Tang San Took a Beating

Tang San couldn't sleep.

"Your Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul is too weak."

"Keep your distance, or you might get caught in the crossfire."

"You can't help."

"That's a fact."

He had once been a Tang Sect genius. An outer disciple who had secretly learned the inner sect's secret arts, he had single-handedly assassinated sixteen masters before leaping off a cliff to prove his resolve. What a glorious end.

After crossing over to Douluo Continent, he had the Mysterious Heaven Skill, Purple Demon Eye, Mysterious Jade Hand, Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon, and Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track—the five Tang Sect Secret Arts—at his disposal.

He also had the Eight Spider Lances, a mutated Blue Silver Grass, and the future inheritance of the Sea God.

He, Tang San, had always been a genius.

No one had ever called him "useless."

Not until these four showed up.

Tang San sat up.

Xiao Wu was sleeping soundly in the bed beside his. She rolled over and mumbled in her sleep, "Third Brother... don't cry..." Then she drifted right back off.

Tang San watched Xiao Wu's sleeping face in silence for a long time, then clenched his fists.

He decided to prove himself.

Early the next morning, Tang San found Han Li.

"I want to spar with you." Tang San stood before Han Li, his tone calm, but his eyes held an unusual earnestness.

Han Li had just left the cafeteria, carrying a bowl of thin porridge and pickled vegetables. He glanced at Tang San, expressionless. "Why?"

"To prove myself," Tang San said.

Han Li was silent for two seconds, then lowered his head and took a sip of porridge. "Waste of time." He turned and walked away.

Tang San caught up and blocked his path. "I won't hold you back. I just want to fight you once and see where the gap is."

Han Li stopped and looked Tang San in the eye.

Those dark eyes were like two deep wells, impossible to see to the bottom of.

Under Han Li's gaze, Tang San felt a little unnerved, but he didn't look away. After a few breaths, Han Li set his bowl on a stone bench nearby.

"Three moves," Han Li said. "If you can take three of my moves, you win."

The training field.

Han Li stood in the center, hands behind his back, calm and composed. Across from him, Tang San took a deep breath. The Mysterious Heaven Skill circulated, and the Purple Demon Eye quietly activated.

In Tang San's eyes, the world changed. A faint green glow surrounded Han Li—that was spiritual power, a force unlike Soul Power, denser and more restrained. His breathing was even, his heartbeat slow. He stood there quietly, like an immovable boulder.

Tang San moved, using the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. A Tang Sect Secret Art, its exquisite footwork and elusive movements made it impossible to judge the direction of his attack.

Three afterimages streaked across the field as Tang San lunged at Han Li from three directions at once.

Han Li didn't move. Tang San's real body appeared behind him, his right hand shooting out with the Mysterious Jade Hand. His palm was like jade, concealing a force of a thousand jun.

He was only half a foot from the back of Han Li's neck when Tang San realized he couldn't move.

Green formations lit up beneath his feet. Light rose from the ground, like an invisible cage trapping him.

Tang San's Mysterious Jade Hand hung in midair, his fingers only three inches from the back of Han Li's neck. But those three inches were a distance he could never cross.

Han Li turned to face Tang San and said calmly, "My binding formation is less than one percent as powerful as the formations in the cultivation world, but it's enough to trap you."

Tang San struggled, but couldn't budge. He struggled again, still to no avail. The formation lines locked around his ankles like iron shackles, pinning him in place.

Han Li raised a hand. A green light gleamed at his fingertip as he pointed it half an inch from Tang San's brow.

Cold sweat soaked Tang San's back. If that sword had really come down, he would already be dead.

"You lose." Han Li withdrew his hand and returned to the stone bench. He picked up his bowl and continued drinking his porridge.

Tang San stood motionless for a long time. The formation had already vanished, but he didn't move. He lowered his head and watched the formation lines beneath him fade away, as though they had never existed.

Three moves? No, he hadn't even taken one.

Tang San walked over to Han Li, who was drinking the last of his porridge. In a low voice, Tang San said, "I lost."

Han Li didn't look at him. He only hummed in acknowledgment, picked up his bowl, and left.

Tang San stood where he was, watching Han Li's back grow smaller and smaller until it disappeared at the end of the corridor. He took a deep breath, turned, and headed to the other end of the training field. Xiao Yan was leaning against a tree, basking in the sun.

"Xiao Yan, I want to challenge you."

Xiao Yan had been dozing. Hearing Tang San's voice, he opened one eye. "What?"

Tang San repeated himself. "I want to challenge you."

Xiao Yan closed his eyes and scoffed. "Have you fought Han Li yet?"

"I have."

"Lost?"

"Yeah."

"And now you're coming to find me?" Xiao Yan opened his eyes and looked Tang San up and down. "You have a thing for getting beaten up?"

Tang San gritted his teeth. "I just want to know the difference in our strength."

Xiao Yan studied Tang San for a few seconds. Tang San looked so earnest it was hard to refuse him. Xiao Yan sighed, stood up, and dusted off his pants.

"Fine. I'll humor you."

Tang San stepped back ten paces, putting some distance between himself and Xiao Yan.

This time, he wasn't going to fight at close range. Han Li's binding formation had taught him that he stood no chance in close combat. Tang San pulled the Godly Zhuge Crossbow from his waist and aimed it at Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow at the small, delicate crossbow. "A Hidden Weapon?"

Tang San squeezed the trigger. The mechanism snapped, and three bolts shot toward Xiao Yan in a triangular formation. They were fast and their angles were tricky, blocking off any escape to either side. His only option was to retreat.

The corners of Tang San's mouth lifted slightly. The moment Xiao Yan retreated, the second wave of Hidden Weapons was already on its way: Dragon Whisker Needles, finer than hair and almost invisible in the air, designed to pierce protective energy. Then came the third wave: Bodhi Blood, little dark-red balls that exploded on contact with the wind, blanketing the area.

Three waves of Hidden Weapons, each linked to the next. This was Tang San's most practiced combination. He had never failed to land it in the Soul Master tournament on the continent.

Xiao Yan didn't retreat. He stood where he was and raised his right hand. Green flames shone in his palm as the Heavenly Flame became a shield, unfurling into a wall of fire as thin as a cicada's wing.

The bolts from the Godly Zhuge Crossbow entered the wall of fire. The metal melted and dripped to the ground. Before the Dragon Whisker Needles could get close, the heat had burned them to ash.

The Bodhi Blood struck the wall of fire and was devoured before it could explode. Not one of the three waves of Hidden Weapons even brushed Xiao Yan's clothes.

Tang San froze. Xiao Yan walked out from behind the wall of fire and glanced at him. "You play with Hidden Weapons? I used to play with them too. You call that a Hidden Weapon? That's child's play."

Tang San's face went pale. Xiao Yan gave him no time to react. He flashed forward and appeared in front of Tang San.

Eight Extremities Collapse—a simple, direct punch—slammed into Tang San's chest. Tang San felt as though a rhinoceros had rammed into him. He flew ten meters, hit the ground hard, and slid several feet before coming to a stop.

Xiao Yan stood where he was, looking at Tang San sprawled on the ground. "Hidden Weapons are just external tools. If you want to beat me, you're a hundred years too early."

Tang San lay on the ground, his chest aching as if it might split open. Gritting his teeth, he struggled to his feet, but Xiao Yan had already turned and walked away, muttering, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river... no, that saying doesn't apply here."

Tang San stood there, covered in dirt. His clothes were torn in several places from scraping against the ground, and he had a scrape on his face. He stood there for a long, long time.

Then he went to find Shi Hao.

Shi Hao was hitting a training post on the field. It was called a post, but it was actually a tree so thick that two people couldn't wrap their arms around it.

Shi Hao slammed his fist into the trunk again and again, shouting "Arbitrary Eternity" with every blow. The great tree swayed under the barrage, leaves rustling down in a shower.

Tang San watched for a long time. Only after Shi Hao had thrown his hundredth punch did he approach.

"Shi Hao, I want to spar with you."

Shi Hao turned around, bare-chested and drenched in sweat, his muscles gleaming in the sunlight.

He glanced at Tang San. "Didn't you just fight Xiao Yan?"

"I did."

"Lost?"

"I did."

"Then why are you coming to find me?" Shi Hao tilted his head, asking the same question Xiao Yan had.

Tang San gritted his teeth. "One at a time."

Shi Hao thought for a moment, then nodded. "All right. Make your move."

Tang San took a deep breath and pushed the Purple Demon Eye to its limit. The purple light in his eyes shone at its brightest.

This was his trump card: a mental attack that struck directly at an opponent's consciousness, impossible to defend against or dodge.

The light of the Purple Demon Eye shot into Shi Hao's eyes. His body stiffened, his pupils going slightly unfocused. Tang San's heart leaped. It worked! He sprang forward, his right hand clawed as he went straight for Shi Hao's throat—then he saw Shi Hao close his eyes.

Shi Hao stood there with his eyes closed and a faint smile on his lips.

"Your eye technique is pretty good," Shi Hao said, then threw a punch. He didn't aim or try to predict Tang San's movements. He simply punched in the direction Tang San was charging from.

Tang San was in midair, with nowhere to dodge. The punch landed squarely in his chest, and he went flying again. This time he flew even farther and hit the ground even harder.

Shi Hao opened his eyes and looked at Tang San lying on the ground. "Your eye technique is pretty good, but I don't need my eyes to fight with this body of mine. Arbitrary Eternity—after all, I once fought someone with double pupils. He was much stronger than you."

Tang San lay in the muddy earth. This time, he didn't get up right away. He suddenly felt that it didn't really matter whether he got up or not.

Tang San didn't remember how he found Wang Lin. Maybe Ning Rongrong had pointed him in the right direction; maybe Xiao Wu had called something out behind him. He hadn't heard her.

There was only one thing on his mind: there was one last person. Once he finished that fight, he could go back to sleep. Wang Lin sat on a rock on the hill behind the academy, dressed in white as pure as snow, his long hair fluttering in the breeze. From a distance, he looked like a painting. Tang San walked over.

"Wang Lin, I want to challenge you."

Wang Lin didn't move. He didn't even lift an eyelid.

Tang San stepped forward again. "I said..."

"This honored one heard you."

Wang Lin opened his eyes. His gray-white gaze held no emotion. He looked at Tang San, then turned away, as if Tang San weren't worth a second glance.

"You fought Han Li and lost, fought Xiao Yan and lost, fought Shi Hao and lost." Wang Lin's voice was as flat as if he were reciting a list. "Are you trying to lose to everyone?"

Tang San gritted his teeth. "So what if I am?"

Wang Lin stood and hopped down from the rock. His movements were light; he landed almost silently. "Then make your move."

Tang San didn't attack. He stood where he was, looking at Wang Lin, his feet as if nailed to the ground. Wang Lin looked at Tang San, the corners of his mouth slowly curving upward. "You're afraid of this honored one."

Tang San instinctively retorted, "I'm not!"

Wang Lin shook his head gently, as if sighing. The Heavenly Inverse Bead appeared from between his brows. Gray light swirled inside it like a tiny vortex. "Fate is already set. This honored one can see your fear."

The Heavenly Inverse Bead flashed with black light. Tang San felt the entire world vanish. He stood in a void with no up or down, no left or right, no sound, no light.

Then images appeared: Wutan City, the back hills of the Xiao Clan, the young man whose engagement had been annulled by Nalan Yanran, kneeling on the ground as the wind blew and the rain fell. Then the Great Thousand World, the Endless Fire Domain, flames consuming everything while he could only watch.

Then came countless failures, countless setbacks. All the scenes flooded Tang San's mind at once. A second, ten thousand years. Tang San fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face as he screamed himself hoarse. "I was wrong! I give up! I was wrong!!!"

He'd already been scared to tears by the first Xiao Yan's past, and he hadn't even seen Han Li, Shi Hao, or Wang Lin's yet.

The black light of the Heavenly Inverse Bead faded. Wang Lin withdrew his power, and the gray bead slowly sank back between his brows. Tang San knelt on the ground, trembling all over, his face streaked with tears. Wang Lin looked down at him and said two words in an even tone: "Wretched ant."

Tang San knelt alone on the grass on the hill behind the academy and cried for a long time. The sun moved from east to west. His tears ran dry, his voice went hoarse, and in the end he could only kneel there, his body shuddering.

When the Shrek Seven Devils found him, he was still on his knees. Dai Mubai pulled Tang San up from the ground, but his legs had gone numb and he couldn't stand steadily. He could only lean against Dai Mubai. His eyes were swollen like peaches, and his face was streaked with tears.

Ma Hongjun held out a chicken leg. "Third Brother, want something to eat?"

Tang San shook his head, his voice hoarse. "I don't feel like eating."

Ning Rongrong offered him a cup of water. "Then how about some water?"

Tang San took it and drank a sip, then handed it back without saying a word.

Xiao Wu squeezed through the crowd behind them. When she saw Tang San, her eyes reddened at once. She hugged him, her voice trembling. "Third Brother, don't be like this. You're scaring me."

Tang San was silent for a long time. Then he spoke, his voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible. "I used to be a genius."

Xiao Wu nodded hard. "You still are."

Tang San shook his head, softly but firmly. He looked at each member of the Shrek Seven Devils, one by one. "Those four are monsters."

Tang San's voice was very calm, so calm it didn't sound like him at all. "It's my fault for comparing myself to monsters."

Dai Mubai patted his shoulder hard enough to make Tang San's bones creak. "Now you're getting it. That's life. There's always someone more... twisted than you."

Tang San nodded hard. Xiao Wu let out a sigh of relief and let go of him, wanting to give him a comforting hug.

Tang San instinctively spread his arms to hug Xiao Wu, blurting out, "Resurrect, My Love!"

Xiao Wu's palm traced a graceful arc through the air and smacked Tang San across the face with a crisp slap. "Get a grip!"

Xiao Wu planted her hands on her hips and roared. Tang San covered his face, blinking as tears welled up again.

But he smiled.