Gu Yue's expression was cold and severe, as though she possessed the transcendent divinity of a heaven and earth that showed no mercy, treating all things as straw dogs. A chilling gleam flashed in her already icy eyes, where killing intent ran rampant.
She knew Huang Tian had countless ways to avoid those iron arrows: dodge in advance, block them with his Martial Soul, knock them aside with the Blue Silver Saint Emperor Spear, or bring out his Second Martial Soul, among other things.
But even if there were only one chance in a thousand—or ten thousand—of something going wrong, she would never let things continue.
Otherwise, what was the point of guarding him secretly, day and night?
Did he like catching the wind?
Space was sealed. Within a hundred meters, nothing could change its position in space, while consciousness and thought alone continued to function normally.
Tang San was suddenly startled. His heart lurched so violently that it felt ready to burst. In all his past and present lives, he had never even heard of anything so bizarre.
Even the most basic fantasy was still fantasy—far beyond anything the martial world could imagine.
The Blue Silver Grass halted in midair. The Sleeve Arrows he had fired also stopped, hanging motionless in the air. They neither advanced nor fell, without the slightest tremor.
Even the people facing him, visible through his Purple Demon Eye, were completely frozen: their lifted hems, the spittle spraying from their mouths, and the expressions on their faces as they watched the spectacle.
His first instinct was to run.
But no matter how he circulated his Mysterious Heaven Skill inner force along the paths of Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, or how he tensed his muscles, he couldn't move a hair's breadth.
He couldn't dodge, let alone wipe the sneer from his lips.
Terror spread through his heart even more violently. His body wanted to shake, but he found that he couldn't even tremble.
He had clearly offended someone he couldn't afford to provoke.
Sanzi finally regretted it—but not killing Huang Tian. He regretted acting so recklessly when he knew the other boy had a teacher capable of hunting Century Soul Beasts.
Not just Tang San, but Yu Xiaogang, the Principal, Teacher Zhao, and the many onlookers all felt stormy waves crash through their hearts.
The others were still better off. They had no concept of what high-ranking Soul Masters could do, and didn't understand what it meant to perform something like this.
Only the Principal and Gangzi were truly terrified.
Yu Xiaogang, in particular, knew something about the Upper Three Sects, the two great empires, and the higher-ups in Spirit Hall. Yet he had never heard of a Martial Soul ability like this.
His mind went blank with a buzz. His heart seemed to stop.
Could they have run into an unregistered Titled Douluo?
The two great empires, the Upper Three Sects, the Lower Four Sects, and Spirit Hall had maintained the balance of power for thousands of years. Even when the Clear Sky Sect rose to prominence a century ago, it had used no shortage of underhanded methods—and put in no shortage of "effort."
After Dugu Bo reached his peak, he had even slaughtered an entire city to demonstrate his might and capricious nature, making the great powers wary of provoking him.
Over the years, unaffiliated Titled Douluo had often met with untimely accidents. So even those who broke through chose to keep their status secret.
Gu Yue drifted down to the ground amid the crowd's shock, confusion, and fear.
Two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red ring slowly appeared around her, encircling her at roughly knee height as they rotated rhythmically.
Then the Blue Silver Grass vines Tang San had used to hide the Sleeve Arrows suddenly moved aside on their own, revealing the iron arrows beneath.
Sanzi's left sleeve also rolled up against his will, exposing the firing mechanism strapped to his arm for everyone to see.
That left Tang San and Yu Xiaogang weak with terror, their scalps crawling.
Tang San's face drained of color. He screamed inwardly in anguish.
Wait—why are my hand and Martial Soul moving on their own?
Stop! Stop right now! Hidden Weapons are meant to be hidden. They can't be revealed to others!
Gangzi's mind was utterly blank. Only one thought remained.
It's over. It's all over.
No one understood better than he did how much the great powers and noble families valued geniuses with Innate Full Soul Power.
The Principal's vision went black, and he nearly fainted. A Titled Douluo's junior had been attacked right before his eyes by his friend's disciple.
He felt guilty of an unforgivable crime, deserving death a thousand times over.
And when the Sleeve Arrows were exposed, an uproar swept through the crowd.
"Isn't using external objects against the rules of Soul Fighting?"
"Tang San actually used iron arrows to launch a sneak attack?"
"Nine rings—that's the legendary Titled Douluo, right?"
"I thought from the start that those two, teacher and student, were no good. Sure enough."
Gu Yue reached out and caught the three iron arrows. The next instant, the spatial seal vanished.
Yu Xiaogang immediately let out a shriek.
"Xiao San, how could you violate the rules of Soul Fighting? Hurry and apologize to Your Excellency!"
His voice was so loud, urgent, and sudden that it startled many of the crowd.
Tang San immediately took the opportunity to drop to his knees.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have violated the rules of Soul Fighting. Fortunately, classmate Huang Tian wasn't hurt."
The implication was that it was only a minor matter. No one had been injured, so they should let it go.
But the two of them were left terribly uneasy when Gu Yue and Huang Tian did not respond at all, even after a long while.
Only after more than ten seconds did Gu Yue speak, her voice indifferent.
"Are those your last words? If you have nothing else to say, then prepare to meet your end."
She tossed the three short arrows onto the ground. Tang San was still reeling at the word "last," when he realized with even greater terror that his body had gone out of his control again.
His right hand picked up an iron arrow and slowly turned it toward his heart.
His face went deathly pale. His body shook violently, his teeth clenched, and he was so panicked he could barely breathe. He desperately tried to circulate his Mysterious Heaven Skill, but couldn't resist at all.
Yu Xiaogang was scared out of his wits. He hurriedly threw himself down and clung to Tang San, shielding him with his hands as he cried:
"Your Excellency, you can't kill him! He's Tang Hao's son. Please spare him this once, for the sake of the Clear Sky Douluo!"
Sure enough, the iron arrow aimed at Tang San's heart stopped.
Gangzi's legs went limp. He gasped for breath, only then realizing his forehead was covered in sweat and his heart was pounding louder than a drum.
Having escaped death, Tang San was thrilled and shaken—but he couldn't help wondering about the Tang Hao and Clear Sky Douluo his teacher had mentioned.
Wasn't Dad just an ordinary blacksmith? What does "Clear Sky Douluo" mean?
He thought of Tang Hao's reaction when he saw the Clear Sky Hammer, and how shocked his teacher had been when he saw the Second Martial Soul.
Could Dad really be a Titled Douluo in hiding?
If that's true...
This woman dared to think of killing me. She deserves to die. I have to tell Dad and have him find a way to eliminate her, to avoid trouble down the line.
And Huang Tian, too. Without anyone to back him up, he has to die.
As he thought this, he heard Gu Yue speak coldly.
"I see. So this wasn't an accident, but a carefully planned conspiracy by the Clear Sky Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect? They intend to cut off the lineage of my Peace Sect.
"Tang San, Yu Xiaogang, are you two willing to testify that the Clear Sky Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect were secretly directing you?
"If you are, I can let you live one more day."
Before you continue