Infinite Triple Return, Brainwashing Tang San

Douluo Continent, Heaven Dou Empire.

On a small hill beside Holy Soul Village.

Dawn had only just broken, and the air was still filled with thick white mist.

Tang San, dressed in tattered hemp clothes, lay sprawled on the ground with his head tilted to one side, his tan little face wearing an utterly lifeless expression.

He was in an extremely miserable state.

His already ragged hemp clothes were covered in countless tears, while his little face had been beaten black and blue, red mottled with purple.

His once clear, bright eyes had swollen into mere slits.

"Couldn't even last thirty seconds. Is this the result of your years of hard training?"

"Tang San, I'd advise you to give up on your dream of becoming a Soul Master as soon as possible. Just become an ordinary blacksmith like your drunkard father."

Hearing the clear voice of a youth beside him, Tang San endured the pain and forced his eyes wider, barely making out the newcomer's appearance.

The boy was about the same age as him, with delicate features, red lips, white teeth, and a pair of bright golden eyes that stood out especially vividly in the mist.

This boy was called Jiang Chen. He was an orphan Grandpa Jack had taken in, and Tang San's greatest nightmare over the past few years.

Ever since Tang San had begun cultivating the peerless arts of the Tang Sect from his previous life, Jiang Chen had suddenly appeared in his life.

Every time they met, Jiang Chen would attack him without a word.

At first, Tang San could still barely fight back, but after some time, it had turned into a one-sided beating.

Tang San was shocked to discover that Jiang Chen was far stronger than him in every aspect—strength, speed, endurance, and more—even though he had been reborn and possessed the Tang Sect's secret arts.

It had even caused Tang San to doubt himself.

By then, Jiang Chen had already walked up to Tang San. He crouched down and flashed a grin.

"Tang San, don't blame me for speaking too harshly."

"You need to know that the world is full of outstanding talents. If you can't even beat an ordinary person like me today, what future are you talking about? What dreams?"

"I advise you to seriously consider what I just said."

After a long while, Tang San slowly raised his head from the ground. His swollen lips trembled as he spat out three words.

"I... don't... accept it!"

[Ding! Detected Tang San's will to grow stronger has increased. Future cultivation speed increased by 5%.]

[Triple Return activated. Soul Power cultivation speed increased by 15% (will take effect after Martial Soul awakening).]

Seeing the golden box light up before him, Jiang Chen's lips curled into a classic Dragon King smile.

As expected of Douluo Continent's biggest cheat freak. Even refusing to accept defeat could give him rewards.

With a thought from Jiang Chen, a translucent light screen appeared before him.

On the left was a miniature Jiang Chen that constantly rotated, while on the right were the rewards that had been returned over the years.

[Host: Jiang Chen]

[Martial Soul: Not awakened]

[Arts: Creation Green Lotus Art (Beginner), Glazed Divine Eyes (Beginner), Glazed Jade Bones (Beginner), Dragon Sky Nine Steps (Beginner), Heaven and Earth Shift (Beginner)]

[Special Effect: Soul Power cultivation speed increased by 15% (Pending activation)]

As a transmigrator, Jiang Chen had awakened an [x3] system. After choosing to bind himself to Tang San, any fortuitous opportunities Tang San obtained would be returned to him threefold.

Over the past few years, as Tang San continuously mastered the Tang Sect's secret arts from his previous life, Jiang Chen had also received the corresponding arts in return.

At this rate, Jiang Chen would not need to cultivate at all. Even lying down, he could become a god.

But Jiang Chen's ambitions went far beyond that.

Or rather, Tang San's limits went far beyond the Sea God and Asura God.

In his previous life, when he had read the original novel and saw that Master—who had only cultivated to rank twenty-nine by the age of fifty—had made the Blue Silver Emperor, which possessed the ultimate vitality, take the control path, he had nearly died from anger.

It could only be said that Short Hair had taken the phrase "putting the cart before the horse" to the absolute extreme.

No wonder Tang God King kept calling him Gangzi later on. To ruin a max-level account this badly, there really was no one else like Short Hair.

Fortunately, Tang San had met him.

At that thought, Jiang Chen stared at Tang San's swollen face, a trace of amusement flashing through his golden eyes.

Over the past few years, whenever Tang San made a breakthrough in his arts, Jiang Chen would come looking for him to "spar."

At first, Tang San could still use Jade Hand and Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to exchange a few moves, but before long, all he could do was take a beating.

What Jiang Chen remembered most clearly was the day Tang San had just mastered the Purple Demon Eyes.

Watching him arrive full of excitement and leave black and blue, Jiang Chen had laughed so hard his head nearly tilted crooked.

Even Tang San's most skilled hidden weapons and traps remained completely useless before Jiang Chen's Glazed Divine Eyes.

"Tang San."

Jiang Chen stood up and dusted off the hem of his clothes. "Do you remember what you said the first time I knocked you down? You said, 'That was just an accident.'"

"But what happened afterward? Accidents became the norm."

Tang San's lips moved, but he said nothing.

"Think carefully, Tang San. You can't even beat me today. When you encounter true geniuses in the future, disciples of great clans, imperial prodigies, what will you use to compete with them?"

"Your father is a blacksmith. You were born in Holy Soul Village. None of that is an excuse. Weakness is the original sin."

Jiang Chen looked down at him from above, his pair of golden eyes shining frighteningly bright. "If you can't even endure this little setback, then you might as well give up your path as a Soul Master right now."

Tang San lay silently on the ground, but his fingers dug deeply into the soil, and his eyes gradually turned cold.

That's right! That's right! This is the look I want!

The more you refuse to accept it, the more excited I become!

Seeing that his goal for the day had been achieved, Jiang Chen said no more. He turned and headed down the hill.

He knew that with Tang San's personality, these words would not make him give up. On the contrary, they would ignite his competitive spirit and make him work even harder in the future.

And that was precisely what he wanted.

On the hill.

Tang San still lay on the ground. Only after Jiang Chen's figure had completely disappeared did he roll over, let out a soft breath, and regain clarity in his eyes.

"Sigh... Brother Chen keeps repeating the same lines. I'm tired of hearing them."

Counting carefully, this was already the seventh time he had been defeated by Jiang Chen.

And every time he lost, Jiang Chen would instill all kinds of ideas into him.

At first, Tang San had indeed been provoked by him and begun cultivating desperately, all to reclaim his own dignity.

But all he received in return was even more thorough crushing defeat.

As this continued, Tang San gradually became somewhat numb.

Actually, when they were not fighting, Jiang Chen was still very good to him.

Whenever there was anything good at home, he would share some with him. During their sparring sessions, he would even secretly slip him some dried meat.

Tang San had seen all of this and remembered it in his heart.

"Hiss..."

Tang San forced himself to his feet, but accidentally tugged at his wounds and sucked in a breath of cold air.

"I, Tang San, will remember this debt. Brother Chen, you'd better pray that you're never defeated by me."

One thing was one thing. Tang San had always repaid kindness with kindness and grudges with grudges.

Besides, with the Tang Sect's secret arts at his disposal, one day he would surpass Jiang Chen.

As he thought this, Tang San endured the pain and shakily climbed up from the muddy ground. He sat cross-legged and began circulating the Mysterious Heaven Skill, attempting to recover from his injuries.

Now that all the inner strength in his body had been exhausted, it was the perfect time to cultivate the Mysterious Heaven Skill.

Tang San took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, focusing his attention on his dantian.

Before long, streams of faint white light gathered into thin threads and gradually flowed into Tang San's body.

"Something's wrong..."

(P.S. A simple explanation of the cheat: it is not merely a numerical triple, but three times the original strength. Roughly speaking, one level of Soul Power would be equivalent to Tang San's three levels, plus all the miscellaneous arts...)