Chapter 18: Tang San's Defeat
"Challenge me?"
Lin Yang chewed over these words, then slowly shook his head.
"No need. Since you could defeat Wang Sheng, it shows your strength is decent. If you want to be the boss of Dorm Seven, then you can be the boss."
As soon as these words were spoken, all the students in Dorm Seven were instantly shocked. Even Wang Sheng looked at Lin Yang with disbelief.
"Boss, you... what nonsense are you talking?"
Lin Yang's gaze slowly swept over everyone as he explained,
"I've already applied for Off-campus Living, so I won't be staying in Dorm Seven anymore. However, I'm not leaving the school for now. If you encounter any trouble you can't handle, you can still come find me."
"But... but even so, you're still our boss," Wang Sheng shouted, his expression somewhat stubborn.
"And besides, I only respect you."
"Right, what Brother Sheng said is correct."
"Boss, you'll always be our boss."
"The boss is the boss."
...Faced with his dormmates' 'righteous indignation,' Lin Yang was both amused and exasperated.
"Alright, alright, no need to be so sentimental. You'd be better off spending this time cultivating properly and obtaining your Soul Rings sooner."
At that moment, Tang San, who had been forgotten in the corner by everyone, suddenly took two steps forward, his voice extremely cold and hard.
"Lin Yang, I don't need you to concede. If I want something, I'll take it with my own strength."
The room instantly fell silent. Everyone looked at the overconfident Tang San, their faces revealing expressions of schadenfreude.
Wang Sheng even mocked, "Tang San, right? Don't think just because you beat me, you can go toe-to-toe with the boss. He's a One-Ring Soul Master."
Tang San frowned. He truly hadn't considered that point.
But if he used his Hidden Weapons, the outcome might still be uncertain.
Lin Yang asked, "Tang San, I sense you hold hostility towards me. Why?"
"Because you were disrespectful to my teacher," Tang San answered without hesitation.
In his eyes, a teacher for a day is a father for life. Anyone his teacher disliked so much couldn't possibly be a good person.
Lin Yang understood in his heart. This was indeed something Yu Xiaogang would do.
"Master? I advise you to first go and inquire about his reputation within the school."
Before Tang San could speak, Wang Sheng, standing nearby, looked at him with a strange expression.
"No way, you actually became Master's disciple?"
"His strength isn't much to speak of, and he just freeloads at the school all day. If it weren't for his good relationship with the Dean, he would have been kicked out long ago."
Tang San's face turned cold. "Shut up! My teacher has his own profound ambitions. Who are you to judge him?"
He then turned around, looking coldly at Lin Yang.
"Lin Yang, do you dare to have a match? If I win, you go and apologize to my teacher in person."
The corner of Lin Yang's mouth twitched slightly. "And if you lose?"
"Then I'll apologize to you."
"That won't be necessary," Lin Yang shook his head.
"You just need to apologize to Wang Sheng."
Tang San gritted his teeth. After a few seconds of silence, he nodded heavily.
"Agreed. But you can't use your Martial Soul..."
Tang San was stubborn, but he wasn't foolish. Before knowing his opponent's trump cards, he would weaken the other's methods as much as possible.
Without his Martial Soul, Lin Yang was just a child one year older than him.
However, Wang Sheng wouldn't stand for it, loudly protesting,
"Are you joking? A Soul Master not using their Martial Soul? What kind of Soul Master is that?"
Wang Sheng's face was full of ridicule, but Lin Yang raised a hand to stop him.
"Rein it in a bit. Haven't you noticed you're starting to look more and more like a villain's lackey?"
Lin Yang's expression remained indifferent. "Fine."
Subsequently, the students of Dorm Seven cleared the space, giving the largest open area to the two of them.
Lin Yang and Tang San stood facing each other, while everyone around held their breath.
Tang San looked at Lin Yang with a grave expression.
Although his Mysterious Heaven Skill hadn't yet broken through the first layer, he thought dealing with a child would be more than sufficient.
But when he truly stood opposite Lin Yang, he realized he had still underestimated the profession of a Soul Master. Perhaps the role of Soul Rings was even greater than he had imagined.
Perhaps... this time he would have to go all out.
From an angle invisible to others, Tang San tightened the sleeve arrow on his wrist.
Perhaps... Hidden Weapons would be the key to his victory!
At that moment, Tang San moved first.
"So fast!"
Wang Sheng only had time to exclaim inwardly before Tang San's figure, like a Demon, abruptly appeared at Lin Yang's side.
His palm shimmered with a warm, jade-like radiance, his five fingers forming a claw that precisely and ruthlessly grabbed towards Lin Yang's shoulder blade.
He wanted to catch his opponent off guard and subdue him quickly.
However, Lin Yang seemed to have anticipated it. At the very moment he was about to be caught,
his body leveraged the momentum to turn slightly, and his right elbow, like an iron pestle, slammed into Tang San's exposed ribs.
Tang San's heart tightened. His Mysterious Heaven Skill subconsciously surged, channeling internal energy to his arms, which he crossed in front of himself.
Thud!
A dull sound rang out. The moment elbow met arm, a tremendous force crashed through his arms.
Tang San's face showed shock. His feet uncontrollably stumbled back three steps before he barely managed to dissipate the force.
Feeling the soreness and numbness in his arms, Tang San was secretly astonished: What incredible strength!
He had been forging iron every day recently, greatly increasing his strength, far surpassing his peers.
Coupled with the boost from the Mysterious Heaven Skill, he had actually fallen behind in a contest of pure power.
Was this guy born with divine force?
"Still want to continue?"
Lin Yang did not pursue, merely standing in place, his tone flat.
Tang San took a deep breath, a faint purple light appearing in his eyes. "Of course."
He still had many more techniques up his sleeve.
The next moment, the two engaged in combat once more.
This time, Tang San went all out, holding nothing back.
He pushed his Purple Demon Eye to its limit. Lin Yang's movements seemed half a beat slower in his vision, their trajectories clear and discernible.
His footwork changed, stepping in an elusive pattern. Like a ghostly shadow, he became illusory and unpredictable, shifting between real and feinted positions.
Relying on the Tang Sect's secret arts, Tang San no longer clashed head-on with Lin Yang.
Instead, using his agile footwork and the predictive power of his Eye Technique, he continuously maneuvered around Lin Yang, waiting for an opening.
In contrast, Lin Yang had no such flashy techniques.
Each move and stance carried a sense of beauty that balanced power and speed.
Amidst Tang San's relentless, tide-like attacks, he remained completely at ease.
"So strong..."
Wang Sheng watched the two blurry figures in the center, his eyes wide with disbelief.
The boss's strength was beyond doubt, but he never expected this scrawny Tang San could also unleash such formidable combat prowess.
His movements were so bewilderingly elusive they made one's head spin.
Were Work-Study Students nowadays already this unfathomable?
However, Tang San, at the heart of the battle, felt his mood growing heavier.
This Lin Yang surpassed him in both strength and speed.
The Purple Demon Eye could see his movements clearly, but his body couldn't react in time.
To put it simply:
Eyes: I see it, go now!
Body: Where? Where is it?
As for the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, it was clever enough.
But in the face of absolute speed and that precise anticipation, it actually seemed somewhat comical.
It even made him look like a monkey just hopping around.
A profound sense of powerlessness and frustration quietly crept into his heart.
Could it be that the Mysterious Heaven Skill he had trained in for years, along with all the other Tang Sect secret techniques, were so utterly useless before a Soul Master?
Was there even any point in continuing to study them?
At this moment, Lin Yang never imagined that his very existence would cause Tang San to doubt the legacy of the Tang Sect.
In contrast to Tang San, Lin Yang felt he had been too shallow before.
The techniques that had allowed the Tang Sect to endure for millennia indeed had their unique merits.
Take the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, for example.
Although not suited for long-distance travel, its ability to achieve such agility within a confined space, even to a degree anticipating his movements, was truly impressive.
The reason he had tangled with Tang San for so long was also to observe more closely, to see if it could provide him with some inspiration.
People, after all, should not feel ashamed to ask and learn.
But seeing Tang San's fluctuating state of mind, even revealing many openings,
Lin Yang knew it was time to end it.
Seizing an opening, he threw a straightforward, unadorned straight punch that landed squarely on Tang San's chest.
Thump!
A dull impact sounded. Tang San was sent flying and crashed heavily to the ground.
The outcome was decided!