Grudges Arise, Killing Intent Appears

Inside Heaven Dou Royal Academy, student dormitories.

As a renowned institution of higher learning in Heaven Dou City, the dormitories here were all standalone buildings—more like villas, to be precise.

However, few people actually lived here. Most students who attended were children of nobles whose homes were not far away, like Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan.

Of course, there were also outsiders with no residence or roots here. Tang San and the others were among those who lived in the dormitories.

"Third Brother, are you really going to cooperate with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"

Inside the room, Xiao Wu, her hair tied in a scorpion braid, sat beside Tang San with a worried expression.

Her identity had still been exposed. Before Gu Rong and Chen Xin, two Title Douluo, there was simply no way for her to conceal the aura of a soul beast.

Had Tang San not stepped in, she would likely have long since been arrested and imprisoned.

"Don't worry, Xiao Wu. I won't let anything happen to you."

To Tang San, it did not really matter whether Xiao Wu was human or a soul beast.

She had accompanied him for so many years; their bond had long become that of family.

Besides, he had intended to promote hidden weapons sooner or later anyway. Trading hidden weapons for Xiao Wu's safety was a very worthwhile deal to him.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was an excellent partner, though of course he could not trust them completely.

He had yet to fully mature and was not yet capable of contending with them.

"It's all Fang Xuan's fault. If it weren't for him, Third Brother, you wouldn't have had to hand over your hidden weapons for me, and Master wouldn't have been taken away by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."

At that moment, Xiao Wu suddenly spoke.

Her voice choked with emotion and carried a trace of resentment, as though all her current misfortune had been caused by Fang Xuan.

Upon hearing this, Tang San unconsciously stopped what he was doing. A small hidden weapon component slipped from his hand and struck the floor with a crisp sound.

"Fang Xuan."

Tang San softly murmured the name, and the past scene involuntarily resurfaced in his mind.

That had been the first time his hidden weapons had failed since arriving in this world.

The Dragon Whisker Needle could even injure Zhao Wuji, a Soul Sage. Why had Fang Xuan, merely a Soul King, been able to block it so easily?

An inexplicable sense of danger rose within him, making him frown instinctively.

"Third Brother, what's wrong?"

Noticing Tang San's abnormality, Xiao Wu asked with concern.

"It's nothing. I just remembered what happened before."

Tang San shook his head and gave her a reassuring smile.

After saying that, he bent down to pick up the component from the floor and continued assembling the hidden weapon in his hands.

Yet deep within his heart, he had already marked Fang Xuan as an extremely dangerous opponent.

Ever since that last encounter, he had never seen Fang Xuan again. Now, however, Fang Xuan was in Heaven Dou City.

He had also heard some rumors about Fang Xuan and knew just how great the latter's potential was.

An eighteen-year-old Soul King—he was almost certain to become a Title Douluo in the future.

He had already offended Fang Xuan before, and with the recent conflict between Ye Lingling and Ning Rongrong, he had clearly offended him completely.

In other words, he and Fang Xuan were now enemies. Since they were enemies, Fang Xuan had to be eliminated as soon as possible.

Otherwise, allowing such an enemy to grow would pose an enormous threat to him.

"It seems I have to kill him as soon as possible!"

At this moment, Tang San had already developed killing intent toward Fang Xuan. What he did not expect was that Fang Xuan thought the same way—and had thought of it even earlier.

Ye Family.

At the dinner table, Fang Xuan and Ye Qinru told her about what he planned to do next, as well as the possibility that he would be staying at Heaven Dou Royal Academy for a long time afterward.

Researching Soul Tools required a great deal of time, so he certainly could not continue living here as he had before.

Though the distance was not particularly far, traveling back and forth was still troublesome.

Besides, constantly living at his mother-in-law's home was hardly appropriate. After all, he was not a live-in son-in-law.

"Do whatever you want to do. Mom will always support you."

"But son-in-law, are you really going to research those Soul Tools? And are Soul Tools really as miraculous as you say?"

Ye Qinru had no intention of interfering with anything Fang Xuan did. She was simply rather puzzled about Soul Tools.

"Yes. I have a feeling that this may very well change the entire current landscape of soul masters."

He knew the future of Soul Tools, so he spoke with exceptional confidence.

"As long as you think it's good, that's enough. If you need anything, just come to me."

"If there's anything I can help with, your mom certainly won't refuse."

Ye Qinru truly treated Fang Xuan as her own son now. The way she doted on him was even more excessive than her affection for her biological daughter, Ye Lingling.

She had practically reached the point of unconditional indulgence, to the extent that even Ye Lingling, standing nearby, felt a little jealous.

"Mom, who exactly is the one you gave birth to? You never treated me like this before."

As an only child, Ye Lingling had been raised under Ye Qinru's strict discipline. Although Ye Qinru loved and spoiled her too, it was nowhere near the level of Fang Xuan.

"What? I just like spoiling my son-in-law. Got a problem with that? If you do, go have one yourself."

"Pack your things later and move out. I can use your room to store junk."

Double standards—true double standards.

Ye Lingling was rendered speechless by her mother's antics.

She was being kicked out of the house just like that.

"Hmph, I'll have one myself, then. I won't be like you, forgetting your daughter the moment you have a son-in-law."

Seeing Ye Lingling puffing up in anger, Fang Xuan could not help reaching out to rub her head.

"Alright, stop sulking. Mom was just joking with you."

After spending so many days together, he had come to understand Ye Qinru's personality.

She was completely the type of girl who seemed cold on the outside but warm within. She looked icy and detached, but she was actually very gentle at heart and loved gossip immensely.

The way she got along with Ye Lingling was less like mother and daughter and more like sisters, much like Dugu Yan.

Especially after absorbing the immortal herb and undergoing Martial Soul Evolution, which had resolved all her worries, her entire mentality had changed dramatically.

With the heavy stone that had long weighed on her heart finally removed, she had also somewhat completely let herself go.

"This girl can't take a joke. Say two words and her fur stands on end. She's not like me at all."

"It's only because she met such a good son-in-law as me. Otherwise, she'd get tricked sooner or later."

Fang Xuan could not help laughing wryly at that. He had only just finished comforting her, and now Ye Qinru was twisting the knife. Hadn't his efforts been for nothing?

Ye Lingling rolled her eyes at her mother. She finally understood what it meant for a married daughter to be like spilled water.

This maternal home was hardly worth staying in.

After dinner, Ye Lingling left first in a huff.

Fang Xuan, meanwhile, stayed behind to chat with Ye Qinru.

However, before they had exchanged more than a few words, Ye Qinru handed him an exquisite wooden box.

When the box was opened, it revealed a lining of warm jade covered with a thin layer of silk. Resting quietly within was a ganoderma that emitted a faint fragrance.

Fang Xuan looked closely. Wasn't this the Nine-Rank Immortal Ganoderma he had previously asked Ye Qinru to pass on to Tang Yuehua?

"Mom, this is?"

"Take it back. I won't make things difficult for you. There are some things your mother has thought through more carefully than you."