Tang San Gets Beaten Up (3)

Ning Rongrong quickly walked over and, together with Oscar, helped Tang San up, asking softly, "Third Brother, are you alright?"

"It's nothing." Tang San shook his head, swallowed the Sausage in his mouth, and looked up at Tai Long opposite him.

He paused for two seconds, nodded slightly, and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "I was too harsh about what happened before. I'm sorry."

Tai Long paused for a moment, then scratched his head and laughed, "Hey, it's no big deal! It's just a friendly spar, there's bound to be some degree of intensity. You've already apologized, so let's just let it go!"

He was a straightforward person by nature, and seeing Tang San beaten up like this, his anger had long since dissipated.

Ma Hongjun dawdled over, scratching the back of his head, and looked at Jiang Zhu, his voice eight octaves lower. "Um... Jiang Zhu, I'm sorry. It was my fault, I scared you. I promise... I will never bother you again."

Jiang Zhu gently shook her head, her voice barely audible. "No... it's nothing."

After saying that, she secretly glanced at Lin Chen, her cheeks slightly flushed. If Lin Chen hadn't stepped in, she didn't know how this matter would have ended.

After Tang San finished dealing with these matters, he turned to face Lin Chen with a complicated expression. He had expected Lin Chen to say a few polite words or make a sarcastic remark.

But Lin Chen simply stood there, his face showing no arrogance or aggressive edge, as if he were watching flowers bloom in his own backyard.

Tang San remained silent for a moment before finally speaking first, "Lin Chen, you are very strong. I accept my defeat wholeheartedly." He paused, his voice slightly lowering, "However, you truly opened my eyes today. How did you manage to achieve such a high level of Soul Ring age?"

Lin Chen's gaze lingered on him for a moment, then he smiled faintly, "Do you think I would tell you?"

"But I'm really looking forward to it." Lin Chen took two steps forward, a slight smile playing on his lips. "I hope to face you again in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament."

The students watching from the surrounding area were already in an uproar.

"Holy crap! Tang San actually lost?"

"That's Lin Chen! Four-Ring Soul Ancestor! Three Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring! Isn't it normal for him to lose?"

"My god, that Teleportation was so cool! Appearing and disappearing out of thin air, that's a spatial Soul Skill?"

The buzzing of voices, like a swarm of wasps disturbed, suddenly parted the crowd to make way for each other.

Yu Xiaogang walked in with his hands behind his back and a sullen face.

With a slender figure, a taut jawline, and sharp eyes, he had just returned to the academy when he saw a crowd gathered in the garden. He vaguely heard the names Tang San and Lin Chen, and with a start, he quickly came over.

His gaze swept over the messy flowerbeds on the ground, over Tang San, whose mouth was bloody, whose body was covered in wounds, and whose clothes were disheveled, and finally landed on Lin Chen.

"What happened?" Yu Xiaogang's voice was deep and stern, as usual.

"Teacher." Ning Rongrong quickly stepped forward and quietly recounted the whole story, from Ma Hongjun harassing Jiang Zhu, to Tai Long stepping in, and then Lin Chen coming to challenge Tai Long to a duel, setting rules for the sparring match. She spoke objectively and without bias.

Yu Xiaogang's face darkened even more after hearing this.

He stared at Lin Chen, his eyes filled with undisguised coldness and a touch of obsessive protectiveness. "Lin Chen, you went too far with such a heavy hand."

He stepped forward, his voice low but carrying a palpable sense of pressure. "Let me give you a piece of advice: some things and some people are not to be trifled with. You'd better watch yourself."

The room fell silent instantly upon hearing this.

Tai Long was immediately displeased and stepped forward, saying, "Hey Grandmaster, how can you talk like that! We clearly agreed to a friendly spar, stopping when it's done! Tang San even used his own Hidden Weapon and almost poisoned someone!"

Tai Nuo frowned, stepped forward to stand beside Lin Chen, and said in a deep voice, "Grandmaster Yu, is that right? It's normal for juniors to spar; the outcome depends on their own abilities. Saying such things is rather unbecoming of your status."

After Tai Long and his son finished speaking, Lin Chen spoke calmly, looking directly at Yu Xiaogang, neither humble nor arrogant. "Grandmaster, you flatter me. It's normal for there to be some injuries during a normal sparring match between peers."

He paused, his tone calm yet full of confidence. "If Grandmaster feels I went too far and is not satisfied, then this junior is willing to spar with Grandmaster."

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire audience gasped.

My God! Lin Chen is... going to go head-to-head with Yu Xiaogang? That's Grandmaster Martial Soul Theory! Although his cultivation level isn't high, his reputation speaks for itself!

Xiao Wu stepped forward, stood next to Lin Chen, and crossed her arms. "That's right! In a sparring match, there are winners and losers. What kind of logic is it to say someone is going too far just because you can't beat them?"

She had disliked Yu Xiaogang ever since she was at the Nuoding Academy. This self-proclaimed Grandmaster uncle was always looking for trouble with Brother Lin Chen. Anyone who messed with Brother Lin Chen was messing with her.

Yu Xiaogang's face instantly turned ashen.

He stared intently at Lin Chen, his eyes shifting uncertainly. Should he really attack? His cultivation had stagnated for many years; he was only a level 29 Soul Grandmaster, definitely no match for this kid. But if he didn't accept the challenge, where would he, Yu Xiaogang, put his face if word got out?

The scene froze for a moment.

"Snort."

After a long pause, Yu Xiaogang snorted heavily, turned around with a flick of his sleeve, and walked to Tang San's side.

"Xiao San, let's go." He took Tang San's arm and turned to leave.

As he passed Lin Chen, he paused slightly, turned his head, and whispered, "We'll see."

Lin Chen smiled faintly and didn't reply.

Yu Xiaogang, supporting Tang San, led Oscar, Ma Hongjun, Ning Rongrong, and a few others, through the crowd and quickly left the garden.

"Lin Chen, you're amazing!" Tai Long leaned in, his face full of admiration. "You even dared to go up against Grandmaster! That was so satisfying!"

Tai Nuo laughed heartily, "Good lad, you've got guts! Come on, Uncle will treat you to dinner! Let's celebrate!"

Jiang Zhu stepped forward, bowed slightly, and said softly, "Thank you... Young Master Lin for today."

"It's nothing." Lin Chen shook his head, looked at Xiao Wu, and said, "Let's go, it's time to go back."

The four walked along the path, the afternoon sun shining through the jacaranda trees, scattering golden light across the ground.

After dinner, as the sun began to set, Tai Nuo invited Lin Chen and Xiao Wu back to Iron Hammer Valley, wanting Lin Chen to disassemble and demonstrate a small portion of the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer once more.

Lin Chen stood by the furnace, holding a small forging hammer. He broke down every movement clearly, from the sinking of the waist and wrist when lifting the hammer, to the borrowing and dissipation of force when returning the hammer, and then to the transmission of force between the waist, abdomen and wrist when stacking force.

The old blacksmiths standing around stared wide-eyed, mimicking the gestures with their hands and muttering incantations.

Tai Long also grabbed a hammer and joined in, trying to learn. Sparks flew as he hammered, but he couldn't quite find the right leverage, leaving his arm numb from the impact. This made the blacksmiths nearby cover their mouths and chuckle.

When Lin Chen took a break, he would squat by the furnace and watch the old blacksmith identify the iron material and observe the firing temperature, casually asking a few questions about the intricacies of forging.