Killing Wang Shan
However, Su Tianyu gave him no chance to catch his breath. A black space suddenly appeared within the domain, and a crack in it abruptly widened. A chain shot out and pierced Wang Shan's head, instantly dragging his soul into the space.
"Where... where is this?"
Wang Shan looked up in bewilderment and found himself in a space the size of a room. The surrounding walls were made of black crystal, and his body was bound tightly to a cross. Panic and fear flooded his heart, and he hurriedly begged for mercy:
"Kid, let me go! I don't want to die! I can be your spy, help you attack from inside and out, and wipe out the Wang Family completely!"
"Tsk."
"Die!"
A vicious gleam flashed in Su Tianyu's eyes. His spiritual power condensed into a dense array of sharp blades that swept furiously toward Wang Shan on the cross.
A moment later, Wang Shan's already dim soul body had grown faint and indistinct. Su Tianyu strode forward, controlling the soul chain with his right hand to pierce its head.
In an instant, Wang Shan's memories flooded into Su Tianyu's mind like a tide. He rapidly sifted through fragments from the past year, hoping to find out exactly why the Wang Family was hunting him.
"So that's how it was... That bottle of spiritual milk really was the cause."
Su Tianyu, who had been probing the memories with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them and let out a soft sigh.
His thoughts returned to the martial arts tournament at Heaven Lake Intermediate Academy a month earlier. His Soul Power had just broken through to rank nineteen at the time. He had always kept a low profile and had no intention of competing, merely watching coolly as his classmates eagerly signed up in the classroom.
But when the teacher at the podium announced that the tournament champion's prize was a bottle of spiritual milk, guaranteed to raise the Soul Power of someone around sixteen years old and below the Soul Elder realm by one rank, and that it would have no effect on anyone older, Su Tianyu could no longer remain calm. He immediately stood up and walked straight to the podium to register.
The next morning, at the competition grounds of Heaven Lake Intermediate Academy.
After several rounds of fierce Martial Soul battles against the academy's students, Su Tianyu had fought his way through every opponent and finally reached the championship match. His opponent was Wang Lei, a direct descendant of the baronial Wang Family of Heaven Lake City.
After a heart-stopping clash of Soul Skills, Su Tianyu defeated Wang Lei and claimed the championship. He consumed the spiritual milk, the champion's prize, that very evening, and his Soul Power smoothly broke through from rank nineteen to rank twenty.
Upon reaching the bottleneck at rank twenty, he had intended to ask the academy for help hunting a Soul Ring so he could advance, only to be met with cold looks from the teacher. With no other choice, Su Tianyu set out alone for the Heavenly Eye Forest, planning to hunt a Soul Beast and obtain a Soul Ring to complete his advancement to Soul Grandmaster.
"Oh? I never expected to uncover such a pleasant surprise. With this information, I have a better chance of wiping out the Wang Family!"
Su Tianyu's spiritual search through the memory fragments stopped on the day before Wang Shan left the city to hunt him down. A scene from the baronial Wang Family's residence appeared clearly in his mind.
Inside the residence's main hall, the atmosphere was as rigid as iron. An elderly man with a deeply wrinkled face and graying hair sat upright in the seat of honor at the head of the hall.
His face was furrowed like the bark of an old tree, every line exuding an indescribable wickedness and sinister gloom. His hoarse voice slowly echoed through the spacious hall, carrying unquestionable authority:
"Wang Shan, your Martial Soul is a mutated Blood Rat, and you excel at tracking an enemy's scent. Go and kill the whelp who defeated my grandson and won the spiritual milk. Remember, you must not fail! I'll await your good news here at the residence. Don't disappoint me."
Below him, Wang Shan bowed his head and bent over in the utmost respect. He answered in a deep voice, "Father, rest assured! He's just a Tianhu Academy student who has only just broken through to rank twenty. Why even mention him? I'm going personally this time, and I'll surely take his life.
That spiritual milk should have been the crucial spiritual treasure for my son's advancement to Soul Grandmaster. Who would have thought a dark horse would emerge at Tianhu Academy and snatch away the treasure that belonged to Lei'er? How hateful."
"Mm. When you handle things, I have no worries."
The old man nodded slowly, but his gaze suddenly swept toward the two men on the other side of the hall. His voice was full of impatience and disappointment.
"Unlike those two younger brothers of yours. They have no talent and lack brains. How can I entrust the Wang Family's legacy to them when they're like this?"
Wang Hu and Wang Jun, the two brothers singled out, trembled all over when their father's knife-sharp gaze swept over them. Shaking like sieves, they dared not move.
They cautiously raised their eyes and glanced at the old man. Only when they saw that he had withdrawn his gaze did they secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
The old man was Wang Tianba, the current head of the Wang Family. Looking at his two disappointing sons, he wore the pained expression of a man who hated iron for not becoming steel. But a moment later, he thought of the Wang Family's only grandson, and a gratified smile spread across his lips, his eyes full of expectation.
Putting his thoughts aside, Wang Tianba grew serious and said in a deep voice, "Wang Shan, Wang Hu, Wang Jun, the three of you must keep Lei'er safe. His talent is the hope of our Wang Family's rise. With him, our Wang Family will surely advance beyond its baronial rank. The rank of viscount, or even Earl, is within reach!"
"Father, rest assured. Lei'er's Innate Soul Power was as high as rank four, far surpassing my rank two back then. His First Soul Ring is also the optimal match. His future advancement to Soul King is as good as certain!" Wang Shan said, his voice full of pride.
At Wang Tianba's mention of his son, Wang Shan's face filled with pride. Fourteen-year-old Wang Lei's Soul Power had already reached rank nineteen, just one step away from the Soul Grandmaster realm.
If he had not narrowly lost to a student in the academy tournament a few days earlier and missed his chance to break through the bottleneck, he would already have gone to the Soul Hunting Forest to hunt a Soul Beast and obtain a Soul Ring to advance to Soul Grandmaster.
At the thought of the student who had defeated his son, the pride in Wang Shan's eyes was instantly replaced by intense venom. He clenched his teeth, a faint killing aura emanating from him.
Seeing this, Wang Hu and Wang Jun looked dejected and desolate. Neither had a son; each had only one daughter, so naturally, neither could compete with Wang Shan for the position of family head. The two exchanged a glance and shared a wry, helpless smile.
Wang Tianba gave Wang Shan a satisfied look and continued his instructions. "My eightieth birthday is in three months. Nobles from all over Heaven Lake City will come to offer their congratulations. I'll leave the three of you to prepare the birthday banquet. Make sure it is grand and dignified!"
"Rest assured, Father! We'll do our utmost to prepare a splendid birthday banquet for you," the three answered in unison, their voices full of respect.
As soon as the conversation in the hall ended, Wang Shan turned and left the residence, brimming with killing intent.
Inside the black space...
Having now examined that fragment of memory, Su Tianyu knew all of this. His lips curved into a cold smile.
"The Wang Family... Wang Tianba, and Wang Hu and Wang Jun who are left. Your deaths aren't far off."
With that, he looked at Wang Shan on the cross. His spiritual power formed a sharp blade and slashed through the faint, indistinct soul body, splitting it in two. It instantly turned into black smoke and dispersed within the black space.