The Two-and-a-Half-Year Chicken Claw Left Leg Bone Skill: Just Because You Are Too Beautiful!

"Second Soul Skill—Lone Bamboo Basketball!"

"???"

Tang San froze.

The Clear Sky Hammer twisted in his hand, turning into a basketball woven from bamboo?

It was round and springy.

Tang San looked down at the Bamboo Basketball in his hand, completely dumbfounded.

He slowly raised his head and looked at Yu Xiaogang.

His eyes were vacant.

His voice was hoarse.

"How... is it wrong again?"

Yu Xiaogang opened his mouth, then took a step back.

"Th-this... Xiaosan, listen to me..."

Tang San stood up, gripping the Bamboo Basketball in his hand. His grip tightened and tightened.

"Yu—Xiao—Gang! You've got a death wish!"

Tang San swung the Bamboo Basketball at Yu Xiaogang's head!

"Thud!"

The ball smacked Yu Xiaogang in the face, bounced back, and landed in Tang San's hand.

Tang San swung again!

"Thud!"

It bounced back again.

Tang San swung again!

"Thud, thud, thud, thud—!"

The Bamboo Basketball bounced back like it had a spring inside it. Every time he struck, it sprang right back into his hand.

Tang San didn't even need to retrieve the ball. He could stand right there and keep pummeling him without end.

Yu Xiaogang was battered as he ran around clutching his head, his face bruised and swollen, his eyes blackened, and his lips puffed up like two sausages.

"W-wait! Wait!"

Tang San stopped, and the ball spun once around his fingertips.

He stared coldly at Yu Xiaogang. "Any last words?"

Yu Xiaogang clutched his head, his mind racing.

It's over, it's over. The kid's really lost it.

Forget it. I'll make something up. I just need to stay alive!

He suddenly looked up, eyes lighting up.

"Xiaosan! Didn't you show me your left leg Soul Bone Skill before?!"

Tang San froze. "So what?"

Yu Xiaogang spoke rapidly. "Maybe your basketball skill can work in tandem with that one!"

Tang San frowned. "Work in tandem?"

"Exactly!" Yu Xiaogang grew more animated as he spoke. "Think about it. Basketball combined with that skill—you might get an unexpected effect!"

Tang San fell silent.

That skill...

It was just too embarrassing.

After accidentally showing it once, he'd sworn he'd never use it again for as long as he lived.

Yu Xiaogang saw him hesitate and hurriedly gestured around them. "There's no one else in the Soul Hunting Forest! It's fine, Xiaosan! Just try it. You've got nothing to lose!"

Tang San hesitated.

That did seem true.

No one would see him, anyway.

He took a deep breath and bounced the Bamboo Basketball against the ground.

"Two-and-a-Half-Year Chicken Claw Left Leg Bone Skill—"

Tang San shut his eyes and gritted his teeth.

"Just Because You Are Too Beautiful!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, his body began moving against his will!

He turned around and started doing the Iron Mountain Lean!

Once, twice, three times!

His shoulder thrust forward again and again, each movement so crisp you'd think he'd practiced for two and a half years!

Yu Xiaogang shouted excitedly from the side, "That's it! Add the basketball!"

Tang San's hand seemed to have a mind of its own as it snatched up the Bamboo Basketball from the ground.

Then he started dribbling between his legs!

Once, twice, three times!

In sync with the rhythm of the Iron Mountain Lean!

The ball bounced against the ground with a series of thuds, perfectly matching the rhythm of the Iron Mountain Lean!

Yu Xiaogang gaped at the scene before him.

With his back to Yu Xiaogang, Tang San was doing the Iron Mountain Lean while dribbling between his legs.

His movements were smooth, and his rhythm was sharp.

He even looked a little cool?

No, wait.

A little foolishly blessed.

Tang San hopped and dribbled, his face etched with utter despair.

But his body was completely out of his control. He could only keep dancing.

Once, twice, three times—

He finished with a perfect behind-the-back dribble!

The ball spun wildly on his fingertips, turning like a top.

Tang San stood still, breathing hard.

He wanted to stop.

But his body wouldn't obey!

Yu Xiaogang stared for three seconds, then burst into applause.

"Good! Good! That was incredible!"

Tang San cried, "I can't control myself!"

The moment the words left his mouth, his body automatically struck a shooting pose!

He leaped!

He shot!

The basketball flew from his hands like a shooting star, straight toward Yu Xiaogang's face!

"Thud—!"

The ball slammed squarely into Yu Xiaogang's face!

He toppled backward and plunged headfirst into the dirt!

His legs flailed in the air, then drooped limply.

The basketball rolled to a stop on the ground, with a few bloodied front teeth stuck to it.

Yu Xiaogang pulled his head out of the dirt, a perfect basketball imprint on his face.

He'd lost two front teeth, and his words came out with a whistle.

"Ugh—ow, ow, ow..."

Tang San walked over and looked down at him.

Yu Xiaogang looked up, his face swollen, yet still trying to force a smile.

"Xiaosan... l-listen to me..."

He pointed at the basketball on the ground, speaking rapidly through the gap in his teeth.

"Your Soul Skill... is incredibly powerful!"

"Just Because You Are Too Beautiful... keeps charging up the basketball! The Soul Power on it gets stronger and stronger... until it finally unleashes a mighty strike!"

"This... this isn't an ordinary Soul Skill! It's an ultimate charging technique!"

Tang San fell silent.

He looked down at his left leg, then at the basketball on the ground.

Maybe...

There was some sense to it?

He'd always thought his Chicken Claw Left Leg Bone was useless.

Now that it was paired with this basketball...

Couldn't he charge it up from a distance and attack?

Tang San's eyes slowly lit up.

Seeing that Tang San believed him, Yu Xiaogang let out a long breath.

Lying on the ground, he gazed up at the sky and murmured to himself:

"Made it through another day..."

Time flew by.

Two years passed.

Dugu Manor, back garden.

Dugu Bo lounged in a wicker chair, basking in the sun.

After several years, he was in high spirits. His once graying hair had miraculously turned black again, making him look twenty years younger.

"Yan Yan," he said, squinting. "Lin Jiang's lived here for six years now, and you still haven't won him over?"

Across from him, a young woman was pruning the flowers.

At those words, her hand paused.

She wore her hair in a high ponytail, a few loose strands of green hair falling around her face and setting off her delicate features.

Her emerald-green phoenix eyes tilted slightly at the corners, carrying a hint of cunning beneath their cool beauty.

Her brows were sharply defined, and though she wore no makeup, she had a naturally heroic air.

She wore a purple halter dress that showed off her slender figure, delicate collarbones, and slim waist. Her cool, pale skin glimmered faintly in the sunlight.

A snake-shaped bracelet coiled around her wrist.

Dugu Yan.

At nineteen, Dugu Yan had grown into a captivating beauty. Wherever she stood, she drew every eye.

Her face flushed, and she lowered her head.

"Grandpa... I..."

Dugu Bo sat up and slapped his thigh in frustration.

"This won't do! If you don't win him over soon, we won't be able to keep Lin Jiang here!"

He knew full well that Lin Jiang was no ordinary man.

That boy had monstrous talent, a steady disposition, and so many secrets. Sooner or later, he would become a dragon and soar away.

Dugu Yan bit her lip and muttered softly, "I... I've tried so many times..."

Tried.

She really had tried.

But every time, some mishap interrupted them.

Either a Soul Beast caused trouble, someone suddenly showed up, or Lin Jiang was just too dense to get the hint!

Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes and stroked his chin.

"Can't be helped."

He stood up, his gaze deep and serious.

"We'll have to use a little force!"

Dugu Yan froze. "Huh?"