"Aaaaaah!!!!"
A shrill squeal like a pig being slaughtered pierced the skies, accompanied by the chilling sound of bones breaking.
Yu Xiaogang collapsed limply to the ground, utterly defeated.
After the Mandala Snake bit Luo Sanpao on the backside, the poison fed back into Yu Xiaogang, poisoning him as well and leaving his entire body convulsing.
"Damn you! You inherently evil Soul Beast! How dare you hurt my teacher! You've already signed your own death warrant!"
Tang San roared in fury.
Sleeve Swords flew from his hands as he repeatedly harried the Mandala Snake. Only after exhausting his Hidden Weapons and putting in considerable effort did he barely manage to kill it.
He turned to glance at the unconscious Yu Xiaogang, his brows tightly knitted.
This useless fool-didn't he claim to be some Grandmaster? Why was he so pathetically weak? His Soul Skills turned out to be nothing but farts. He nearly got me killed.
Besides, Yu Xiaogang saw my Hidden Weapons before he passed out.
Should I kill him?
Tang San hesitated, a cold glint flashing through his eyes, but ultimately abandoned the idea. "Forget it. Everyone at the academy knows he's my teacher. A teacher for a day is a father for life. I'll spare him for now."
In the blink of an eye, the appointed time arrived.
Tang San and Xiao Wu arrived as agreed.
Having condensed her Soul Ring, Xiao Wu swaggered at the front, lifting her little head with haughty pride as she looked smugly at Ji Hongchen.
"Hmph! Ji Hongchen, when you lose, you have to call me Sister Xiao Wu!"
"Win first, then we'll talk."
Ji Hongchen remained unmoved. This hundred-thousand-year hooligan rabbit really gave him a headache, especially since she clung to him so relentlessly. Why don't you go find your Brother San instead?
Could it be because I'm too handsome?
Sigh. Sometimes being too handsome is a burden. Just look at this hooligan rabbit pestering me nonstop. I can't shake her off. What a headache.
"By the way, where's Tang San?"
Xiao Chenyu suddenly remembered the boy who had made a bet with him, and his interest immediately perked up.
Hearing this, Tang San stepped forward.
"Tang San. Martial Soul: Blue Silver Grass. Rank thirteen Soul Master."
The appearance of his hundred-year Soul Ring sent an uproar through the crowd.
"Heavens, another hundred-year Soul Ring!"
"Just like Boss Xiao and Brother Ji, they both have hundred-year Soul Rings! Damn, now this is a real contest between Soul Masters!"
Xiao Chenyu immediately released his Martial Soul.
"Martial Soul: wolf. Rank twelve Battle Soul Master!"
The Soul Fighting began.
Naturally, Tang San held nothing back. His first Soul Ring immediately lit up.
"First Soul Skill, Blue Silver Entanglement!"
The next moment, Blue Silver Grass burst out of the ground.
But Xiao Chenyu was no pushover either. He was a Battle Soul Master, after all, and his Soul Ring was a perfect match for his Martial Soul. His strength was nothing to scoff at.
"First Soul Skill, Wolf Claw Rend!"
As his words fell, white light appeared over Xiao Chenyu's claws, making them incomparably sharp. Before the surrounding Blue Silver Grass could gather together, he tore it apart.
"Hmph, Tang San, is that all you've got?"
Xiao Chenyu spoke disdainfully.
Tang San snorted coldly, his expression so dark it could have dripped water.
Why isn't this going the way Teacher said it would?
Didn't he say my Blue Silver Entanglement could trap even an ordinary Soul Grandmaster? Why can't it even restrain Xiao Chenyu now?
Tang San refused to accept it.
He used Blue Silver Entanglement again.
The result was the same. Before it could even get close, Xiao Chenyu effortlessly tore it apart.
Tang San was completely dumbfounded.
No!
Something must have gone wrong.
Before Tang San could think it through, Xiao Chenyu charged at him. Left with no choice, Tang San could only rely on the Tang Sect Secret Arts to barely hold him off.
A few breaths later.
Tang San defeated Xiao Chenyu with the Tang Sect Secret Arts.
"What kind of tricks were those?"
Xiao Chenyu stared at Tang San, clearly unconvinced.
Tang San's Martial Soul had plainly been useless against him, yet Tang San had still managed to defeat him. He found that hard to swallow.
Tang San smiled faintly.
"You wouldn't understand even if I told you."
Seemingly realizing he was being looked down on, Xiao Chenyu snorted coldly, then walked over to Ji Hongchen. "Ji, you'd better win!"
"I will!"
Ji Hongchen patted Xiao Chenyu on the shoulder.
As he spoke, he walked toward the center of the Square and unsheathed the Jinghong Sword. His bearing abruptly changed, his entire presence becoming far sharper.
"Little rabbit, hurry up and come at me!"
Ji Hongchen's tone was calm.
But that infuriated Xiao Wu. With a sharp cry, she charged forward. "How dare you look down on Sister Xiao Wu! Today, I'll show you just how formidable I am!"
With that, Xiao Wu leaped into the air, her first Soul Ring lighting up.
"First Soul Skill, Waist Bow!"
Yet Ji Hongchen remained where he stood, his gaze fixed on Xiao Wu's movements. He was watching to see what attack she would make next so he could respond.
Just then.
He moved.
As though he had anticipated it in advance, Ji Hongchen struck. With a shift of his feet, he flashed behind Xiao Wu, pressed the flat of his sword against her back, and slashed downward.
Xiao Wu had no time to react.
A sharp pain shot through her back, and she went flying. She had barely pushed herself up when Ji Hongchen placed the Jinghong Sword against her neck.
"You lost. One hundred Gold Soul Coins."
Ji Hongchen spoke calmly.
"You..."
Xiao Wu's face was pale, her eyes filled with unwillingness.
After all, losing meant paying a full hundred Gold Soul Coins. Where was she supposed to get that many? Worse still, Ji Hongchen would not let her off if she did not pay now.
"Wait, there's still me!"
Tang San suddenly stepped forward, placing himself in front of Xiao Wu.
Ji Hongchen looked at Tang San and frowned.
"My bet was with Xiao Wu. What's it got to do with you?"
What the hell? Did I trigger the underlying code of pure-as-ice-and-jade Tang San? Does Xiao Wu even know you that well? Why are you sticking your neck out for her like this?
Tang San stood in front of Xiao Wu.
"We share a dormitory, and Xiao Wu is a friend of mine. Naturally, her business concerns me too."
For some reason, ever since Xiao Wu had thrown him around last time, her figure had often surfaced in his mind, leaving him restless. Despite having lived two lives, he had begun to develop a different sort of feeling for her.
Xiao Wu got up and touched her back, discovering that she was not bleeding. Ji Hongchen had merely tapped her back with his sword hilt earlier.
"All right, all right."
"I, Xiao Wu, won't welch on a debt. Once I have the money, I'll definitely pay you those hundred Gold Soul Coins. That should be fine, right?"
"Fine."
Ji Hongchen nodded. He had never expected Xiao Wu to pay him back anyway, though getting her to sacrifice herself to become his Soul Ring would be nice.
The only problem was Tang Hao.
"Wait. Our fight isn't over yet." Tang San stood before Ji Hongchen, brimming with confidence.
The person before him had humiliated his teacher and now injured Xiao Wu. This left Tang San, who revered his teacher and honored his teachings and was as pure as ice and jade, burning with rage.
"I want to challenge you to a Soul Master duel."
"And if I win, the hundred Gold Soul Coins Xiao Wu owes you will be wiped clean."
So this was a wager, one of Douluo's three great rules of operation!
Ji Hongchen looked at Tang San as though indulging an idiot and asked, "So your bet only puts me at a disadvantage? You don't have to stake anything? Wouldn't that leave me taking a huge loss?"
Tang San fell silent. Ji Hongchen had seen straight through his intentions, instantly leaving him tongue-tied. His face flushed red, and for a moment, he had no reply.
"Then what do you want?"
Before you continue