Yu Xiaogang's pupils contracted to pinpricks. He was struck as if by lightning and stumbled back three steps before barely managing to steady himself.
The arm that had once been broken began to spasm violently, as though phantom pain had seized it.
He remembered!
He remembered everything!
The handsome, upright young man in black before him was the six-year-old child who had once brought him the deepest humiliation of his life!
Cold sweat instantly soaked Yu Xiaogang's back. He raised a trembling arm and pointed straight at Lin Yuan, his voice shaking violently.
"It's you... It really is you!"
Yu Xiaogang whipped around to look at Bibi Dong, his eyes nearly bulging from their sockets.
"You... He's the adopted son everyone outside has been talking about?!"
Seeing Yu Xiaogang's undignified state,
Bibi Dong leaned back in her broad chair and let out an undisguised sneer.
She lifted her chin slightly and nodded without hesitation.
"That's right."
"His name is Lin Yuan. I love him as if he were my own child."
The stump of Yu Xiaogang's arm throbbed faintly.
The fear and humiliation buried deep in his bones gnawed at his nerves like a venomous snake.
That six-year-old imp who had seemed like a demon god descended upon the world had become Bibi Dong's adopted son!
He stared at the upright young man in black on the steps, his chest heaving.
The great hall was so quiet that a needle could be heard dropping.
Yu Xiaogang's pride was torn to shreds, replaced by a surge of furious embarrassment.
He knew just how badly he had lost back then, but times had changed. He refused to believe that the Twin Martial Souls genius he had devoted himself to nurturing could be inferior to this kid!
Forcing down his anger, Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath and raised his chin, feigning composure.
"So you're the genius from Spirit Hall."
Yu Xiaogang's gaze darkened, his tone challenging. "Since you're Bibi Dong's adopted son, I assume you're quite capable.
"My disciple, Tang San, is every bit as gifted. You're close in age, so why don't you spar here in the great hall, face-to-face?"
Tang San, standing nearby, first paused in surprise.
He could sense that his teacher was losing control of his emotions. Proposing a challenge at a time like this seemed like making a fuss over nothing.
But Tang San had always respected his teacher. Seeing him mocked like this stirred up his own pride.
Tang San raised his head and met Lin Yuan's gaze on the steps.
That face, handsome to an almost unreasonable degree, was full of contempt. A fierce fighting spirit rose in Tang San's heart.
He wanted to see just how strong this Spirit Hall genius, whom Bibi Dong loved as her own, really was!
Tang San stepped forward without hesitation, his posture straight as a pine.
"Since my teacher has commanded it, I, Tang San, would be honored to learn from you. Please, show me what you can do."
Seeing his disciple stand so boldly, Yu Xiaogang finally showed a hint of triumph.
He knew Tang San's strength all too well. Tang San wasn't just exceptionally gifted; he also possessed a steady stream of mysterious techniques.
As long as Tang San gave it his all, there was no way he could lose to this wet-behind-the-ears brat!
Yu Xiaogang immediately seized the opportunity, turned toward Bibi Dong on the high platform, and called out loudly.
"Bibi Dong, since this is a spar, we should put something on the line."
"If Xiao San wins, I expect you to honor our past and hand over the complete method for cultivating Twin Martial Souls!"
Hearing such a shameless demand, the disgust in Bibi Dong's eyes deepened.
Even Lin Yuan couldn't help letting out a soft laugh.
"Grandmaster, your scheme is so loud I can hear it all the way outside Spirit City."
Lin Yuan folded his arms across his chest and looked down at Yu Xiaogang, his tone unhurried.
"Trying to get something for nothing? Fine."
"But if Tang San loses, you and your disciple will get out of Spirit Hall immediately."
Lin Yuan's gaze suddenly turned cold, radiating an oppressive force. "And from now on, Yu Xiaogang, you're never to set foot in Spirit City again. You're not to bother Aunt Dong, either."
Yu Xiaogang was so enraged at being slighted that he ground his teeth.
But Tang San's fearsome combat prowess flashed through his mind. His elusive footwork and sinister, powerful Hidden Weapons were more than enough to let him challenge opponents of a higher level.
"Fine! I accept!"
Yu Xiaogang agreed at once, his eyes brimming with confidence and calculation. "I hope Spirit Hall keeps its word. Don't try to deny the result if you lose!"
Bibi Dong sat in her broad, lofty seat, her slender fingers tapping lightly on the armrest.
Her gaze toward Lin Yuan was full of unreserved affection.
"If Yuan'er wants to play, then let them play along."
Bibi Dong lounged against the back of her chair. Her voice was clear and pleasant, yet carried the majesty of one who stood above all others. "I accept this spar."
In the middle of Spirit Hall's spacious, empty great hall,
two figures stood facing each other, more than ten meters apart.
Tang San took a deep breath. The inner force of his Mysterious Heaven Skill surged through him like a great river.
He flung his hands outward, and azure light burst from his palms.
Thick Blue Silver Grass vines shot from the cracks between the stone slabs beneath his feet like serpents emerging from their lairs, coiling and dancing around him.
Two yellow Soul Rings and one purple Soul Ring slowly rose from beneath his feet.
In the shadowy great hall, that flash of purple stood out sharply.
At twelve years old, with the cultivation of a thirty-first-rank Soul Elder and a thousand-year third Soul Ring, he was the sort of prodigy others could only look up to in any high-level Soul Master Academy.
At the edge of the hall, Yu Xiaogang gazed at his finest "masterpiece," his face brimming with barely contained fervor and pride.
This was the indisputable proof that he had broken convention and validated his theories!
Lin Yuan, on the other hand, still looked as languid and unconcerned as ever.
He hadn't even released his Martial Soul. He simply stood where he was, not a trace of Soul Power showing.
Only the faintest hint of an oppressive aura seeped from his upright frame.
It felt as if an ancient beast sleeping in the Abyss had lazily opened one eye.
Tang San keenly sensed that aura, and alarm bells rang in his mind.
His instincts told him that the opponent before him was extremely dangerous!
He couldn't wait any longer. He had to seize the initiative!
A ruthless glint flashed in Tang San's eyes as he thrust both hands forward.
"First Soul Skill, Bind!"
Dozens of sturdy, resilient Blue Silver Grass vines shot forward like arrows loosed from a bow, sweeping toward Lin Yuan in a massive wave with sharp whistles.
They moved so fast that streaks of azure afterimages hung in the air.
Yet Lin Yuan only raised his eyelids slightly.
"That all you've got?"
Lin Yuan gave a soft sigh.
Just as the Blue Silver Grass was about to touch his clothes, the ground beneath his feet shook with a thunderous roar!
A ring of intensely concentrated purple light exploded from beneath him.
His First Soul Ring was purple—a thousand-year Soul Ring!
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