Yang Jian smiled faintly.
He showed not the slightest hint of panic.
"Hm?"
Zhu Zhuqing immediately sensed that something was wrong.
This round seemed to have been far too easy to win.
"No way. Don't tell me you still have something up your sleeve?"
"I don't believe it!"
Ning Rongrong immediately stood up, folded her arms, and glared at Yang Jian with a frown.
However.
Yang Jian offered no explanation. He simply remained seated in silence.
Seeing this, Zhu Zhuqing could not help growing puzzled as well.
The joy she had felt began to gradually fade.
"Qingqing, don't listen to his nonsense."
"He's obviously putting on a show. How could he possibly pull it off?"
"Never mind him, I... even a Titled Douluo couldn't collect those leaves back and forth in such a short time."
"You're just so used to him bullying you that you've fallen into a fixed way of thinking."
"Cheer up. Just think, this guy will be your beast of burden for an entire year."
"Heehee-"
Although Ning Rongrong seemed to be reassuring Zhu Zhuqing, she was actually comforting herself. Gradually, once the fear of being under Yang Jian's thumb faded from her heart, she began to laugh.
Yet only a few moments into her laughter, Yang Jian suddenly moved his hands, which had been tucked inside his sleeves.
He was so fast that even Zhu Zhuqing, an Agility Attack System Soul Master, failed to see it. In fact, had she not kept her eyes fixed on him, she would not even have noticed that he had moved.
"Yang Jian! What did you do?"
"Hm?"
Only now catching on, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing cried out in astonishment.
"Nothing. Didn't I say I'd show you a trick?"
"Isn't that exactly what I'm doing?"
Yang Jian grinned wickedly.
The moment they saw that grin, a shiver ran through both Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing.
"Even now, you're still trying to scare us, aren't you?!"
"Yang Jian! You're heartless!"
Startled, suspicious, and furious, Ning Rongrong pointed at Yang Jian. If she could have beaten him, she would have laid hands on him right then.
"Don't accuse an innocent man. Aren't I putting on a show for you?"
"Then what have you shown us? How to scare us?"
"How shallow. Have you ever heard of a boomerang?"
As his words fell.
The two throwing knives Yang Jian had sent flying curved back into his hands.
"What?!"
"H-how is that possible!"
[Ding! Excessive emotional fluctuations detected in Ning Rongrong. Reward: temporary Soul Skill · Strength Amplification.] [Strength Amplification: increases the power of the current Soul Skill by 100%.] [Ding! Excessive emotional fluctuations detected in Zhu Zhuqing. Reward: age of all current Soul Rings increased by 200 years.] [Ding! Extreme admiration detected in Ma Hongjun. Reward: one wisp of evil fire.] [Ding! Three wisps of evil fire detected. Fusion triggered. Upgraded evil fire obtained-ultimate flame.] [Ultimate flame: fueled by your own soul power. As long as soul power persists, the flames will never die. Can burn all things.]
Holy shit?
Fatty dropped a legendary?
All those years of looking after him weren't wasted!
Yang Jian thought to himself, itching to summon the flames right there and play with them.
With these flames and the Mysterious Heaven Skill at his disposal, one would keep burning as long as his soul power lasted, while the other would replenish his soul power endlessly.
With those two combined, he would never have to worry about being ganged up on again.
It was the perfect combination for one man to hold the pass against ten thousand.
"You bastard Yang, you've definitely lost this time, right? Hahahahaha..."
"Exactly, exactly! Brother Yang, I happen to have over thirty pairs of unwashed socks piled up in my dorm. Hehehe..."
Before Yang Jian could speak.
Dai Mubai and Oscar emerged from the woods, one on either side.
Both wore gloating expressions.
The only difference was that Oscar looked far more pleased with his misfortune than Dai Mubai did.
However.
When they saw Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing looking distressed, and Fatty lying on the ground like a dead pig, the smiles instantly vanished from Dai Mubai's and Oscar's faces.
Dai Mubai, in particular, seemed to realize something and immediately turned his gaze toward the seated Yang Jian.
A throwing knife rested in each of his palms, and both knives were threaded with leaves.
Even without approaching, Dai Mubai could see quite a few familiar markings.
In other words, the leaves threaded onto Yang Jian's knives were precisely all the leaves from their wager.
"No!"
"That's impossible!"
"I want to check!!"
Dai Mubai hurried over to Yang Jian and snatched the two throwing knives from him. Everyone immediately crowded around.
Yang Jian merely chuckled and slowly reached up to untie the black cloth covering his eyes.
[Ding! Dai Mubai's "Dao heart" has shattered. Reward: Eye Technique · Tsukuyomi.] [Eye Technique · Tsukuyomi: triggered through eye contact. Creates an independent mental world in which time can be freely scaled. Each use causes damage to the eyes.] [Ding! Increased negative emotions detected in Oscar, including panic, fear, doubt, and resentment. Reward: one Replication Mirror.] [Replication Mirror: can replicate any attack once, with perfect fidelity.]
Hm?
Tsukuyomi?
It's actually Tsukuyomi. Doesn't that mean I now have abilities comparable to a top-tier Soul Master specializing in mental illusions?
And it says damage, not permanent damage. Doesn't that mean that as long as I don't use it too often, I can repair my eyes through external means or the Mysterious Heaven Skill?
This is an incredible killing weapon!
Even someone as powerful as Yang Jian could not help feeling stirred.
As for the Replication Mirror, it did not excite him nearly as much.
Of course.
That was not to say the Replication Mirror lacked power.
It was simply too precious, and it was a single-use item. He had no use for it ordinarily and could only save it to protect his life.
In terms of practicality, it simply was not as useful as Tsukuyomi.
Still.
That was only natural.
One was a Power Attack Battle Soul Master, while the other was a Support Soul Master.
Even if both their emotions had peaked, the items they dropped would naturally differ.
However.
Yang Jian had a feeling that, since their emotions had fluctuated so violently this time and they had dropped such excellent items, it would probably be difficult to squeeze any more benefits out of them afterward.
"Why? Why? Why is this happening?!"
"Aaaah!!!"
Oscar stared at the two throwing knives, initially falling utterly silent. Then, as though he had gone mad, he ran deeper into the Star Dou Great Forest.
"Little Oscar?!"
"Little Oscar, what's wrong?!"
"Oscar!!"
Everyone froze.
The commotion also alerted Flender and the others, who were chatting some distance away.
Although Flender did not know what had happened over by Yang Jian, the moment he saw Yang Jian's expression, he flashed out of sight and went straight after Oscar.
"What's going on with you lot?"
Seeing that Flender had gone after him, Zhao Wuji did not follow. Instead, he flashed over to Dai Mubai and questioned him.
"It's over. It's all over."
Dai Mubai helplessly plopped onto the ground, showing not the slightest trace of a prince's bearing.
Seeing this.
Zhao Wuji turned toward Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, who were still barely able to stand. "What on earth is going on? Did you take the wrong medicine?"
"Teacher Zhao, I'd rather have taken the wrong medicine right now."
Ning Rongrong spoke helplessly.
"Preferably a pill for regret."
Zhu Zhuqing sounded equally half-dead.
"Hm?"
Zhao Wuji scratched his head, then turned toward Yang Jian, both irritated and helpless. "Don't tell me you're the culprit again."
"Teacher Zhao, what are you saying? We're all from the same academy. We're all buddies. What do you mean, culprit?"
Yang Jian firmly waved his hand, indicating that Zhao Wuji had chosen the wrong word.
"Then tell me what's going on with them," Zhao Wuji asked.
"Perhaps the thought of serving a great Soul Master for an entire year has moved them to tears of joy."
"Right! I get it." Zhao Wuji understood immediately, then turned to the others with a hint of gloating. "Serves you right! You lot really do remember the treats and forget the beatings. You're on your own now."
That unspoken understanding had been forged through years of falling into Yang Jian's traps.
"Teacher Zhao really does understand... hm? I think I've spotted the Soul Beast I'm going to hunt this time."
Before you continue