Tang San and Xiao Wu on the Road, Tang San's Confidence Shattered

Two days later.

At a crossroads on the main road stood a weathered stone marker.

Three blurred words were carved into it.

"Notting Border."

Lu Yuan eased off the accelerator, slowing Big Luck to check which way led to Tiandu City.

Just then, two figures appeared up ahead.

A boy and a girl, both about seven or eight years old.

The boy wore a dark blue fitted outfit, with a pouch at his waist that seemed full of things.

He had delicate features and sharp eyes, with a steadiness far beyond his years.

The girl wore a long pink dress and a scorpion braid. Her bright, lively eyes gave her an adorable air.

They were Tang San and Xiao Wu.

They had just left Notting City, bound for the Star Dou Great Forest to train.

Tang San had spent this time training in seclusion. He had brought his Mysterious Heaven Skill to a higher level and honed the Tang Sect's hidden-weapon techniques to perfection.

Seven poisoned Bone-Piercing Nails were hidden in his sleeve. Full of confidence, he wanted to find Lu Yuan and redeem himself for their last encounter.

Then he and Xiao Wu spotted the familiar Handcart.

Tang San stopped dead.

His pupils contracted, and his right hand closed around the Bone-Piercing Nails in his sleeve.

"Brother San, what's wrong?" Xiao Wu asked, raising an eyebrow when she noticed his reaction.

Tang San stared at the Handcart as it slowly approached.

The memory of his confrontation with Lu Yuan flashed through his mind.

The Handcart had slammed into him—or rather, barely nudged him—and sent him flying like a kite with its string cut. He had tumbled three times before landing in the grass, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. He had been a complete mess.

It was his first taste of defeat, and the first time he had doubted his own talent. Lu Yuan's first Spirit Ring had shaken him too. It was actually a ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring.

Worse, when he and his mentor Yu Xiaogang had gone to investigate Lu Yuan, Lu Yuan had sent Yu Xiaogang flying as well.

For master and disciple, it was an unbearable humiliation.

Tang San, especially, had never stopped wanting to redeem himself.

Now that he had seen Lu Yuan and Big Luck again, he was ready.

His eyes flashed as he stepped into the middle of the road and raised a hand, blocking their path.

Lu Yuan braked. Seeing Tang San in his way, he leaned out the window and asked curiously, "Oh, it's you again! What's wrong, brat? Didn't get enough of a beating last time? Want another?"

Tang San's eyelid twitched. Slowly, he raised his right hand.

Three Bone-Piercing Nails, fine as hairs and coated in deadly poison, rested between his fingers. Once they pierced someone, the poison would spread through the body in three breaths.

Tang San was certain anyone struck by them would die.

They were among his strongest hidden weapons, his final trump card.

"This time, I won't lose," Tang San said, fixing Lu Yuan with a hard stare.

Lu Yuan looked at him and gave a cold chuckle.

What level was Tang San now? And what level had Lu Yuan reached in the meantime?

There was no comparison anymore.

To Lu Yuan, it was like watching a child try to pick a fight with him. His expression held a trace of exasperated amusement.

Then he switched on the headlights.

Two dazzling beams of white light flared, shining straight into Tang San's face.

Tang San's vision went white. Unable to see a thing, he hurriedly raised a hand to shield his eyes.

Lu Yuan's voice came through. "Can you handle five hundred tons of love, Tang San?"

Alarmed, Tang San whipped his right hand forward and fired all three Bone-Piercing Nails!

They became three streaks of cold light, shooting straight toward the cab!

But just as they were about to hit, Big Luck's front end swayed slightly.

An invisible shockwave burst outward!

Clink! Clink! Clink!

The three Bone-Piercing Nails struck the shockwave as though they had hit an invisible wall and were flung away.

They clattered to the ground, their tips burying themselves in the dirt. Neither Big Luck nor Lu Yuan inside suffered the slightest harm.

Instead, the powerful shockwave rushed straight at Tang San!

His chest tightened, and he flew backward, helpless to stop himself.

"Ah!"

He flipped twice through the air before slamming heavily to the ground.

Before his Blue Silver Grass could even attack Big Luck, the shockwave shattered it strand by strand, leaving it useless in battle.

Xiao Wu rushed over in fright and grabbed Tang San's arm. "Brother San, he's so strong..."

Tang San lay on the ground and slowly raised his head, glaring venomously at the Handcart as it rolled up and stopped beside him and Xiao Wu.

Afraid Lu Yuan might hurt Tang San again, Xiao Wu stood in front of him, trying to shield him from any attack.

Lu Yuan leaned out the window and gave Xiao Wu a slight nod. He still thought she had a good heart and was worth respecting.

Tang San, on the other hand, just couldn't accept defeat. He kept trying to provoke him.

Lu Yuan grinned at Tang San, who was still lying there glaring up at him, then floored the accelerator. Big Luck roared off and vanished down the road.

Tang San watched its taillights recede. He swallowed, then let out a long breath of relief.

The Tang Sect's hidden-weapon arts he took such pride in seemed like a joke against Big Luck.

He knew that if Lu Yuan had decided not to spare him, that Handcart would have killed him.

Fortunately, Lu Yuan had let him off again.

He had trained in seclusion for so long, refining his techniques to their limit and raising his strength.

Tang San had thought he could at least exchange a few moves with Lu Yuan.

Reality had slapped him hard across the face again. He wasn't even worthy of making Lu Yuan fight seriously.

Level 65 against level 20.

It wasn't a fight. It was a crushing mismatch.

With Big Luck's power added to his own, Lu Yuan's strength reached level 83.

Big Luck had merely swayed its front end. It hadn't even come close to hitting Tang San.

The shockwave alone was more than Tang San could handle.

Tang San rolled onto his back and stared at the white clouds. For the first time, he began to doubt the "hard work" he had put so much into.

Lu Yuan drove Big Luck onward and reached the Star Dou Great Mountains.

Tents dotted the mountainside.

This was a supply stop for those heading deeper into the mountains.

Usually, only a few hunters and merchant caravans stopped here to rest.

Today, though, the place bustled with activity. Three groups had set up camp.