Hearing Tang San’s stubborn refusal to admit defeat—actually dressing up a sneak attack as some profound “Dao of Hidden Weapons”—the observing students were stunned for a moment, and then the disdain and contempt in their eyes practically overflowed.
“What the hell ‘Dao of Hidden Weapons’!
A sneak attack is a sneak attack.
Don’t try to act all high and mighty while playing dirty, you pretentious jerk!”
“You can’t win, so you play dirty, and when you get caught, you desperately try to justify it.
What kind of freak did Notting Academy recruit this year?”
“Exactly!
Just a moment ago, he was bragging about being invincible among his peers, but he couldn’t even take one move from Brother Lin.
He couldn’t even win after playing dirty—does he have any shame left?”
Every sarcastic, biting remark felt like an invisible slap, furiously striking Tang San across the face.
As an elite of the Tang Sect who had lived two lifetimes, when had he ever suffered the grievance of being condemned by everyone like this?
From his perspective, he wasn’t the one in the wrong; it was this group of blind, ignorant natives of this other world!
Listening to the overwhelming condemnation all around him, Tang San felt his blood churning in his chest.
His entire face turned the color of pig liver at a speed visible to the naked eye; he was furious to the extreme.
He clenched his fists tightly, the veins on his forehead bulging.
His so-called “pure and noble” image had long since vanished, leaving only the impotent rage of someone who had completely broken down.
Seeing his precious beloved disciple provoke public outrage and about to be drowned by the spittle of the crowd, Yu Xiaogang, who was standing to the side, could no longer sit still.
He cleared his throat, braced himself, and stepped forward, forcibly putting on the airs of an otherworldly master, attempting to use sophistry to whitewash the situation.
“What do you all know!
Battles between Spirit Masters are meant to use every means necessary.
The fact that Little San can reasonably utilize the tools he carries just proves his flexible combat mindset!
All is fair in war; this is true combat wisdom!”
Unfortunately, Gangzi’s attempt to save face not only failed to calm the public anger, but instead acted like a bucket of hot oil thrown onto a raging fire.
A wave of even louder laughter and jeers erupted from the crowd.
“Give it a rest, Grandmaster Yu!
Save that nonsensical theory of yours to fool ghosts.”
“You’re a level 29 loser whose Spirit only knows how to fart, and the disciple you taught is a sinister coward who likes to shoot cold arrows from behind.
What do you call this?
This is called ‘the upper beam is not straight, so the lower beam is crooked’!”
“Stop talking about ‘all is fair in war.’ I think it’s more like ‘father and son go into battle together’—a pair of pretentious master and disciple!
Stop making a fool of yourselves here, hurry up and get back to your dorm to wash up and go to sleep!”
Seeing that the timing was about right and the desired effect had been achieved, Lin Nuo casually pressed his hand down, stopping the surrounding crowd from continuing their denunciation of this abstract pair of master and disciple.
It’s best to quit while ahead; everything needs a limit.
After all, in some dark corner of this Notting Academy, that inherently evil, dirty-blooded Tang Big Hammer was likely hiding somewhere.
Given the nature of the Tang Clan—always protecting their own and lacking any sense of martial honor—if he really pushed Tang San to social death and total collapse today, there was no telling if a several-thousand-jin Clear Sky Hammer might just fly out from the shadows.
As for why Lin Nuo dared to beat Tang San so badly while knowing that the god of slaughter, Tang Hao, was watching from the shadows?
It was simple.
Tang Hao was, at the very least, a Titled Douluo.
As long as he didn’t use lethal force, no matter how dissatisfied Tang Hao was, he wouldn’t lower himself to personally step in to deal with a six-year-old child who had just awakened his Spirit.
Moreover, with the arrogance that was deeply ingrained in Tang Hao’s bones, he absolutely believed that his son would be invincible among his peers in the future.
Seeing this battle today, the most likely reaction from Tang Hao wouldn’t be to go crazy, but to go with the flow and treat Lin Nuo as a high-level whetstone for Tang San to level up.
Since you want me to be a whetstone, then I will trample on your bottom line and chip your blade!
If you want to use me as a stepping stone, you’ll have to see if Tang San still has the courage to look me in the eye in the future.
To be honest, with that broken grass that hadn’t yet evolved into a Blue Silver Emperor, let alone breaking his defense, Tang San couldn’t even get within three feet of him.
What’s more…
A subtle, secretive smile curled up on the corner of Lin Nuo’s mouth.
He was currently displaying the Death Spider Emperor Spirit.
Just based on the connection between this Spirit and the current Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall, he wondered if Tang Hao, watching from the shadows, was having PTSD.
Was he scared?
Regarding the matter of Ah Yin’s sacrifice back then, regardless of whether it was the Tang Clan conspiracy analyzed in unofficial histories, the final result was that the Clear Sky Sect was hunted across the continent by Spirit Hall because of Tang Hao, forced to seal the Sect, and suffered irreversible, heavy damage.
As a top-tier Sect slave of the Douluo Continent, Tang Hao felt guilty to death.
Unless he was absolutely certain he could silence witnesses without leaving a trace, Tang Hao would never dare to act lightly.
Taking a step back, according to the rules of the Douluo Continent, a Titled Douluo with a higher spirit power Rank could perfectly conceal their aura.
Tang Hao was currently carrying old, chronic injuries; at most, he only had the combat power of a Rank 95.
This old guy would be conflicted, inevitably believing that there was a powerhouse with higher spirit power than him secretly guarding Lin Nuo.
For the sake of his precious Sect, his son who had just started his journey, and even more so for his long-term plan of keeping the hundred-thousand-year transformed Spirit Beast Xiao Wu as a “reserve spirit ring,” as long as Tang Hao wasn’t brain-damaged, he would have to swallow his teeth and endure this, obediently staying hidden in the shadows today!
…
Just then, Xiao Wu, who had gone to an empty place to secretly condense her first spirit ring, was hopping and skipping her way back.
From far away, this rabbit who loved to join in the fun saw a large circle of people gathered under the dormitory building, and could vaguely hear words like “Grandmaster Yu,” “Tang San,” and “sneak attack.”
Although this silly rabbit hadn’t known the master-disciple duo Gangzi for more than a few days, her initial favorability towards this human cub, Tang San, was genuinely high.
There was no other reason; it was purely because the scent of Blue Silver Grass on Tang San was too close to nature.
This smell always gave her a sense of intimacy, like returning to her old home in the Star Dou Great Forest to chew grass, and she found it addictive.
“Wang Sheng!
What’s going on up ahead?
Did Little San get into a fight with someone?”
Xiao Wu had sharp eyes; she grabbed a few work-study students from Dorm Seven who were squeezing out from the front lines of the gossip, and curiously perked up the rabbit ears on top of her head.
Seeing that it was their big sister, Wang Sheng quickly wiped the sweat from his brow and, gesturing wildly, recounted everything that had just happened.
From Tang San’s lack of martial honor in launching a sneak attack with Hidden Weapons, to Lin Nuo’s one-strike defense break and powerful instant kill, he described it all vividly.
“Huh?
There’s actually a human cub with talent even more monstrous than Little San?
And he took him out in one move?”
After listening to Wang Sheng’s introduction, a flash of great astonishment crossed Xiao Wu’s eyes.
Involuntarily, this silly rabbit stood on tiptoe, looked over the crowd, and cast her gaze, full of inquiry and curiosity, straight at the youth standing casually in the center of the circle—Lin Nuo.
However, when she saw what the other person looked like, she was struck as if by lightning.
Damn it?
Could it be…