Douluo Continent: Simulating Douluo Dalu III to Screw Over Tang San

Their fists met with a muffled thud. Gong Lan took half a step back, while Dai Mubai stumbled back twelve steps before he could steady himself.

Surprise flashed in Dai Mubai's eyes. He clearly hadn't expected that the girl before him, who looked a little younger than he was, could not only take his punch but knock him back so far. Clearly, she was even stronger than he was.

What surprised Dai Mubai most was the girl's fist. It was as hard as if it had been cast from bronze and iron, and the force of their collision had left his fist aching as though it were about to split open.

"So weak." Gong Lan's words did little damage, but they were deeply insulting.

In truth, Dai Mubai wasn't weak. His strength was firm, but it wasn't the fierce, explosive kind. Rather, it was concentrated, as though all his strength had been compressed into a fist-sized mass.

If an ordinary Soul Master had taken that punch, the force of the shock bursting from Dai Mubai's fist would likely have sent their Qi and blood roiling.

Unfortunately for him, Gong Lan was no ordinary Soul Master. She too had the Soul Power of someone with three rings. Although she was only level 32, five levels below Dai Mubai, she had mastered the third level of Dragon Elephant Prajna and had Mysterious Jade Hand to boot. How could an ordinary punch from Dai Mubai hurt her?

"You dare humiliate me like this? Fine, very fine."

Dai Mubai let out a cold shout and moved again. This time, his attack wasn't so simple. He sprang off the ground and pounced, reaching the space above Gong Lan in an instant.

His limbs spread out in a peculiar manner, leaving him looking full of openings, yet they were all moving slightly, as though concealing an endless succession of follow-up moves.

Gong Lan smiled calmly, bending her knees slightly and turning her toes inward. Her calves tensed in an instant, her left arm circling inward from the outside while her right arm pushed outward from within, forming a peculiar stance.

Dai Mubai's attack could be called extremely seasoned. No matter how his opponent blocked or attacked, he had numerous ways to respond. His seemingly vulnerable movements concealed profound methods of attack, and all four limbs could become deadly weapons.

But before his attack could land, an invisible, latent force suddenly rose from below. It seemed viscous, with no powerful impact, yet it was extraordinarily tenacious.

With nothing to push against in midair, Dai Mubai felt his body forcibly drawn off its original course and sent falling to one side. Naturally, all his attacks lost their target.

What kind of power is this? The astonished thought flashed through Dai Mubai's mind.

Dai Mubai didn't understand what had happened, but Tang San had seen it clearly. He thought to himself, That's Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon, using four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds.

This convinced Tang San once again that the Tang Sect existed in this world. Otherwise, it couldn't be such a coincidence that two identical Tang Sect secret techniques had appeared here.

Xiao Wu, who stood nearby, immediately grew excited and called out, "Little San, Little San, that girl's technique looks a lot like yours..."

Tang San immediately covered Xiao Wu's mouth, terrified that she would expose him if she kept talking. He didn't want to experience being hunted down by the Tang Sect again.

Xiao Wu's voice naturally drew the attention of Gong Yu and the others. Tang San felt a pang of guilt when he saw them look over, but they immediately turned back around as though he didn't exist.

Chapter 41: Gong Yu: Since We've Met, I Might as Well Screw Him Over

Although his attack had missed, Dai Mubai was extremely experienced in battle. He twisted his powerful waist in midair, spun his body horizontally through a full turn, and landed firmly on the ground.

But just then, Gong Lan attacked.

Her timing was perfect: the instant Dai Mubai's feet touched the ground, when it was hardest for him to exert any force.

Gong Lan used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. What looked like three short, quick steps brought her in front of Dai Mubai in an instant, and both palms struck toward his chest.

Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track? Seeing Gong Lan's footwork, Tang San grew even more afraid. He swallowed hard, already imagining himself being hunted down in the future.

Meanwhile, a wicked light flashed in Dai Mubai's eyes, all four pupils seeming to gleam at once. He exhaled with a shout and crossed his arms over his chest to block.

Gong Lan's palms struck Dai Mubai's arms directly. The impact numbed both his forearms, but he used the force of the recoil to retreat several steps, moving out of her attack range.

Dai Mubai now understood that ordinary attacks alone could never give him the upper hand against Gong Lan. He immediately gave a soft shout: "White Tiger, possession!"

As his words fell, an intense, pale-white light suddenly erupted from Dai Mubai's body. He stretched both arms out to his sides and thrust out his chest. His bones crackled, and his muscles abruptly swelled, stretching his clothes taut.

Every muscle stood out sharply beneath his clothes, and even the air around him seemed to grow violent.

His golden hair instantly turned black and white. White made up most of it, but several black locks stood out distinctly.

Four faint lines appeared on his forehead, three horizontal and one vertical, forming the character for "king."

His hands underwent the greatest change, growing a full two times larger than before. White fur covered his palms.

As his ten fingers flexed, dagger-like claws repeatedly extended and retracted from his palms. Each claw was like a blade, a full eight inches long and gleaming with a chilling light.

His upper body slowly leaned forward, and all four pupils in his two eyes turned a deep, dark blue, making him look like a killing machine.

At his feet, three brilliant rings flashed one after another and rose silently: two yellow and one purple. As the Soul Rings revolved, surging Soul Power swept toward them with the pressure of crashing waves.

"A Thousand-Year Soul Ring!" Xiao Wu was a bigmouth. Not only was she impulsive, she also loved to chatter, but as soon as the words left her mouth, Tang San covered it again.

Cold sweat was breaking out on Tang San's back. He had been imagining what the Tang Sect was doing in this world, and the more he imagined, the more frightened he became. He felt like dropping to his knees and begging Xiao Wu to stop talking. They were fighting their own fight-what did it have to do with her?

"Dai Mubai, White Tiger Martial Soul, level 37 Battle Soul Elder. Please enlighten me."

He had failed to beat a girl and had even been forced to use his Martial Soul first. Dai Mubai felt deeply embarrassed, but he still stated his Martial Soul and level as a matter of courtesy.

That meant he, Dai Mubai, was formally challenging Gong Lan.

"So you're that cat from the Star Luo Dai Family. No wonder you had such a temper just now." Gong Yu, who was watching the fight, suddenly tossed out another remark to provoke Dai Mubai.

"You little bastard, how dare you insult my Dai Family's Martial Soul!" Dai Mubai's eyes seemed to glow red. Seething with killing intent, he prepared to pounce on Gong Yu.

But just then, a blue light suddenly shone from Gong Lan's body.

A faint purple hue veiled her eyes, and she slowly raised her right hand.

Seeing the faint purple in Gong Lan's eyes, Tang San was frightened yet again. He muttered inwardly, That's the Purple Demon Eye...

Meanwhile, as the blue light surged around Gong Lan, a clump of deep-blue grass suddenly grew from her palm.

Each blade looked slender, but was covered in bands like those of a silver krait. The blades were no longer flat as they had been before, but cylindrical.

A closer look would reveal a dense covering of tiny barbs on the blades.

Milky-white light poured from Gong Lan's body. As though stimulated by something, the deep-blue blades suddenly expanded, becoming as thick as a person's arm in the blink of an eye, like vines.

The silver snake-like bands gleamed faintly, setting off the flower bud at the end of each vine, which looked remarkably like a snake's head. They coiled with the lively movements of dozens of giant snakes.

Three Soul Rings, one yellow and two purple, rose rhythmically from beneath Gong Lan's feet, instantly dazzling the dog eyes of Dai Mubai, Tang San, and Xiao Wu.

"Gong Lan, Blue Silver King Martial Soul, level 32 Soul Elder. Please enlighten me!" As she spoke, Gong Lan assumed the opening stance of Wing Chun.

"How is that possible?" Bigmouth Xiao Wu spoke out again. "Little San, Grandmaster said that the maximum age for a Soul Master's First Soul Ring is 423 years, 764 years for the Second Soul Ring, and 1,760 years for the Third Soul Ring. Why does it look like every one of that girl's Soul Rings exceeds the age limit?"

Tang San nodded and said softly, "It doesn't just look that way. Her three Soul Rings really do exceed the limits, and by a great many years. Even I am starting to wonder whether Teacher's theory is right or wrong."

Not only that, Tang San could also feel his own Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul trembling like a mouse before a cat. It was no wonder, since his Martial Soul had yet to undergo its Second Awakening.

Gong Lan's Martial Soul, however, had evolved into the Blue Silver King because she had consumed Blue Silver Emperor sap over a long period. Under the Blue Silver King's oppressive might, Little Scumbag's Blue Silver Grass could only huddle in a corner and tremble.

Although Tang San had spoken very softly, Gong Yu heard him clearly.

Gong Yu turned and glanced at Tang San again. Feeling his gaze, Tang San looked back, but his eyes shifted, and he didn't dare meet Gong Yu's gaze.

Tang San was terrified that Gong Yu would discover he possessed Tang Sect secret techniques, and that people from the Tang Sect would come to hunt him down.

Gong Yu, however, was thinking of something else. Since he had run into Tang San, he saw no reason not to screw him over and get a Simulation attempt to play with.

Five years had passed, and because his monthly Simulation attempts had all been deducted, he hadn't run a Simulation in all that time.

The five years had only just passed, but he still had to wait until next month for his next Simulation attempt to arrive, so he might as well get something from Tang San now.

Gong Yu walked straight over to Tang San and Xiao Wu, raised a hand, and greeted them. "Yo... aren't these Soul Beast Bus and Little Scumbag? I was wondering why you looked so familiar. So it's you two. Little Scumbag, you're as ugly as ever. Huh? Bus, how did you get uglier?"

The moment Xiao Wu heard the word "Bus," she knew who the boy before her was. She gritted her teeth and roared at Gong Yu, "It's you! So it was you! You're the one who ruined my cute little bunny looks! You damned bastard, I'm going to kill you!"

Gong Yu laughed. "Yu Xiaogang can fart all he likes, but you can't just say whatever you want. What do you mean, I ruined your cute little bunny looks? I'm not taking the blame for that."

Chapter 42: Raising a Genius the Way You Raise an Ordinary Person

"You... you still dare deny it? I'll beat you to death! I'll beat you to death!" Xiao Wu bared her teeth and claws and tried to grab Gong Yu, but Tang San stopped her.

"Xiao Wu, calm down." Tang San wrapped his arms around her waist, and no matter how she flailed, she couldn't reach Gong Yu.

"Let go of me! Little San, let go of me! I'm going to kill him!" Xiao Wu kept struggling, trying to break free of Tang San's grasp, but all her efforts were in vain.

"Enough, Xiao Wu! Calm down!" To stop her, Tang San shouted at her in a way he never had before.

He didn't want to do it either. He was afraid that if Xiao Wu kept making a scene, something might happen and his practice of Tang Sect martial arts would be discovered. That would be trouble.

Tang San's shout finally calmed Xiao Wu down. Remembering that the girl's Soul Rings had been one yellow and two purple, she felt that Gong Yu was by no means simple either. She figured she still couldn't beat him, so she stopped making a scene.

"That's more like it. What was all that shouting about?" Gong Yu spoke slowly once Xiao Wu had quieted down.

Seeing that Xiao Wu had stopped, Tang San let her go.

Gong Yu took a box of chewing gum from the inside pocket of his coat, tossed two pieces into his mouth, and began chewing. He held the box out to Tang San, offering him a couple of pieces.

Tang San waved his hand to decline. Gong Yu didn't insist and simply withdrew his hand. As for Xiao Wu, he treated her as though she were invisible.

After chewing for a while, Gong Yu finally said, "I hear you only have two rings?"

Tang San nodded without speaking. He didn't want to answer, afraid that the more he said, the more mistakes he would make.

"What a pity." Gong Yu pretended to sigh. "I remember you had Innate Full Soul Power."

Tang San nodded again.

Gong Yu smiled faintly and said, "It really is a pity. A genius with Innate Full Soul Power, ruined by Yu Xiaogang."

"What do you mean?" At the mention of Yu Xiaogang, Tang San finally broke his silence. After seeing Gong Lan's Soul Rings, he had already begun to have some doubts about Yu Xiaogang.

Gong Yu said, "Wasn't I clear enough? I mean that Yu Xiaogang is a good-for-nothing. What excellent methods of teaching could he possibly have? All he does is raise a genius the way he'd raise an ordinary person!"

Tang San frowned. He seemed to understand some of it, but not all, so he asked again, "What do you mean by raising a genius the way you'd raise an ordinary person?"

"Oh... that? Take your time and think it over!" Gong Yu offered no further explanation. There were some things Tang San would believe more readily only if he imagined them for himself.

With that, Gong Yu turned and left.

After a few steps, however, Gong Yu looked back and added, "Oh, right, Tang San, I forgot to tell you. I'm already level 39, and I can faintly feel signs of a breakthrough. I'll reach level 40 in seven days at most. I seem to recall your teacher once said I couldn't compare to you. Well, what about now?"

Watching Gong Yu walk away, Tang San fell into thought.

He glanced at Xiao Wu and asked, "Xiao Wu, what has Teacher taught us over the years?"

Xiao Wu counted on her fingers. "Reading, running, and running with weights. I don't think there was anything else."

Tang San's expression darkened. "But even if Teacher didn't teach us those things, the academy would, right?"

Xiao Wu nodded. "I suppose so. I often see the others from Dorm Seven going for runs too. The academy only lets us skip classes because Grandmaster teaches us. And the academy also arranges practical combat classes, which Grandmaster can't do, so he usually has us spar with each other."

"In other words, the things Teacher taught us are actually the same things the academy teaches every student," Tang San said quietly. He pointed at Gong Yu in the distance and added, "Xiao Wu, do you know what his Innate Soul Power was?"

Xiao Wu shook her head. "No. When I fought him back then, he didn't even use his Martial Soul. But he seemed pretty strong. We were both new students, and he was already that strong, so I suppose he must have had Innate Full Soul Power too!"

"You're wrong, Xiao Wu." Tang San shook his head. "I happened to meet him when I registered at the academic affairs office. I learned that his Martial Soul was Blue Silver Grass too, and his Innate Soul Power was only level 1. But you heard him just now. He's already level 39, and he's about to reach level 40."

Xiao Wu immediately questioned him. "How is that possible? With level 1 Innate Soul Power and a Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, how could he reach level 40?"

"But that's the truth!" Tang San said. "What do you think his Soul Ring configuration is like?"

"I don't know. All I want to do right now is beat him up," Xiao Wu said, clenching her fists tightly.

Tang San shook his head. He knew he wouldn't get any answers from Xiao Wu.

What exactly have I learned from Teacher? Tang San asked himself. I've already fallen far behind. Should I really keep wasting my time with him?

If Teacher could teach me something genuinely useful, then studying with him would be fine, but the problem is that what he teaches is useless!

His thoughts kept shifting. He turned to glance at Gong Lan, who was fighting Dai Mubai, and thought, If Teacher could train me along the same lines as that girl, that would be fine too. The problem is that Teacher doesn't know how to do that at all. He only follows his theories. If I had absorbed a First Soul Ring beyond the age limit back then, and my Second Soul Ring were a thousand years old too...

Without comparison, there was no hurt. Both had grass-type Martial Souls, yet Gong Lan had clearly surpassed Tang San by a great deal, leaving him feeling deeply aggrieved.

Tang San was no longer merely questioning Yu Xiaogang. He had also sunk into deep self-doubt.

Gong Yu returned to his group and glanced at Tang San from a distance. Seeing him lost in thought, he immediately smiled in triumph. He knew Tang San had begun imagining things.

Suddenly, a "ding" sounded in Gong Yu's mind, followed by a notification.

[The host has caused Tang San to question Yu Xiaogang and fall into deep self-doubt. One Simulation attempt has been awarded.]

A faint smile appeared on Gong Yu's face when he saw the notification.

Na'er walked over and asked, "Brother Yu, what are you smiling about? Does it have something to do with that rabbit?"

Gong Yu glanced at Xiao Wu beside Tang San and said, "So you saw that rabbit's true form too, Na'er!"

Na'er rolled her eyes at him. "Brother Yu, isn't that a pointless question? How could I not see what she is? She's just a hundred-thousand-year-old rabbit!"

"Ninth Sister, what are you saying about a hundred-thousand-year-old rabbit?" Gong Xue was also drawn over by Na'er's words, and the remaining girls gathered around as well.

"There." Na'er raised her head and glanced sidelong at Xiao Wu, hinting to Gong Xue. Gong Xue followed her gaze and looked at Xiao Wu.

"She's a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast?" Gong Xue's expression immediately became a sight to behold.

Chapter 43: Four-Eyed Cat Owl