Tang San's Little Tricks, Beaten into Questioning His Life

Gu Linyuan rested his hand on Qian Renxue's smooth shoulder, the warmth of his palm passing through the thin fabric of her court dress to her skin.

Qian Renxue froze completely.

Her golden eyes widened as she stared blankly at Gu Linyuan. Her mind seemed to crash at that moment, completely ceasing to function.

A blush spread visibly across her noble, icy face, starting from her neck and reaching all the way to the tips of her ears, red enough to seem ready to bleed.

She caught Gu Linyuan's scent.

It was not the smell of sweat, but a clean fragrance, like a forest after rainfall.

That scent flowed into her chest with every breath, abruptly quickening her heartbeat.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

Qian Renxue felt as though her heart was pounding so hard it was about to leap from her chest.

Her body was as stiff as if she had been immobilized, and she did not even have the strength to push him away.

"This guy is getting bolder and bolder."

"Did he really think she had no temper?"

Qian Renxue's mind was already a mess.

Yet despite thinking that, she did not want to push him away at all.

Silence.

A deathly silence.

Even the wind seemed to have stopped in the forest clearing of Sunset Forest.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on Qian Renxue.

Her long golden hair shimmered magnificently beneath the sunlight. Her moon-white court dress accentuated her noble, icy bearing, while her face was so exquisite it seemed inhuman, and her golden eyes shone like stars.

The young mistress of Spirit Hall.

Qian Daoliu's granddaughter.

The future Pope of Martial Soul Hall.

Those identities layered together like a mountain pressing down on everyone's hearts.

Ning Rongrong's face turned pale at once, and her hands unconsciously clenched the hem of her skirt.

She was the direct daughter of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and she had believed her status was already exalted enough.

But the young mistress of Spirit Hall...

Even her father, Ning Fengzhi, had to be courteous upon meeting such a person.

Dai Mubai's strange eyes were filled with disbelief.

Spirit Hall's power spread across the continent, and even the two great empires had to show it respect. As a prince, he truly did not amount to much before Spirit Hall's young mistress.

Zhu Zhuqing stood beneath the shade of a tree, her pale eyes shifting from Qian Renxue to Gu Linyuan's hand resting on her shoulder.

Her expression remained cold and detached, without the slightest visible ripple of emotion. Yet her hand was unconsciously tightening, her nails lightly digging into her palm.

That woman was outstanding. What was her relationship with Gu Linyuan?

For a moment, Zhu Zhuqing felt waves of bitterness surge through her heart, until even her eyes stung.

"Spirit Hall. That colossal force. She..."

"How did Long Yuan come to know someone that important?"

Tang San stood before the Man Faced Demon Spider's corpse, his fists tightly clenched and his nails deeply embedded in his palms.

His teeth ground together, while unwillingness, rage, and humiliation churned in his deep eyes.

Spirit Hall.

The continent's most powerful Soul Master organization, controlling the advancement paths of countless Soul Masters. Even the two great empires had to bow before it.

And while Tang San's teacher, Yu Xiaogang, was an elder of Spirit Hall, it was merely an honorary title without real authority.

"What a terrifying young woman. She is actually a direct descendant of the Qian Clan. No wonder she carries herself with such nobility."

Dragon Duke Meng Shu and Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang exchanged a glance, both seeing relief in each other's eyes.

Qian Renxue finally came back to her senses.

She took a deep breath and tried hard to steady her heartbeat.

Then she raised her head, her golden eyes sweeping over every person present.

Then her gaze fell upon Gu Linyuan's hand on her shoulder.

A blush rose on her face once more.

But she did not push him away.

"You all heard that?"

Qian Renxue spoke, her voice cold and proud, like a queen issuing a decree.

"I have taken a liking to this Soul Beast."

She raised her other hand, her slender finger pointing at the Man Faced Demon Spider on the ground.

"Do any of you have objections?"

Qian Renxue felt somewhat embarrassed. She had always believed that using one's family background to suppress others was beneath a true hero.

This was the first time she had used Spirit Hall's name to pressure someone, and it felt rather strange.

After knowing Gu Linyuan for so long, she had learned his bad habits too.

"Miss Qian, are you also going to rely on Long Yuan to bully others with your power?"

Tang San's face turned green.

"Tang San, today I'll teach you this lesson. If you want to make it in this world, you need power and connections."

"Besides, weren't you just using your power to pressure Mr. Dragon Duke Meng Shu into yielding? If Mr. Meng Shu had not known your identities, would he have spared shameless people like you so easily?" Gu Linyuan said disdainfully.

Dragon Duke and Snake Granny both secretly nodded at those words.

They were not pushovers. If not for Zhao Wuji's students having extraordinary backgrounds, why would they have yielded?

Gu Linyuan was merely returning the favor in kind.

Dragon Duke and Snake Granny felt secretly delighted. By the rules, that Soul Beast had already been lost to Tang San and no longer belonged to them.

But that did not stop them from enjoying Tang San and the others getting humiliated.

They would rather see Gu Linyuan obtain that Soul Beast.

"Long Yuan, you!"

Tang San's expression was incomparably ugly.

Seeing the purple Soul Ring above the Man Faced Demon Spider's corpse already showing signs of dissipating, he grew even more anxious.

He had no time to wait.

If this dragged on any longer, the Soul Ring's energy would disperse back into heaven and earth.

Then he would suffer a huge loss.

He had a feeling that this Soul Beast would be of great use to him. He absolutely could not allow Long Yuan to take it away.

"Long Yuan, since you insist on this, let us decide this Soul Beast's ownership by the rules of the martial world."

"We will have a contest. If I win, this Soul Beast will belong to me."

Tang San's expression hardened.

He knew that unconventional methods could no longer do anything to Long Yuan.

Qian Renxue was a direct descendant of the Qian Clan, and that was an identity Shrek could not afford to provoke. If they continued dwelling on this subject, they would remain at a disadvantage.

Thus, Tang San immediately changed his approach.

"Tang San, you're quite impressive, aren't you?"

Gu Linyuan looked Tang San up and down.

Tang San truly could say such things without blushing or skipping a beat. No wonder his bargain-bin father in the original plot had always been completely suppressed by Tang San.

As long as Tang San had even the slightest advantage, he would definitely drag others into the field where he held the advantage, then use his strengths to defeat their weaknesses.

To be fair, that was indeed a kind of advantage. The prerequisite was having thick enough skin.

Those powerful figures were all extremely arrogant. So long as Tang San provoked them, they would inevitably be led by the nose.

But what advantage did Tang San have over him?

Gu Linyuan held an all-around advantage over Tang San. He was not afraid of Tang San playing mind games with him.

"Miss Meng Yiran has thirty-six Soul Breaking Blades. You and I will take eighteen each. In a moment, I will have the seniors shake a tree twenty meters away, causing leaves to fall."

"We will strike at the same time and throw the Soul Breaking Blades. Whoever hits more leaves wins. However, regardless of how many leaves are struck, the Soul Breaking Blades must ultimately remain embedded in the trunk. Any blade that does not hit the trunk will not count toward the final score."

Seeing that Gu Linyuan did not object, Tang San immediately spoke first.

"Tang San, do you have no shame at all? Since you proposed the contest, Long Yuan should be the one deciding its terms. Only then would it be fair."

Although Meng Yiran had initially been angry, she had still greatly admired Tang San's strength, and she had even harbored a faint, indistinct affection for him.

But seeing Tang San act like this, that admiration instantly vanished.

Tang San might have been playing a small trick, but those arrogant people would never admit they were inferior to Tang San. Therefore, they would have to accept it despite themselves.

This was a top-tier open scheme.

If Long Yuan refused, Tang San could use the opportunity to suppress him. The next time he met Long Yuan, he would even have the capital to act superior.

"The number of leaves hit by hidden weapons? Are you sure?"

Gu Linyuan wore a strange expression.

As the inheritor of the Tree of Life Martial Soul and the direct son of the Goddess of Life, if he used the Source of Life, even the plants within a kilometer would likely sense it.

The Tree of Life was the mother of countless plants. So long as he used even a trace of the Source of Life, innumerable plant-type Soul Beasts would bow in worship.

If they competed in this, he could beat Tang San until he questioned his life.