Your Opponent Has Never Been It

"Want to learn? I can teach you."

Lin Xi's words were like a boulder crashing into Tang San's tranquil heart, stirring up towering waves.

Teach him?

Teach him that terrifying secret spiritual technique that could make a Spirit Elder kneel in submission and shatter their martial spirit with nothing more than a glance?

Tang San's heart began pounding uncontrollably.

He came from the Tang Sect and carried the six great arts of the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record.

Whether it was the Mysterious Heaven Skill, Mysterious Jade Hand, Purple Demon Eye, or Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, every one of them was a supreme secret technique unheard of on Douluo Continent.

They were his greatest pride and source of confidence across two lifetimes.

But now, that pride seemed so insignificant before Lin Xi.

The power Lin Xi wielded and the knowledge she possessed had completely surpassed the limits of his understanding.

That was power from another dimension, on an even higher level!

If he could learn it...

Tang San's breathing grew hurried.

Looking into Lin Xi's unfathomable eyes, he felt as though he had seen a gate leading to a brand-new world.

He did not put on airs or hesitate. Solemnly, he bowed deeply.

"Please... teach me."

He spoke those two words with absolute sincerity.

"Good."

Lin Xi nodded lightly, seemingly unsurprised by his response.

"Your Purple Demon Eye is, by itself, a decent method for cultivating Spiritual Power. But it focuses too much on 'seeing' and neglects 'refining.'"

"It only teaches you how to observe the smallest details and identify weaknesses. It does not teach you how to condense Spiritual Power into a tangible attack—the Spiritual Thought Thorn."

With a single sentence, she had exposed both the essence and flaw of the Purple Demon Eye.

Tang San was deeply shaken.

She was completely right!

The Purple Demon Eye's four stages—Surveying, Insight, Mustard Seed, and Vastness—were all auxiliary observation methods. They possessed no offensive capabilities whatsoever.

And Lin Xi even knew that!

"Once we leave the Soul Hunting Forest, I'll teach you the Great Void Visualization Chart."

Lin Xi continued.

"Visualize it every day in conjunction with your Purple Demon Eye. Within three years, your Spiritual Power will be capable of killing with a thought, at least in its initial form."

Killing with a thought!

Tang San sucked in a sharp breath.

Those four words struck him even harder than Lin Xi's display of divine might earlier.

Such a method existed only in myths and legends!

"Teacher!"

Yu Xiaogang, who had been standing nearby, could no longer hold himself back. He hurried forward, his face full of longing, like a fledgling waiting to be fed.

"I... can I learn too?"

He wanted to learn as well!

He dreamed of possessing that kind of immense power!

Lin Xi glanced at him and calmly uttered three words.

"You're unworthy."

The longing on Yu Xiaogang's face instantly froze, turning into boundless disappointment and bitterness.

That was right.

His martial spirit was already a joke, his foundation long since rotten. What could he possibly use to bear a spiritual secret technique fit for gods?

Lin Xi ignored him and continued leading the group deeper into the forest.

Her goal was clear.

It was as if she held an invisible map in her hand, accurately avoiding every unnecessary danger as she headed straight for a particular area.

The farther they went, the stronger the spirit beast auras around them became.

The sense of danger in the air also grew increasingly intense.

Xiao Wu gradually lost her playful smile. Her little face tightened as she warily surveyed their surroundings.

She could sense that something big was nearby.

"Teacher..."

Yu Xiaogang finally could not hold back. Looking at the increasingly unfamiliar surroundings, he forced himself to speak.

"This... is already beyond the safe area on the outskirts of the Soul Hunting Forest. If we go any farther, we may encounter Thousand-Year Spirit Beasts. With our current strength..."

"I told you to shut up."

Lin Xi's voice was as cold as ice.

Yu Xiaogang shuddered and immediately fell silent.

But his eyes were filled with worry.

It was not that he did not trust Lin Xi. It was simply that the world of spirit beasts was far crueler than theory suggested.

A true Thousand-Year Spirit Beast possessed combat strength comparable to a Four Rings Soul Ancestor!

Aside from Lin Xi, an existence beyond ordinary comprehension, Tang San was merely a Spirit Master about to reach level ten. He could not see through Xiao Wu's strength, while he himself was a level twenty-nine "waste."

If such a group encountered a powerful enemy, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Just then, Lin Xi stopped walking.

She stood before a clearing, raised her head, and looked toward an ancient tree so massive that it would take more than a dozen people to encircle it.

"We're here."

She spoke softly.

"Here? Where is here?" Xiao Wu asked in confusion.

Tang San's Purple Demon Eye also instantly activated to its limit as he cautiously scanned the surroundings.

The clearing was quiet.

Unnaturally quiet.

Not even the sound of insects could be heard.

Lin Xi did not answer. She merely extended a slender finger and lightly pointed at the towering ancient tree.

A nearly imperceptible strand of golden Soul Power shot silently into the tree trunk like an arrow released from a bowstring.

The next second—

ROAR!!!

A terrifying roar that seemed capable of shattering the heavens suddenly erupted from the tree's crown!

Immediately afterward, an enormous black shadow descended from above!

BOOM!!!

The ground shook violently.

A gigantic ape more than five meters tall appeared before them, its entire body covered in black fur as hard as steel, its muscles knotted like mountain rock!

Its eyes were a savage crimson.

Its fangs were like sharp short swords.

An incomparably ferocious, violent aura surged toward them like a tangible hurricane!

"It... it's a Violent Vajra Ape!"

Yu Xiaogang screamed, all color draining from his face in an instant.

"And... judging by its size and aura, this one... this one has at least two thousand years of cultivation!"

Two thousand years!

Those words made Tang San and Xiao Wu's hearts sink to the bottom.

A two-thousand-year Violent Vajra Ape was known for its strength and defense. Its combat power was even greater than that of some ordinary Soul Ancestors!

This was simply not an opponent they could contend with!

"Teacher! Run! We're no match for it!"

Yu Xiaogang shouted in utter terror. Instinctively, he wanted to summon his martial spirit, Luo Sanpao, though he knew it would be completely useless.

Yet Lin Xi remained where she stood, her expression calm.

Watching the giant ape that had gone berserk because its territory had been invaded, she turned to Tang San and said:

"Go."

"What?" Tang San froze.

"Your opponent has never been it."

Lin Xi's gaze fell upon the giant ape as though she were looking at a corpse.

"Your opponent is yourself."

"I only want to see how much power your Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record and your Tang Sect arts can display in the face of absolute mortal danger."

"Go."

"Let me see whether you are willing to remain mediocre, or whether... you are qualified to stand by my side."

Her voice was soft and cold.

Yet it struck Tang San's heart like a heavy hammer.

Tang San's pupils contracted sharply.

He understood.

Lin Xi had lured out this terrifying spirit beast not for herself, nor to help him obtain a spirit ring.

This was... a trial for him!

A cruel trial with his life as the wager!

Roar!

The Violent Vajra Ape gave Tang San no time to think. Roaring furiously, it swung its pot-sized fist, carrying a gale that tore through the air, and smashed it toward Tang San at the front!

The shadow of death instantly enveloped him.

"San! Get out of the way!"

Xiao Wu cried out anxiously.

But there was not the slightest fear in Tang San's eyes.

At that moment, his blood completely boiled!

Qualified to stand by my side...

Lin Xi's words echoed over and over in his mind.

He took a deep breath. The Mysterious Heaven Skill within him began circulating wildly, and Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track activated!

His body left behind an afterimage where he stood as he narrowly evaded that fatal punch!

Boom!

The giant ape's fist struck the spot where he had just been standing.

The ground instantly cracked apart, leaving behind a half-meter-deep crater that was a terrifying sight!

What terrifying strength!

Tang San was shocked, but he did not retreat.

Unprecedented fighting spirit ignited in his eyes!

With a flick of his wrist, several streaks of cold light silently shot from his sleeves!

A Tang Sect hidden weapon—the Sleeve Arrow!

He would use this battle to prove to that girl—

He, Tang San, was absolutely not useless trash who needed to hide behind a woman!

He was qualified to stand shoulder to shoulder with her!