...
Seeing his most prized disciple so dejected, Yu Xiaogang couldn't help but let out a complex expression on his usually stiff face.
"Mistress, your teacher understands your current pain."
"When I was young, I was just like you."
"At that time, I also thought that love was everything in life, that the amazing woman in front of me was an indispensable part of me, and that as long as I had her, I would have the whole world."
"But reality is not like that."
"When you think you've lost the whole world, you've only lost one person.
When you think you'll never love again, time will tell you that no one is indispensable."
"Missing the scenery in front of you may be regrettable, but there will be even more beautiful scenery waiting for you ahead."
Yu Xiaogang extended his slightly rough hand, patted Tang San's shoulder, and said earnestly:
"Don't dwell on the past, because only you will remain in it."
"Only the weak wallow in the pain of loss, while the strong are always on the road, always pursuing higher and farther goals."
"Only when you are strong enough, when you stand at the peak and look down on all living beings, will you realize that the hurdle that once caused you unbearable pain was actually... nothing more than that."
"Well said! Absolutely well said!"
Just then, a sudden burst of applause came from the adjacent private room.
Immediately afterwards, the curtain of the private room was lifted, and a tall, straight-backed young man with silver hair and golden eyes walked out slowly with a playful smile on his face.
"As expected of a master, his perspective on issues is truly insightful."
"Not only is his theory of Soul Masters unparalleled, but I never expected him to understand emotional issues so clearly and so... insightfully."
"Um?"
Yu Xiaogang frowned slightly, turned his head to look at the handsome young man who had suddenly appeared and whose tone was unfriendly, and a hint of doubt and displeasure flashed in his eyes.
He didn't know this person.
In his memory, there was no such person among the famous powerful figures or noble scions.
Moreover, the boy's cynical yet somewhat dangerous demeanor made him instinctively uncomfortable.
"Who are you?"
Yu Xiaogang asked coldly, his tone carrying a hint of a master's arrogance:
"We don't seem to know each other."
"Young man, eavesdropping on other people's conversations doesn't seem like very polite behavior, does it?"
"Don't you recognize me?"
Xuan Hao raised an eyebrow, his smile widening.
"Master, you certainly have a short memory.
Although we've never met, you must have heard my name quite a few times, right?"
Upon hearing this, Flander's expression instantly changed.
He abruptly stood up, blocking Yu Xiaogang's path, staring warily at Xuan Hao, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
"Xiaogang! Stop talking!"
Flanders lowered his voice and said urgently:
"He is... he is the one who took Rongrong and Zhuqing away yesterday!"
"What?!"
Yu Xiaogang's pupils contracted sharply, and a crack finally appeared on his stiff face.
Xuan Hao?
Is that... the mysterious young man who's suspected to be a Title Douluo and who utterly crushed his most prized disciple?!
"So it was you."
Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
He pushed aside Flander, who was blocking his way, looked directly at Xuan Hao, straightened his back, and tried to overwhelm him with his aura as an elder and a theoretical master.
"Since you are Lord Xuanhao, may I ask what brings you here?"
"If it's about Xiao Wu, I don't think we have anything to talk about.
Everyone has the right to choose their own future, and since Xiao Wu chose you, we respect her decision."
"but..."
Yu Xiaogang's tone shifted, becoming stern:
"But that doesn't mean you can insult people from Shrek Academy at will!
Nor does it mean you can interfere in conversations between us, master and disciple!"
"insult?"
Xuan Hao chuckled and shook his head:
"Master, you've made a mistake."
"I would never stoop to insulting anyone.
I'm a simple and direct person."
"If I don't like someone, I'll take action. That's all."
Before he could finish speaking...
"Smack—!!!"
A sharp, resounding slap, so clear it echoed through the lobby, rang out without warning!
quick!
That's too fast!
It was so fast that even Flander next to him didn't react in time, and even Tang San's Purple Demon Eye couldn't see the afterimage!
Yu Xiaogang didn't even have time to react.
He was like a spinning top that had been flung into the air, spinning once before crashing heavily to the ground!
"Bang!"
Tables and chairs overturned, and the sounds of bowls and plates shattering echoed throughout the room.
Yu Xiaogang covered his cheek, which had swelled up to half its size, and lay on the ground, completely stunned by the slap.
Who am I? Where am I? What happened?
"teacher!!!"
Tang San let out a shrill roar, his eyes instantly blazing with fury.
Almost instinctively, he flipped his wrist, and the black iron box instantly appeared in his hand.
Zhuge's Divine Crossbow!
"Click-click-click—"
With a click of the mechanism, sixteen crossbow bolts, gleaming with a cold light and possessing terrifying penetrating power capable of piercing metal and stone, shot out toward Xuan Hao's vital points, such as his brow, throat, and heart, which were within arm's reach!
Such close proximity! Such terrifying explosive power!
Even a Soul Master or a Soul Sect member who is caught off guard would surely die from this attack!
"careful!!"
Xiao Wu, who was standing nearby, cried out in surprise and tried to rush forward to help, but it was too late.
However.
Faced with this deadly attack, Xuan Hao didn't even blink, nor did he make a move to dodge.
He simply stood there quietly, letting the crossbow bolts fly towards him.
"Ding ding ding ding—!!!"
A series of crisp metallic clanging sounds rang out.
Those crossbow bolts, strong enough to pierce rocks, stopped abruptly three inches from Xuan Hao's body, as if they had hit an invisible wall!
It was a faint, blood-red aura that was almost invisible unless you looked closely.
The power of Qi and blood!
The crossbow bolts shattered into pieces under the shock of that vital energy, turning into scrap metal that clattered and fell to the ground.
"This...how is this possible?!"
Tang San stared wide-eyed at the broken crossbow bolts scattered on the ground, feeling as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
He knew all too well the power of the Zhuge Divine Crossbow; it was a deadly weapon that could even break through the defenses of a level 40 Soul Master!
They actually... couldn't even break his defense?!
He hasn't even activated his Martial Soul yet?!
"This...this is..."
Dai Mubai, standing to the side, was so wide-eyed that his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
As a Beast Soul Master, he was all too familiar with this kind of energy fluctuation, and it was precisely because of this familiarity that he felt a bottomless fear at this moment.
That wasn't a soul power shield; it was pure, powerful enough to penetrate the body and form a substantial defense!
Are you kidding me?!
Even Zhao Wuji, even a Soul Saint who specializes in physical cultivation, could not possibly cultivate his blood and qi to this extent!
Flanders was also horrified.
When he was young, he traveled all over the continent and had seen Soul Douluo who specialized in cultivating the power of qi and blood.
Such people could shatter mountains with a single punch.
But he had never heard of anyone whose blood and qi were so powerful that a mere thin layer of energy could block such a level of hidden weapon attack!
What kind of monster is this boy?!
Is this your trump card?
Xuan Hao glanced down at the broken crossbow bolts on the ground, then looked up and glanced at Tang San, who was still in a shooting posture and stiff all over.
"The workmanship is not bad, but unfortunately... the power is too weak."
As he spoke, his eyes sharpened.
"boom--!!"
A terrifying killing intent, or rather, an absolute suppression originating from the level of life, instantly enveloped Tang San!
Tang San felt as if the blood in his body had frozen at that moment, every muscle was trembling, and he didn't even have the strength to move a finger.
It wasn't just fear, but a kind of despair as if being targeted by a natural enemy!
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