Just as that familiar notification was about to sound, before the system panel had fully appeared—
Knock, knock, knock.
A series of knocks came at an exceptionally inopportune moment.
Immediately afterward, the maid's respectful voice sounded from outside the door:
"Mr. Su, there's a gentleman downstairs who calls himself the Grandmaster. He says he has something extremely important to discuss and insists on seeing you."
The Grandmaster?
Su Chen's hand paused slightly as he held his teacup, and his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
On Douluo Continent, the only one brazen enough to call himself the Grandmaster—and so lacking in tact that he'd come barging in to bother someone—was probably that man.
"Let him in."
Su Chen spoke in an even tone.
The door creaked open.
A middle-aged man with a close-cropped haircut and an exceedingly ordinary appearance—stiff and wooden, even—walked in slowly with his hands behind his back.
He wore a plain robe that had been washed until it was faded.
There wasn't the slightest aura of a powerful person about him, yet his chin was raised high, and his cloudy eyes seemed to see through every truth in the world. An inexplicable air of superiority clung to him.
It was Yu Xiaogang!
After entering the room, Yu Xiaogang didn't bother with any pleasantries. His gaze swept past the tea table, and, like a man of higher station, he looked Su Chen up and down from on high.
"You're Su Chen?"
Yu Xiaogang spoke in a lecturing tone.
Su Chen didn't so much as raise his eyelids. He simply blew the foam from the surface of his tea.
Seeing Su Chen ignore him like that, Yu Xiaogang's eyes flashed with displeasure, but he didn't lash out. Instead, he continued speaking as though to himself:
"I was listening downstairs just now. I heard your story."
"I have to say, you have quite an imagination. Those so-called special constitutions and inborn divine bones were fabricated rather cleverly."
At that, Yu Xiaogang gave a cold snort, undisguised contempt creeping into his voice:
"But in the end, storytelling is nothing more than a lowly pastime to amuse people, a cheap parlor trick fit for no respectable stage."
"I observed you closely downstairs. There isn't the slightest trace of Soul Power about you. Clearly, you're just an ordinary man who hasn't even awakened a Martial Soul."
"On Douluo Continent, where strength reigns supreme, without Soul Power, you could spin your stories into flowers, but a hundred years from now, you'll still be nothing more than a handful of forgotten earth."
Listening to Yu Xiaogang's long-winded, supremely self-important speech,
Su Chen couldn't help laughing in exasperation.
He set down his teacup and regarded the infamous waste before him with interest.
"So?" Su Chen asked mildly.
Yu Xiaogang assumed Su Chen had been stung where it hurt. The arrogance in his eyes grew even stronger.
He suddenly straightened his chest, clasped his hands behind his back, and struck the pose of a profoundly wise expert:
"I am Yu Xiaogang. The world honors me with the title of Grandmaster."
"The Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul, revered as the definitive principles of the Soul Master World, came from my hand."
"Today, I'll make an exception and give you a chance."
Yu Xiaogang looked at Su Chen as if bestowing an immense favor upon him, speaking one word at a time:
"Kneel and take me as your master."
"You may be a useless man without Soul Power, but I see a spark of talent in your theories and imagination."
"If you're willing to become my disciple, I can show you the right path. Through theoretical research, you can earn a place in the Soul Master World and the respect of others."
"That would be a thousand times better than playing the storyteller in this tavern, singing for people's amusement!"
At those words, the air in the entire lounge seemed to freeze.
Su Chen sat quietly in the grand armchair, looking at the middle-aged man before him as if he were an idiot.
A peerless waste who'd never broken past level twenty-nine and had built himself up by plagiarizing Spirit Hall's records—
He'd actually come before a storyteller who had just recounted the Desolate Heaven Emperor's supremacy across the ages and Emperor Wu Shi's suppression of the ages, and ordered him to kneel and become his disciple?
And he had the gall to claim he would show Su Chen the right path?
In the next moment, Su Chen had no intention of humoring him. He looked at Yu Xiaogang and grinned:
"You want me to kneel and take you as my master?"
Looking at Yu Xiaogang, who wore an air of such superiority, as if he'd bestowed an enormous favor, Su Chen couldn't help letting out a quiet laugh.
Then the laughter grew louder and louder.
"What are you laughing at?"
Yu Xiaogang's brow knitted tightly. His hands, clasped behind his back, clenched hard, and irritation edged into his voice.
He'd thought that once he revealed his identity as the Grandmaster, this powerless storyteller would immediately bow down before him and thank him profusely.
He hadn't expected this reaction!
On the raised platform, Su Chen slowly brought his laughter to an end.
Then the smile on his face gradually faded.
"I'm laughing at your arrogance and shamelessness!"
"Those so-called Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul?"
"You relied on your connection with a certain woman to pore over the common knowledge and manuscripts left by your predecessors in Spirit Hall's archives."
"Then you pieced it all together, tidied it up a little, and shamelessly slapped your own name on it before making it public."
"Do you really think everyone in the world is blind? That they don't know where your stolen fame came from?"
At those words, Yu Xiaogang's formerly haughty face instantly froze.
An unnatural flush climbed from his neck across his face. Even the finger he pointed at Su Chen was trembling.
"You... You're spouting nonsense!"
"My theories came from countless deductions and years of research. How dare a brat like you slander me!"
"Deductions? Research?"
Su Chen scoffed, showing him not the slightest mercy.
"A peerless waste who'll never break past level twenty-nine and can't even fix the flaws in his own Martial Soul."
"A coward who, when faced with matters of the heart, hasn't the courage to confront them and only knows how to flee like a stray dog!"
"You're a good-for-nothing who's achieved nothing, so now you want to take a genius disciple to prove you're not one."
As he spoke, Su Chen suddenly slapped the table and leaned forward slightly:
"A sanctimonious fraud who steals others' reputations and is timid as a mouse."
"You think you deserve to make me, Su Chen, kneel and take you as my master?"
"What the hell are you?"
Hearing Su Chen's words, Yu Xiaogang nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.
Stealing Spirit Hall's records, running away from his relationships with Bibi Dong and Liu Erlong, being stuck at level twenty-nine for life—
The wounds he'd kept buried so carefully had just been laid bare by a storyteller, right in front of him.
"You... You..."
Yu Xiaogang felt his blood surge through his chest. His vision suddenly went black, and rage left him unable to form a complete sentence. His legs gave way, and he nearly toppled face-first to the floor.
"Shut up!"
Just then, a shout rang out, and a blue-clad figure suddenly darted in through the doorway.
It was Tang San, who had secretly followed Yu Xiaogang upstairs, unable to stop worrying about his teacher!
Tang San stepped in front of Yu Xiaogang and reached out to support his tottering teacher.
Then he looked up at Su Chen, an eerie purple light flickering in his eyes.
Purple Demon Eye!
"A teacher for a day is a father for life!"
"My teacher is the greatest theoretical master under heaven. For him to take an interest in you is a blessing earned by your ancestors!"
"You're nothing but a frog in a well without even a trace of Soul Power. Not only are you ungrateful—you dare to spread vicious lies and insult my teacher!"
At that, Tang San drew a deep breath and slowly moved his right hand toward the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges at his waist.
"Get down from that chair right now and kowtow to my teacher to apologize!"
"Otherwise, you've already earned your death!"
Earned his death?
Hearing that familiar line and seeing Tang San's hypocritical expression, as if he alone stood for justice,
Su Chen had run out of patience.
"The master's a sanctimonious hypocrite, and his disciple's a scheming little snake in the grass."
After speaking, Su Chen slowly rose to his feet and looked down at Tang San:
"Today, I'd like to see exactly how you plan to bring death upon me."
"You're asking for death!"
Seeing Su Chen not only refuse to apologize but mock him as well, Tang San could no longer suppress the killing intent in his eyes.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Tang San suddenly flicked his right hand. He didn't need to recite an incantation, nor did he even release his Martial Soul.
Three Bone-Piercing Nails, hidden from view, shot soundlessly toward the three vital points of Su Chen's face, throat, and heart!
He'd gone straight for a vicious strike with Tang Sect Hidden Weapons!
And at such close range, Tang San was absolutely confident that even a Soul King caught off guard couldn't dodge the attack!
Yet faced with the poisoned nails that arrived in an instant, Su Chen didn't so much as blink. He didn't even try to dodge.
He simply lifted his right hand with casual ease and swept his wide sleeve through the air.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Soon, three crisp metallic clashes rang out.
The poisoned hidden weapons, powerful enough to pierce gold and split stone, seemed to have struck an impassable divine iron. They instantly lost all their force and fell helplessly to the floor.
"What?!"
At the sight, Tang San's pupils contracted sharply, and a storm of shock surged through his heart.
His hidden weapons, the very thing he prided himself on, had been deflected with such casual ease by a mere sweep of the other man's sleeve?
Wasn't he an ordinary man without Soul Power?
But before Tang San could recover from his shock—
Whoosh!
Su Chen's figure blurred before his eyes.
The next instant, a large hand tore through the air and appeared right in front of Tang San, bearing down with oppressive force!
"Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track!"
Tang San was so terrified that his soul nearly left his body. The Mysterious Heaven Skill surged through him as he twisted his steps and tried to retreat rapidly.
But he was far too slow!
Before Su Chen's overwhelming strength, the Tang Sect Ultimate Arts he was so proud of looked more ridiculous than a crawling turtle!
Smack!!!
A sharp crack rang through the lounge as Su Chen's slap landed squarely on Tang San's right cheek!
"Pfft!"
The next moment, Tang San was sent flying before he could even scream.
His teeth flew out, and the side of his face caved in, swelling up like a pig's head.
"Xiao San!!!"
Watching from the side, Yu Xiaogang's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets.
But with his pitiful level-twenty-nine Soul Power, he didn't even qualify to get close.
Then Su Chen gave Tang San no chance to catch his breath.
He grabbed Tang San by the collar and lifted him off the ground like a dead dog.
"That little bag of tricks is all you have, and you still dare to run your mouth in front of me?"
Looking at Tang San, Su Chen showed not the slightest mercy.
Then his arm suddenly tensed.
"Get out of here!"
With a casual toss from Su Chen, Tang San was flung straight out, smashing through the sturdy redwood door.
Downstairs in the main hall, the people who hadn't yet left were gathered in little groups, discussing the astonishing mystery of the Supreme Bone and the Double Pupil.
Suddenly!
A rush of air and the thunderous crash of splintering wood came from above.
Everyone reflexively looked up.
With a heavy thud, a blue-clad figure crashed into the middle of the hall, smashing a huge crater into the century-old ironwood floor!
Wood chips flew everywhere, and dust billowed into the air.
"Pfft!"
In the crater, Tang San's body jerked violently. He spat out another mouthful of blood and had already drawn more breath than he could expel. He passed out completely.
Seeing this, everyone's eyes widened as they stared, dumbstruck, at the bloodied figure in the crater, unable to tell whether he was dead or alive.
What had happened?
"Xiao San!"
At the edge of the crowd, Zhao Wuji had been brooding, but the moment he recognized the person in the crater, he gasped and cried out.
He never would have imagined that in the brief moment he'd let his mind wander, Tang San had been thrown down from upstairs!
Zhao Wuji's eyes instantly turned bloodshot. The furious aura of a Soul Saint burst from him, and he kicked off the ground, ready to charge in and fight to the death.
However, before Zhao Wuji could take a step.
A wave of sickly-sweet, dark-green poisonous mist suddenly erupted from a corner of the hall!
The poisonous mist spread incredibly fast. Everywhere it passed, the sturdy tables and chairs were instantly corroded into black, bubbling sludge, hissing as it did.
"Ah, my Martial Soul!"
Several Spirit Masters standing nearby were accidentally brushed by a wisp of the poisonous mist. They let out piercing screams as their Soul Power was voraciously devoured at a visible speed.
This sudden turn of events plunged the entire hall into panic.
Everyone retreated in terror, while at the center of the dark-green poisonous mist...
An old man in green robes, with white hair and beard, slowly stepped out.
It was none other than Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo!
The probing look had vanished from Dugu Bo's gaunt old face. He gazed at Tang San, half-dead in the crater, and his expression turned furious.
"Little Monster..."
Tang San had not only cured the deadly poison in his body, but had also become a friend with whom he could talk about anything, despite their great difference in age!
Aside from his granddaughter, Yanyan, Tang San was the person Dugu Bo treasured most in this world!
And now, someone had beaten his Little Monster into this pitiful, half-dead state right before his eyes!
"Good! What a fine storyteller!"
At that thought, Dugu Bo abruptly raised his head and looked toward Su Chen.
In an instant, the terrifying pressure of a ninety-second-rank Titled Douluo swept over the entire Listening Rain Pavilion!
Not only that, a gigantic Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor phantom, dozens of zhang long, covered in emerald-green scales and crowned with two horns, roared and took shape behind Dugu Bo!
"You even dared lay a hand on my old friend!"
"Su Chen!"
"Today, I'll turn this Listening Rain Pavilion—and you along with it..."
"Into a pool of poison!"
Before you continue