The entire hall fell into a deathly silence.
Yu Xiaogang stood there, stunned, his legs trembling uncontrollably.
He stared at his beloved disciple, embedded in the wall and now sprawled on the ground like a dead dog. His mind kept replaying that devastating punch from moments ago.
What was this?
A peerless genius into whom he had poured all his heart and soul, on whom he had pinned all his hopes.
He hadn't even touched the other man's sleeve before one punch had crippled him?
Tang San lay limply on the ground, too weak even to straighten up.
The eyes that had always brimmed with confidence and calculation now held nothing but emptiness and bewilderment.
An overwhelming sense of defeat shattered all the pride he had carried through two lifetimes.
He endured the tearing pain in his abdomen and struggled to turn his eyes toward the two yellow Soul Rings and one purple Soul Ring beneath his feet.
The optimal Soul Ring configuration.
This had always been the asset he was most proud of.
Then, with painstaking slowness, he lifted his head. His gaze passed over the Hidden Weapon debris scattered across the floor and settled on Lin Yuan, standing on the steps.
Beneath the boy's feet, three Soul Rings—purple, purple, and black—pulsed slowly.
That deep black looked like a mocking grin, ruthlessly tearing apart Tang San's understanding of the world.
Tang San's chest heaved violently as he struggled to turn his gaze toward Yu Xiaogang, whose face had gone ashen.
"Teacher..."
"Didn't you say... a Soul Master's Soul Ring age could never exceed what their body could withstand?"
"You taught me... that the limit for the First Soul Ring was 423 years, and that a Soul Elder's Soul Ring configuration should be two yellow and one purple..."
Every word made Tang San cough up a mouthful of bloody froth, but his eyes remained fixed on Yu Xiaogang's face.
"But... why?"
"Why is his Soul Ring configuration so terrifying?"
"Why is his first ring a thousand-year ring, and his third a ten-thousand-year ring?"
Tang San asked the question that shattered Yu Xiaogang's psychological defenses.
"Teacher, could it be that your theories... were really wrong?"
The words were like a poison-coated dagger, striking with deadly accuracy into Yu Xiaogang's most vulnerable heart.
He wanted to open his mouth and argue.
But the ten-thousand-year black ring hovering around Lin Yuan had sealed every excuse in his throat with the cruelest proof of reality.
Lin Yuan let out a scornful laugh.
"Garbage theory."
Lin Yuan lifted his chin slightly, each word striking at Yu Xiaogang's heart.
"Years ago, I exposed this pile of scrap in front of everyone and tore away your fig leaf."
"I never thought there'd still be blind fools in this world, treating such a shoddy stack of wastepaper as holy scripture."
"Yu Xiaogang, that so-called invincible theory of yours isn't even as good as the mud in the stinking ditch outside Spirit City."
This merciless humiliation drained the last of Yu Xiaogang's strength.
His knees suddenly buckled, and he dropped to the ground with a thump, clutching his head in despair.
Bibi Dong, who had been seated in the central chair of honor, finally moved.
She leaned forward slightly, her tall, slender figure poised and straight. Her Holy Maiden's gown, extravagantly adorned with subtle gold-thread patterns, cascaded over the edge of the dais.
Her flawless, exquisitely beautiful face radiated an untouchable, supreme majesty.
In the dim light of the hall, her snow-white skin glimmered with a delicate, alluring sheen, like the finest mutton-fat jade.
Even sitting there casually, she had the regal bearing of one who ruled the world and a peerless beauty that made all others pale by comparison.
A look of intense disgust flashed through Bibi Dong's beautiful eyes.
Looking at Yu Xiaogang crumpled on the ground, she felt sick to her stomach.
How had she been so blind back then, to think a cowardly, hypocritical good-for-nothing—who only knew how to plagiarize Spirit Hall's records to pass himself off as a genius—was a talent?
Bibi Dong lightly tapped the armrest with her slender fingers.
Her voice rang clear, noble and untainted by anything worldly, as she issued her final order.
"Throw Yu Xiaogang and Tang San out!"
Two Spirit Hall guards in heavy armor, both at the Soul Emperor level, immediately emerged from the shadows of the hall.
They walked forward expressionlessly and, one on either side, seized Yu Xiaogang by the arms as roughly as if he were a chicken.
On the other side, another guard stepped forward and dragged the heavily wounded Tang San up like a dead dog.
Feeling the iron grip on his arms, Yu Xiaogang finally snapped out of his daze as his theories crumbled.
He suddenly realized that if he were thrown out just like this, there would be no chance of learning the Twin Martial Souls secret method.
Worse, he would never set foot in Spirit City again for the rest of his life.
Overwhelming panic instantly seized his mind.
Yu Xiaogang forgot all dignity befitting an elder. He planted his feet against the ground and struggled with all his might.
He stared at Bibi Dong on the dais as if she were the last straw keeping him afloat.
As the guards dragged him toward the exit, Yu Xiaogang desperately thrust his head forward.
"Dong'er! Bibi Dong! You can't treat me like this!"
"I know I was wrong!"
"I was too impulsive just now. I spoke without thinking!"
He tried to use the little affection they had once shared to salvage some shred of dignity.
"For old times' sake, for the feelings we once shared, please give me one chance!"
"Just this once! Tell me the secret method for Twin Martial Souls, and I'll leave immediately!"
His shameless pleas, pitiful as a stray dog's whimpering, echoed through the hall.
And yet.
Bibi Dong remained seated on her throne, her face cold as frost. She didn't even raise her eyelids.
She looked at Yu Xiaogang as if he were a maggot that had fallen into a cesspit.
There was no pity in her gaze, nor the slightest flicker of rekindled affection.
Only intense contempt.
A faint chill settled over Bibi Dong's peerlessly beautiful face.
She truly thought the man before her was both pitiful and ridiculous.
Even now, he was trying to guilt-trip her with those utterly disgusting appeals to their past.
This irresponsible good-for-nothing was so filthy that even looking at him was an eyesore.
"Silence."
Bibi Dong furrowed her graceful brows slightly, her red lips parting to utter two emotionless words.
Then she lifted her chin slightly toward the guards.
"Move faster."
"Drag him out of Spirit Hall. If he dares come within half a step of Spirit City again, break both his legs."
The guards obeyed, no longer holding back.
The armored guards exerted their strength. A surge of powerful Soul Power burst forth, instantly dispelling Yu Xiaogang's ability to struggle.
They grabbed Yu Xiaogang by the collar and strode toward the hall doors, tossing him aside like rubbish.
"Bibi Dong—!"
Yu Xiaogang's screams receded down the long corridor until the heavy doors slammed shut with a resounding boom, cutting them off.
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