Tang San: At Any Cost, Destroy You!

The Academic Affairs Office was at the end of the first-floor corridor.

When Jiang Ming pushed the door open and entered, only a middle-aged male teacher was inside, sorting through files.

"Jiang Ming? Why are you back? Weren't you..."

The middle-aged teacher looked up and saw Jiang Ming, momentarily taken aback.

"I'm withdrawing."

Jiang Ming cut him off, his tone brief and direct.

"Withdrawing? You want to withdraw from school?"

The middle-aged teacher's expression shifted from surprise to confusion.

"Yes. Please process it as soon as possible."

The middle-aged teacher frowned, set down the files in his hands, and gave Jiang Ming a once-over.

He remembered this student—born a commoner, with no family resources to support him, yet his Soul Power had progressed quite quickly. He was a promising prospect worth nurturing.

"Jiang Ming, you need to think this through. Nuoding Academy may be a junior academy, but the cultivation resources it provides are among the best of its kind."

"If you stay here another year and break through to become a Soul Master, you'll have better opportunities for advancement when you enter an intermediate academy."

The middle-aged teacher's words were reasonable, and his tone was earnest.

"What I need is something Nuoding Academy cannot provide, so I need to forge my own path."

Jiang Ming spoke with an indifferent expression.

The middle-aged teacher wanted to say something, but when he looked into Jiang Ming's eyes—

He immediately realized that he was not speaking to a child.

He was speaking to an adult who had thought everything through.

"Sign here."

The middle-aged teacher sighed, took out a withdrawal application form from the drawer, and pushed it in front of Jiang Ming.

"Fine."

Jiang Ming picked up the pen, quickly signed his name, and pushed the form back.

The middle-aged teacher accepted the form, then took out another file for him to sign.

The entire process took less than three minutes. It was clean and decisive, without any hesitation.

"Your student records will be kept for one month. If you change your mind, you can come back and cancel the withdrawal application."

The middle-aged teacher said.

"I don't think that will happen."

Jiang Ming turned and left the Academic Affairs Office, heading toward his dormitory.

To keep himself from forgetting those important opportunities,

Jiang Ming recorded all of them using a coordinate system.

Normally, no one would be able to understand such a thing.

But it was better to be safe than sorry.

It was best to be cautious in all things.

Xiao Wu and Tang San returned to Dorm Seven.

Neither of them spoke.

The other work-study students did not dare make much noise either.

That sentence kept echoing through Tang San's mind.

"Your secret technique still hasn't been mastered!"

That was one of Tang Sect's ultimate arts!

An ultimate art he had painstakingly stolen and learned!

And someone had actually mocked him for not mastering it?

Tang San was furious!

He had to grow stronger.

At any cost, he would completely destroy Jiang Ming!

All to clear Tang Sect's name!

After two days of nonstop travel, journeying day and night,

the carriage finally arrived at the town outside the Star Dou Great Forest under the driver's control.

This was the famous gathering point on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Star Moon Town.

The setting sun was slowly sinking behind the western hills.

Golden-red afterglow spilled across the bluestone-paved streets, casting the shadows of bustling crowds and carriages.

Shops lined both sides of the street, and stalls selling all kinds of Soul Master supplies could be seen everywhere.

There were gleaming short swords, iron chains for hunting Soul Beasts, food storage bags, crude but practical wilderness tents, as well as poisonous powder and trap materials specifically meant for hunting Soul Beasts.

Groups of Soul Masters were loudly recruiting companions, forming temporary teams in preparation for entering the forest to hunt Soul Beasts.

Jiang Ming carried his pack on his back and proceeded down the main street.

The street was filled with clamor, and Soul Masters passed by him from time to time.

Some were brimming with murderous intent, clearly having just returned from hunting in the forest.

Others looked nervous as they pulled aside passersby to ask whether any teams still had openings.

After walking for roughly half an hour, Jiang Ming stopped in front of a three-story inn.

The inn was not luxurious, but it was the quietest and cleanest-looking establishment on the entire street.

Jiang Ming pushed open the wooden door and stepped inside.

The lobby was not large, with several square tables arranged neatly inside.

There were quite a lot of guests, nearly filling the entire lobby.

"How many days are you staying?"

The innkeeper glanced at Jiang Ming.

"At least ten days. My elder will arrive tonight."

Jiang Ming swept his gaze over the price list on the wall and took out a Gold Soul Coin.

"The rooms by the windows on the third floor are clean and quiet, suitable for one person."

The innkeeper reached out to take the Gold Soul Coin Jiang Ming offered him, then called toward the kitchen, "Xiao Liu, take the guest upstairs!"

A fifteen- or sixteen-year-old attendant ran out from the back hall.

He wore a professional smile, with a white towel tucked into his belt. One glance was enough to tell that he was an errand boy at the inn.

"Guest, please follow me!"

"Our inn may not look like much from the outside, but it's very comfortable to stay in."

"The sheets and bedding were changed just this morning, and hot water can be prepared anytime."

"If you don't want to come downstairs for meals, just give me a call and I'll bring them up to you."

Xiao Liu introduced the inn enthusiastically as he led the way.

"There seem to be quite a lot of people in town lately?"

Jiang Ming followed behind him and asked casually.

"Several groups came in from the west over the last two days, all heading for the Star Dou Great Forest."

"Those people downstairs also checked in this afternoon. They're planning to head into the Star Dou Great Forest tomorrow."

Xiao Liu suddenly lowered his voice and added mysteriously, "There are people with an even bigger background too. Didn't you see them when you came in? It's very lively around the eastern gate of town."

"What background?"

Jiang Ming's brow twitched slightly.

"People from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!"

"Several hundred of them came. They've nearly booked out all the inns over there. I've never seen such a grand display in my life."

Excitement gleamed in Xiao Liu's eyes.

"What is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect doing in a remote place like this?"

Jiang Ming's heart tightened, though his expression remained unchanged.

"I don't know about that..."

"But I overheard a few Lord Soul Masters talking. They seemed to say they were looking for some kind of congratulatory gift for a big shot in their sect, so they came specifically to the Star Dou Great Forest to catch Soul Beasts."

"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is one of the Upper Three Sects. Anyone they send out is a major figure."

Xiao Liu moved closer and lowered his voice even further.

"I see."

By the time they finished talking, they had already reached the third floor.

Xiao Liu pushed open the door to the room by the window.

"Guest, have a look. Are you satisfied?"

The room was not large, with one bed, one table, and one chair, but it was kept spotlessly clean.

The window faced Star Moon Town's main street, offering a clear view of the passing Soul Masters and the shops across the road.

"Not bad."

Jiang Ming walked to the window and glanced outside, then turned to survey the room. He nodded in satisfaction.

"Then please rest first. Just call if you need anything!"

Xiao Liu withdrew with a smile and closed the door behind him.

Jiang Ming did not sit down to rest immediately. Instead, he recalled what Xiao Liu had just said.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

One of the Upper Three Sects, famous throughout the land for its support-type Martial Souls, with powerful experts filling its ranks.

Such a great sect had actually dispatched several hundred people to the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest merely to find a congratulatory gift for some important figure?

"There are three possibilities!"

"Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo Chen Xin, or Bone Douluo Gu Rong."

Jiang Ming remembered that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had two Title Douluos guarding it.

One was Sword Douluo Chen Xin, and the other was Bone Douluo Gu Rong.

The only people who could make the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect mobilize so many people to search for Soul Beasts as a congratulatory gift were probably those two Title Douluos.

After all, Ning Fengzhi had always kept a very low profile.