Barehanded Shattering Hidden Weapons, Crushing Arrogant Destiny

Before the words had even faded.

Su Chen's body had already vanished from where he stood.

Bang.

The bluestone slab he had just been standing on emitted a dull, explosive crack.

Spiderweb-like fissures spread wildly in every direction.

He had not released any Martial Soul.

Not a single Spirit Ring had lit up.

Su Chen relied entirely on the terrifying explosive power of his physical body, reshaped by the Marrow Cleansing Pill.

He forcibly shattered the resistance of the air.

Transforming into a black afterimage, he lunged straight at Tang San.

A fierce gale rushed toward him.

Tang San's vision was instantly filled by that black figure.

A sense of lethal crisis pierced his nerves like steel needles.

Retreat.

He had to retreat.

The Mysterious Heaven Skill internal energy within Tang San's body surged frantically.

Purple Demon Eye activated in an instant.

A faint purple light veiled his eyes.

He attempted to capture Su Chen's movement trajectory.

Simultaneously, his feet crossed in a complex pattern.

Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track Step was fully unleashed.

His body slid backward like a phantom.

Leaving behind a series of indistinguishable, illusory afterimages.

He attempted to put distance between himself and Su Chen.

"Not bad footwork."

Su Chen's voice exploded directly beside Tang San's ear.

Tang San's pupils contracted violently.

The Purple Demon Eye saw it clearly.

Su Chen had not been deceived by those afterimages at all.

His speed was simply too fast.

So fast that he used the most brutal, linear sprint.

Crossing through all the illusory space created by the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track Step.

Su Chen raised his right hand.

His five fingers splayed open.

He reached directly for Tang San's shoulder.

He couldn't dodge it.

Tang San gritted his teeth.

His hands flipped upward violently.

Mysterious Heaven Skill internal energy poured into his palms without reservation.

His ten fingers instantly turned the color of translucent white jade.

Mysterious Jade Hand.

An incredibly domineering defensive technique among the Tang Sect's supreme arts.

Reputed to be impervious to blades and spears, and immune to all poisons.

Tang San crossed his hands.

He employed the deflection techniques of Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon.

He latched onto Su Chen's incoming right wrist from both sides.

Attempting to use leverage to divert this violent impact force to the side.

Su Chen allowed Tang San to grab his wrist.

He looked at those jade-white palms.

A trace of mockery flashed in his eyes.

"Flowery fists and embroidered legs."

Su Chen's right arm gave a violent jolt.

Two thousand catties of pure physical force erupted like a dormant volcano.

No technique was required.

One force overcomes ten thousand skills.

The berserk power instantly crushed the faint, redirecting force of the Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon.

It slammed heavily against the defense constructed by the Mysterious Jade Hand.

Crack.

A harsh sound of snapping bone rang out in front of the academy gate.

The defensive line of the Mysterious Jade Hand, which Tang San took such pride in, collapsed in an instant.

The jade-white luster rapidly faded away.

His ten fingers bent backward at an unnatural angle.

Excruciating pain flooded his brain like a tidal wave.

"Urgh."

Tang San let out a muffled groan of agony.

The massive recoil surged through his arms and into his chest.

The internal energy of the Mysterious Heaven Skill, which he had painstakingly cultivated for two lifetimes, was scattered by this single blow.

His body completely lost its balance.

It was as if he had been struck by a carriage moving at full speed.

His feet left the ground.

He flew backward through the air.

He slammed heavily into the wrought-iron fence of the academy gate.

The iron fence rattled violently.

Tang San slid down the railing to the ground.

A sweet taste rose in his throat.

A mouthful of blood sprayed onto the front of his robes.

Yu Xiaogang sat slumped on the steps.

Watching the genius disciple he had just taken under his wing get severely injured in a single blow, his lips trembled.

He could not even utter a single word.

His theories.

His reputation.

At this moment, they were all trampled into the mud.

Su Chen withdrew his hand.

He walked slowly toward the pile of iron powder.

The soles of his shoes ground against the floor, making a soft, rasping sound.

"A few crude pieces of iron, plus a spring-loaded mechanism."

Su Chen looked down at Tang San, his tone dripping with extreme contempt.

"And quenched with some second-rate anesthetic poison."

"You call this toy, which even an apprentice in a blacksmith shop could hammer out, a hidden weapon?"

Tang San clutched his broken fingers, his eyes turning bloodshot at these words.

Hidden weapons were the foundation of the Tang Sect.

They were also the deepest, most untouchable scale on his dragon.

To have them belittled by Su Chen as mere blacksmith shop toys was more humiliating and maddening to him than having his bones broken.

"What would you know?"

Tang San squeezed the words out through his teeth.

"The subtlety of hidden weapons is not something a person like you could ever fathom."

Su Chen sneered.

"Dead objects that rely on springs and mechanisms to fire—what is so subtle about that?"

"Without the support of soul power, without the blessing of laws."

"In the face of absolute strength and reaction speed, such things don't even qualify to break my defense."

Su Chen took a step forward.

He walked directly up to Tang San.

Looking down from above.

"For that last strike, I didn't even release my Martial Soul."

"Your internal energy has dissipated, your hand bones are shattered, and that jumping footwork of yours looks like a joke."

"Is this the confidence you have to provoke Martial Soul Hall?"

Tang San's chest heaved violently.

He stared fixedly at Su Chen.

His left hand quietly reached toward his waist.

Hidden there were his last Bone Piercing Nails, kept for self-preservation.

As long as the distance was close enough.

As long as he could find an opening.

Su Chen caught this minute movement.

The temperature in his eyes dropped to freezing point.

"Unrepentant to the end."

Su Chen did not give Tang San any chance.

He raised his right leg abruptly.

He kicked Tang San squarely in the abdomen.

Bang.

Tang San curled up like a cooked shrimp.

His body slid several meters across the ground.

He slammed into the edge of the steps once more.

And completely lost consciousness.

The moment Tang San blacked out.

The system's mechanical prompt sounded right on time in Su Chen's mind.

"Ding. Second stage of the mission complete."

"Successfully suppressed the Child of Destiny, Tang San. Initial seizure of his core destiny successful."

"Rewards being distributed."

"Twin Martial Souls fusion rate increased by ten percent. The conflict between the two Martial Soul origins has been completely eliminated."

"Obtained Profound-tier high-grade melee soul skill: Eight Extremities Collapse."

"Soul skill knowledge has been infused into the Sea of Consciousness. Automatically comprehended to the Grand Perfection realm."

A gentle, warm current circulated rapidly through Su Chen's body.

He could clearly feel it.

The light and dark powers lurking within his left and right palms.

Had become harmonious as never before.

The sense of repulsion that previously required him to deliberately suppress with the Chaos God-Demon Art had vanished without a trace.

At the same time.

A set of domineering force-generating techniques was deeply imprinted into his muscle memory.

Eight Extremities Collapse.

Compressing blood, qi, and soul power into a single point.

Detonating it inside the enemy's body through hidden force.

The power was enough to shatter mountains and cleave cliffs.

This melee soul skill, combined with his perfectly reshaped body...

The lethality would skyrocket exponentially.

Su Chen slowly exhaled a breath of white mist.

He withdrew his gaze.

He did not even spare a glance at Yu Xiaogang, who lay slumped on the ground.

"Cardinal."

Su Chen turned around.

His voice echoed coldly before the main gate.

"This subordinate is here."

The Cardinal immediately stepped forward.

He bowed slightly.

"Throw these two eyesores far away. Don't dirty the path here."

"As you command."

The Cardinal waved a hand.

Two burly Temple Knights strode forward.

They grabbed Tang San and Yu Xiaogang by their collars as if dragging dead dogs.

Without a shred of courtesy, they dragged the two all the way to the end of the street.

They were tossed directly beside a foul-smelling ditch.

The Dean of Nuoding Academy was drenched in cold sweat.

He knelt on either side of the steps with a dozen instructors.

Their legs were weak.

They didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

The style of the Martial Soul Hall Holy Son was far too overbearing and ruthless.

Even Yu Xiaogang, who hailed from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family, had been trampled into a cripple in public.

To him, they were mere Soul Masters in a small border city.

They were not even worth as much as ants.

Su Chen walked up to the Dean.

The hem of his black brocade robe swept across the ground with the wind.

"Dean."

Su Chen spoke.

The Dean shuddered.

He scrambled forward on his hands and knees for two steps.

His forehead pressed firmly against the floor tiles.

"H-here. What are your instructions, Your Highness Holy Son? The entire academy will surely shatter our bones to repay your grace."

"Lead the way. Let's go see the dormitory for the Work-Study Students."

Su Chen's tone was indifferent.

"Every year, Martial Soul Hall allocates a massive sum to Fasinuo Province specifically to subsidize civilian Work-Study Students."

"I would like to see what kind of place you have arranged for these civilian students."

"If there is even a hint of deception..."

Su Chen's gaze swept over the kneeling instructors.

"...this Nuoding Academy of yours can be wiped off the map by tomorrow."

The Dean was so terrified his face turned ashen.

"Your Highness, please investigate clearly. The academy's treatment of the Work-Study Students absolutely meets the standards."

"Please, please follow me, Your Highness."

The Dean staggered to his feet.

He bowed and scraped as he led the way.

Su Chen stepped over the open iron gate.

He officially entered Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy.

The Cardinal followed closely behind with the two Temple Knights.

The landscaping inside the academy was quite well-maintained.

Tall dawn redwood trees were planted on both sides.

A wide gravel road led straight to the teaching buildings and dormitory area in the back.

It was currently the start of the school term, the time for registration.

Along the main road, noble students dressed in luxurious silks could be seen everywhere.

They were accompanied by large groups of servants.

Carrying bags and luggage of all sizes.

When this crowd saw the dean walking in front like a servant.

Followed by fully armed knights from the Martial Soul Hall.

They were all so frightened that they retreated to the side of the road.

Silence fell over the area.

Passing through two teaching buildings.

A row of relatively low red-brick bungalows appeared in the back.

The environment here was significantly worse than the front courtyard.

The walls were covered in moss.

The road surface had also become pitted and uneven.

"Your Highness, this is the dormitory area."

The dean stopped in front of the largest bungalow.

He pointed to a wooden sign hanging above it.

Two characters were written on the sign in black paint.

Dorm Seven.

"Dorm Seven is where all the Work-Study Students live together."

The dean wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Although the conditions are simple, it will certainly keep out the wind and rain."

Su Chen ignored the dean's explanation.

He walked up to the dilapidated wooden door of Dorm Seven.

The door was not shut tight.

It was left slightly ajar.

From within came bursts of young shouting and the sound of furniture colliding.

Clearly.

It was not peaceful inside.

Su Chen raised his hand.

His fingertips pressed against the rough wooden door.

With a gentle push.

Accompanied by the harsh creaking of the door hinges.

The wooden door swung inward.

A gust of wind, mixed with the smell of sweat and damp mold, rushed toward his face.

Dozens of worn-out wooden beds were arranged inside the spacious dormitory.

At this moment.

Over a dozen boys dressed in coarse cloth clothes were gathered in the center of the room.

They were jeering loudly at a small, thin figure.

Su Chen's gaze cut through the crowd.

It landed on the girl standing in the center.

She wore a pink cloth dress.

She had a delicate, carved-from-jade face.

Her long, dark hair was braided into a Scorpion Braid that hung down her back.

The most eye-catching feature was the pair of pink rabbit ear accessories atop her head.

The girl stood with her hands on her hips.

Her large eyes flashed with unyielding stubbornness.

She faced a group of boys a head taller than her.

Without a hint of fear.

Xiao Wu.

A hundred-thousand-year Soft Bone Rabbit in human form.

Su Chen clasped his hands behind his back.

He stepped directly over the threshold.

And walked into the dim Dorm Seven.