Chapter 57 – Tang San's Breakdown, Devouring Shi Nian
At that moment, the space around Tang San twisted and distorted, transforming into a blurry and chaotic illusion.
Suddenly, a figure slowly emerged from the darkness—thin, tall, and carrying an icy, sinister aura.
Tang San narrowed his eyes and instantly recognized him. It was Shi Nian, the teacher from Blue Sunshine Academy.
Shi Nian was known for being treacherous and vicious. Falling into his hands meant a fate too dreadful to imagine.
Yet Tang San felt no fear.
He knew his father, Tang Hao, was always secretly watching over him.
"So, it's the teacher from Blue Sunshine Academy. Why appear before me?" Tang San asked coldly.
Shi Nian's lips curled into a chilling sneer.
"Why ask? Naturally, I'm here to take your life."
Previously, Tang San and his teammates had clashed with the students of Blue Sunshine Academy.
Shi Nian had long been waiting for an opportunity to take revenge.
Seeing Tang San walking alone today, that chance finally came.
Tang San was already above Rank 50—he was Shrek Academy's strongest combat power. As long as Shi Nian eliminated him, Shrek would never make it into the top five.
"You evil little bastard!" Shi Nian growled. "In front of Wuming, you cowered like a dog, unable to fight back at all. Yet you dare bully opponents weaker than you? Today, I'll let you taste true suffering!"
"Old dog, who are you calling a bastard?!" Tang San roared back. "My father is the Clear Sky Douluo! If you dare touch a single hair on my head, he'll tear your corpse into ten thousand pieces!"
Hearing this, Shi Nian became even more enraged.
"You rotten brat! How dare you threaten me?! I'll make you wish you were dead!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Shi Nian unleashed his skull bone skill. A surge of mental force swept out like a tidal wave, instantly altering the illusion around Tang San.
In the blink of an eye, Tang San found himself standing at the edge of Ghostly Cliff… The very place he jumped from in his previous life in the Tang Sect world.
The steep precipice, the suffocating mist—it all felt terribly familiar, painfully nostalgic, and overwhelmingly terrifying.
Right now, several elders of the Tang Sect were restraining his limbs, preventing him from moving.
"Tang San! The Tang Sect gave you everything. Is this how you repay us?"
"Tang San, you ungrateful traitor! You dared to steal the sect's secret techniques—your crime deserves a thousand deaths!"
"AHHH!"
Tang San heard the sound of his bones cracking. The soul-piercing agony tore a scream straight out of his throat.
Before he could recover, the scene shifted again.
Now he found himself back at Shrek Academy, which was destroyed by Gui Mei and Yue Guan.
"Xiao Wu…"
Tang San saw her again—the girl who lived in his heart day and night.
Xiao Wu stood before him, struck by Gui Mei's ghostly blade dripping with deathly energy.
Her once lively figure was trembling, on the verge of collapse.
Her long, waterfall-like hair was now disheveled, stained with blood. Her clothes were soaked in blood.
"Xiao Wu…"
Tang San called out to her, voice trembling with despair. But she gave no response.
He wanted to rush forward, to hold her tightly— But an invisible shackle bound his entire body.
He couldn't move.
Not even a single step.
He could only watch helplessly as Xiao Wu struggled in that sea of agony.
That crushing sense of powerlessness swallowed him whole.
"No… Xiao Wu… don't leave me…"
Tang San's scream tore through the illusion, filled with heartbreak.
He clearly knew this was a fantasy crafted by Shi Nian. Yet he still fell into the abyss of despair.
Because this Xiao Wu looked exactly like the one in his countless dreams… vivid, real, and within reach.
"Shi Nian, you bastard! How dare you bully my son!"
Just as Tang San's spirit was breaking apart, a familiar voice thundered beside his ear.
In an instant, Xiao Wu's figure dissolved from the illusion.
Tang San was yanked back into reality.
Tang Hao's entire body radiated a terrifying wave of soul power, an invisible pressure crushing down on Shi Nian like a mountain.
Seeing who had appeared, Shi Nian was so frightened that he wanted to run away for his life.
But his limbs felt as if bound by monstrous shackles—he couldn't move at all.
Tang San still hadn't recovered from the illusion. His body shook uncontrollably.
Pa!
Pa!
Two sharp slaps struck Tang San's face.
"Xiao San, wake up!"
Tang San finally snapped back, raising his head to look at Tang Hao.
"Father! It's really you!"
"Xiao San, don't be afraid. Everything you saw was just an illusion. None of it was real."
Tang San shook his head vigorously until his mind was completely clear.
Then he turned toward the restrained Shi Nian, rage burning in his eyes.
"Father, let me kill him!"
Tang Hao nodded.
"Xiao San, he can't escape. Do it."
Shi Nian's eyes widened in horror as Tang San's killing intent surged. His gaze was filled with despair.
Tang San slowly lifted his right hand. Soul power churned violently in his body, and a Blue Silver Grass released a dark, sinister glow as it surged outward.
He poured all the fury in his heart onto Shi Nian.
The Blue Silver Grass vines writhed like ferocious, poisonous serpents, wrapping around Shi Nian again and again.
The dark light shimmered with violent hostility. The sharp thorns dug into Shi Nian's flesh, greedily devouring his soul power and life force.
Shi Nian let out an ear-splitting scream.
His body shriveled at a speed visible to the naked eye.
His once sinister face twisted into a grotesque mask of horror. His eyes bulged, filled with pure terror and despair.
Moments later, Shi Nian was drained into a dried corpse, collapsing lifelessly onto the ground.
A dark smile appeared on Tang San's face.
"Father, that bastard Shi Nian came here to die. After swallowing his soul power, my rank increased by one. I've reached Rank 53."
"Good. It's just a pity your Blue Silver Grass can only convert a limited amount of stolen soul power. Otherwise, you could've risen even higher."
As the two spoke, a faint, eerie glow flickered from Shi Nian's forehead.
"A soul bone!"
Excitement flashed in Tang Hao's eyes.
Without waiting another second, he swung his Clear Sky Hammer and smashed open Shi Nian's skull.
A soul bone, glimmering with a dark sheen, emerged from within.
Tang Hao picked it up and examined it carefully.
"Xiao San, this is a skull soul bone that greatly boosts spiritual power. Around twenty thousand years old."
"Father, that explains how Shi Nian managed to create illusions—he must've fused with this skull bone."
"Correct. Xiao San, there's something I've been meaning to tell you. Now is the right time."
Tang Hao then revealed the secret of the Blue Silver Forest and the existence of the Blue Silver King—an eighty-five-thousand-year soul beast.
Learning that his martial soul might undergo a second awakening in the Blue Silver Forest, Tang San felt both shocked and overjoyed.
"Xiao San, don't be too happy just yet. With your current spiritual power, you can't withstand the sacrifice of the Blue Silver King. You need to fuse with a spiritual-type skull bone first."
"Father, will this one work?"
"It's only around twenty thousand years old. It's barely acceptable. Ideally, you should obtain the spiritual skull bone rewarded in the Soul Master Tournament. If you can't obtain that one, then you can try this."
"Father, don't worry. I'll do everything I can to win that soul bone."
Tang Hao nodded and handed the bone to Tang San.
"Xiao San, keep this soul bone for now. For the rest of the tournament, focus on competing. I'll eliminate every obstacle in your path."
—
End of Chapter