Tang Hao Beats Up Yu Xiaogang

As he left, Yu Xiaogang made sure to take Gui Teng's corpse with him.

He did this because he suspected there might be something unusual about Gui Teng—perhaps it was a mutated soul beast or something similar.

Of course, the most important reason was that this served as evidence. If Tang Hao came looking for him later, he could give Tang Hao an explanation.

This time, he hadn't used Tang San as a test subject and had sought out a normal plant-type soul beast.

He had done nothing wrong. If Tang Hao still refused to let him off the hook even then, he had no other recourse.

Only after watching Tang San and the others completely disappear from sight did Lin Ye dispel the illusion.

What Lin Ye hadn't expected was how smoothly this operation went. That old bastard Tang Hao really hadn't rushed back.

Gotta say, the old man sure had some nerve!

But then again, even if he had come back, it wouldn't have mattered. He'd still get screwed over just the same.

If Yu Xiaogang and the other two had returned at this moment, they would have spotted a yellow century soul ring floating in the air, unclaimed.

Too bad they would never know.

Lin Ye plopped down on the ground. After continuously using the Nightmare Soul Skill for half an hour, his soul power and mental power had dwindled to only twenty or thirty percent of their original capacity.

"Are you alright?" Xue Di appeared silently at his side.

Lin Ye shook his head. "I'm fine. Just a bit drained on mental power and soul power. I'll recover after some rest."

Lin Qiu'er hopped out at this moment. "You could have just directly controlled his body, but you had to go through all this trouble."

Lin Ye laughed, a very cheerful laugh.

"Don't you think it's more fun to screw over Xiao Biesan in roundabout ways like this? Look at how he reacted just now—he was questioning his whole existence. Hehehe..."

"Now that you mention it, that's true."

Thinking about Tang San's expression shifting from confusion to despair, Lin Qiu'er grinned widely and joined in with a sly chuckle.

On the other side.

On the way back, Tang San's mood was as low as if he had just lost his father.

The next afternoon, the three of them stepped off the carriage at the entrance of Notting Academy.

Seeing Tang San's dejected state, Yu Xiaogang let out a long sigh. At this moment, he didn't know how to comfort Tang San either.

"Xiao San, don't forget to register at the Notting City Martial Soul Branch Hall. You're a Soul Grand Master now. After registering, you can collect a monthly subsidy of 10 Gold Soul Coins from the Martial Soul Hall.

That money will be enough to cover your living expenses.

From now on, stop working at that blacksmith shop. Set aside the time to cultivate properly."

Tang San still wore that sour expression, like he'd lost his father. Faced with Yu Xiaogang's concern, he just shook his head and said nothing.

He trudged into Notting Academy like a lost soul, his steps slow and each one unbearably heavy.

Why, why...

Tang San screamed inside.

He had lived two lives. He carried the Tang Sect's techniques, was skilled in hidden weapons, and possessed Twin Martial Souls...

With such overwhelming advantages, he should have been soaring to greatness, rising straight to the top, and reaching the pinnacle of the continent.

So why, why had it turned out like this?

Why had the century soul ring he absorbed dropped in age? Why, why?

At this moment, Tang San wanted to shout at the heavens: God, did you bring me to this world just to toy with me?

No wall is impervious to wind. Before long, news of Tang San's situation had spread far and wide, and like his teacher Yu Xiaogang, he had become a laughingstock.

On the first floor of Notting Academy's teaching building was the Academic Affairs Office.

A noisy commotion drifted out from within.

"Master really is a great teacher. He has two century soul rings himself, yet he went and found two decade soul rings for his disciple. I'm dying of laughter."

"Hey, that kid's been ruined. I really don't get what Master was thinking. Does he have some grudge against the boy?"

"Who's to say otherwise? I've seen that kid before. He's sensible and polite. He just met the wrong person... What a shame."

"..."

Hearing these conversations—some mocking, some sympathetic—Yu Xiaogang's heart was bitter as he passed by the doorway. His old face crumpled like a chrysanthemum.

In the days since returning, he had been living in constant fear, terrified that Tang Hao would come looking for him.

A week passed, and Tang Hao didn't show up. But instead of relaxing, Yu Xiaogang grew even more anxious. These days, he couldn't eat or sleep well, and he looked haggard.

Voices of ridicule and scorn kept reaching his ears, rattling Yu Xiaogang's nerves. He quickly fled the area.

What he didn't know was that the Tang Hao he was so worried about had already arrived at Notting Academy.

Tang Hao had come to check on Tang San as usual, but as always, he only observed from the shadows.

By the time he found Tang San, the boy was leading a group of Work-Study Students in a fight against the noble students.

None of that mattered, though. What mattered was that Tang Hao saw Tang San's Second Soul Ring was also a white ten-year soul ring.

It struck him like a thunderbolt.

Coming back to his senses, Tang Hao stormed off with boundless fury to find Yu Xiaogang.

Yu Xiaogang had just returned to his room when his vision went dark, and a stench hit his nose—the smell of someone who hadn't bathed in a long time.

Looking up, he saw the towering, murderous figure of Tang Hao.

Recognizing the man he had longed for day and night, Yu Xiaogang trembled in fear and stammered incoherently.

"H-Hao... Clear Sky Crown, you..."

Before he could finish, Tang Hao raised a hand as broad as a winnowing fan and slapped him across the face.

"Slap!"

Yu Xiaogang spun in place from the blow, then stumbled and fell to the ground.

First came numbness on his cheek, then a searing pain.

Tang Hao wasn't done. He grabbed Yu Xiaogang by the collar with one hand, lifting him up, and with the other, he rained down a dozen more slaps on Yu Xiaogang's aged face, back and forth.

Yu Xiaogang saw stars from the beating.

Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap...

When Tang Hao finally stopped, Yu Xiaogang's face had swollen into a pig's head. The pain made tears stream down his face uncontrollably, mixing with his snot.

Tang Hao didn't care about the mess. He still held Yu Xiaogang like a chick, roaring nearly, "You useless piece of trash! I told you to take care of Xiao San, and this is how you do it?"

"C-Clear... Sky Crown, l-let me ex... explain."

With his pig-like face, Yu Xiaogang could barely speak clearly.

"Talk! Tell me the whole story from start to finish!" Tang Hao glared at Yu Xiaogang with bloodshot eyes, wishing he could slice him into a thousand pieces.

But before killing Yu Xiaogang, he needed to understand what had happened.

"C-Clear... Sky Crown..."

Faced with Tang Hao's rage, Yu Xiaogang dared not hide anything. He recounted the entire incident in detail.

After finishing, he even brought out Gui Teng's corpse for Tang Hao to examine.

After inspecting Gui Teng's body, Tang Hao's fury subsided slightly.

Then, he too couldn't figure out what was going on.

What was certain was that Gui Teng was fine.

But if that was the case, why had the soul ring dropped in age?

It had been a hundred-year soul ring right after absorption, then it started decreasing, eventually becoming a ten-year soul ring.

Why was this happening? How could such a bizarre thing occur?