladies consume a sausage produced by that spell of yours. Your reputation in Suotuo City precedes you. Don't make them uncomfortable."
The words struck Oscar like a physical blow. He was dumbfounded that Zhang Tian had so bluntly called out his secret, vulgar thoughts. He flushed a deep red.
"That's right!" Ning Rongrong chimed in immediately, feeling emboldened. "Turn around! It's disgusting!"
"I agree," Zhu Zhuqing added, her voice like ice.
Flender sighed. He could see he was fighting a losing battle. The spell was indeed vulgar, and trying to force the issue would only cause more conflict, especially with the logical titan Zhang Tian leading the opposition. "Oscar, just turn around," he grumbled.
Muttering under his breath, Oscar turned his back to them. With his back facing them, the three of them quickly ate the sausages, their expressions pinched.
"Alright, enough delays!" Zhao Wuji boomed, stepping forward. "Let's move out! Dai Mubai, you're the senior student. You will lead the team and determine the formation. I will follow from the rear. Unless a beast appears that I deem beyond your collective ability to handle, I will not intervene. This is a test of your ability and teamwork."
Dai Mubai nodded, his authority reasserted. He quickly arranged them into a standard 2-3-3 formation. "Ma Hongjun and I will take the front, as power-attack types. Oscar and Ning Rongrong, you are the support, stay in the absolute center. Zhang Tian," he looked at the blue-haired boy, "Your control abilities are strong. You will be in the middle with them, acting as their direct bodyguard and the central control point."
He then looked to the back. "Tang San, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, you three will form the rear guard. Tang San, your control will protect our flank. Zhu Zhuqing, your agility makes you a perfect scout and flanker. Xiao Wu, your power can intercept anyone who breaks through. Let's go!"
The newly formed team of monsters, a fragile and fractured unit, stepped out of the academy grounds and began their journey towards the dangers of the Star Dou Great Forest.
~~
A/N: Check out my other novels like "Harem Master: Seduction System" and the "Villain: Manipulating the Heroines into hating the Protagonist" and I hope you like this story and those stories as well.
Check out more chapters on my P.atreon. The P.atreon will have 20+ Chapters ahead for this story. I hope you like it.
The link of p.atreon is: bit.ly/evildragon