At her words, a trace of annoyance flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes.
Afraid to use torture?
The Soul Masters in charge of punishment at Spirit Hall were actually so timid and hesitant, so afraid to lay a finger on a prisoner just because of his special status?
Was it because Qian Daoliu had lost to Tang Chen that even the people in Spirit Hall had begun to fear that so-called "number one sect under heaven"?
A chill silently spread from her, making the already cold dungeon even more bone-chilling.
Zhao Linchuan stood beside her, watching it all.
He said nothing more, merely turning his gaze to the trembling guard and speaking evenly:
"Fetch a vat full of water, then bring over a Soul Master with a lightning attribute. I have a use for him."
"Yes, yes, yes!"
The guard nodded frantically, as if pardoned from death, and almost ran off.
The dungeon fell quiet, leaving only the faint crackle of the torches and the even breathing of the man in the cell.
Bibi Dong watched Yu Xiaogang, still fast asleep, and fell silent for a moment. Then she spoke softly, with a sigh:
"That defeat of the Great Worship's weakened Spirit Hall's prestige by at least half."
She turned her head slightly, her gaze settling on Zhao Linchuan. "Now, even the civil servants of Spirit Hall are acting timid and hesitant."
"That's only natural," Zhao Linchuan replied. "Until now, in the eyes of countless Soul Masters across the continent, the Great Worship had always been a being almost like a god."
"But Tang Chen, a Soul Master from nowhere, suddenly defeated that god."
His tone was difficult to read, his gaze deep.
"If no one has ever reached the summit of a mountain, then it's an insurmountable natural barrier."
"But once someone reaches the top, even if it's only by luck, that mountain is no longer a myth in the eyes of the world."
Bibi Dong nodded thoughtfully and lowered her eyes, lost in thought for a moment.
Suddenly, she looked up, curiosity flashing in her eyes. "Linchuan, how do you think this Tang Chen trained?"
"He seems to have appeared out of nowhere."
She counted on her fingers. "Spirit Hall has records on nearly every powerful figure in the continent's history who trained to become a Titled Douluo—the origins of their Martial Souls, their masters, and their cultivation paths."
"But I've never heard of the Clear Sky Hammer, or the Clear Sky Sect."
She wrinkled her nose. "It's as if they appeared out of thin air."
"By rights, the life of a Limit Douluo must be full of legends. He couldn't possibly have been some unknown nobody."
"Who knows?" Zhao Linchuan shrugged. "Maybe he sprang out of a crack in a rock."
Bibi Dong couldn't help smiling at his words. She was about to say more when a rustling sound suddenly came from inside the cell.
Yu Xiaogang woke up. He sat up, rubbed his bleary eyes, and focused on the two figures outside the cell.
When he recognized them, he instinctively sensed that something was wrong.
Yesterday, he had relied on his silver tongue to explain the consequences and persuade them, finally avoiding a beating.
Though the guards had locked him up here, they hadn't dared lay a finger on him.
He had even secretly congratulated himself, thinking that as long as he held out until his father learned of the news, everything would fall into place.
But now, looking at the two people outside the cell—especially Zhao Linchuan—he instinctively tensed, as if something terrible were about to happen.
As it turned out, his instincts hadn't been wrong.
Rapid footsteps approached. The guard returned, followed by a Soul Master in a red robe.
Together, the two carried a massive vat, nearly half a zhang tall and filled with clear water that sloshed with every step.
Zhao Linchuan glanced at the vat, then at Yu Xiaogang, whose face had already begun to pale, and said unhurriedly:
"Open the cell door and throw him in."
The guard quickly answered, pulled out a key, unlocked the cell, and strode inside.
Yu Xiaogang's expression changed drastically. He instinctively backed away, his back striking the icy wall.
"What are you doing? You...!"
He couldn't finish. The guard was far stronger than a mere Soul Grandmaster like him. His hands were like iron clamps as he lifted Yu Xiaogang off the ground.
"Let go of me! You can't...!"
Splash! Water sprayed everywhere.
Yu Xiaogang was tossed bodily into the vat. The cold water rose to his chest as he grabbed the rim with both hands, furious and frightened, his voice pitching high.
"What are you doing?! Do you even know who I am?!"
Zhao Linchuan ignored him. Turning to the red-robed Soul Master with the lightning attribute, he said evenly, "Put a little electricity in the water."
"Yes!"
The red-robed Soul Master immediately stepped forward, a fine thread of lightning flickering at his right fingertip.
Crackle—!
His fingertip touched the water, and fine arcs of electricity instantly spread through it. The entire vat glowed with a layer of blue-white light.
"Aaaagh!!!"
Yu Xiaogang's scream burst through the dungeon. His whole body convulsed violently in the vat, both hands clutching the rim as his hair stood on end and the muscles in his face twisted out of shape.
"Aaaagh! Fuck! Fuck! Stop! Stop it! Aaaagh!"
He tried to climb out, but the red-robed Soul Master pressed down on his head with one hand, forcing him back under.
"Doing this to me—!" Yu Xiaogang's voice was shrill and hoarse. "Aren't you afraid of starting a war between Spirit Hall and my sect?!"
Zhao Linchuan glanced at him and said evenly, "Turn it up a little."
"Yes."
The red-robed Soul Master answered, and the arcs of electricity at his fingertip suddenly thickened. Blue-white light exploded inside the vat, making the entire dungeon flicker.
"Aaaagh!! Fuck!! You can't do this!! My father won't let you get away with this—!"
Yu Xiaogang's screams echoed through the dungeon, each one louder than the last, until his voice gradually grew hoarse.
Time passed slowly amid the screams.
A quarter of an hour. A full quarter of an hour.
At last, the vat shattered with a crash under Yu Xiaogang's frantic struggles, and clear water swept the broken shards across the floor.
Yu Xiaogang collapsed onto the sodden ground, drenched from head to toe, his hair disheveled as he gasped for breath.
Zhao Linchuan raised a hand. The red-robed Soul Master understood and withdrew the lightning from his fingertip.
"Hm?" Bibi Dong looked at the miserable figure on the ground, curiosity flashing in her eyes. "He's actually unharmed?"
The guard leaned closer to take a look too, his face puzzled.
Yu Xiaogang had been shocked for a full quarter of an hour, yet he didn't have a single mark on him. His skin even looked ruddier than before. Anyone who didn't know better might have thought he'd just had a massage to loosen his muscles and improve his circulation.
Zhao Linchuan chuckled softly, but the sound made Yu Xiaogang shiver involuntarily.
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