Outside the Crown Prince's Mansion, Heaven Dou City
After receiving Qian Renxue's orders, Snake Lance and Pufferfish hid in the shadows.
"Are you taking Yu Luomian or Yu Xiaogang?" Snake Lance glanced sideways at Pufferfish.
"Yu Xiaogang," Pufferfish replied evenly.
"Fine. Then I'll deal with Yu Luomian." Snake Lance nodded, slipped into the shadows, and vanished in the blink of an eye.
"Idiot."
Pufferfish sneered and muttered, "Yu Luomian is a Soul Douluo, after all. If you make a move inside Heaven Dou City, you'll alert the city's Soul Masters. When things get out of hand, let's see how you explain yourself to the young master."
Meanwhile, Snake Lance was laughing to himself as he made his way down the road. "Pufferfish, do you really think you're so clever? Yu Xiaogang has close ties to the Pope. If you dare touch him, you'll have to answer for it later. Let's see how you get out of that."
"This round goes to me, in the end."
Outside Blue Tyrant Academy
"Heh, did you really think you had this in the bag?"
Only then did Pufferfish realize why Snake Lance had chosen Yu Luomian, but he wasn't worried.
"Spirit Hall will always bear the name 'Qian,' and the young master will inherit the position of Pope sooner or later.
"Loyalty that isn't absolute is absolute disloyalty. You, Snake Lance, are only good at petty tricks, always fretting over every little thing. Sooner or later, the young master will cast you aside."
"In the end, I'll be the one who wins!"
Blue Tyrant Academy, the deputy dean's office.
Yu Xiaogang sat at his desk, carefully studying the student roster.
"Tai Long is only level thirty-two at nineteen. Mediocre talent."
He tapped his fingers on the desk, a proud smile curling his lips, and murmured, "Tomorrow, I'll put my brilliant teaching method into practice—morning runs for the entire academy. It'll transform these people completely."
Knock, knock, knock.
A sudden knock sounded at the door.
Yu Xiaogang frowned and opened it, only to find no one outside.
"Who's got so much free time they think they can play tricks on me!"
He flared up and slammed the door shut.
Ever since he had taken over Blue Tyrant Academy three years ago, there had always been teachers and students jealous of his talent and position, tripping him up in secret and in the open.
Damn it—
Pufferfish, hiding in the shadows inside the room, nearly laughed out loud in anger. A useless nobody who had only reached Soul Elder at fifty dared to curse him?
A rush of wind sounded.
Before Yu Xiaogang could turn around, a hand chop struck the back of his neck.
He dropped straight to the floor.
Staring down at the little spiky-haired man sprawled like a dead dog, Pufferfish crouched and kindly began massaging his legs.
More than once, Yu Xiaogang woke from the pain, only for Pufferfish to coax him right back to sleep.
As he eyed Yu Xiaogang's twisted, misshapen legs, his gaze shifted to Yu Xiaogang's third leg. He had only meant to teach him a little lesson, but then he remembered the insult from earlier.
A glint of mischief flickered in Pufferfish's eyes.
His gaze swept over the heavy desk, and his lips slowly curled.
A moment later, Pufferfish backed up to the window and surveyed his handiwork, nodding with satisfaction.
The desk stood tilted on one corner, with one end firmly lashed by a hemp rope. The other end of the rope was tied to the doorknob, pulled taut.
As soon as someone opened the door from outside, the desk would lose its balance and come crashing down hard on Yu Xiaogang's third leg.
Pufferfish sucked in a sharp breath, then sent a gentle pulse of Soul Power into Yu Xiaogang's face, waking him. By the time Yu Xiaogang stirred, Pufferfish had already slipped silently out of the room.
Yu Xiaogang opened his eyes groggily. Before his head had cleared, a tearing pain shot through his legs.
"Ahhh!"
His shrill scream ripped through the night, sending lights flaring on throughout the academy.
"Brother Gang!"
Liu Erlong, who had gone to bed early, jolted awake at the scream. After getting dressed, she rushed toward Yu Xiaogang's room with several teachers who had come running at the sound.
"Brother Gang! What's wrong? Open the door!"
Liu Erlong grabbed the doorknob and shook it hard, pounding on the door.
"Er Long... help me..." Yu Xiaogang's weak voice came from inside.
"Break the door down!" Liu Erlong shouted, turning at the sound.
As the door shook under their blows, Yu Xiaogang slowly came to his senses and swore through gritted teeth, "Don't let me find out who did this! I'll make you wish you were dead!"
Before he had even finished speaking, he spotted the taut hemp rope in the air.
Following it with his eyes, he saw one end tied to the doorknob, and the other...
Yu Xiaogang's pupils shrank. Somehow, the heavy desk had been propped upright, aimed straight at his lower body, and the rope was the only thing keeping it from falling.
Once the door opened...
"No! Don't open the door!!" Yu Xiaogang was scared out of his wits. Propping himself up on his arms, he desperately dragged himself backward, wailing nonstop.
"Move!"
Liu Erlong had already run out of patience. She shoved aside the teachers trying to break down the door.
Electric arcs crackled around her. After Yu Xiaogang's "guidance," her Fire Dragon Martial Soul had mutated into a Thunder Dragon Lizard.
Though her Martial Soul had regressed, no one questioned her anymore when she claimed to be a member of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
For Liu Erlong, who had lacked love since childhood, this was a tremendous comfort. As long as she could bask in the clan's glory, she didn't care if her Martial Soul had regressed.
Bang!
She yanked the door open with brute force.
The next second, a scream a hundred times more agonized than before rang through the entire academy.
Pufferfish had already fled several miles away, but with a Titled Douluo's senses, he clearly picked up the wail and instinctively covered his own lower body.
"Yikes—"
He didn't dare linger. He sent Soul Power surging into his legs and sprinted straight for the Crown Prince's Mansion.
Meanwhile, outside a tavern in Heaven Dou City
Snake Lance looked down at Yu Luomian, who lay sprawled on the ground, bruised and swollen. He panted hard, his expression grim.
"I only broke both your legs. It's not like I killed you."
He had meant to settle things without making a sound, but now the commotion had gotten out of hand. This was trouble.
What kind of thing was that supposed to mean? "It's not like I killed you"?!
When Yu Luomian saw him about to leave, his eyes instantly reddened.
As the younger brother of the mighty Thunder Douluo, he had always been the one bullying others. When had he ever suffered such a disgrace?
"The glory of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon!"
He roared, lightning surging around him, and lunged at Snake Lance from behind with a Thunder Dragon Claw.
Snake Lance sensed Soul Masters rapidly closing in from afar and cursed at the trouble. He turned and struck Yu Luomian unconscious with one palm, then vanished into the night like a streak of shadow.
Love-Hate Yin-Yang Well
After an unknown amount of time, Tang Shan slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Dugu Yan's concerned face.
"Tang Shan, how are you feeling? Your third Soul Ring..."
Dugu Yan had just started to speak when the girl's gaze swept past her and fixed on Lan Yu, standing not far away.
"Big brother! I did it!"
Tang Shan's eyes lit up. She got to her feet and threw herself at him, crashing straight into Lan Yu's arms. Like a clingy kitten, she rubbed against his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist, her voice full of delight.
Lan Yu was caught off guard by her pounce, but hurriedly reached out to support the girl's rounded bottom. "Easy."
"My third Soul Ring is six thousand five hundred years old. I'm about to catch up to you, big brother~"
The girl cupped Lan Yu's face, her eyes curved into crescents.
Lan Yu helplessly lifted her a little higher. "Then big brother will just take it easy from now on and let you protect me."
Watching their affectionate closeness, Dugu Yan's gaze darkened. "Tang Shan, I want to have a match with you."
She really did want to test herself against Tang Shan.
For one thing, Tang Shan, like Lan Yu, was a genius who could absorb Soul Rings beyond the limit. If Dugu Yan could beat her, perhaps she could still catch up to Lan Yu.
For another, watching the scene before her made her feel jealous and envious. It just didn't sit right with her.
"No." Tang Shan didn't even turn her head as she flatly refused.
She'd finally found an excuse to cling to her big brother and act cute in his arms, and Dugu Yan had to come along and spoil it.
How annoying!
As her big brother would say: You've already earned yourself a death sentence!!