Divine External Soul Bone! God-bestowed Spirit Ring!

"How is this possible?!"

Beneath the giant net woven from Blue Silver Grass that filled the sky, Tang San's pupils constricted. There was nowhere left for him to run!

How could her First Spirit Ring not be Entanglement? Could it be that her first soul skill had not come from a Mandala Snake at all?

What exactly had this girl experienced? Why was the gap between them so immense?

Feeling the heavy, surging Soul Power in the air, Tang San clenched his teeth and tried to break free, only for a strand of Blue Silver Grass to tightly wrap around his arm.

Countless dense strands of Blue Silver Grass erupted beneath his feet in an instant, winding upward layer by layer. Whether in toughness or growth speed, they far surpassed his own Blue Silver Grass!

The gulf-like disparity was like a massive hammer smashing into Tang San's heart, utterly crushing the last shred of pride within him.

"Your Blue Silver Grass is poisonous."

Fiddling with the clump of Blue Silver Grass on the ground, its leaves tinged purple and marked with faint serpentine patterns, Tang Yin shook her head slightly.

Sure enough, Brother Lin had been right. This kind of Blue Silver Grass might inflict poison after striking an opponent, but how could a mere Entanglement soul skill compare to the growth she had obtained?

The difference between them was now the most direct proof of how far apart heaven and earth were!

"Just what creature did your Spirit Ring come from?"

Having personally experienced the differing strengths of the two kinds of Blue Silver Grass, Tang San clenched his teeth as he stared in disbelief at the vines wrapped around his body.

His Blue Silver Grass absolutely did not possess such toughness or growth speed!

"Enough. You lost. Let's end this here."

As Tang Yin approached and raised her hand to disperse the Blue Silver Grass, her pupils suddenly contracted and turned purple!

A flash of cold light shot from Tang San's hand, flying straight for her eyes!

Clang!

A crisp metallic clash rang out as a jade-like hand caught the hidden weapon that had burst through the air.

"Silent Sleeve Arrow? And an enhanced version of it? Not bad."

Even though she had been ambushed under such circumstances, there was not the slightest anger on Tang Yin's face—only contempt for the person before her and the disdain that made Tang San unwilling to accept it.

The same methods were utterly useless before Tang Yin, who was also a disciple of the Tang Sect.

"But even after losing this badly, you're still unwilling to accept it. Your behavior really is ugly."

With a light flick of her jade-like hand, the Silent Sleeve Arrow's bolt floated away. As Tang Yin spoke, her delicate hand brushed across her bracelet—

"Hidden weapons? I have those too..."

In the next instant, a Zhuge Repeating Crossbow appeared in Tang Yin's hand before Tang San's utterly shocked eyes.

How could she have already crafted even this kind of hidden weapon? Where had she gotten the materials? Where had she found the time? How could she still do this with such a high Soul Power Level...

Bang!

Giving Tang San no room to dodge, the entwining Blue Silver Grass left him able only to watch in despair as the crossbow bolt grew larger and larger in his vision...

The incredibly fast bolts pierced through the boy's body completely, accompanied by sprays of blood mist.

[ Ding, the victor has been decided ]

[ Victor: Tang Yin! ]

[ Congratulations, host. The first stage of A Different Path has been completed. Next match: after both parties obtain their Second Spirit Rings ]

[ Releasing first-stage rewards ]

[ Congratulations, you have received mission rewards: one Fixed Enhancement Coupon, one Divine External Soul Bone, and one God-bestowed Spirit Ring! ]

A Divine External Soul Bone?!! And a God-bestowed Spirit Ring too!!

The moment the voice sounded in his mind, Lin Yue's breathing stopped.

External Soul Bones could grow without limit! And what he had received was of the highest quality. A God-bestowed Spirit Ring could increase in age according to the user's limit of endurance, with the highest possible grade nearing a perfect hundred-year Spirit Ring!!!

Before he could inspect them closely, an intense wave of dizziness struck him, and Lin Yue's figure instantly vanished from the arena...

The original world.

"Ha!"

Tang San abruptly sat up in bed, gasping for breath, his face as pale as ice.

A strange sense of loss lingered in his heart, making him clench his fists tightly.

This mysterious feeling of emptiness left his entire body deeply uncomfortable.

"Fate plundering? Was this what it felt like to have my fate plundered?"

[ Ding, would you like to view your opponent's life replay? ]

[ If you choose to view it, you may access all information regarding your opponent's experiences before fighting you ]

[ Warning: because the other party is in a parallel world, not all information may be accurate for you. Please treat it critically ]

[ Warning: once you choose to view your opponent's past information, due to world interference, the information you view will be simultaneously transmitted into the mind of one random person in your world ]

[ Warning: viewing information multiple times will intensify information leakage. More people in your world will learn the relevant information. Please use the replay function with caution ]

Tang San, having awakened, held his chest and frowned tightly as he gradually understood what the system meant.

In other words, while he could choose to replay and view everything from Tang Yin's past, the information would also be randomly sent into the mind of someone in his own world.

And the more information about Tang Yin he viewed, the further that information would spread. The first viewing might only be shared with one person, but the more he watched, the more people would be exposed to it at once. In the end, it might become common knowledge.

Although she was himself from a parallel world, if her information were exposed, it would undoubtedly be a tremendous loss for him as well. After all, the two of them still had many similarities...

At the very least, Tang Yin and he were alike in Twin Martial Souls, birth, and everything of that sort.

But the first viewing should be fine, right?

With that thought, Tang San gritted his teeth and ultimately chose to confirm.

The information about Blue Silver Grass evolving into the Blue Silver King was far too crucial. She had also been born with a Blue Silver Grass martial soul, so why could she become so powerful? He had to find out why, then tell his teacher and make himself stronger!

That was right. Losing a portion of his fate was not terrifying, nor was losing to another version of himself shameful. He still belonged to this world. As long as it could help him become stronger in the present and achieve the rank of Titled Douluo, then it would all be worth it!

Having made up his mind, Tang San took a deep breath and finally chose to view the information in his mind.

[ Ding... Please wait ]

In another part of Tang San's world.

Heaven Dou Imperial City, the Crown Prince's bedchamber.

"Young Mistress, we have already handled the information you requested. Those two groups of assassins were indeed arranged by the Second Prince's and Third Prince's men..."

"Good. Leave it there. Have our people act. Show them no more mercy... However, since Xue Beng and Xue Ke were not involved, do not touch them."

"Yes!"

Within the secret chamber, an incomparably beautiful young woman sat before a mirror, applying makeup. Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar figure in the mirror, a trace of hesitation surfaced in her eyes.

Who exactly was she? Qian Renxue, or Crown Prince Xue Qinghe?

She had worn the mask for too long. For a moment, even she felt dazed.

She had come to the Heaven Dou Imperial City at the age of nine to play the Crown Prince. She had spent even more time here than she had in Spirit Hall.

Looking at the haggard girl in the mirror, Qian Renxue could not help but ask herself.

Had it truly been right to sacrifice so much and come to the Heaven Dou Imperial City as an undercover agent?

Perhaps she should follow her grandfather's advice and devote more effort to her cultivation. She could begin the Divine Examination early and accept the Angel God's inheritance.

But whenever she thought of how this method could make that woman acknowledge her, Qian Renxue steadied herself once more and clenched her teeth.

Even if she had to endure such conflict and pain, she would succeed and make that woman see her in a new light!

Casting aside every distracting thought in her mind, Qian Renxue returned to her chair. Yet this time, she did not choose to meditate.

She was tired. Truly, utterly tired.

Her gaze fell upon the gifts on the dressing table, sent by her second and third younger brothers, and a flash of anger appeared on Qian Renxue's face.

Royal bloodline, flesh and blood kin... Hmph. They were all merely sacrifices beneath the weight of power.

The neighboring Star Luo Empire had brothers who respected one another, but was the Heaven Dou Empire any different? It was only more concealed, more sinister. So many ministers found fault with her every day—were they not being pushed by those great aristocratic families seeking to back a contender for the throne?

Unable to gain importance from her, unable to secure a place or claim the merit of supporting the future ruler, they ran to join the Second Prince's and Third Prince's camps, starting anew in an attempt to advance further. To that end, they did not hesitate to stir conflict between the princes, using every vile and underhanded method in an attempt to turn the tide and seize the throne...

What had the affairs of six dynasties become, if not private schemes of powerful families?

"I only wanted to be a good older brother... a good Crown Prince. But if you insist on this, then don't blame me..."

Rubbing her temples, Qian Renxue muttered as if consoling herself, or perhaps explaining herself to some god who might not even exist...

Recently, she had continuously plotted to counter the various ministers' schemes against her while also preparing to eliminate the Second Prince and Third Prince. Her energy had been drained beyond measure.

Forget it. She would indulge herself this once.

That day, Qian Renxue did not meditate through the night. For the first time, she lay upon her bed, hugging the blankets as she sank into a deep sleep.

Yet the instant she fell asleep, a strange memory slowly began pouring into her mind...

From a first-person perspective, it seemed as though she had been reborn into the body of an unfamiliar little girl.

She had been born in a remote village in Fasino Province. From the very beginning, there had been no trace of her mother. There was only an alcoholic father, who took care of her in an extremely rough manner.

The difficult two years when she could barely move quickly passed. Once she could finally walk properly and care for herself, that inhuman father never looked at her again, as though he had completely treated her as nonexistent.

Every day, she went hungry and lacked clothing. Yet she could make no decisions for herself and could only grit her teeth and endure in silence.

Feeling this dream unlike anything she had ever experienced, a trace of sorrow arose in Qian Renxue's heart.

Though she vaguely realized that she was observing someone else's dream, the miraculous first-person perspective made her feel a little sympathy.

Was she not the same? She had lost one loved one from childhood, while the other had treated her as invisible and ignored her completely, offering not the slightest care. All she had received was indifference.

Trapped within the girl's body, Qian Renxue continued experiencing every hardship the girl had endured from that first-person perspective.

Until...

A pair of warm hands tightly clasped hers.

"Alright, this is where it ends."

That person's appearance was like a ray of light, illuminating the girl's once-dark life...