Flander

Tang San didn't know whether it was an adrenaline surge from his fury or simply his tough constitution, but Xia Ran's kick hadn't knocked him out.

He spat out several mouthfuls of blood, his expression vicious as he glared at Xia Ran.

Seeing Xia Ran order Oscar to take Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing away had nearly driven him out of his mind.

Vast swaths of Blue Silver Grass appeared out of nowhere, swirling wildly around Tang San.

"Xia Ran! You again! Why is it always you?"

[First Soul Skill: Bind]

Although Tang San's temperament had changed drastically in recent days, having no one to worry about had indeed made cultivation twice as effective for him.

He had just used Blue Silver Grass to restrain Zhu Zhuqing, then followed up with a Hidden Weapon for a fatal strike. It was a fighting style he had recently developed.

He had also invented many other attacks that combined Blue Silver Grass with Hidden Weapons.

So when he faced Xia Ran again, Tang San no longer felt the fear he'd had before. Instead, he wanted to prove himself in front of Yu Xiaogang.

"He, Tang San, isn't useless! Teacher's theories aren't wrong! Xia Ran is the one who's wrong! The entire system of Martial Soul Theory is wrong!"

"If Xia Ran can defeat opponents above his level, then he, Tang San, can do it too!"

Countless strands of Blue Silver Grass surged toward Xia Ran. On closer inspection, several of the blades were actually black.

At the sight of this, Xia Ran used Shadow Escape and appeared right in front of Tang San.

Without the slightest hesitation, he kicked him again!

Bang!!!

Tang San had only just gotten to his feet. Before he could even react to how Xia Ran had closed the distance, he was pinned hard against the tree trunk again.

With Martial Soul Possession active, Xia Ran's strength was already comparable to that of an Attack-Type Soul Master of the same rank. The kick had shattered most of Tang San's chest, and now even breathing was a struggle.

"Who gave you the nerve to attack me?"

Xia Ran's mismatched golden and black eyes met Tang San's. His gaze was so cold it seemed capable of devouring everything.

Xia Ran drew the long blade from his waist, intending to kill the man before him on the spot.

Now that Tang Hao no longer posed a threat, and the system had just informed him that Xiao Wu's mission was complete, Tang San was of no use to him anymore.

Better to kill him now and be done with it, rather than leave trouble for himself down the line.

"Stop!"

Yu Xiaogang suddenly shouted at the sight.

But Xia Ran's only response was a cold snort.

He wasn't a merciful man. Counting the time Tang San had ambushed him with a Hidden Weapon, this was already the second time.

Without hesitation, he brought the blade down toward Tang San's neck.

At the sight, everyone covered their eyes in fright and cried out. Even Yu Xiaogang covered his.

But the sensation of a blade cutting through flesh never came. Xia Ran looked closely and saw that it was Flender.

The instant Yu Xiaogang spoke, Flender had moved.

He hadn't managed to stop Tang San from suddenly attacking Zhu Zhuqing, but he couldn't stand by and watch Xia Ran kill him.

"You're stopping me?"

Xia Ran frowned slightly and met Flender's gaze.

Under the stare of those mismatched eyes, even Flender, the academy's dean, felt uneasy.

"You know better than I do what Tang San's actions mean, don't you?"

"If we let him keep growing, he'll only become a menace to the Soul Master World!"

Flender flushed at Xia Ran's words.

How could he not know what Tang San was like? He was so quick to kill even his fellow disciples, taking lives over the slightest disagreement. Once he left the academy, he was bound to become a bloodthirsty fiend.

But Tang San was Yu Xiaogang's disciple and a student at the academy. If Flender had been powerless to stop Xia Ran, that would have been one thing. But he couldn't accept standing by and watching Tang San die.

"Just this once! Consider it a favor to this old man!"

"He hasn't committed any unforgivable crimes yet, has he?"

Flender

Xia Ran narrowed his eyes, sizing up the old dean he'd known for years.

It was impossible to say he felt nothing for Flender after six years together.

Everyone had a heart, after all. Though he knew the old man could be unreliable and had plenty of bad habits, Flender had still taught him how to cultivate and helped him hunt for Soul Rings.

Besides, Flender's intentions had always been for the good of the academy and its students. Sometimes, Xia Ran could understand him.

But Tang San had repeatedly used underhanded tactics to try to kill his fellow disciples. No matter how anyone tried to excuse it, he was a fiend who deserved to die.

Tang San was gasping for breath after that last kick.

Knowing he was in the wrong, Flender stood between the two without a word, refusing to give way.

The atmosphere grew tense. Just then, Yu Xiaogang came hurrying over.

"Xia Ran! I never thought you'd be so ruthless, killing a fellow disciple who can't even fight back!"

"If Dean Flender hadn't stopped you, do you know what a disaster you'd have caused today? Do you even know who Tang San's father is?"

Yu Xiaogang's indignant display drew everyone's attention. Even Tang San, lying on the ground, looked suspicious.

Who was Tang San's father? From the way Yu Xiaogang said it, was he someone important?

But Xia Ran didn't bother with the clown, and Flender knew about Tang Hao without reacting.

Yu Xiaogang, however, kept prattling on!

"His father is the youngest Titled Douluo in the world—Tang Hao!"

"If he finds out what you did today, he definitely won't let you off lightly. If you dare kill Tang San, you and everyone around you will suffer!"

As he spoke, a sly glint flashed in his eyes.

"Xia Ran, I'm the only one who can save you now."

"If I take you as my disciple, His Excellency Haotian will show me some respect. With me pleading for you, you'll suffer a lot less!"

Yu Xiaogang delivered his speech with passionate conviction. Every word seemed to be for Xia Ran's sake, but he couldn't hide the smile in his eyes.

"Hmph! I refuse to believe you won't be tempted. Faced with the wrath of a Titled Douluo, your only hope is to put your faith in me."

"At twelve, you're already a Soul Ancestor. With my guidance, you'll surely shake the continent one day."

"Yu Yuanzhen, Bibi Dong, Liu Erlong! Let's see who dares call me useless then."

As Yu Xiaogang immersed himself in his fantasies about the future, the nearly unconscious Tang San's eyes filled with malice.

"Why? Xia Ran treated me like this, and Teacher still wants to take him as a disciple? What does that make me? What does that make my father?"

At first, learning who his father was had thrilled him. He hadn't known he had such powerful backing.

But when he heard Yu Xiaogang wanted to take Xia Ran as a disciple, he grew furious again!

Why? Teacher could only be his! No one could take away Teacher's "love" for him!

"Xia Ran, let me go today! I'll ask my father to spare you!"

"Xiao San! Shut up!"

Seeing that Xia Ran seemed almost convinced, Tang San abruptly interrupted them. Yu Xiaogang immediately put on the stern demeanor of a strict father and scolded him.

That trick had always worked before, but Tang San was acting strangely today and insisted on going against him.

"Xia Ran! I swear on my Martial Soul: if you let me go today, my father absolutely won't come after you over this."

Even now, the shrewd Tang San was still playing word games. His crafty little eyes shifted between Xia Ran and Yu Xiaogang.

"Ungrateful disciple! I told you to shut up!"

Smack!!!

After Tang San interrupted him twice while he was trying to take Xia Ran as a disciple, Yu Xiaogang slapped the figure still embedded in the tree trunk.

"Teacher! You hit me?"

Tang San stared at him in disbelief. Ignoring the pain in his body and the blood on his face, he struggled free of the tree trunk.

He walked up to Yu Xiaogang and leaned close to his scruffy, bearded face.

"You hit me for Xia Ran?"

A guilty look flickered in Yu Xiaogang's eyes, but it was quickly buried beneath a righteous expression.

"I saw that Xia Ran had great cultivation talent and couldn't bear to see him lost in the crowd, or even killed in a misunderstanding. Why did you have to interfere?"

"Enough! Get out, all of you!"

Flender's shout rang out, the veins on his forehead bulging. He'd been putting up with this teacher and disciple for far too long.

They'd been yammering on endlessly, and now they were even arguing over whether he'd take someone as a disciple.

As if Xia Ran needed a level-29 good-for-nothing like you to teach him! As if the Clear Sky Douluo needed you to settle things for him!

He was already fed up with Xia Ran's forceful attitude. With two flies buzzing endlessly beside him, he finally lost his temper.

"Flender! Do you know what you're doing? You actually told me to get out..."

"Get out!"

The Soul Saint's pressure erupted, sweeping over even Xia Ran. Yu Xiaogang and Tang San were sent flying.

One, already badly injured, passed out.

The other, too weak to withstand it, passed out as well.

Xia Ran, standing closest to Flender, didn't budge an inch.

He had faced a Soul Saint's pressure head-on with a cultivation level of 50.

His ink-dark hair whipped in the wind. Holding his long blade, he stared down Flender with his cold, mismatched golden and black eyes.