Douluo: The Traveler's Adventures In Douluo Dalu

"Tang San, you're despicable! Aren't you afraid Xiao Wu will be furious?!"

Zhu Zhuqing's face was flushed with both anger and shame as she reprimanded him.

"Xiao Wu? Xiao Wu…"

Tang San froze at the mention of that name. It was as if something deep inside him had been stirred. First came the bitterness on his face… then an even colder darkness settled into his expression.

"You're not qualified to bargain with me anymore. Either die—or accept the chance I've given you. Whether you take it or not… is up to you~"

If not for unexpectedly running into Zhu Zhuqing and that familiar little girl here, Tang San wouldn't have wasted a single breath. He clearly harbored certain intentions toward Zhu Zhuqing. As for Yu Keke, he was still unsure what to make of her.

His plan was simple: subdue Zhu Zhuqing first, slaughter the two to vent his rage, and then capture the little girl to take back with him—for a long, proper chat with that person.

After all, that person had warned him not to act rashly—not yet. Most importantly, under no circumstances was he to provoke that one existence.

Even someone as powerful as that person had emphasized it, so Tang San knew better than to test those waters.

"What's wrong? Did your soul power stagnate after leaving Shrek Academy~?"

Seeing Zhu Zhuqing hesitate, Tang San taunted her directly.

After all, as a transmigrator, he had not only brought along the mysterious heaven skill, but had also encountered all kinds of rare opportunities.

"Fine. I accept. I just hope when you lose… you keep your promise."

Zhu Zhuqing wasn't provoked into agreement—she simply didn't see a reason to back down. She had always been a genius herself. Facing someone from her own generation like Tang San, she had no reason to cower.

"Good! A promise from Tang San is ironclad!"

Tang San spread his arms with lofty bravado, then added:

"But if you lose, don't try to go back on it~"

"Hmph! Then come at me!"

Zhu Zhuqing's beautiful eyes narrowed. With a flick of her hand, she stored her longsword back into her soul tool.

She had no intention of relying on the divine weapon bestowed upon her by His Excellency. Against Tang San, her own martial spirit and soul power were enough!

"…"

Watching her put away the sword—clearly a divine artifact—Tang San's face twitched.

What was with this woman?

She wasn't even planning to use that kind of weapon against him?

Still, that worked in his favor. He'd forgotten to declare "no external aid" beforehand. If she had used that divine blade, he'd have had to bring out his Tang Sect hidden weapons in response…

Each harbored their own thoughts as the battle began.

Tang San was the first to activate his martial spirit. One hand tucked behind his back, a stalk of Blue Silver Grass rose gently from his palm.

Zhu Zhuqing watched him pose with his same old fake elegance, and felt nothing but disgust.

"Tang San, Level 51 Soul King. Martial Spirit: Blue Silver Grass~"

His voice rang out, clearly projecting a false sense of grandeur—though a hint of pride betrayed itself at the corner of his mouth.

Reaching Level 51 at his age, he was clearly quite pleased with himself—and wanted to undermine Zhu Zhuqing's confidence in the process.

If his guess was right, Zhu Zhuqing had only been in the 30s when she left Shrek. At most, she might've reached Level 40 by now. Meanwhile, he had already ascended to become a Level 51 Soul King!

"Zhu Zhuqing, Level 53 Soul King. Martial Spirit: Shadowcat of Time and Space."

Zhu Zhuqing calmly revealed her martial spirit in response to Tang San's taunt.

"F-Fifty-three?!"

Tang San froze, staring at her in disbelief.

This woman… was Level 53?! And her martial spirit—wasn't it Netherworld Spirit Cat?

Because beast-type martial spirits usually only altered physical traits, Tang San didn't immediately notice that her spirit had changed. All he could sense was that her aura felt… different. But he assumed that was just due to her increase in soul power.

But to be Level 53…

Tang San's eyes narrowed as he stared her down. Neither had made the first move yet, and their soul rings hadn't been released. His gaze was now filled with doubt.

Could she be lying just to gain the upper hand? Trying to psyche me out with a fake soul power level?

If so… how foolish~

Still, he didn't mind. He'd never liked overly clever women anyway. So long as she lost and obediently submitted to serve him—everything else could be sorted out.

"Ladies first. I'll let you make the first move."

Tang San raised his hand courteously, though his soul rings activated before she could even respond.

Yellow, yellow, purple, black, black—five soul rings rose up beneath him. The two outermost black rings in particular radiated an overwhelming aura, a clear sign of the opportunities he had encountered.

He even tilted his head proudly to make sure Zhu Zhuqing saw the configuration properly.

"…"

Zhu Zhuqing spared him a cold glance, her eyes devoid of emotion. A gust of wind blew past—and her figure vanished into thin air.

Hmm?

Tang San narrowed his eyes at her sudden disappearance. Though mildly surprised, he didn't panic.

Back when they were in the same team, he'd known Zhu Zhuqing always relied on speed.

Now that she had vanished, it was likely a trick of high-speed movement. She had to still be somewhere around him!

"Zhuqing, have you forgotten? I possess eyes that can pierce through all illusions~"

With a sneer, he shouted internally:

"Purple Demon Eye!"

His irises lit up with a deep purple glow—and his enhanced vision laid everything around him bare. Even the small animals hibernating beneath rocks appeared in his mind's eye.

But…

"Where is she?"

Tang San slowly turned his head. Everything appeared normal—yet something felt very wrong.

Because in the field of his Purple Demon Eye, he couldn't see Zhu Zhuqing's figure at all. Not even the faintest fluctuation of soul power!

Panic flickered in his heart—but only for a moment.

He shifted his gaze toward the nearby elder guarding the others—Third Worship—and his meaning was clear.

The elder seemed to understand immediately, squinting slightly as he began to sense the area.

Yet the result was the same—nothing.

Seeing the Third Worship shake his head, Tang San's brow furrowed deeply.

He couldn't locate Zhu Zhuqing at all. That left only one option—defense.

"First Soul Skill: Blue Silver Bind!"

With a sharp yell, Tang San released a surge of blue-gold vines, sending them snaking outward from his position.

Even without a clear target, he was certain Zhu Zhuqing was still nearby. By spreading his soul skill, he'd flush her out—and once she revealed herself, her speed advantage would disappear.

After all, agility-type soul masters had one natural enemy—control-type soul masters like him!

The Blue Silver Grass vines unfurled wildly, covering nearly every direction around him, clearly empowered by his recent fortuitous gains.

And yet…

Despite the sweeping reach of his vines, not even the faintest trace of Zhu Zhuqing could be found through his tactile sense.

A flicker of frustration sparked in Tang San's heart.

_

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