The Gap

"It's you!" Yu Xiaogang looked astonished. He had never expected to run into Bai Yuan in the Soul Hunting Forest.

Bai Yuan chuckled. "Long time no see, Yu Xiaogang. And you too, Tang San."

Tang San raised an eyebrow as he looked at Bai Yuan.

Yu Xiaogang said in a deep voice, "How did a liar like you get in here? Let me tell you, if you didn't go through the proper procedures, once Spirit Hall finds out, you'll be walking straight into a dead end."

Bai Yuan froze for a moment, then gave a cold chuckle. "I'm walking into a dead end? I think you're the one who doesn't have long to live. A worthless Level 29 Soul Master like you dares to bring someone here alone to hunt Soul Beasts? Aren't you afraid of getting them killed?"

According to the original plot, when Yu Xiaogang helped Tang San hunt his first Soul Ring, the two of them had nearly died.

If Tang San had not cheated with his hidden weapons in the end, that chapter would have ended the whole story because of Yu Xiaogang's arrogance and refusal to form a team.

A flicker of anger passed through Yu Xiaogang's eyes.

Tang San's gaze turned unfriendly. He felt Bai Yuan had a death wish, actually daring to curse his teacher and disciple to death.

But Bai Yuan was no longer the same as before, and he did not care in the slightest.

After all, although Yu Xiaogang was Level 29, his martial soul was trash among trash. Any somewhat formidable one-ring Soul Master could knock him flat.

The only thing Bai Yuan cared about was Tang San's hidden weapons.

Yu Xiaogang fell silent for a moment before saying, "Xiao San, conflicts in the Soul Hunting Forest will only waste time and Soul Power. Let's go."

Tang San glanced at Bai Yuan. "Teacher, killing him won't take much time or Soul Power. We might as well deal with him now, so he won't cause us trouble later."

[General Principles of the Tang Sect's Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record, Rule Three: Once you have determined that your opponent is an enemy, so long as they have a death wish, show no mercy. Otherwise, you will only bring trouble upon yourself.]

Bai Yuan was clearly their enemy.

Yu Xiaogang was silent for a moment, then nodded. "It's good to deal with him now, so there won't be any accidents later. Xiao San, take this as a practical combat exercise."

"Alright."

Tang San nodded, used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, and charged at Bai Yuan.

He did not choose to use the hidden weapons he was best at, instead choosing to engage Bai Yuan in close-quarters combat.

Bai Yuan sneered repeatedly. A practical combat exercise?

Perfect. He had just gained the cultivation of the Qi Refining Third Layer and needed a practical battle to familiarize himself with it.

Tang San moved like a ghost, and Yu Xiaogang nodded again and again, feeling that his disciple was truly blessed with peerless talent, able to create such a movement technique at such a young age.

Yet in Bai Yuan's eyes, Tang San was painfully slow. Even if Bai Yuan did not know a single spell, he could still knock him down with one slap.

At last, Tang San closed in. Suddenly, he flashed behind Bai Yuan.

Yu Xiaogang clearly saw Tang San take a rapid step to reach Bai Yuan's back. Without even turning his head, Tang San bent his right arm and drove an elbow into Bai Yuan's waist.

His right foot remained directly in front of Bai Yuan, intending to use this single move to knock him down.

Tang San held nothing back in this move. His Level 10 Soul Power and all the strength in his body were fully mobilized.

Tang San's elbow struck Bai Yuan's waist heavily, but only produced a dull bang. Bai Yuan's body did not even sway, much less trip over Tang San's right foot.

"That's it?" Bai Yuan smiled disdainfully and casually swung a hand behind him. Immense force, carrying a fierce gust of wind, swept toward Tang San.

The swing was incredibly fast, and its power was terrifying. Tang San could only raise his arms before him to block, but he was still sent flying and rolled several times across the ground.

"How is that possible?!" Yu Xiaogang was utterly shocked.

When he had seen Bai Yuan some time ago, Bai Yuan had still been an ordinary person without even a trace of Soul Power. Now he could casually send a Level 10 Soul Master flying?

No, no, no! Something was wrong!

Yu Xiaogang also noticed that Bai Yuan did not have the slightest fluctuation of Soul Power around him. He seemed just like an ordinary person.

Once he understood this, Yu Xiaogang suddenly realized.

So he was merely an exceptionally strong ordinary person.

When facing an ordinary adult, even a child Soul Master who had not obtained a Soul Ring might not be a match. An exceptionally strong ordinary person was another matter entirely.

"What kind of skill is bullying a child as an adult? Let me face you! Law Three Cannon!" Yu Xiaogang stepped forward.

Law Three Cannon let out a low growl.

At some point, Bai Yu had also arrived behind Bai Yuan.

"I won't let you bully Master!" The little girl, her hair tied into two buns, stepped forward.

In Bai Yu's eyes, three against one was bullying her Master. She had to step out.

Yu Xiaogang glanced at Bai Yu, then turned to Bai Yuan and said coldly, "I never thought that after failing to deceive Xiao San, you would actually go and abduct another child."

Bai Yuan smiled disdainfully. "Abduct? Everything I, Bai Yuan, do is aboveboard. When have I ever deceived Tang San? I told you the truth, but you refused to believe it. Others believe me, and you call her abducted?"

Yu Xiaogang said coldly, "Cultivation? How could anyone in this world believe that? Even if children believed it, their parents never would. If this girl wasn't abducted by you, then how else could she have come here?"

Bai Yuan snorted and did not explain.

Tang San climbed to his feet. "Teacher, there's no need for you to act. I wasn't serious just now. Now I'm going to get serious."

Yu Xiaogang paused but said nothing.

Bai Yu remained silent, looking like a socially anxious little girl.

Tang San's eyes turned completely purple as he unleashed the Tang Sect's secret art, the Purple Demon Eye!

At the same time, Tang San brushed his waist and took out a huge white radish from Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlight Night.

Tang San had yet to make enough hidden weapons, so he could only use the radishes meant for feeding Law Three Cannon as concealed weapons.

However, in Bai Yuan's memories, this seemed to be something Tang San needed when dealing with opponents, didn't it?

Yet this thing was completely useless against Bai Yuan. The only thing that made him somewhat wary was the Silent Sleeve Arrow hidden within Tang San's sleeves.

A thick white radish shot through the air. With a puff, Bai Yuan easily sidestepped it.

"You're too slow." Bai Yuan took the initiative to attack.

But Tang San threw one radish after another at him.

Bai Yuan raised an eyebrow and chose not to dodge any longer. With every wave of his hand, he smashed an incoming radish to pieces.

Suddenly, Tang San raised his right hand.

A powerful sense of unease welled up in Bai Yuan's heart. A black glint nearly grazed his cheek, cutting off a lock of hair at his temple.

"You're courting death!" Bai Yuan stomped the ground fiercely. Spiritual power surged through his body, shattering the earth beneath his feet as he shot forward like a cannonball.

Bang! With a single punch, Tang San flew backward like a kite with its string cut, spitting out a mouthful of blood in midair.

"This is bad!" Yu Xiaogang cried out.

Law Three Cannon let out a low growl at the same time, sucking in a massive amount of air. Its originally fat belly expanded at an astonishing speed, making it look like a balloon.

With a wave of Yu Xiaogang's hand, a yellow ring of light flew out and wrapped around Law Three Cannon's bloated body.

"Fart like thunder, Law Three Cannon that shakes the heavens and splits the earth!" Yu Xiaogang shouted, hurriedly taking out a specially made mask and putting it on.

Bai Yuan's expression changed slightly.

It wasn't that he feared Yu Xiaogang's soul skill, but Yu Xiaogang's skill was simply too disgusting—it relied on farts to suffocate people to death!

Law Three Cannon's blue eyes lit up. Its round body suddenly sprang upward, rising five meters into the air, then twisting midair to aim its cannon muzzle at Bai Yuan.