Crushing Defeat, Tang San's Loss, and Yu Xiaogang's Humiliating Retreat

Tang San hurriedly swung the Clear Sky Hammer to block. But Xiao Lin's swordsmanship was simply too fast, too strange. Every strike came from an unexpected angle, leaving him hard-pressed to defend himself.

Worse still, although the Clear Sky Hammer was immensely powerful, it was far too cumbersome and simply could not keep up with Xiao Lin's speed.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

A rapid series of collisions rang out as Xiao Lin forced Tang San back again and again, leaving him in a sorry state. Several slashes had been cut into his clothes by the flute, while bloody marks appeared on his arms, shoulders, and thighs.

"How could this be... how could this be..." Tang San blocked and retreated at the same time, his heart filled with unwillingness and fury.

His Soul Power was lower than Xiao Lin's, his physical condition was inferior to Xiao Lin's, and even his combat experience was no match for Xiao Lin's. Even after bringing out the Clear Sky Hammer, even after using the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer, he was still being crushed by Xiao Lin.

How could he possibly accept that?!

"That's about enough." Xiao Lin suddenly withdrew his attacks and retreated, widening the distance between himself and Tang San.

He took a deep breath, then fiercely kicked off the ground with his right leg. His entire body shot toward Tang San like a streak of azure lightning!

A blue-gold glow emerged from his right leg, carrying terrifying waves of power.

That was the power of the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone!

"Take this fucking kick!"

Xiao Lin's right leg was like a battle-axe, carrying the force to split mountains and shatter rocks as it viciously slammed into Tang San's crossed arms!

Crack!

A crisp sound of breaking bones rang out.

Tang San's arms bent at a bizarre angle, and he flew backward like a kite with a snapped string. He crashed heavily onto the ground and skidded seven or eight meters before coming to a stop.

He struggled to get up, but the agonizing pain shooting through his arms made it impossible for him to support himself. He could only kneel halfway on the ground, gasping for breath, a trace of blood hanging from the corner of his mouth. He looked utterly miserable.

The entire arena fell silent.

Then, deafening cheers erupted!

"He won! Xiao Lin won!"

"He's too strong! That was a complete crushing defeat!"

"So what if he has Twin Martial Souls? He still got beaten flat!"

The watching students cheered excitedly, their gazes toward Xiao Lin filled with admiration and respect.

Xiao Wu was so excited that she jumped up, waving her little fists. "Xiao Lin is amazing! Xiao Lin is the best!"

Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing stood nearby, and their gazes toward Xiao Lin also gained a strange new light.

Ning Rongrong in particular had curiosity and interest flashing in her large eyes, as though she had discovered an interesting new toy.

Yu Xiaogang's expression had already turned incomparably ugly. He glared fixedly at Xiao Lin, his teeth grinding together, yet he could not say a single word.

Flender shook his head and sighed. He knew that Shrek Academy's merger into Heaven Dou Royal Academy had completely fallen through.

Just then, an unexpected change occurred!

Taking advantage of the instant Xiao Lin turned around to receive the cheers, Tang San sharply flicked his left hand. Three golden needles as thin as ox hairs silently shot toward Xiao Lin's back!

Dragon Beard Needles!

They were hidden weapons Tang Hao, Tang San's father, had left him. They specialized in piercing Soul Power defenses. Once they entered the body, they would burrow deeper with every contraction of the muscles, causing unbearable agony and becoming extremely difficult to remove!

"Xiao Lin, watch out!"

Xiao Wu was the first to notice something wrong and let out a shrill cry.

As though he had expected it all along, Xiao Lin did not even turn his head. With a sweep of his right hand, the Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute traced an arc behind him.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

With three clear chimes, the three Dragon Beard Needles were accurately knocked away by the flute. Their trajectories changed as they shot back toward Tang San!

"Ah—!"

Tang San let out a miserable scream.

The three Dragon Beard Needles embedded precisely into his left shoulder, right leg, and abdomen. His body stiffened abruptly, then he curled up on the ground and began rolling about in agony, crying out in heart-rending screams.

The entire arena fell silent once more.

Everyone stared blankly at Tang San as he rolled around on the ground and wailed, then looked toward Xiao Lin, their eyes filled with shock and awe.

"A sneak attack?" Xiao Lin turned around and looked down coldly at Tang San, who was writhing on the ground. "Is this what Shrek Academy teaches its students?"

He raised his head and looked toward Flender and Yu Xiaogang. His voice was not loud, yet every person present heard it clearly. "Students like this, teachers like this—do you think Heaven Dou Royal Academy would welcome you?"

At that moment, an aged and imposing voice came from behind the crowd.

"Well said."

The crowd automatically parted to create a path. Dream Divine Machine, Bai Baoshan, and Zhi Lin, the three education committee members, strode forward.

Dream Divine Machine swept a cold gaze over Flender and Yu Xiaogang, then let it fall upon Tang San, who was rolling around and wailing on the ground. He slowly spoke. "Headmaster Flender, take your people and get out of Heaven Dou Royal Academy."

"From this day forward, Heaven Dou Royal Academy will not welcome you."

Flender's face turned deathly pale. He opened his mouth, but in the end, he could not say a single word.

He lowered his head, silently walked over to Tang San, helped him up, and then led the group from Shrek Academy away from Heaven Dou Royal Academy under everyone's contemptuous gazes.

Yu Xiaogang followed at the very back of the group, head lowered and too afraid to look at anyone.

His "Grandmaster" halo had been completely shattered today.

The group from Shrek Academy left the gates of Heaven Dou Royal Academy in disgrace.

The sunlight remained bright, and the campus remained beautiful, but their moods were as gloomy as the sky before a storm.

Tang San in particular had both arms fractured, with three Dragon Beard Needles still embedded in his body. Every step made him grimace in pain. Even worse was the humiliation—he had been utterly crushed by Xiao Lin before so many people, only to end up trying and failing to launch a sneak attack, then being injured by his own hidden weapons.

He had never been so humiliated in his life.

"Xiao Lin... I won't let you get away with this..." Tang San gritted his teeth, forcing the words out through clenched jaws, filled with bone-deep hatred.

Yu Xiaogang walked at the very back of the group, his head lowered and his face so dark it seemed ready to drip water. The "Grandmaster" image he had painstakingly cultivated for years had been utterly destroyed today by just a few words from Xiao Lin.

From now on, his standing in the world of Soul Masters would plummet. No one would ever respect him as some kind of "theoretical grandmaster" again.

"Teacher," Tang San said, turning to look at Yu Xiaogang, his tone full of unwillingness and resentment, "are we just going to let this go?"

Yu Xiaogang fell silent for a moment, then raised his head and forced out a strained smile.

"Tang San, victory and defeat are commonplace in battle. Today was only an accident. Xiao Lin merely had the advantage in Soul Power Level. Once your Soul Power catches up, he will be no match for you."

He paused, then added, as though trying to convince himself.

"My theories cannot be wrong. Xiao Lin merely got lucky; his success cannot be replicated. As long as you continue cultivating according to my guidance, you will definitely surpass him in the future."

Tang San said nothing, but the hatred in his eyes did not lessen in the slightest.