Tang San quickly escaped back to Nuoding Academy and secretly treated himself.
He was too embarrassed to talk about what had happened that night. He couldn't exactly say he'd gone to steal something, only to get beaten instead.
Xiao Wu happened to open the door. Seeing the bloodstained bandages on the floor, she asked with concern:
"Third Brother, where did all this blood come from? How did you get hurt?"
Tang San was stumped. He had no idea how to answer, so he made something up on the spot.
"Well, you know how it is for men. We get a few days like this every month. Don't worry about it."
Xiao Wu was completely dumbfounded.
Men got those days too? Oh, she really didn't know much about that. Maybe it was true.
In front of the Live Broadcast Room, countless viewers burst out laughing.
"Hahaha... Men get those days too? Tang San's hilarious."
"Maybe Tang San isn't a man at all. She's a woman pretending to be one."
Faced with everyone's ridicule, Tang San was so ashamed she covered her face.
Then she cursed at her other self:
"Damn it, that bastard! How could he say something like that about himself? He's a complete idiot. How could he possibly call himself Tang San?"
Nearby, the girls from Shrek Academy bashfully covered their faces. This Tang San sure knew how to talk.
Even Liu Erlong couldn't help sighing.
"This little San... sigh. I really don't know what to say."
Beside her, the Soul Saint Brothers laughed again.
"Xiaogang, don't tell me your disciple is a girl?"
Yu Xiaogang said he didn't know and firmly refused to answer the question.
[After his theft attempt failed, Tang San changed his approach and headed to that Blacksmith Shop, hoping to get his hands on the blueprints.] [Unfortunately, when Ye Tianyun made them, he worked on the components separately. And since the Battle Armor was made at his own Blacksmith Shop, Tang San was doomed to be disappointed.] [That's it for today's Live Broadcast Room. Tomorrow, we'll show the next stage: Ye Tianyun and Tang San choosing different academies.]
The Live Broadcast Room snapped shut.
Parallel Timeline.
Ye Tianyun stared at the Live Broadcast Room and tapped the table, lost in thought.
He still wasn't strong enough. Though he had reached the Dou Di realm, there were many realms above Dou Di.
"Everyone, make sure you cultivate diligently. When the two worlds connect someday, conquer the other world for me."
At those words, Asura God was the first to declare his support:
"I'm willing to serve as the vanguard. I'll do everything in my power for Your Majesty the Heavenly Emperor and cut down the Asura God of the other world."
God of Destruction was just as eager to prove himself:
"I'm also willing to serve Your Majesty the Heavenly Emperor and slay the Tang San of the other world."
"Good. With generals like you, I feel much more at ease."
Ye Tianyun truly felt at ease.
The Five Great God Kings in the real world, along with all the other protagonists besides Tang San, were very obedient.
Far more obedient than Tang San.
Thinking of this, Ye Tianyun took out the Human Emperor Banner, which he had refined into an Extreme Dao Imperial Weapon, and released the Tang San inside.
Tang San was still snarling and clawing at him.
"Ye Tianyun, I won't let you get away with this, even as a ghost! Just you wait."
"Honestly, you're still so disobedient."
Ye Tianyun gave the Human Emperor Banner a shake. Countless souls surged out from within and swallowed Tang San in an instant.
They dragged Tang San back inside the Human Emperor Banner, where a merciless torture began. There were even many 0s in there, which Ye Tianyun had carefully collected.
Main Timeline.
Seeing the Live Broadcast Room shut down, Tang San gritted his teeth in fury.
"Damn it! It's all that Live Broadcast Room's fault for ruining my reputation. And that other Tang San is a complete failure."
He hated that failure. What a disgrace.
Seeing how upset Tang San was, Xiao Wu took the initiative to cheer him up.
"Third Brother, don't take it too seriously. At least you're better than the Tang San in the other timeline. Ye Tianyun in this timeline is probably already dead."
Tang San thought that made a lot of sense.
The Tang San in the first world had lost, while he had won in this world. That meant they were even.
"Let the competition continue."
The referee called out. Tang San and Feng Xiaotian both reacted at once, remembering that they still had a competition.
They had completely forgotten about it earlier.
"Then let's get the competition started again."
Tang San looked at Feng Xiaotian and his companions, a cold glint in his eyes.
After being humiliated by the Live Broadcast Room, he was burning with anger and needed to blow off steam. These people were just right for it.
Feng Xiaotian: "..."
Seriously, was Tang San an idiot? The Live Broadcast Room had humiliated him, and now he was taking it out on them. What a shameless jerk.
The competition ended quickly, with Shrek Academy winning just as it had in the original story.
That night, at Spirit Hall.
Bibi Dong leaned against her chair, looking a little languid, though her eyes were sharp.
"How is the investigation going? Do we have any solid leads on Ye Tianyun and Tang San?"
It wasn't just Spirit Hall investigating Ye Tianyun and Tang San. The great sects were all looking into them too.
One was a transmigrator from another world, the owner of the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record, and the protagonist of Douluo Continent.
The other was a peerless genius who had created an entirely new cultivation system, Soul Tools, and a method to increase Spirit Ring age limits. He had even defeated the protagonist, Tang San. He was a prodigy in his own right.
Spirit Hall needed talents like them.
Chrysanthemum Douluo bowed as he reported:
"Your Holiness the Pope, Ghost Douluo has personally gone to Nuoding City to look for Ye Tianyun, and to track down Tang San as well."
Bibi Dong nodded with satisfaction, but then recalled something and solemnly added:
"Make sure you investigate Tang San thoroughly. There's a good chance he's from the Clear Sky Sect, and Tang Hao's son."
Tang San was the one she was most concerned about. If he really was Tang Hao's son, then he was an enemy of Spirit Hall.
If Tang San became a god someday, he might target Spirit Hall. They had to deal with him in advance and leave no future trouble.
"Yes, Your Holiness the Pope."
Meanwhile, Shrek Academy was holding its victory banquet.
Yu Xiaogang raised his wine cup, barely able to hide his excitement.
"Everyone, let's celebrate your victory—and, more importantly, let's celebrate little San being the future protagonist of Douluo Continent."
He was genuinely celebrating Tang San. The victory was just a bonus. Tang San was the protagonist, and his disciple was the protagonist.
Although Tang San looked down on everyone equally, including him, Yu Xiaogang simply chose to ignore it.
"That's right, little San. Let's celebrate you being the protagonist."
Dai Mubai stood too, raising his wine cup high.
Tang San had said that anyone without a full score in innate talent was trash, but Dai Mubai ignored that too.
Anyway, after the celebration, he'd go back to his room and cultivate the Mysterious Heaven Skill. He refused to believe he couldn't catch up to Tang San.
"Thank you."
Tang San thanked them aloud, but he felt awful inside. When he'd just returned, a whole crowd at the academy had been cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Skill, and there was nothing he could do to stop them.
After all, he might be able to stop one or two, but he couldn't stop the whole world. He didn't have that kind of power.
"All right, let's go easy on the drinking tonight. We have another competition tomorrow, and Shrek Academy is sure to win the championship."
After the banquet, the Shrek Seven Devils each returned to their rooms. They didn't rest; instead, they seized every moment to cultivate the Mysterious Heaven Skill.
They were just too eager to improve.
Before you continue