Ning Rongrong was having none of it. Seeing Yu Xiaogang's miserable-looking face, she snorted. "You buzz-cut uncle, being ugly is bad enough, but you sure dream big!"
"Why should Brother Hongchen tell you anything he worked so hard to research?"
Yu Xiaogang's expression darkened. He stared at Ning Rongrong and spoke heatedly. "What does a little girl like you know? I am the Continent's Greatest Theoretical Grandmaster! Only by giving me the martial soul theory of second awakening can he benefit the entire continent!"
Ning Rongrong rolled her eyes.
"Pah! You really think you're something special? The Continent's Greatest Theoretical Grandmaster? More like a fraud."
Yu Xiaogang's face turned livid with rage, his eyes bloodshot as he panted like an ox.
How could he tolerate being humiliated by a little girl?
"What a sharp-tongued little brat! Today, I'll teach you on your elders' behalf what it means to respect your elders!"
As he spoke,
Yu Xiaogang prepared to strike, while Luo Sanpao beside him also poised himself to attack.
Smack!
A crisp slap rang out.
Yu Xiaogang's vision went black, and his body flew straight backward.
When he regained his senses, his face burned with pain and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. His eyes filled with disbelief. "You dare hit me? I'm a member of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect!"
Before Ji Hongchen could speak,
Ning Rongrong impatiently waved her hand. "Oh~ So you're that useless Yu Xiaogang. I've long heard you never take responsibility. You really are a coward!"
"I'm from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect! Even if I beat a piece of trash like you, what could your Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan do about it?"
Ning Rongrong spoke with disdain.
They now had three Titled Douluos backing them, whereas the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect had only one old Level 95 dragon holding up its reputation.
"You!"
Yu Xiaogang's face turned livid with rage as he pointed at Ning Rongrong. "Insolent! You dare insult me? I, Yu Xiaogang, will destroy the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect at any cost!"
No sooner had he finished than another slap struck him.
Ji Hongchen shook out his stinging hand, his eyes filled with contempt for Yu Xiaogang.
Yu Xiaogang had been slapped twice.
He was utterly furious, but when he saw Ji Hongchen's gaze, he instinctively shrank back.
This useless man was all talk.
When it came to actually fighting, he wouldn't dare let out so much as a fart-a textbook example of someone weak and spineless toward outsiders, yet swinging heavy fists at his own.
Just then, Tang San heard the commotion and walked over, only to discover Yu Xiaogang surrounded by people mocking him, his face swollen from the slaps.
Tang San frowned slightly.
Then he spotted Ji Hongchen in front of him, and a spark of anger immediately flared in his heart.
"Ji Hongchen, you dare bully my teacher!"
Seeing his genius disciple arrive, Yu Xiaogang immediately regained his confidence and snorted. "Ji Hongchen, I can give you one chance. Tell me the method for martial soul second awakening, and I can take you under my wing and make you my disciple!"
Ji Hongchen looked at Yu Xiaogang, who had piped up yet again.
He was utterly speechless.
Fuck, how could Yu Xiaogang have so little self-awareness? Did he really think I was that idiot Bibi Dong, who would believe his bullshit?
"Ji Hongchen, I know your martial soul is defective. As long as you take me as your teacher, I can find a way to help you fix it."
Yu Xiaogang spoke with supreme confidence.
"A defective martial soul?"
Ji Hongchen looked baffled. Since when had his martial soul been defective?
How come he knew nothing about it?
Ning Rongrong was about to speak as well, but Ji Hongchen patted her shoulder. He wanted to see just what Yu Xiaogang was trying to do.
Seeing Ji Hongchen remain silent,
Yu Xiaogang assumed he had tacitly admitted it and continued, "Based on my observations, you buy rare metals every day, yet you never use them. I deduce that you've been using all those metals to repair your martial soul!"
Yu Xiaogang brimmed with confidence.
He thought he had Ji Hongchen by the weak spot.
Hearing this, Ji Hongchen was thoroughly amused. "Gangzi, are you missing a screw? Take a good look at me. Do I look defective to you?"
As he spoke,
Ji Hongchen released his martial soul. The Jinghong Sword appeared, and a gentle breeze swirled around him.
Yu Xiaogang was forced back by the impact.
He stared in shock at the Jinghong Sword in Ji Hongchen's hand.
There wasn't a single flaw.
"Impossible!"
Yu Xiaogang stared at the sword in Ji Hongchen's hand in disbelief, utterly shattered.
He couldn't believe it.
They had both started with an innate half-level of soul power. Why was the gulf between them so vast?
Was he the only useless one?
Yu Xiaogang clenched his fists resentfully, his eyes filled with unwillingness and his heart brimming with jealousy and hatred toward Ji Hongchen.
Why were the heavens so unfair to me?
Why couldn't my martial soul undergo a second awakening?
Seeing Yu Xiaogang like this, Tang San naturally felt a stab of pain in his heart. He turned toward Ji Hongchen, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
This bastard.
He provoked my teacher time and again. He had truly paved his own road to death!
"Ji Hongchen, do you dare make a bet with me?"
Tang San spoke in a low voice.
"If you lose, you have to tell me the method for martial soul second awakening, then kneel and apologize to my teacher."
Ji Hongchen looked at Tang San with an odd expression.
Seriously, man? Another bet?
Are you a fucking gambling addict, going around challenging people to bets whenever you have nothing to do?
"Why should I bet with you?"
"And why should I apologize to your teacher? Trash is trash. There's nothing more to say."
Seeing Ji Hongchen refuse, Tang San clenched his fists.
This bastard really was born evil.
"Could it be that you don't dare?"
Ji Hongchen's gaze remained calm.
That gaze made Tang San deeply uncomfortable. He felt Ji Hongchen was looking down on him.
But he was now a Level 29 Soul Grandmaster.
And with Ji Hongchen's defective martial soul, he certainly wouldn't be a match for him.
Xiao Wu also walked over.
When her gaze landed on Ji Hongchen, her eyes immediately lit up, and she spoke with some surprise.
"Brother Ji? You're back!"
Ji Hongchen looked at Xiao Wu and smiled faintly.
"Little bunny, I came to settle accounts with you. You now owe me three hundred million Gold Soul Coins. When are you planning to pay me back?"
He had done the calculations.
Xiao Wu owed him roughly a twenty-four-digit sum in Gold Soul Coins, but it was simply too much, and he couldn't be bothered to work it out. He simply called it three hundred million. Xiao Wu couldn't pay it anyway.
Hearing that he had come to collect money,
Xiao Wu's face fell, and she pouted. "Ah~ Brother Ji, three hundred million Gold Soul Coins? You might as well kill me. Where would I get that much money?"
Her eyes darted about, and she playfully stuck out her little tongue. "How about I work for you to pay off the debt? Please, Brother Ji."
Ji Hongchen flicked Xiao Wu's forehead.
"In your dreams. Three hundred million Gold Soul Coins-you wouldn't fetch that much even if I sold you."
Xiao Wu lowered her head, looking utterly aggrieved.
Watching this, Tang San's eyes reddened. Xiao Wu normally paid him no attention at all, yet now she was throwing herself at Ji Hongchen and acting coy.
Jealousy immediately consumed him.
After all, he earned his money through smithing, and years of working the forge had left his skin somewhat rough. Combined with the looks he had inherited from Tang Hao, he really wasn't particularly handsome.
Compared to Ji Hongchen,
He looked like a beggar by the roadside.
"Ji Hongchen, stop bullying Xiao Wu! Do you dare make a bet with me? If I win, you must stop pestering Xiao Wu! And you have to take my teacher as your master."
"And if I win?"
Tang San hesitated.
In the end, Ji Hongchen spoke instead. "How about this? If I win, I get to take any one thing of yours I choose. What do you say?"
Before you continue