Two Soul Rings appeared beneath Li Ren's feet, rising and falling. Both were yellow, indicating that he possessed two Hundred-Year Level Soul Rings, and neither was of the lowest hundred-year grade.
Lowering his head to glance at the exquisitely crafted hidden weapons, a trace of surprise flashed through Li Ren's eyes. His friendly, round Maitreya Buddha-like face immediately darkened, his features turning as ferocious as a blue-faced, fanged demon as he snarled:
"Brat, give you an inch and you'll take a mile. Is your skin itching for a beating?"
Li Ren stepped forward and charged toward Tang San.
However, compared to Li Ren's formidable defenses, his speed was truly pitifully slow.
When his sneak attack failed, turmoil immediately rose in Tang San's heart. This man before him was actually a Soul Grandmaster above Level Twenty!
How was that possible?
When had Yang Ming provoked such a powerful expert?
Countless thoughts raced through his mind. Tang San knew very well that he was not a freak like Yang Ming, capable of creating miracles. As a Level Ten Soul Scholar, fighting a Soul Grandmaster was nothing more than a fantasy to him.
Without hesitation, he used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and immediately retreated toward the dense woods behind him.
At the same time, he curled his left thumb inward, palm facing down, while extending his other four fingers straight ahead. The movement was simple and effective. One carefully crafted hidden weapon after another streaked through the air as barely visible shadows, silently striking at the approaching tall tattooed man.
This hidden weapon technique was considered entry-level in the Tang Sect and was known among martial artists as the Whirling-Hand Arrow.
Using the inertia of the arm's swing to launch hidden weapons, this technique was the most direct. Though it could not be called exquisite, it was extremely effective. Combined with the diamond-shaped hidden weapons Tang San had painstakingly crafted, he was confident that even against a weaker Century Soul Beast, he would have the strength to fight.
Unfortunately, the enemy he had encountered far surpassed his imagination in strength!
The diamond-shaped hidden weapon grazed past the tall tattooed man's face, scattering sparks and producing a harsh sound like an eraser scraping across a blackboard.
Yet it failed to leave even the slightest mark on his face.
Tang San had thought the hidden weapons could stop the other man's charge, but his plan failed. Seeing that Li Ren was relatively slow, he did not hesitate and immediately fled deeper into the forest.
Unfortunately, Tang San had overlooked one thing!
The Tattooed Duo consisted of two people!
The short tattooed man was named Wang Zhong. Two Soul Rings likewise appeared beneath his feet, rising and falling. They too were yellow, showing that, like Li Ren, he was a Soul Grandmaster above Level Twenty!
A hazy green light emerged from Wang Zhong's hands, as if countless fireflies in the night had gathered in his palms, dreamlike and illusory.
However, Wang Zhong's sharp, monkey-like face possessed no beauty whatsoever. A cold glint showed in his eyes as he pressed both palms to the ground and said icily:
"Thorns! Entangling!"
As soon as his words fell, Tang San's heart skipped a beat. He immediately sensed trouble.
But before he could react, one, two, three... a full ninety-nine thorny vines burst from beneath the soil covered in layers of fallen leaves!
The thorns tore through the leaf litter, covering an area two hundred meters wide and sealing off every space Tang San could use to evade. No matter how exquisite his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track was, he could not escape!
Even Tang San's hidden weapons could not cut through the thorns!
Each thorn was like a python, as thick as an iron pipe and covered in nail-length barbs. They bound Tang San's limbs tightly.
Tang San was suspended in midair.
Looking at the approaching Tattooed Duo, one tall and fat, the other short and thin, Tang San gave a bitter smile.
One was a Battle Spirit Master specializing in defense, while the other was a Weapon Soul Master specializing in control.
Moreover, both were Soul Grandmasters above Level Twenty.
At that moment, Tang San had something he did not know whether he should say.
The tall Li Ren stepped forward and viciously twisted Tang San's ear. The force was so brutal that Tang San nearly suspected his ear would be torn off alive.
Li Ren slightly raised his chin and grinned viciously.
"Brat, weren't you good at running? Run for me again now!"
Tang San pressed his lips together tightly and said nothing.
Only when truly facing a Soul Grandmaster did Tang San deeply understand the weakness of a Level Ten Soul Scholar. Only then did he realize how powerful Yang Ming had been when he defeated Su Yuntao!
A Soul Scholar advanced to a Spirit Master, and a Spirit Master advanced to a Soul Grandmaster.
Each advancement in rank was not merely a change in title. Soul Power also reshaped the body.
Just like the tall tattooed man before him: even without the enhancement of his Martial Soul and Soul Rings, his physical body was exceptionally powerful, and his defenses astonishing.
Li Ren leaned his Maitreya Buddha-like fat face close to Tang San's, and their eyes met.
"Brat, tell me, where is that boy who was with you earlier?"
Tang San kept his lips tightly sealed, his gaze resolute. He had made up his mind not to tell Li Ren and Wang Zhong.
Yang Ming treats me like a little brother, so I will treat Yang Ming like an elder brother!
"Damn it!"
Two puffs of air burst from Li Ren's nostrils. He swung his fan-sized palm and slapped Tang San across the face. He did not hold back, and Tang San's cheek immediately swelled red.
"Brat, you're asking for a beating! Talk, or not?"
Tang San glared furiously at him, clenching his teeth so hard that his jaw muscles bulged. A trickle of blood even seeped through the gap between his lips from the sheer force.
"Fine. Very good!"
Li Ren's fat face was filled with gloom as he backhanded Tang San across the other cheek.
A faint crack sounded. Tang San's mouth fell slightly open as a tooth from the inside was shattered, and he spat it out with blood.
Tang San's cheeks were swollen red on both sides. His originally handsome face could no longer be recognized; he looked like a small boiled pig's head. Even his eyes had narrowed into slits from the swelling.
"Li Ren, who interrogates people as brutally as you do?"
The short Wang Zhong stopped Li Ren from continuing his violence, but not out of kindness. He was merely afraid that Li Ren would accidentally beat Tang San to death.
In the vast forest, finding someone was no easy task.
If Yang Ming hid in the Junior Soul Master Academy and refused to come out, it would not be easy for them to make a move in Notting City.
Neither of their Martial Souls possessed the ability to search for people, so naturally, they could not let go of Tang San, who might know Yang Ming's whereabouts.
Wang Zhong forced a smile onto his sharp, monkey-like face. Unfortunately, it looked even uglier than a grimace, inspiring no goodwill at all.
"Little friend, as long as you tell Uncle where that boy who was with you went, I'll let you go."
Naturally, Tang San would not naively believe that the other man would keep his word.
A cold glint flashed through the slits of his narrowed eyes. He opened his mouth and spat, sending a streak of bloody saliva onto Wang Zhong's face, making the latter fly into a rage.
Tang San snorted coldly in his heart. Because of his swollen face and missing tooth, his speech was unclear as he enunciated each word:
"If you want to find Yang Ming, you'll have to step over my corpse!"
Third update.
Before you continue