After establishing initial contact with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, Ling Ye enjoyed a rather pleasant time in Tian Dou City.
With Qian Renxue's protection and Dugu Bo, a titled Douluo ally, he has become a rising star in the upper echelons of society, and many forces are trying to befriend this mysterious and powerful young man.
Since that banquet, Ning Rongrong has often secretly come to Ling Ye's guest courtyard to find him.
Ling Ye's gentle temperament, profound knowledge, and the aura that inexplicably made her feel safe and comfortable deeply attracted this young princess who was just beginning to experience love.
Ling Ye was naturally happy to cultivate a good relationship with this young lady from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, occasionally giving her guidance on her cultivation and telling her novel stories, easily winning her heart.
On a moonlit night, Ning Rongrong sneaked out again to enjoy the moon and chat with Ling Ye in the courtyard.
The girl's admiration was like fine wine, and Ling Ye, going with the flow, naturally took her virginity, making their relationship even closer and more special. (Details omitted here)
On this day, the largest auction house in Tiandou City held a high-level Soul Master exchange meeting, aiming to exchange resources and showcase rare items.
As a guest of the Crown Prince, Ling Ye was naturally among those invited.
Ning Fengzhi, accompanied by Sword Douluo Chen Xin, and Ning Rongrong, who was clinging to Ling Ye, also attended the event.
Surprisingly, Tang San, who has recently become somewhat famous in the Tiandou City Junior Soul Master Academy and is known as the "Master's Disciple," also appeared at the venue with his teacher, Yu Xiaogang.
The exchange meeting was halfway through and the atmosphere was lively.
Tang San seemed intent on using this opportunity to make a name for himself. With Yu Xiaogang's tacit approval, he confidently walked to the center of the venue.
"Esteemed seniors, I am Tang San, a disciple of Master Yu Xiaogang," Tang San announced loudly, attracting everyone's attention. "Recently, I have come across a rare item that may be of assistance to us Soul Masters. I hereby present it for your appreciation."
As he spoke, he carefully took out a uniquely shaped metal lotus flower. Its petals were layered and shimmered with a cold metallic luster, and its internal structure was extremely intricate.
"This item is called 'Buddha's Wrath Tang Lotus,' the foremost hidden weapon in my family's heirlooms." Tang San's tone carried a hint of pride. "It doesn't require soul power to drive it, yet it can unleash area-of-effect damage comparable to a Soul Emperor or even a Soul Saint! If there are enough materials, it could even be mass-produced, enough to change the landscape of the Soul Master world!"
These words caused an uproar in the audience!
No soul power required? Area damage comparable to a Soul Saint? And it can be mass-produced?
This is a revolutionary weapon! If what he says is true, then its significance is immense!
Even Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin showed expressions of surprise and interest.
Yu Xiaogang smiled to the side, quite satisfied with his disciple's performance.
Seeing that he had successfully attracted everyone's attention, Tang San was pleased with himself and prepared to explain the principle in detail and find a "shill" to demonstrate its power.
However, at that moment, a calm yet clear voice rang out, breaking the commotion:
"All show and no substance, just a pile of scrap metal."
The sound wasn't loud, but it instantly silenced the entire room!
Everyone looked in astonishment toward the source of the sound, which was none other than Ling Ye, who was sitting leisurely sipping tea beside the Crown Prince!
Tang San's smugness instantly froze, turning into shame and anger. He looked at Ling Ye, suppressing his rage, and said, "Brother, what makes you say that? Have you perhaps seen a more exquisite hidden weapon than this?"
Ling Ye put down his teacup, slowly stood up, walked to the center of the arena, glanced at the so-called "Buddha's Wrath Tang Lotus," and his eyes were filled with undisguised contempt.
"Exquisite? Perhaps it can be considered exquisite in the eyes of ordinary people. But in a real battle between Soul Masters, this thing is full of flaws and is as useless as a chicken rib."
His blunt assessment immediately drew gasps from the crowd.
Ning Rongrong watched from the side, her big eyes filled with admiration, thinking that Brother Ling Ye was so handsome!
Tang San's face turned ashen with rage: "Your Excellency is far too arrogant! May I ask where the flaw lies?!"
Ling Ye said calmly, "Fine, then I'll let you lose clearly."
"First, the firing speed is slow." Ling Ye pointed at the Buddha's Fury Lotus with his finger. "It takes time to activate the mechanism and time to fill the hidden weapon. In high-level soul master battles, a hesitation of even 0.1 seconds is enough to decide life or death. By the time you have this thing ready, your opponent's soul skills will have already hit your face ten times over."
"Secondly, the consumption is not due to a lack of soul power, but rather to the user's hand speed, reaction time, and mental focus! In the heat of battle, distracting oneself to operate such a complex mechanism is tantamount to suicide!"
"Third, and most importantly," Ling Ye's voice turned cold, "you know nothing about the power of high-level Soul Masters. Which Soul Emperor or higher expert doesn't have a protective Soul Skill? Which one doesn't have superhuman reflexes and speed? The penetrating power and blast radius of your hidden weapon might be useful against low-level Soul Masters, but trying to break through the defenses of high-level Soul Masters? That's a joke! Not to mention a Title Douluo-level expert, even if they just stand there and let you hit them, you still can't break through their defenses!"
"Fourth, the cost is exorbitant! Judging from the material, it's definitely not ordinary metal, and the forging process is extremely complex. Batch production? The resources consumed could train countless Soul Masters and Soul Kings! The cost-effectiveness ratio is pitifully low!"
With each point Ling Ye made, Tang San's face paled a little more, and the Soul Masters around him who had initially shown interest also began to ponder deeply and slowly nodded.
Yes, it sounds impressive, but upon closer inspection, it does have many problems!
"You...you're talking nonsense! How do you know it won't work if you haven't tried it!" Tang San retorted, his neck stiff, but his confidence was already waning.
"Don't believe me?" Ling Ye's lips curled into a smile. "That's simple, I'll demonstrate it for you. Use it to attack me. If you can harm me even a little, I will apologize to you in public and admit that this thing is a divine artifact. If not... hehe."
He stood with his hands behind his back, not even bothering to summon his martial spirit, just standing there casually.
Tang San was completely enraged. He refused to believe that the Buddha's Wrath Tang Lotus couldn't even force the opponent to use their defenses!
He gritted his teeth and activated the trigger!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
The Buddha's Wrath Lotus bloomed instantly, and countless metal petals shot towards Ling Ye like a torrential rain, covering a vast area and moving at an extremely fast speed!
However, in everyone's eyes, Ling Ye's figure only swayed slightly, just enough to make all the petals brush past his clothes without touching a single hair!
He even had the leisure to reach out and catch a stray arrow that was being shot at a spectator nearby.
"See, I told you, it's too slow." Ling Ye casually tossed away the flower petal, his tone indifferent.
Tang San stared in disbelief, his face turning a deep purplish-red!
Ling Ye wasn't finished yet. He continued, "Moreover, relying on external things is ultimately a inferior approach. The path of a Soul Master lies in the development of one's own Martial Soul and the enhancement of Soul Power! Placing one's hopes on these strange and ingenious techniques will only put the cart before the horse and hinder one's own progress! Master, what do you say?"
He pointed his finger at Yu Xiaogang, whose face was equally grim.
Yu Xiaogang opened his mouth, wanting to refute him with his "Ten Core Competencies".
But under Ling Ye's all-seeing gaze and the skeptical eyes of the surrounding Soul Masters, those theories seemed so pale and powerless, and in the end, not a single word was uttered.
The entire room was completely silent.
Everyone looked at the composed young man standing in the center of the room with complicated expressions.
Although his words were sharp, they were all reasonable and thought-provoking.
In comparison, Tang San's so-called "ultimate weapon" does indeed seem both laughable and pathetic.
Ning Fengzhi's eyes gleamed with wisdom, and he nodded slightly, clearly having taken Ling Ye's words to heart.
Sword Douluo Chen Xin's eyes flashed with admiration. In his opinion, Ling Ye had the insight and demeanor that a true strongman should have.
Tang San clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh, drawing blood.
He felt the mocking, pitying, and contemptuous gazes around him, and endless humiliation and resentment welled up in his heart!
That Ling Ye! He's truly despicable!
He has already found a way to die!
It's not just about opposing him! It's about humiliating him! Denying everything about him!
I swear I will not rest until I avenge this humiliation!
Ling Ye didn't even glance at the dejected Tang San again. He bowed slightly to the crowd and then gracefully returned to his seat with Ning Rongrong, who looked at him with admiration.
This incident solidified Ling Ye's extraordinary insight and outspokenness, making him a household name.
Tang San and his hidden weapons became a complete joke in the upper echelons of Heaven Dou City.
The auction continued, but everyone's minds were no longer on the auction.
Everyone was still savoring the brief but brilliant exchange they had just witnessed, as well as the revolutionary impact of the mysterious young man's ideas.
Ling Ye knew that this incident had further solidified his position in Tiandou City.
As for Tang San's resentment? He didn't care at all.
It's just a buzzing fly. If it dares to cause trouble, just swat it.
His gaze had already been set on a much more distant place.
The Spirit Hall, Qian Renxue, Bibi Dong... that was his true stage.
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(End of chapter)