Chapter 56: Dai Mubai Forces Himself on Her, but Gets Rejected
Night fell.
Tang San sat alone in his room, staring at the mirror before him.
His once ordinary yet clean face was now marred by a savage sword scar running from his forehead straight down the left half of his face.
Under the dim lamplight, the scar looked even more terrifying—ghastly, jagged, and impossible to ignore.
Tang San slowly lifted his hand and traced the scar. The rough, uneven texture beneath his fingertips made his brows tighten.
His mind drifted back to the match earlier, to the moment Wuming looked at him with those cold, ruthless eyes… and the instant the black sword aura tore across his face.
That sharp pain.
That overwhelming humiliation.
But now, as he examined the horrifying mark again, a strange smile crept onto his lips.
"This scar… might not be a bad thing after all. It makes me look more ferocious—enough to make my opponents hesitate the moment they see me. More importantly, it will remind me every day to keep getting stronger. To defeat everyone who has ever hurt me."
Tang San's thoughts drifted to Xiao Wu.
He knew he had to grow stronger—strong enough to avenge her.
"Gui Mei, Yue Guan, Wuming… just wait. One day, I'll make you pay for what you've done. I'll grow so strong you can only look up at me. Strong enough to shake the entire Douluo Continent."
He silently made his vow.
Then he closed his eyes and began cultivating.
---
In another room, Dai Mubai was far less composed.
He stood in front of his mirror, staring at himself.
Today, the once handsome, arrogant face he prided himself on now bore an ugly, hideous sword scar. Like a deep, crooked ravine carved violently across his features—it destroyed every trace of the charm he once used to seduce countless women.
A surge of anger exploded inside him.
His eyes widened, burning with rage and disbelief.
He absolutely could not accept becoming disfigured.
"No! Why?! Why did it have to be like this?!"
Dai Mubai roared and slammed his fist forward.
Crash!
The mirror shattered instantly, shards raining onto the floor. Blood streamed down his knuckles, but he didn't seem to feel anything. He simply stared at the shattered pieces blankly, as if his soul had collapsed with the mirror.
Zhu Zhuqing had originally come to comfort him. Seeing the violent scene before her, her face instantly turned pale.
She rushed to him and grabbed his bloodied hand.
"Mubai! Stop! You'll hurt yourself!"
Dai Mubai slowly turned toward her.
His eyes were filled with helplessness, fear, and pain.
He looked at her and asked in a trembling voice:
"Zhuqing… now that I've become this ugly… will you still like me?"
Zhu Zhuqing was stunned for a moment, then gently shook her head and replied softly:
"Mubai, don't think like that. Appearance is just superficial. I like you for who you are—for your courage, your sense of responsibility. What matters now is your mindset. You must face the upcoming tournament properly."
[T/N: I feel the author has changed the character setting too much. At this point, Zhu Zhuqing didn't have much affection for Dai Mubai; their relationship got better after the All Continent Soul Master Tournament.]
But Dai Mubai couldn't hear any of it.
His heart was full of fear—fear of losing his status, fear of losing her. Even if he defeated Dai Weisi in the tournament… What did it matter?
A disfigured prince could never be the heir of the Star Luo Empire.
And deep inside, he was terrified that Zhu Zhuqing would abandon him because of this scar.
Suddenly, he lunged forward and grabbed her tightly, holding her as if she were his last lifeline.
"Zhuqing… don't leave me. Don't… don't leave me…"
His voice trembled, and his hands began to roam unconsciously over her body, desperately trying to keep her close—trying to claim her through impulse and panic.
Zhu Zhuqing was startled.
She struggled violently, shock and grievance flooding her face.
"Mo Bai, stop! Calm down!"
But Dai Mubai was completely lost in his own fear and despair, like a mad dog stripped of reason. He couldn't hear Zhu Zhuqing at all.
Zhu Zhuqing grew both anxious and angry.
She abruptly shoved him away with all her strength, tears shimmering in her eyes.
"How could you do this? I never liked you because of your face! But the way you acted just now… it truly disappoints me!"
Her words struck Dai Mubai like a hammer.
Only then did he fully realize just how out of control he had been.
Seeing the tears and deep disappointment in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes made a sharp pain shoot through his chest. Regret and guilt instantly flooded him.
"Zhuqing, I… I'm sorry. It's my fault, I shouldn't have—"
But Zhu Zhuqing didn't listen.
She quickly wiped her tears and ran out of the room.
Dai Mubai stood frozen on the spot, staring blankly at her retreating figure. His heart hollowed out, filled with remorse and anguish.
He knew this time… he had truly broken Zhu Zhuqing's heart.
Only he remained in the wrecked room.
Looking at the broken mirror shards scattered across the floor, he let out a long, defeated sigh, slowly squatting down as he buried his head in his hands.
How he wished everything that happened today was just a nightmare.
But the scars and humiliation were painfully real…
---
The Heaven Dou Division preliminaries continued.
Gui Mei had crushed the Shrek team single-handedly and skyrocketed to fame, instantly becoming the most popular contestant in the entire Heaven Dou competition zone.
The audience eagerly awaited his next appearance.
Unfortunately, every team drawn against the Royal Academy's Second Team chose to forfeit.
Even strong teams like Godwind Academy and Thunderclap Academy retreated without hesitation.
Because of this, the Royal Academy's Second Team maintained a perfect winning streak—and Gui Mei didn't even need to go on stage again.
Meanwhile, after being disfigured, Tang San, Dai Mubai, and the others began rampaging through their matches.
All of them wore masks, and all their suppressed rage was vented on their opponents.
Their methods were vicious, brutal even, turning them into villains despised by the entire arena. After receiving joint protests from several academies, they finally restrained themselves.
---
The first two rounds of today's matches ended quickly.
Shrek Academy secured another victory, but Tang San felt no joy.
He never expected that even a powerful team like Godwind Academy would voluntarily surrender the moment they faced the Royal Academy's Second Team.
The Shrek team stayed on the viewing platform to watch the remaining matches.
Tang San, however, slipped away silently.
Right now, his mind was filled only with one thought—become stronger, quickly.
He had no desire to watch the other teams fight.
He followed the street, heading toward the Shrek Academy.
Wuming's strength had planted a deep sense of dread in his heart. His mind kept spiraling around ways to counter Wuming.
But when he snapped out of his thoughts, he suddenly froze.
He had clearly been walking for a long time… yet he still wasn't anywhere near the academy's entrance.
The street was bustling with people, everything looking completely normal.
And yet—Tang San's instincts screamed that something was off.
He slowly lowered his pace, his gaze sharp as he scanned the surroundings.
"With my walking speed and direction, I should've already reached the academy gates. Why am I still wandering the streets?"
The thought struck like lightning.
Tang San's expression changed instantly—he realized he had fallen into some sort of illusion.
Without hesitation, he summoned his Blue Silver Grass martial soul, preparing himself for the danger that was about to unfold.
—
End of Chapter