The God Who Wantonly Manipulates the Lives of Others

Wang Chuan's thoughts raced as he quickly recalled the relevant plot points from the original work, a flash of realization suddenly crossing his eyes.

In the original story, it was precisely because Tang Wulin blocked the Forest of Ice and Snow for Gu Yue and was severely injured that Gu Yue, in a state of emotional agitation, used her own origin power to heal him.

Tang Wulin gained certain benefits from this, and the bond between the two deepened as a result...

Thinking of this, a look of deep disgust uncontrollably flashed through Wang Chuan's eyes.

It was disgusting.

To treat the lives of others as a chessboard, to wantonly manipulate the pieces and forcibly arrange the trajectory of their lives...

Did they think of themselves as gods looking down from on high?!

Did they even remember...

That they were once members of the common masses themselves?!

Immediately, a cold sneer rose from the bottom of Wang Chuan's heart.

Right, ten thousand years ago, wasn't that exactly how they treated the son of destiny, Huo Yuhao?

Ten thousand years later, why would such behavior be any surprise?

Moreover, now that Tang Hao was the Plane Master, hiding behind the scenes, his minor machinations were completely imperceptible to the vast majority of living beings on this plane, who would only attribute them to accidents or coincidences.

Only he, due to the Five Virtues Phoenix Martial Soul's extreme affinity with the natural world and his sensitivity to the flow and changes of energy, had captured that trace of manipulation hidden beneath the surface.

However, Wang Chuan did not panic because of this.

He was certain that Tang Hao would not dare to truly reveal himself.

Because, once the aura of this Plane Master was exposed, the Abyssal Sage Monarch would surely notice.

At that point, the Abyss Plane would likely choose to retreat.

Then, the "fishing" plan that the Sea God Tang San had laid out for ten thousand years would go down the drain.

This price...

Tang Hao and Tang San absolutely could not afford it.

Just as Wang Chuan's thoughts were turning, several figures had already dashed onto the competition stage.

Wu Zhangkong arrived first. He first cast a complex look at Wang Chuan, whose aura was as deep as the sea and who had easily neutralized the Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

He then quickly turned his concerned gaze toward Tang Wulin and the other two, a trace of imperceptible tension on his cold, stern face.

"Are you three alright?"

Tang Wulin shook his head, some color returning to his face.

"Teacher Wu, we're fine."

"Brother Xiaochuan arrived just in time..."

"We didn't get hurt at all."

Wu Zhangkong carefully sensed the three's auras, confirming that they had only exhausted their soul power and were somewhat drained, but their bodies were indeed unharmed. Only then did he secretly breathe a sigh of relief, turning to look at Wang Chuan and saying solemnly.

"Thank you."

Wang Chuan was slightly surprised; he hadn't expected this Dragon Ice Wu Zhangkong, known for his cold arrogance, to offer such a formal expression of gratitude.

He waved his hand, his expression calm.

"You're too polite, Teacher Wu."

"Wulin is my younger brother, and Gu Yue and Xie Xie are my classmates; protecting them is what I should do..."

"There is no need for thanks."

On the other side, Zhou Hanyou and Zhou Tian'er fell to the ground almost simultaneously after their Martial Soul Fusion Skill was forcibly interrupted.

Their faces were as pale as paper, their chests heaving violently as they gasped for air, cold sweat dripping from their foreheads.

Forcibly unleashing and then having their Martial Soul Fusion Skill violently interrupted had caused both their soul power and mental strength to be severely overdrawn.

Zhang Zhenpeng, the team leader of Hailu Academy, flashed to the sisters' side, hurriedly checking their condition with a look of lingering fear and reproach on his face.

"You two!"

"How could you just launch a Martial Soul Fusion Skill in a competition like this!"

"What would you have done if you couldn't control it and hurt someone?"

"And what if you hurt yourselves?!"

While scolding them in a low voice, he quickly pressed his palms against the backs of the two girls, channeling gentle soul power to help them stabilize their auras while asking anxiously.

"How is it?"

"Is there any major issue with your bodies?"

"Are there any internal injuries from the backlash?"

Zhou Hanyou shook her head weakly, her lips moving as if she wanted to say something.

But the double overdraft of soul power and mental strength caused her vision to go black, and her body slumped backward limply.

Beside them, Zhou Tian'er lost consciousness at almost the same moment, and the sisters both fell into a coma.

Seeing this, Zhang Zhenpeng felt both anxious and furious. Watching Wang Chuan and his group seemingly about to turn and leave, an inexplicable rage surged to his head, and he shouted sharply without a second thought.

"You think you can just walk away so easily after hurting people?!"

Wang Chuan, who was preparing to leave, paused his steps. He turned back, brows slightly furrowed, and looked at the hostile Zhang Zhenpeng with a flash of surprise in his eyes.

He had originally intended not to pursue the matter.

Whether it was the referee's delay or the subtle enhancement in the power of the Martial Soul Fusion Skill used by the Zhou Hanyou sisters, it was ultimately the indirect result of Tang Hao's invisible influence.

Since Tang Wulin and the others were unharmed, he did not want to complicate things further.

But Zhang Zhenpeng's unreasonable attempt to shift the blame truly opened his eyes...

To think that a person could twist right and wrong to such an extent.

Before Wang Chuan could speak, a biting chill suddenly erupted beside him. With a flash of ice-blue light, the Sky Frost Sword was already in the hand of Wu Zhangkong.

He radiated a bone-chilling cold, staring coldly at Zhang Zhenpeng. The eyes that usually lacked warmth were now filled with clear, condensed fury.

His thoughts were similar to Wang Chuan's; since his students were safe and the opponents had suffered backlash from their own fusion skill, the matter could have been dropped.

But instead of reflecting on his students' excessive force and lack of control, Zhang Zhenpeng had chosen to strike first with false accusations...

This arrogant and unreasonable attitude instantly ignited Wu Zhangkong's protective rage.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black—six Soul Rings rose and spiraled beneath Wu Zhangkong's feet. The powerful pressure of a Soul Emperor, mixed with icy sword intent, pointed directly at Zhang Zhenpeng.

The tip of the Sky Frost Sword tilted slightly, exhaling cold air, and a layer of white frost began to coat the cracks on the arena floor.

However, Wang Chuan stepped forward at this moment, moving past the ice-sculpture-like Wu Zhangkong.

He wore no expression on his face, simply looking calmly at the now-pale Zhang Zhenpeng. His voice was not loud, yet it reached the ears of everyone present with perfect clarity.

"I had no intention of holding you accountable."

"But since you harbor resentment..."

"As it happens, I also have a few questions I would like to ask."

He raised one finger.

"First, this is the Youth Soul Master Elite Tournament, meant for friendly exchange and sparring, or is it a deathmatch arena?"

"Why did your students use a potentially lethal Martial Soul Fusion Skill when they knew they couldn't control it?"

"If I hadn't intervened in time, the three members of my East Sea Academy would likely be dead or crippled by now!"

"Who would take responsibility for that?!"

Following this, Wang Chuan raised a second finger.

"Second, as a team leader and a senior soul master, you didn't ask about the cause of the incident, nor did you distinguish right from wrong, yet you publicly slandered us for 'hurting people and trying to run'."

"I must ask: in that situation, was I supposed to stand by and watch my students be severely injured or even killed by your students for it to be considered 'correct'?"

"How can you act as a teacher when you are so incapable of distinguishing right from wrong?"

The two questions were clear and logical.

Zhang Zhenpeng was left speechless, his face flushing a deep red. He opened his mouth, only to find that he could not come up with a single valid reason to refute him.