Tang Tian glanced at him.
With a hint of a smile, he said:
"Grandmaster, San is my younger brother."
"No one in this world wants what's best for him more than I do."
"You needn't trouble yourself over that."
Those words, soft yet edged with steel,
pierced Yu Xiaogang's heart like a thorn.
He grumbled inwardly:
That sounds nice, but I think you're just afraid your brother will surpass you! What a narrow-minded brat...
But he knew arguing with Tang Tian about family affection was useless now.
He had to crush him with absolute expertise!
He had to show Tang San who the true authority was!
Yu Xiaogang's eyes shifted.
He suddenly threw out a technical question:
"Since you're so confident."
"Do you know the maximum age a Soul Master can withstand for his first Soul Ring?"
Tang San was taken aback as well.
A thirst for knowledge shone in his eyes.
This was a field he had never encountered.
He instinctively looked at his older brother.
Tang Tian, who knew the original story well, naturally knew the answer.
But he feigned ignorance.
With an "innocent" expression, he asked:
"Oh? Since you're asking, Grandmaster, I assume you have an exact figure?"
Seeing Tang Tian's "ignorant" expression,
Yu Xiaogang finally regained his confidence.
He straightened his back, clasped his hands behind him, and raised his chin slightly.
He declared proudly:
"After years of painstaking research and consulting countless ancient texts, I reached a precise conclusion-"
"The maximum age for the first Soul Ring is four hundred and twenty-three years!"
"Even one year beyond that carries the risk of your body exploding and killing you!"
"This is an iron law of the Soul Master World, and a crucial part of the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul!"
Having finished, Yu Xiaogang stared intently at the two of them.
He expected to see admiration and shock on their faces.
Even shame on Tang Tian's.
Sure enough, Tang San looked astonished, clearly shaken by a figure precise down to the single year.
Tang Tian first obligingly showed a trace of "shock."
It secretly delighted Yu Xiaogang.
But a second later,
that shock gave way to indifference.
And even a hint of... mockery?
"Four hundred and twenty-three years, was it?"
Tang Tian nodded lightly, then made a startling statement:
"Then what if I said that, with my special training, San's first Soul Ring could exceed that limit?"
"What?!"
Yu Xiaogang looked as though he had heard an enormous joke, his face full of disdain:
"The ignorant truly fear nothing! What gives you the nerve to make such a claim?"
"What data do you have to support it? Utterly absurd!"
Tang San, by contrast,
after hearing his older brother's words,
instantly went from surprise to excitement.
"Really, Brother? I knew you'd have a way!"
Even Xiao Wu, who had been idly kicking pebbles nearby,
had her attention caught by that audacious claim.
Her ruby-like eyes watched Tang Tian with interest.
This boy always seemed so confident.
Seeing Tang Tian remain so utterly unruffled,
Yu Xiaogang completely lost his composure.
His professional authority had been gravely challenged!
"Fine! Since you insist on being so stubborn, let's make a bet!"
In a rush of anger, Yu Xiaogang blurted out:
"If San follows your method and the Soul Ring he absorbs fails to exceed my theoretical limit."
"Or if anything goes wrong."
"Then San must study under me unconditionally from then on, and you may not interfere with so much as a word!"
At the word "bet,"
Tang Tian's expression instantly turned a little odd.
He could not help snarking inwardly:
Well, well, wasn't this Tang San's favorite trick in the original story?
When in doubt, make a bet first. The gambling king of Douluo, right there.
Who would've thought the wheel would turn, and Yu Xiaogang, with those thick brows and big eyes, would use it against me today?
Although he was one hundred percent certain of the outcome,
he did not accept the wager.
Under everyone's gaze,
Tang Tian slowly shook his head.
His gaze became solemn and earnest.
Looking at Yu Xiaogang, he said, stressing every word:
"Grandmaster, I believe you've misunderstood something."
"San is my younger brother, a living, breathing person, not a bargaining chip to gamble with."
"I treat him well and help plan his future out of my responsibility and love as his older brother."
"Not to prove I'm better than you, much less to win some wager."
"Gambling with the future of someone dear to me..."
"Sorry, but that's something I, Tang Tian, cannot do."
Silence.
Deathly silence.
Yu Xiaogang froze in place.
His mouth hung open, but he could not make a sound.
Tang Tian's words struck his face like resounding slaps.
He had thought he held the moral high ground.
Yet now, in Tang Tian's telling, he had become a "cold-blooded scoundrel" who treated a child as a tool!
As for Tang San,
as he gazed at his older brother's back,
his eyes reddened slightly, and boundless warmth surged through his heart.
So I matter this much to my brother...
Even when he's confident, he won't use me as a stake.
That feeling of being cherished and protected
moved Tang San, who had lacked love since childhood, beyond measure.
If his father Tang Hao were here, he probably would have wagered him for drinking money long ago, wouldn't he?
His older brother really was the best!
Beside them, Xiao Wu's beautiful eyes also shone with shifting light.
She sniffed, as though that unique scent on Tang Tian had grown even more enticing.
He's caring and loyal, and he doesn't treat the people around him as tools...
He really does seem a little different.
[Ding! Detected a +3 increase in conquest target Xiao Wu's Affection Level. Current Affection Level: 46/100 (favorable).]
Tang Tian smiled.
Thank you, Comrade Yu Xiaogang, for delivering this chance to farm Affection Level!
If only opportunities like this came a few more times.
In his view, even if winning San over offered no reward, he still had to do it.
As the child of destiny of the Douluo Continent, San's importance went without saying-a future God King!
As his older brother, given San's moral belief that an eldest brother was like a father,
even if the system failed him in the future, San could still lift him up, couldn't he?
Meanwhile, as Yu Xiaogang watched this heartwarming scene,
his chest felt tight, as though a mouthful of old blood had lodged in his throat.
He had only wanted to show off and take a disciple.
Instead, he had become Tang Tian's stepping stone for farming affection!
Just look at the way Xiao Wu and Tang San looked at Tang Tian!
He knew he had lost again!
Just who was playing whom here?!
Still, he was not without options.
Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth and decided to pay a steep price.
He brought out his trump card!
He believed there was nothing material gain could not sway; if there was, the stakes simply were not high enough.
He took out an exquisitely crafted belt.
The belt was black throughout, made from the leather of some unknown animal.
Subtle patterns shimmered across it, exuding understated luxury.
Most striking of all were the twenty-four milky-white jade stones set into it.
They were arranged in a circle, like bright moons in the night sky.
"I'll stake this!"
Yu Xiaogang held up the belt, a flicker of pain crossing his eyes.
But stronger still was his pride in using it to overwhelm the other party:
"This belt has been with me for years."
"It is an exceptionally precious spatial storage soul tool!"
"Each jade stone contains a full cubic meter of independent storage space."
"Even at auction houses in major cities, this is a treasure you couldn't buy even if you had the money!"
"If I lose, it's yours."
"What do you say?"
A space soul tool?
Tang San's pupils contracted slightly.
As a hidden weapon craftsman, he knew its value all too well.
All the hidden weapons, poisons, and materials he would make in the future
would not only be cumbersome to carry around, but would also attract attention.
With a belt like this, he would be a tiger given wings!
He instinctively looked at Tang Tian, a trace of longing showing in his eyes.
His gaze seemed to say:
Brother, this really does seem useful, and you're sure to win.
Catching the temptation in Tang San's eyes,
Yu Xiaogang sneered inwardly, the corners of his mouth curving upward.
Country children, after all. How could they possibly remain unmoved by a treasure like this?
This one's in the bag.
However,
Tang Tian merely cast an indifferent glance at the belt.
He spoke again:
"Grandmaster, I don't think you understood what I said."
"I said, no bet."
The smile on Yu Xiaogang's face instantly froze, and he looked as though he had been struck by lightning.
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