Destroy What You Cannot Have

Ah Yin shook her head slightly.

She was not entirely satisfied with Tang Hao's answer.

"If..." She trailed off.

She had wanted to ask what Tang Hao would do if the Clear Sky Sect wanted to harm her.

But after giving it some thought, she still did not ask.

"If what?" Tang Hao pressed.

"Forget it! It's nothing! Let's eat!"

And so, the matter of driving a wedge between the two was postponed.

Tang Hao understood Ah Yin's value as a powerful Blue Silver Grass Soul Master amid this craze.

Naturally, others understood it as well!

Especially Qian Xunjie, who had been eager to achieve something for Spirit Hall.

Even before Qian Xunjie announced the formula, he had thought of Ah Yin.

Spirit Hall's records had never documented such a powerful Blue Silver Grass Soul Master!

Qian Xunjie wanted very much to recruit Ah Yin into Spirit Hall.

With both the formula and Ah Yin, he could hardly imagine how much profit Spirit Hall would gain!

"But why does someone like her have to be connected to the Clear Sky Sect?"

"What a nuisance!"

Qian Xunjie had no intention of giving up just like that.

According to reports from Spirit Hall's surveillance personnel, Tang Hao and Ah Yin were still interacting as friends.

Qian Xunjie believed he could try to win Ah Yin over.

In his eyes, Spirit Hall was far more appealing than the Clear Sky Sect!

Of course, if Ah Yin was too deeply entangled with Tang Hao, or came from another major force and refused his invitation, then he would have to use another method!

By now, he did not care much whether Ah Yin was an unaffiliated Soul Master or belonged to some force.

He only cared whether Ah Yin could join Spirit Hall!

Qian Xunjie summoned several Spirit Douluos.

"Find Tang Hao and that female Blue Silver Grass Soul Master. Then lure Tang Hao away and speak with that female Soul Master alone!"

"Tell her that I invite her to join Spirit Hall. If she agrees, Spirit Hall will spare no effort in nurturing her!"

"Whether it is power or wealth, Spirit Hall can give her the very best!"

"If she refuses, make her disappear!"

"But do not let Tang Hao discover it, lest you bring unnecessary trouble upon Spirit Hall!"

Ah Yin's identity had not yet been exposed. Qian Xunjie only believed she was human and did not want to act too directly, giving the Clear Sky Sect an excuse to condemn Spirit Hall.

The Soul Masters accepted their orders and departed.

Just as these Soul Masters left Spirit City, a black figure quietly followed them.

The Spirit Hall Soul Masters soon arrived at the small town where Tang Hao and Ah Yin were staying.

They met up with the Soul Masters responsible for surveillance and explained the task Qian Xunjie had assigned.

"Luring Tang Hao away won't be difficult. He has a fiery temper, so a little provocation will do!"

They divided up the work and selected several Soul Masters to lure Tang Hao away.

The rest then sought out Ah Yin, who was alone.

Upon seeing them, Ah Yin became highly wary. "Who are you?"

"We are Soul Masters of Spirit Hall!"

At once, Ah Yin's entire body tensed. Her vigilance rose to the utmost, and she prepared to flee at any moment!

She neither knew their strength nor excelled at combat.

"Don't be nervous! We aren't here to cause trouble!" The Spirit Hall Soul Masters hurriedly tried to reassure her.

Ah Yin's vigilance did not lessen in the slightest, though her expression softened somewhat.

"What do you want with me?"

"Your Eminence the Pope was very surprised upon learning of your existence!"

The Spirit Hall Soul Master spoke elegantly. "Never in the history of Douluo Continent has a Blue Silver Grass Soul Master cultivated to your level!"

"Your Eminence the Pope greatly admires your talent and wishes to invite you to join Spirit Hall!"

So that was it!

Ah Yin breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed Spirit Hall had not discovered her true identity. They were merely searching for Blue Silver Grass Soul Masters.

Ah Yin carefully considered her wording, and a gentle smile appeared on her face. "I'm sorry! I may have to disappoint you!"

The moment she said this, the expressions of the Spirit Hall Soul Masters darkened.

"I am free-spirited by nature and do not like joining other forces and being restrained!"

"Still, I thank Your Eminence the Pope for his appreciation and regard!"

The Soul Masters exchanged glances.

They heard an implied message in her words: Ah Yin did not belong to any force and was an unaffiliated Soul Master.

They still wanted to persuade her further.

"Spirit Hall is the most powerful and prestigious Soul Master organization on Douluo Continent!"

"Would you like to consider it carefully?" The Spirit Hall Soul Master's tone became much more serious.

"There's no need! I only enjoy a free life and do not care for fame, wealth, or power!"

Ah Yin's body tensed again, afraid they would silence her after being rejected.

"Since that is the case, what a pity!" The Spirit Hall Soul Masters exchanged looks.

Just as she had expected, if she refused, Spirit Hall intended to kill her!

What they could not have, no one else could have either!

However, before they could make any move, a sharp bird cry suddenly rang out in the distance!

The expressions of the Spirit Hall Soul Masters changed.

It was a signal to retreat!

Though they did not understand what had happened, they still chose to leave.

Ah Yin did not know it was a signal. Seeing them leave, she relaxed.

She had thought Spirit Hall was not so ruthless as to kill someone merely for refusing to join.

Soon after, these Soul Masters met up with the ones who had lured Tang Hao away.

"Why did you send the retreat signal? What happened to you?"

The men responsible for luring Tang Hao away were all battered and bruised, with blood at the corners of their mouths. Two of them even seemed to have broken arms.

One of them explained, "We underestimated Tang Hao's combat strength! He fought several of us across ranks, and he did it with ease!"

"Yeah, we miscalculated!" another agreed.

They had initially thought that Tang Hao, as a genius of the Clear Sky Sect, being able to fight across ranks was understandable. Even fighting several opponents across ranks was understandable!

But they had never expected Tang Hao to handle several higher-ranked opponents so easily!

They had not even held out until the scheduled time!

From the shadows, Lucifer mused that Tang Hao really did have a knack for fighting.

"However, unless you can crush everything before you, fighting alone cannot solve many problems!"

"The world is not just about fighting and killing, but about relationships and social maneuvering!"

Lucifer was also very capable in a fight.

Yet he rarely made a move in this world. Aside from the need to nurture his soul, he also enjoyed playing with people's hearts!

Playing with people's hearts is so much more interesting!

Constant killing is rather boring too!

The Spirit Hall Soul Masters left, their mission this time deemed a failure.

After all, the Pope's requirement had been to eliminate Ah Yin without giving the Clear Sky Sect an excuse to claim the moral high ground.

Fortunately, they had not shown any killing intent just now, so the impact was minor.

Lucifer estimated that Qian Xunjie would still send people to secretly assassinate Ah Yin!

According to the original course of events, Qian Xunjie would only begin targeting Ah Yin after her identity was exposed.

Meanwhile, Tang Hao returned to Ah Yin's side.

"Hao, why were you gone for so long?"

Tang Hao snorted. "The moment I came out of the latrine, I heard someone speaking badly about our Clear Sky Sect! I gave them a thorough lesson!"

"So that was it!" Ah Yin did not sense anything wrong either.