Chapter 9

Just as the entire Douluo Continent buzzed with discussion, a new scene appeared on the light screen.

Under a night sky filled with a crescent moon and scattered stars, an ancient-looking complex of buildings stood amid the mountains.

Layer upon layer of peaks rose around it, white mist curling through them. Everything seemed dreamlike and illusory, as though it did not belong to the mortal world at all!

Among the mountain peaks, several were positioned like stars encircling the moon, surrounding the tallest and most majestic central peak as though guarding it!

At the highest point of the central peak, four large characters had been carved into the cliff face: "Shushan Tang Sect"!

Several iron chains connected the peaks, serving as the only passageways between them! Beneath those chain paths lay cloud-shrouded ravines whose bottoms could not be seen. Anyone who fell would have absolutely no chance of survival!

Each peak was covered with buildings. Though they were not as exquisitely arranged or as grand in style as those on the central mountain, they were perfectly suitable as residences!

At that moment, before a chain bridge on one of the peaks, a black-clad figure suddenly appeared. He was wrapped tightly from head to toe in black nightwear, with only a pair of youthful eyes exposed. Without hesitation, he leaped onto the chain bridge and raced toward the central peak!

As he moved, afterimages seemed to flicker into existence around him!

His target was a solemn pavilion atop the central peak!

Just then, as the black-clad figure and the pavilion appeared together in the Heavenly Ranking's image, the Heavenly Ranking helpfully provided text introductions for both, labeling them respectively: "Tang San as an adult," and "Tang Sect Scripture Pavilion—stores all of the Tang Sect's important cultivation techniques and hidden weapon manufacturing methods. Disciples must exchange sect contribution points if they wish to cultivate them!"

The instant they saw the final annotation, everyone could not help muttering to themselves.

Could this Tang San fellow be planning to steal the sect's cultivation techniques?

No way, right?! No matter what, Tang San had been rescued and raised by the Tang Sect. He would not repay them like this, would he?!

A person could not—at the very least, should not—repay kindness with enmity like this!

At Shrek Academy, Dai Mubai and the others could not stop their gazes from shifting toward Tang San, their expressions becoming somewhat subtle.

Ning Rongrong in particular, having been born into a sect herself, now looked at Tang San with a hint of wariness in her eyes!

At the same time, they had all confirmed that this new Exposer was their new classmate, Tang San!

After all, they had personally seen it yesterday. The movement technique used by the "Tang San" on the screen was exactly the same as the one used by their classmate Tang San!

It seemed to be called Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track!

Tang San naturally noticed those gazes. But having already thought everything through, he paid no attention to his companions' looks. He believed that once everyone had watched all the memories of his previous life, they would surely understand him!

He had done nothing wrong!

Only Xiao Wu, who truly had little experience in the ways of the world, still could not understand what the "Tang San" in the scene was doing. Instead, she cheered excitedly.

"Look, that's Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track! It's Little San's unique footwork!"

"I knew it! This Exposer is Little San! Hmph, hmph, hmph..."

As everyone continued to speculate, the explanatory text on the screen gradually faded away, and the scene continued.

The black-clad Tang San silently entered the central peak, skillfully evading the scalp-numbing traps and patrolling disciples along the way. In the end, he arrived in the shadow beside the outer wall of the Scripture Pavilion. After easily avoiding the disciples on guard duty, he reached a door on the pavilion's top floor, took out a piece of wire, silently picked the lock, and darted inside in an instant.

Inside the top floor of the Scripture Pavilion, nine-tiered wooden shelves lined the surrounding walls, every level packed full of bamboo scrolls!

The image swept past, revealing the titles on several scrolls.

"Compendium of Poisons," "Tang Sect Poison Arts," "Advanced Hidden Weapon Techniques"...

After secretly infiltrating the pavilion, the black-clad Tang San did not even glance at the bamboo scrolls on the surrounding shelves. Instead, he headed straight to a counter crafted entirely from white jade in the center of the pavilion.

Before him lay only a single book placed in the center of the jade counter, its cover bearing the words "Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record"!

The moment he saw that secret manual, the black-clad Tang San's exposed eyes filled with extreme excitement. He growled in a low voice, "The Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record! As expected, it is the Tang Sect's highest secret manual—the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record, which only Inner Sect Disciples are qualified to cultivate! I finally found it!"

As he spoke, the black-clad Tang San reached out, grabbed the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record, and immediately opened it.

"Internal cultivation method—Mysterious Heaven Skill!"

"Movement technique—Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track!"

"Hand training technique—Mysterious Jade Hand!"

"Eye training technique—Purple Demon Eye!"

"Grappling technique—Controlling Crane Catching Dragon!"

"Hidden weapon technique—Hundred Solutions to Hidden Weapons!"

"Hahaha! Just as I thought! It was said that the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track cultivated by us Tang Sect Outer Sect Disciples was merely one section of the Tang Sect's true supreme tome. This is the real supreme tome of the Tang Sect—the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record!"

Excitedly flipping through the manual, the black-clad Tang San turned straight to the final section, Hundred Solutions to Hidden Weapons. Looking at the entries for Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus, Guanyin's Tear, Torrential Rain Pear Blossom Needle, King Yama's Invitation...

As he looked at the legendary hidden weapons recorded in Hundred Solutions to Hidden Weapons, along with their detailed manufacturing methods, the black-clad Tang San's eyes became so excited they nearly bloodshot. Only after reading through it all did he tuck the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record into his clothes against his chest, then cautiously climbed back out through the door and fled once more!

The scene gradually dimmed at this point!

Compared to the discussion when the previous scene ended, this time the entire continent erupted into waves of furious cursing!

"An ungrateful wretch! A truly ungrateful wretch! This Tang San is simply rotten to the core!"

"Heh! I guessed earlier that this guy might steal something from the sect, but I never expected him to go straight for the Tang Sect's highest tome! That old man Tang Lan really should never have saved this kind of sect traitor!"

"Exactly! The Heavenly Dao Rankings' explanation makes it clear that those cultivation techniques could only be learned after disciples made sufficient contributions to the sect. Yet this Tang San chose to steal them outright. It is utterly disgraceful!"

"Hehe, now that this has been exposed, I hope this fellow's reincarnation hides his identity well. Otherwise, there probably will not be a single major power in this era willing to accept someone like him!"

"..."