Yang Fan's two purple soul rings flared violently.
Shatter! Pierce!
The dual soul skills amplified his Soul Breaking Spear, shooting a foot-long jet of orange-red flame from its tip.
In a lightning pivot, Yang Fan channeled Dou Qi through his body. Spear aimed diagonally upward, he thrust with brutal precision.
"Chasing Stars · Blazing Fire!"
No technique suited the Soul Breaking Spear better.
Midair, the Diamond Mammoth soul master's eyes widened in horror—his entire body tensing involuntarily.
He saw it coming.
But helplessness choked him.
Agility was the Diamond Mammoth's fatal flaw—and midair, with no leverage…all he could do was await fate's verdict.
Hiss—!
The sound of steel piercing flesh.
Before the soul master could even register the pain, gushing blood signaled his end.
Yang Fan didn't linger.
After erasing all traces linking him to the kills, he vanished swiftly.
If these two suspected him, they wouldn't have come alone.
Yet their earlier conversation revealed Elephant Armor Sect hadn't confirmed him as Hu Yanhai's killer—or implicated the Broken Sect.
He could cultivate in peace.
…
Elsewhere.
A derelict village outside Suotuo City.
Unless visiting intentionally, no one would believe a soul master academy existed here—let alone one with students. This place lacked funds, facilities, and even official registration.
"Xiaogang… this is… Tang Hao's son?"
The middle-aged man in black-rimmed glasses by the bedside was Flender, Shrek Academy's headmaster.
He'd heard rumors of Tang Hao killing Qian Xunji years ago. Now, he studied Tang San with newfound intensity.
"Yes," Yu Xiaogang confirmed. "This is Tang San—Tang Hao's son."
It took them three grueling days to reach Suotuo City from Sunset Forest. Yu Xiaogang rushed straight to Flender without rest.
"Stop staring! Check Xiao San's injuries—what can we do?"
Flender's expression turned grave. He understood the stakes.
Tang Hao entrusted his son to Yu Xiaogang—and within a year, the boy nearly died. If Tang Hao found out, he'd hammer both of them into paste.
"Hmm…" Flender frowned, then sighed heavily. "His injuries are severe. They might leave hidden ailments."
"Do you think I don't know that? I'm asking if you can cure him!"
Hidden ailments.
That word meant even geniuses could never become true powerhouses.
Yu Xiaogang refused to accept this. Initially, he'd seen Tang San as proof for his Ten Core Martial Soul Theories. But after two years, even a dog would earn affection.
More importantly—he couldn't return Tang Hao's genius son as a cripple.
"Shao Xin! Give this kid two Jelly Beans!"
The chubby man beside him was Shrek Academy's sole food-system Soul Emperor.
Shao Xin's Jelly Beans boosted speed, strength, and soul power recovery—but had no healing properties.
But it was better than nothing.
Flender fed Tang San two beans, hoping to stabilize him.
"Can you really expel the hidden force from Tang San's body?" Yu Xiaogang pressed urgently.
He lacked the power himself—that's why he came to Flender.
"Is Tang Hao truly unfindable?" Flender hesitated.
As a Soul Saint, expelling six layers of hidden force was easy—for an ordinary child. But this was Tang Hao's son.
Success would bring joy. Failure? Unthinkable.
"If I could find him, would I be here?" Yu Xiaogang snapped. "Do it! I'll take full responsibility—Tang Hao won't blame you."
Flender chuckled dryly.
Easy to say—but would that hothead Tang Hao care about "responsibility"?
Both he and Yu Xiaogang would be dead.
Still, Flender decided to act—not for Tang San, but to save his old friend from Tang Hao's hammer.
"Wuji, Shao Xin—stay and assist. Xiaogang, leave!"
Without ceremony, he shoved Yu Xiaogang out. A Soul Grandmaster would only hinder them now.
"Boss… are we really doing this?" Zhao Wuji muttered.
With the nickname "Immovable Vajra" on the Douluo Continent, Zhao's arrogance had earned him countless enemies, forcing him into hiding here.
If he angered Tang Hao now, death was certain.
Shao Xin shared his worry but stayed silent.
"Do it!" Flender ordered. "Shao Xin—two more Jelly Beans!"
The procedure went smoothly.
In minutes, Flender expelled the hidden force from Tang San's body.
"This kid's lucky to be alive!"
Tang San's robust physique saved him; otherwise, permanent damage was inevitable.
Tang San slowly opened his eyes—to see Yu Xiaogang's weary face.
"Teacher… I lost."
His spirit was shattered.
Losing a cherished soul ring was one thing—but this defeat crushed his confidence.
At Nuoding Academy, he believed himself peerless among his age group. Now, he knew: the sky had no limits.
"It's alright," Yu Xiaogang soothed. "That soul master was simply stronger."
He'd realized his error: anyone who could defeat Tang San without summoning a martial soul couldn't possibly be a one-ring soul master.
Perhaps the cloaked figure spoke truth—they didn't need the soul ring. But why take a useless Ghost Vine?
"The Douluo Continent is filled with experts," Flender added, echoed by Zhao Wuji and others. "Your progress—innate full soul power and two rings by age eight—is dazzling."
But Tang San shook his head.
Others might call him a genius—but he no longer believed it.
During their fight in Sunset Forest, he'd glimpsed half a face beneath that black hood.
Youthful.
The face of someone his own age.
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