Douluo: Poisonous Tongue, Loves Telling the Truth

"Brother!"

Xiao Wu, standing to the side, could no longer watch this. As a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, how could she not know that there was something wrong with Tang San's Blue Silver Grass soul ring?

She had reminded Tang San several times before, but he had been stubborn, believing only in that so-called Grandmaster, and had even nearly fallen out with her on several occasions.

He would spout nonsense like "a teacher for a day is a father for life."

Coupled with the failure of the previous tactical arrangement, Xiao Wu wanted to advise Tang San not to talk back. She could see that Xia Ran was trying to stand from the perspective of a mentor to point out some unreasonable aspects.

"Xiao Wu, you don't believe in me either?"

Tang San stared at Xiao Wu with a look of surprise and anger, as if he had suffered a great betrayal.

[Xiao Wu's level of resentment toward Tang San: 1%]

[Reward for host: 1000 Gold Soul Coins]

Hearing the system prompt, Xia Ran felt a surge of joy. He hadn't expected that simply reprimanding Tang San a few times would complete a system task.

"It's a pity the reward is so mediocre."

"System, surely it won't be Gold Soul Coin rewards every time, right?"

[System rewards are determined based on task completion, and can even include a self-selected Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone. Please continue to work hard, host.]

Putting his thoughts aside, Xia Ran spoke to the group in the center of the arena.

"You have passed this assessment!"

Xiao Wu was somewhat puzzled.

"Why?"

"Since when are there so many whys?"

"Your coordination is unrefined, and your mastery of soul skills is lacking, but your Soul Power Level is high enough, and the rest can be cultivated."

Although the group was unhappy with Xia Ran's criticism, they were still relieved to have passed the assessment.

Tang San looked at the incense stick on the wooden stake that hadn't even burned halfway, and a sense of humiliation welled up in his heart.

"We agreed to defeat you. Why are we considered to have passed the assessment when not even half a stick of incense has passed?"

"Good question. Because I set the rules for the assessment. If I say you pass, you pass."

"No, you must give me a reasonable explanation. I don't need your charity."

In reality, Xia Ran had long since received mental transmissions from several old fogies. He hadn't expected the protagonist group to be this weak; he had acted too quickly, and now things were a bit awkward.

Ning Rongrong, who had only been unconscious for a moment, had just woken up after falling to the ground and heard the conversation between the two.

She was furious now. Xia Ran's hand had been so heavy, and Tang San was still there, refusing to let it go, which was incredibly annoying.

"Tang San, if you don't want to enroll, you can ask Xia Ran for advice on your own. Don't drag us into it."

Having witnessed Xia Ran's strength, Ning Rongrong finally understood how mysterious Shrek Academy was. Now, she only wanted to enroll as soon as possible; she didn't care about the "why."

"You..."

"What about me? If it weren't for your trashy tactical arrangement, would I have been knocked out at the very beginning?"

The retort left Tang San speechless, and he could only turn his gaze toward Xia Ran with a flushed face.

"Fine, I want to challenge you one-on-one. Do you dare?"

"If I lose, Xiao Wu and I will leave right now."

Xiao Wu was not happy when she heard this. She had also recognized Xia Ran's strength; a thousand-year second ring broke all the conventions of the Douluo Continent.

If she could receive his guidance, there might be hope for avenging her mother.

Xiao Wu had not forgotten her goal of transforming into a human, and she was full of hope for the future, wanting to improve her strength as much as possible.

"Brother~ let it go."

"No, he actually questioned the teacher's theory. I must defend it with my life."

"Stop, stop, stop! You don't need to defend it with your life. Cultivate that Blue Silver Grass however you want. I was just saying it casually; you don't have to listen to me, and don't get so worked up."

"Then apologize to my teacher!"

[Xiao Wu's level of resentment toward Tang San: 5%]

[Reward for host: Storage Soul Tool Ring, infinite storage space]

Just as he was about to lose his temper, the system reward arrived.

It was actually a Storage Soul Tool Ring. Although he wasn't short on money, his assets hadn't reached the level where he could buy a Storage Soul Tool Ring, and this filled the gap perfectly.

Holding the black ring in his hand, a look of joy appeared on Xia Ran's face, a scene that looked rather strange to the others.

"Tang San is acting so outrageous right now, what are you smiling at? Are you so angry you're laughing? Doesn't look like it, though?"

However, Tang San, who had been staring at Xia Ran the whole time, felt that he had been provoked—and that the provocation included his teacher's theory.

"Xia Ran, you go too far!"

Xia Ran, immersed in his joy, was a bit confused. What's wrong with this little brat? What did I even do to him?

Before he could even grasp the situation, a short iron arrow shot straight toward the center of his brow.

[Third Spirit Skill: Void]

The iron arrow passed through the center of Xia Ran's brow without meeting any resistance, flying off into the forest behind him.

If he hadn't reacted quickly, he truly would have died on the spot had that strike landed.

"Brother! What are you doing?"

"Shut up! He dared to insult me and insult my teacher; he has already brought the path of death upon himself."

Xiao Wu tried to step forward to stop him, but Tang San shoved her to the ground.

"You're courting death!"

Before Tang San could load the next Sleeve Arrow, Xia Ran transformed into a black shadow, flashing instantly in front of him.

He locked his throat and pinned him against the tree trunk behind him.

"Xia Ran, Brother San didn't mean it, please don't be like this."

Golden pupils ignited, locking onto Xiao Wu's pink eyes, and she fainted on the spot.

"Tang San, give me one reason not to kill you."

Tang San, his throat clamped, had never expected this strike to fail. Since arriving in this world, he had relied on hidden weapons to kill many people, including spirit masters with higher levels than his own. He had assumed he could kill this guy who insulted his mentor and then flee, yet now he was the one being restrained.

Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, standing to the side, were stunned by the sheer intensity of Xia Ran's killing intent; they had yet to recover and were unable to act.

Only the sound of Tang San's heavy, struggling breathing remained in the clearing.

The immense force made Tang San feel as though his neck could be crushed at any moment, and in the face of a life-or-death crisis, he no longer cared about his mentor.

"I... am... sorry."

"I am willing... to compensate..."

Barely managing to squeeze the words through his teeth, Tang San had no strength left to say anything else.

"Compensation?"

Seeing this, Xia Ran loosened his grip slightly. For a moment, he had been blinded by rage, forgetting that Tang Hao was likely still lurking nearby.

He didn't want to face that massive trouble just yet, so, having calmed down, he released his hand.

"Tell me about your compensation!"

Finally receiving fresh air, Tang San gasped for breath, kneeling on the ground and coughing violently.

Once the killing intent was withdrawn, the other two girls were able to recover, breathing heavily with lingering fear.

Zhu Zhuqing's beautiful eyes fixed on Xia Ran's back, and a strange emotion welled up in her heart.

[Zhu Zhuqing's aversion toward Dai Mubai: 5%]

[Reward for Host: 1 Spirit Power Level]

"Hm? What's going on?"

Xia Ran turned back and met Zhu Zhuqing's gaze. For a split second, the young girl looked like a startled kitten; her face was instantly flooded with a crimson blush, and she turned her head away, her eyes darting around.

Tang San's Entire Assets

While he was feeling curious, Tang San suddenly grabbed his pant leg, seemingly trying to use him for leverage to stand up.

Xia Ran pulled his right leg away in disgust and stepped aside.

"Speak once you've recovered. I don't have that much patience."

The icy tone made Tang San feel an extra layer of dread. He hadn't expected Xia Ran's strength to be so formidable; the silent Sleeve Arrow relied on stealth, yet he had still managed to dodge it.

That feeling of being infinitely close to death was something Tang San had only experienced once before, when he jumped off the cliff in his previous life.

Sure enough, in the face of absolute strength, the utility of hidden weapons was truly limited.

Right now, all he could do was beg for mercy, because he didn't want to die yet. He still had to help his teacher put his theories into practice, and he still had to protect Xiao Wu.

"Xiao Wu? How is Xiao Wu?"

Only then did Tang San remember his dear sister who had been pushed to the ground. Just moments ago, to save him, Xiao Wu had been knocked unconscious by that bastard with a single glance.

He hurriedly stood up, and upon turning around, he saw the girl lying on the ground behind him.

Seeing this, Tang San's expression turned anxious. He knelt on the ground to lift Xiao Wu up, glaring at Xia Ran with eyes full of hatred.

"What exactly did you do to Xiao Wu?"

Xiao Wu was his sister, and he had once sworn to protect her forever.

Seeing that the little punk was about to explode with power again, Xia Ran was genuinely annoyed. Why did these people have to be so long-winded?

A mass of black smoke emerged from his palm, gathering toward the ground and gradually forming a black blade.

"That was your second piece of nonsense. I hope the third one will make me abandon the idea of killing you."

Staring at the tip of the blade, Tang San could clearly feel the chilling aura radiating from it.