Tang San: Gangzi, I want to be alone!

The afterglow of the setting sun stained the wide road outside Martial Soul City a blood-red hue.

The grey cloth robe that Yu Xiaogang had once kept so neat was now caked in mud and dust, even torn to shreds.

He walked along the desolate road, utterly dejected.

His eyes stared hollowly at the ground ahead, his footsteps staggering; he nearly tripped over small pebbles by the roadside several times.

The Grandmaster who had once stood so high and mighty in Nuoding City now seemed to have had his very spine ripped away.

Tang San followed behind Yu Xiaogang, not saying a word.

Large patches of bloodstains still remained on the front of his clothes, and the pain in his abdomen made cold sweat stream down with every step he took.

Yet he did not wipe the sweat from his forehead, merely watching that hunched back ahead of him with an incredibly complex gaze.

The surrounding air was so oppressive it made one gasp for breath.

They walked for a long time.

Yu Xiaogang seemed to sense the deathly silence behind him.

He stopped in his tracks and turned around.

Looking at his battered disciple, Yu Xiaogang forced a dry, bitter smile onto his stiff face that looked even worse than weeping.

He reached out with trembling hands, wanting to pat Tang San on the shoulder.

"San..."

Yu Xiaogang swallowed a mouthful of dry saliva, desperately trying to maintain the last shred of his dignity as a teacher before his disciple.

He explained in a panic, his tone hurried yet powerless.

"Listen to your teacher."

"My Ten Core Competitivenesses theory is absolutely not wrong. It is a truth verified through countless deductions!"

Yu Xiaogang clenched his fists, trying to make his words sound more convincing.

"That brat named Lin Yuan is not a normal person at all! He is simply too bizarre!"

"Martial Soul Hall must have used some kind of extremely evil, life-shortening forbidden technique to forcibly boost his spirit ring age!"

"Yes, that must be it! A method that overdraws one's life is destined not to last long!"

Yu Xiaogang chattered on, finding excuses for his theory, his eyes filled with a sliver of earnest expectation, longing to see agreement in Tang San's eyes.

However.

Tang San only lifted his head extremely slowly.

That face, which always wore an expression of gentleness and respect for his teacher, was now calm, without a single ripple.

He did not nod, nor did he pick up on Yu Xiaogang's words.

Tang San took a deep look at Yu Xiaogang, his voice extremely faint, devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

"Teacher."

Tang San tilted his head slightly, his gaze passing over Yu Xiaogang's shoulder to look at the sliver of setting sun on the horizon, about to fall into darkness.

"I want to be alone for a while."

Five simple words.

Yet they were like a resounding slap, struck fiercely across Yu Xiaogang's face.

Yu Xiaogang's hands, still suspended in mid-air, froze abruptly; he felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

From Tang San's flat tone, he heard a sliver of fatal alienation and distrust.

The rift between master and disciple, which should have been unbreakable, had finally torn wide open in the wake of this crushing defeat at Martial Soul Hall.

Tang San did not look at Yu Xiaogang's expression again, merely dragging his heavily injured body as he limped straight past him.

Leaving only Yu Xiaogang behind, nailed to the spot like a weathered, crumbling stone statue.

Inside the highest-ranking inner hall of Martial Soul Hall.

The light was soft, and the faint, lingering fragrance of orchids permeated the air.

With no outsiders to disturb them, the murderous and solemn atmosphere of the hall instantly dissipated into nothingness.

Lin Yuan's arm naturally draped around Bibi Dong's slender, willow-like waist, his nose filled with the incredibly pleasant scent of her body as he enjoyed this ambiguous and tender moment of their daily life.

Bibi Dong lazily narrowed her beautiful eyes.

She reached out with her soft, boneless jade hands, stroking Lin Yuan's pitch-black hair with extreme tenderness.

Her fingertips traced through his locks, carrying deep attachment and doting affection.

"It feels like in the blink of an eye, Yuan'er has grown up so much."

Bibi Dong's red lips parted slightly, her voice revealing a hint of the charm and pride unique to a woman.

She tilted her head slightly to look at the handsome face so close to her own, the smile in her eyes growing ever more intense.

As the person who held the actual power in Martial Soul Hall, she kept a close watch on Lin Yuan's cultivation progress at all times.

At only twelve years old, his cultivation had already reached the terrifying peak of a level 69 Soul Emperor!

Such heaven-defying speed, unprecedented and surely never to be repeated, could not be found in a second person across the entire continent.

"Level 69; you are only one final step away from becoming a Soul Saint."

Bibi Dong gently pinched Lin Yuan's cheek, her tone filled with indulgence and expectation.

"You need not worry about your soul ring."

"As long as a top-tier Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast suitable for your Nine Nether Beast martial soul appears, Aunt Dong will inform you immediately and hunt it for you personally."

Hearing this heavy promise, the corners of Lin Yuan's mouth curled up slightly, and the arm he had wrapped around Bibi Dong's waist tightened.

"Then many thanks, Aunt Dong."

Bibi Dong lightly flicked his nose, a glimmer of playfulness flashing through her stunning eyes.

"Don't be in such a hurry to thank me."

Bibi Dong shifted into a more comfortable position, her entire body leaning into Lin Yuan's embrace.

"Besides the matter of the soul ring, there is another piece of good news I must tell you."

Hearing this, Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow, a surge of intense curiosity rising in his heart.

Anything Bibi Dong would call good news was certainly no ordinary matter.

"What good news?"

Lin Yuan lowered his head, his gaze fixed directly on Bibi Dong's deep, enchanting eyes.

Watching Lin Yuan's curious expression, a meaningful smile blossomed on her beautiful face.

Her red lips parted, and she asked back softly with a teasing tone.

"Do you miss Qian Renxue?"

Hearing this slightly teasing question from Bibi Dong, Lin Yuan's eyes flickered, and the image of a charming figure with hair like a golden waterfall instantly appeared in his mind.

Calculating the time, it had indeed been many years since they last met.

"How so? Is Aunt Dong planning to let me leave Martial Soul City to clear my head?"

Lin Yuan wrapped his hands naturally around Bibi Dong's slender, willow-like waist and asked in return.

The smile on Bibi Dong's beautiful face deepened as she reached out with long, jade-like fingers to affectionately straighten Lin Yuan's slightly wrinkled collar.

"News has arrived from the Heaven Dou Empire; there is an extremely important secret letter that must be delivered personally to Qian Renxue by someone absolutely reliable."

"That girl has been lurking in the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family for so many years, and her situation is precarious at every step; she doesn't even have anyone by her side to speak her heart to."

Speaking of this, a rare trace of a sigh entered Bibi Dong's tone.

"When you count it up, she has been away from home for far too long, and it is indeed time for her to see you, her younger brother. Are you willing to make this trip for Aunt Dong?"

Facing this task, Lin Yuan did not decline in the slightest and agreed immediately.

"Rest assured, Aunt Dong, leave this delivery to me."

"I have always been most at ease when you handle things."

Bibi Dong patted the back of Lin Yuan's hand gently and instructed softly, "Go back and pack your luggage; you may depart at any time. Take plenty of men with you on the road and stay safe."