Zhao Linchuan: There's no other way...

Seeing Zhao Linchuan entangled by his Blue Silver Grass, Tang San could not help but reveal a cold sneer, calling out loudly:

"Zhao Linchuan, you had better concede!"

"You have no spirit ring and cannot project your spirit power. Now that you are bound by my Blue Silver Grass and the toxins have entered your body, you have no chance of winning!"

"Bow your head now, and you might suffer a little less!"

"Hiss--!" Zhao Linchuan suddenly gasped, his expression shifting repeatedly as his voice took on a hint of "panic." "Oh no! The thorns on these vines are poisonous! My arm is starting to go numb!"

He "anxiously" tried to struggle, but the Blue Silver Grass was exceptionally tough, tightening its grip with every movement.

The smugness in Yu Xiaogang's eyes was practically overflowing, as if he could already see this genius youth, who had repeatedly offended him, kneeling to apprentice himself before his most prized disciple.

Tang San's confidence surged even further. He manipulated the Blue Silver Grass to exert more force while cautiously moving forward, preparing to deliver the final blow.

"No choice then!" Zhao Linchuan suddenly let out a low roar, his face showing a "desperate" look. "I have to use that move!"

He exerted a sudden burst of strength from his waist and abdomen. Instead of pulling backward to break free, he used the tension of the vines to his advantage. Like a tracker pulling a rope, he used his "full strength" to yank backward with a violent jerk!

"What?!"

Caught off guard, Tang San felt an irresistible, overwhelming force surge through the Blue Silver Grass. He let out a startled cry, lost his balance entirely, and was yanked off his feet by the sheer power, flying through the air toward Zhao Linchuan like a human sandbag!

The moment he reached Zhao Linchuan, the latter's left hand, which had been clenched into a fist, struck out—simple, direct, and without any flair!

Bang--!!!

A loud, dull thud, far more solid than the one in Dorm Seven, exploded through the air!

It sounded as if a heavy hammer had struck a leather drum.

"Urgh--!"

Tang San's cry of pain was choked back into his throat. His eyes bulged, and his face twisted in agony.

He was sent flying backward like a baseball hit with full force, retreating even faster than he had arrived!

Crack... Boom!

The Blue Silver Grass vines wrapped around Zhao Linchuan's arm were snapped to pieces by the violent force.

Tang San's body traced a parabola through the air before crashing heavily into a thicket a dozen meters away. He smashed through countless branches with a series of snaps and pops, finally coming to a rest in a heap of debris, unconscious.

Silence.

A deathly silence!

The smugness, gratification, and anticipation on Yu Xiaogang's face froze instantly, then peeled away like shattered porcelain, leaving behind only profound shock and bewilderment.

"X-Xiao San...!" He subconsciously clutched his head with both hands, his eyes wide as he stared at Zhao Linchuan, who stood where he was, calmly peeling the remaining vines off his arm as if he were looking at a prehistoric beast in human skin.

"This... how is this possible?!"

Without using spirit power, without using a spirit skill, and even while seemingly fully bound and poisoned... he had used nothing but raw strength and a single punch to...

To send Tang San, who had obtained his first spirit ring and reached level eleven, flying? And knocked him out?

Is he even human?!

What kind of monster-level physical constitution is this?!

Zhao Linchuan tossed the last few segments of Blue Silver Grass onto the ground and rubbed his wrist, kindly reminding the stunned Yu Xiaogang:

"Master, if you don't go check on him, your precious student might actually stop breathing and kick the bucket."

"Xiao... Xiao San!" Yu Xiaogang snapped out of his trance. Ignoring his lack of composure, he scrambled toward the spot where Tang San had fallen, his awkward, pigeon-toed gait stumbling as he went.

Zhao Linchuan watched his retreating back and smiled faintly. He raised his left hand to inspect it; there wasn't even a red mark on his knuckles.

Hmm, the strength in my left hand is not bad either. It seems my development is quite balanced.

He nodded in satisfaction, turned around, and strolled toward the academy, leaving only a single sentence drifting on the wind.

"Master, when your good student wakes up, don't forget to remind him of our wager. I am a man who values his word above all else."

"Xiao San... how are you? Wake up! Wake up!"

Time passed until evening.

Yu Xiaogang used the Pope Token to invoke his status as an "Honorary Elder" of Spirit Hall, forcibly ordering the Nuoding City branch to dispatch a healing-type Spirit Grandmaster. After consuming a fair amount of spirit power, they finally managed to revive Tang San from his coma and stabilize his injuries.

As the master and disciple walked back toward Notting Academy, Tang San kept his head bowed, his face pale and silent.

Yu Xiaogang sighed, breaking the silence. "Xiao San, regarding today... I underestimated that Zhao Linchuan."

"This boy... he likely possesses innate divine strength. If you cross paths with him again, remember not to engage in close-quarters combat. You must use the control advantages of your Blue Silver Grass to maneuver and circle him, looking for openings."

Tang San nodded silently. "Yes, Teacher, I will remember."

Before long, the two arrived outside the gates of Notting Academy.

However, the area outside the academy gate was quite "lively" at the moment.

Zhao Linchuan stood there leisurely, surrounded by a group of work-study students watching the spectacle. Wang Sheng and the others were squeezed to the front, their faces filled with curiosity and excitement.

Xiao Wu also stood quietly by Zhao Linchuan's side, nibbling on half a carrot. Her large eyes flickered as she looked from Zhao Linchuan to the approaching master and disciple, filled with curiosity.

Seeing Yu Xiaogang and Tang San approach, Zhao Linchuan stepped forward and spoke:

"Little San, looks like your injuries have mostly healed? Well then, a bet is a bet—isn't it time to fulfill our previous wager?"

"Zhao Linchuan! Don't you go too far!"

Yu Xiaogang's face darkened. He immediately blocked Tang San, his gaze sharp as he stared at Zhao Linchuan, his tone carrying a warning mixed with a hint of bluster.

"Leave a path for others, and you'll have a path to walk in the future!"

"In this world, there are some people and some backgrounds that you cannot easily provoke."

"I advise you to quit while you're ahead!"

"Oh?"

Zhao Linchuan raised an eyebrow. Far from backing down, he wore an even more intrigued expression, even deliberately tilting his head in a gesture of "all ears."

"That's an interesting way to put it, Grandmaster. Does that mean our classmate Tang San has some remarkable background?"

He raised his voice, clearly provocative.

"Come on, come on, Grandmaster, why don't you say it out loud for me to hear? Let a country bumpkin like me open my eyes and see if I can really afford to provoke this 'remarkable' background?"

"You...!" Yu Xiaogang choked, his chest tightening as his face flushed bright red.

Tang San was the son of Haotian Douluo, but this identity was top secret; if it were exposed, the consequences would be unimaginable!

He trembled with rage, his hand instinctively reaching into his robes, where the Pope Token lay!

Perhaps... he could use this status to forcibly suppress Zhao Linchuan, at least enough to make him drop the matter of the wager!

Just as Yu Xiaogang prepared to pull out the Pope Token and reveal his identity as a Spirit Hall Elder to exert pressure—