Forget It

Seeing two of the era's foremost Titled Douluo about to spar, Zhao Wuji and Flender could not help widening their eyes, staring fixedly at the pair. They were only Soul Sage-level Soul Masters, still an extremely long way from becoming Titled Douluo. If they could witness a battle between Titled Douluo firsthand, perhaps they might gain some insight from it.

Of course, the greater likelihood was that they would not understand a damn thing. After all, if simply watching others fight allowed people to gain insight so easily, every academy and sect in the world should have gone bankrupt long ago.

In the end, it still depended on one's talent and comprehension. If your comprehension was good, you could gain something from it. If it was poor, then you could only watch the spectacle.

They had thought what followed would be a Dragon-Tiger Battle, an intense duel worthy of being recorded in the history of the Soul Master World. But before long, Flender and Zhao Wuji blinked, then exchanged bewildered looks, seemingly confused by what they were seeing.

Bang!

Boom!

Bang! Bang! Rumble...!!

What unfolded before Flender and Zhao Wuji looked like a father beating his son.

The once-arrogant Clear Sky Douluo, renowned throughout the Soul Master World and idolized by countless people, now looked as bedraggled as a dog. He could only keep dodging his opponent's attacks, occasionally having to roll across the ground and cover himself in mud just to barely evade them.

Meanwhile, his opponent stood calmly in place. With a casual wave of his hand, he had not even summoned his Martial Soul. He merely released powerful Soul Power, forming shockwaves that shattered every one of Tang Hao's methods and beat him until he looked like a mangy dog rolling in the mud.

"This..."

After Flender and Zhao Wuji exchanged a glance, cold sweat broke out across their backs. Then, without drawing attention to themselves, they quietly backed away and put some distance between themselves and the scene.

Why did they do that?

Could they really watch the Clear Sky Douluo get beaten like a dead dog and witness such a humiliating sight?

If they stayed and watched, could they be sure Tang Hao would not kill them to silence them afterward out of shame and rage?

No one wanted their embarrassing side exposed, especially someone like Tang Hao, whose character was notoriously vile and shameless. Over a minor conflict, he would go looking for trouble with a girl and even try to kill her. He had none of a true powerhouse's bearing. What could anyone expect from someone like that?

"Where is your Ring Burst?"

"Why have you not used it yet?"

After waving his hand once more and sending Tang Hao flying with powerful Soul Power, Ye Cheng frowned and said, "I heard that you relied on the Clear Sky Sect's Ring Burst secret technique to calmly escape the pursuit of a Limit Douluo. Could it be nothing more than a rumor?"

Tang Hao did not answer. Ring Burst was not something he could use casually; it was a secret technique reserved for desperate life-or-death situations. If he used it, he would be weakened for some time. This was only a sparring match, not the time to risk his life.

At the same time, he silently marveled at the strength of Twin Martial Souls. He had once escaped alive from the hands of Qian Daoliu, who was also a Limit Douluo, and so he could better sense the difference between them. Compared to Qian Daoliu, who possessed only nine soul rings, Ye Cheng, who bore eighteen soul rings, was undoubtedly far more powerful.

He had not even used a soul skill. He was so strong that his immense Soul Power alone could dissolve every one of Tang Hao's attacks and forcibly suppress him! The moment Tang Hao unleashed his domain, it was broken. Against the crushing pressure of that Soul Power, even his soul skills were like paper, shattering at the slightest touch!

Before the man in front of him, he was as fragile as an infant!

The gap was simply too great.

They "sparred" for a while longer.

Seeing that Tang Hao still refused to use Ring Burst, and that after recognizing the gap between them, he had simply focused on defense and passively endured the beating, looking as though he had given up resisting altogether, Ye Cheng stopped with a speechless expression.

He truly had not expected Tang Hao to be such a coward. Even if he had merely burst a ring as a token gesture, Ye Cheng would not have looked down on him this much. He had completely given up.

Looking at Tang Hao, who offered no resistance at all and seemed to be saying do whatever you want, Ye Cheng began considering how to deal with him.

Kill him?

In reality, Tang Hao had neither provoked nor offended him. If Ye Cheng wanted to kill him merely because he found him unpleasant, would that not make him like those evil overlords in television dramas who slaughtered innocents at will?

Then cripple him?

The same reasoning applied.

There was currently no conflict between them. They bore each other no grudge, yet Ye Cheng would cripple him anyway. That would make no sense. It would also not fit his character setting.

Besides, with his current strength, was there any meaning in bullying a half-crippled Tang Hao?

Looking at Tang Hao's miserable state, Ye Cheng thought it over and realized that aside from finding him unpleasant, he had no reason to kill him at all.

Forget it. He had vented enough anger already.

He would let him off this time.

Ye Cheng shook his head. Then, not even bothering to spare Tang Hao another glance, he turned and left the devastated area.

After he left.

Tang Hao finally could not hold on any longer. His legs gave out, and he dropped heavily onto the ground, gasping for breath as though he had survived a catastrophe.

PS: Sorry. The author has been a little stuck these past two days. I wrote a lot, but after reviewing it, I was dissatisfied with all of it. I kept deleting and revising, then gave up on everything in the end. It all felt like filler. I need to revisit the Douluo series and look for inspiration. There will only be one update today for now. I will make up the chapters I owe in a couple of days.