Murder and Arson, Young Master Tang San

The plants around them grew wildly.

In the center of the forest, a mass of golden light rapidly condensed. A colorful egg with a golden base suddenly appeared on the ground.

"Crack."

A crisp cracking sound rang out.

A faint crack appeared on the surface of the golden egg, then rapidly spread. A tiny golden claw poked out through the shell, followed by a small head resembling a puppy's slowly emerging from within.

It was a young beast that looked somewhat like a Qilin.

Golden-yellow fur covered its body. It struggled to crawl out of the shell, and before its four legs had steadied, it lowered its head and used its teeth to bite apart and swallow its own shell piece by piece.

Suddenly, a brilliant golden light descended from the heavens, like a pillar of light connecting heaven and earth, directly enveloping the puppy that had just finished eating its shell.

In the blink of an eye, its body grew from its original one-foot length to one meter, while its golden fur became transparent, like crystal.

It threw back its head and let out a somewhat shrill roar. Its forehead suddenly split open, revealing an eye that seemed capable of seeing through heaven and earth.

When this scene appeared in Tang Chuan's consciousness, everything suddenly began to accelerate. Countless images surged wildly through his mind.

In an instant, it felt as though he had experienced ten thousand years. Countless simple fragments of memory flashed by, with almost every scene set in the dense Star Dou Great Forest.

Then, more images emerged.

The young beast, which looked somewhere between a Qilin and a puppy, gradually grew larger. It was not alone. In this boundless forest, it lived among a group of Ferocious Beasts.

Among them were Di Tian, Xiong Jun, the Ten Thousand Monster King, Bi Ji, and several Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts.

The fragments of memory continued to advance, growing faster and faster.

The Jade Swan Clan appeared.

They were graceful, their feathers emerald green. Wherever they passed, all living things flourished.

Tang Chuan saw the originally wounded Soul Beasts regain new life under the immense Soul Power of these Jade Swans. He also saw the habitat of the Jade Swan Clan.

Suddenly, the scene shifted. A heaven-shaking roar came from the depths of the forest.

Tang Chuan's vision blurred, and in the next instant, he saw a long-bodied, snow-white Silkworm-type Soul Beast radiating an Ice Attribute being captured by several powerful Soul Beasts working together and taken away.

It possessed extremely powerful mental fluctuations and source energy. Even though it had been severely wounded, it still radiated a special and alluring aura.

Inside a cave, the Ferocious Beasts surrounded it and continuously devoured it...

At this moment, a little more spirit appeared in the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's eyes.

It no longer tried to struggle. As it looked at Tang Chuan, its gaze became somewhat blank, somewhat complicated, and filled with emotions that were difficult to describe.

It seemed that their contact just now had directly caused all its awe-inspiring ferocity to vanish.

A large amount of Tang Chuan's memories surged into the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's mind like a tide.

At this moment, it was no longer merely the cold and proud, noble Imperial Auspicious Beast. For the first time, the human world appeared in its eyes.

Images emerged frame by frame, causing its originally calm thoughts to tremble slightly.

It saw them.

Two thin, small children sat outside a dilapidated wooden house. Their clothes were ragged, and their cheeks were gaunt.

The elder brother, Tang Chuan, carefully cooked thin porridge in a crude iron pot. Beside him, his younger brother Tang San sat hugging his legs, silently watching the water bubble in the pot.

Inside the house, a drunken middle-aged man lay sprawled on the bed. Beside him was an overturned wine jar. The room was a mess and reeked of alcohol.

Young Tang Chuan had long since grown accustomed to everything.

He took care of his younger brother while silently cleaning up the mess their old father had left behind.

He did not cry, nor did he complain.

He merely said in a low voice, "Xiao San, the porridge is ready. Come eat some."

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion sensed a kind of resilience and responsibility from this.

Then.

The scene suddenly shattered.

A completely unfamiliar world emerged.

This was Tang Chuan's previous life. He had lived on a blue planet.

In his previous life, his name had been Xiao Yan—the same name as the protagonist of Battle Through the Heavens!

He had been an orphan raised in an orphanage.

Wearing a school uniform, he rode a battered bicycle through old streets, his schoolbag swaying in the wind. On his way home from school, he often walked alone. No one waited for him, and no one cooked for him.

He studied hard in the library, all for the sake of earning an admission letter that could change his fate.

He worked part-time, tutored others, and handed out flyers. Life was difficult, but he never retreated. A stubborn light always shone in his eyes.

But then, during an accident.

A sudden car crash took away the hope that had only just begun to sprout.

"Boom—!"

The next second, a violent tremor came from the depths of his soul. It was as if some force had suddenly tugged at him, forcibly tearing Tang Chuan out of the countless interwoven fragments of memory!

He abruptly opened his eyes. His pupils contracted violently as he gasped for breath, cold sweat pouring down his temples.

The moment his consciousness returned to reality, Tang Chuan realized something.

He was still pressed tightly against the vertical eye on the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's forehead. Almost instinctively, he raised his arm and shoved the Three-Eyed Golden Lion away with all his strength!

"Could I have accidentally channeled its Power of Destiny just now?"

"Although I don't possess the Eye of Life, my blood might indeed be capable of channeling destiny. Besides, half the blood in my body comes from a Soul Beast." Tang Chuan slightly furrowed his brow and glanced at the Three-Eyed Golden Lion he had kicked away before speaking in a low voice.

"The Scarlet King seems to have broken free. He's heading this way."

"No, I have to leave quickly."

Suddenly, his Spiritual Power seemed to sense something. Tang Chuan's expression changed, and he sprang up from the ground. Then he circulated all his remaining Soul Power and dashed toward the edge of the forest!

Silently watching Tang Chuan's departing back, the vertical eye on the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's forehead slowly closed. A rare trace of complicated emotion appeared in its eyes.

It did not pursue him, nor did it grow angry.

After a moment of silence, it murmured softly:

"I never thought... the human world would be so dazzling!"

Then, all three of its eyes closed. It lay prone on the ground, as if it had fallen asleep.

One week later.

The Heaven Dou Empire, Heaven Dou City.

Dawn rose, and sunlight spilled across the bluestone-paved streets. Pedestrians gradually filled the roads, carriages crossed paths, and the towering city walls in the distance gleamed with golden light beneath the morning sun.

At the city gate.

Tang Chuan wore a gray-blue cloak and stood upright in the line of people entering the city. After the guards conducted a simple identity check, he entered without obstruction.

Once inside, he did not delay. He immediately found a seemingly amiable street vendor and quietly asked for directions to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

"The Heaven Dou Royal Academy?"

The vendor wiped away his sweat, then raised his hand and pointed westward.

"Follow that main road. Once you leave the city, keep heading west and you'll see it. That place is the grandest academy in all of Heaven Dou City."

Tang Chuan nodded and thanked him indifferently.

He turned and hurried in the direction the vendor had indicated. After passing through several streets and alleys along the broad stone road, he finally reached an open area half an hour later.

His view suddenly opened up.

Not far away stood a vast and magnificent complex of buildings built along a mountainside. Above the academy's main entrance hung ten gilded characters:

"Heaven Dou Royal Advanced Spirit Master Academy."

Tang Chuan slowly stopped before the academy. Just as he was about to enter, a group of students in Goose Yellow Uniforms blocked his path.

"Stop! Who are you? Dressed like that, you still dare come to our Heaven Dou Royal Academy? We don't accept beggars here!" The young man walking at the front sized up Tang Chuan's clothes. Seeing how shabby he looked, he stepped forward and demanded an explanation.

At this, Tang Chuan slightly furrowed his brow and was just about to speak when the young man shouted again, "Where did this commoner come from? Don't you know to salute when you see His Highness Prince Xue Beng?"

With that, he turned and fawningly addressed the young man leading the group behind him:

"Your Highness Prince Xue Beng, this commoner doesn't know any better. Let me teach him a lesson for you today."

The first impression given by the leading young man was that of a wastrel. He was dressed extravagantly from head to toe, with a pale complexion and sunken eye sockets, looking as though he had indulged himself excessively.

"Xue Beng?"

Hearing the name, Tang Chuan suddenly understood. He rubbed his chin and thought to himself:

"In the original story, this guy pretended to be a wastrel for a long time in order to survive. In the end, all his brothers died, and he became the greatest winner in the Heaven Dou Empire, smoothly inheriting the throne."

"But in this life, you've run into me. You won't be so lucky."

"After all, as far as I'm concerned, there's no such thing as orderly succession when it comes to the throne. If you're my brother, come meet me at Xuanwu Gate!"

Almost as soon as Tang Chuan finished thinking, the young man standing at the front approached with a face full of mockery, still shouting:

"Get out of my way! Don't block His Highness Prince Xue Beng's path."

Before he finished speaking, his palm shot out, attempting to shove Tang Chuan.

However, at that moment.

"Crack!!!"

A crisp sound of splintering bone, enough to make one's scalp tingle, rang out!

Just as his right arm was about to touch Tang Chuan, it was twisted and snapped!

"Ah!"

A miserable scream rang out. Before the young man could react, Tang Chuan sent him flying with a single punch.

His entire body flew backward like a kite with its string cut, tumbling three times through the air before crashing heavily into the ground, sending dust and stone fragments flying!

This sudden scene.

Left Xue Beng and the several attendants behind him frozen in place, their faces filled with disbelief. None of them had reacted yet.

After a moment, the smile on Xue Beng's face instantly froze. He straightened abruptly, his pale face twisting as he pointed fiercely at Tang Chuan and shouted:

"Kid, are you looking to die?! How dare you hit my man?!"

"Get him! Cripple this blind fool!"

With that, he swept his right hand violently.

The several young men in Goose Yellow Uniforms immediately revealed vicious expressions. Their Soul Power surged as they surrounded Tang Chuan without hesitation.

"Kid, you're finished!"

"How dare you touch someone under His Highness Prince Xue Beng? You're asking for death!"

Seven or eight figures charged at Tang Chuan with fierce momentum, forming a siege in the blink of an eye. Yet before two seconds had passed—

"Bang!"

"Crack!"

"Ahhhh!!!"

A string of jarring impacts and bone-cracking sounds rang out.

One figure after another flew backward like kites with severed strings. One was kicked into a stone pillar, while another was smashed directly into the ground!

Screams rose and fell. The area before the academy gate instantly became a scene of wailing!

These young students, who prided themselves on being elites of the royal academy, could not even withstand one move from Tang Chuan before all of them were beaten flat on the ground!

"A bunch of nobles who do nothing but eat, drink, whore, and gamble every day. Their Soul Power is completely hollow. They're nothing but roadside trash!"

Seeing all his men beaten into a chaotic heap and left wailing within a few short seconds, Xue Beng's expression changed dramatically. His arrogant demeanor collapsed completely.

"You... you..."

"Ah—"

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly let out a shriek.

He spun around and ran for his life!

His usual lofty bearing as a Prince had long since been cast aside. He only wished his parents had given him two more legs, and he fled like a stray dog.

However, he had barely taken a few steps.

A blue vine quietly shot out from behind him and instantly wrapped around his waist!

"Ah—don't!!"

Xue Beng's pupils contracted violently, and he shrieked again. Before he could even finish shouting, his body was suddenly flung away!

"Bang!"

He was dragged back like a torn sack and slammed heavily in front of Tang Chuan!

The moment he landed, before he could struggle to rise—

"Bang!"

Tang Chuan planted one foot directly on Xue Beng's chest. Then his fists fell like raindrops!

"Smack! Bang!!"

Fists and feet rained down, every blow striking flesh!

"Ahhhh—!"

"Stop hitting me! I'm a Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire!"

This beating left him seeing stars, his nose and face swollen, several teeth knocked out, and blood flowing from the corner of his mouth. His entire face swelled until it resembled a Steamed Bun.

Even his features were almost impossible to make out.

Amid the swirling dust, the ground was a complete mess.

Xue Beng's face was swollen like a pig's, and bruises covered his body. He looked utterly miserable. After a while, he struggled to climb up from the ground, blood still hanging from the corner of his mouth. Two of his teeth had even been broken, making him lisp as he staggered and crawled away.

After finally escaping more than ten meters from Tang Chuan, the humiliation and resentment in his heart could no longer be restrained. He abruptly turned around and shouted:

"You... how dare you assault me, the Prince!"

"Do you know what you've done? You've struck the face of the Heaven Dou Empire!"

"You—you have the guts, so leave your name!"

At this, Tang Chuan remained expressionless. He had intended to say a few words in response, but suddenly, inspiration flashed through his mind. A plan formed, and the corners of his lips curved upward even more.

He slowly raised his head and calmly uttered:

"My name is Tang San, of Shrek Academy."

"If you have the guts, come find me at Shrek Academy in Suotuo City."

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