A faint, cold smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
'They truly don't know what kind of enemy they've provoked by abducting Chu Yue.'
'Will they regret it… once they realize?'
'And you,' he thought, glancing back at Jun Wuhen, 'will participate in this action as well.'
'After absorbing an immortal herb… one suitable for your body and martial soul.'
'With that boost,' Jiang Mo reasoned confidently, 'you'll be strong enough to stand on the battlefield when we move.'
Jiang Mo believed that everything seemed accounted for and Chu Yue was safe—for now, her rescue was inevitable.
What he did not know—Chu Yue being taken…had never been an accident.
But a carefully arranged event, unfolding exactly as planned.
----
Heaven Dou City — Spirit Arena
Continental Young Elite Soul Master Tournament
Last day of tournament, Preliminary Round
The Spirit Arena was already boiling with noise.
Among the cheers, jeers, heated discussions of audience participants were slowly stepping onto the stage.
From the competitors' passage, Dai Mubai , Level 42 strode forward first. Behind him followed Tang San, Level 47 his expression calm and restrained; Xiao Wu, Level 42, light on her feet; Ma Hongjun, Level 39 eyes sharp and restless; Fren, Level 43 silent and watchful; Oscar, Level 38 nervously rubbing his hands; and finally Ning Rongrong, Level 37 her delicate features hiding a growing confidence.
At first glance, it looked impressive. Yet among them, Dai Mubai's progress stood out for the wrong reason.
His strength had barely increased compared to the others.
The aftereffects of those pills—had silently eroded a large portion of his cultivation potential. Even though Tang San later used high-grade herbs and complex methods to stimulate their martial soul origins, the damage done could not be completely reversed.
Only Tang San himself and Oscar, whose martial souls were inherently special, they did not evolve after using the high grade herbs to stimulate their martial soul origin after Tang san used the method of second awakening that he knew from the future.
For the rest, their martial souls had undergone noticeable changes.
Ning Rongrong's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda had evolved into an Eight Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, its aura purer and more profound.
Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire Phoenix no longer carried chaotic impurities; instead, it burned with a deep purple flame, violent yet controlled.
Tang San, on the other hand, had taken time away from the team.
He had returned to the Blue Silver Forest, and evolved his martial soul into the Blue Silver Prince—ahead of time.
As they walked toward the arena platform, their appearance drew mixed reactions.
Their green uniforms, once merely plain academy attire, were now plastered with countless advertising patches, flashy and mismatched.
All of it—courtesy of Flender.
Spectators and opposition team had laughed outright, when the tornament had started.
Tang San's expression remained composed, yet his mind was far from calm.
His thoughts drifted back to yesterday, Tai Tan had returned.
One arm—gone. The sight had shocked him.
Even more unsettling was the information he received about Lou Gao.
The president of the Blacksmith Association… had shown no interest in the blueprints Tai Tan brought.
Tang San couldn't understand it.
'Lou Gao should have been completely captivated by hidden weapon blueprints,' Tang San thought, his brows knitting slightly. 'I even included the Torrential Pear Blossom Needle as a safeguard.'
That blueprint… should have been irresistible.
In his memories—Lou Gao had been willing to sacrifice his own life just to complete that weapon.
So why?
'Is it another variable?' Tang San wondered.
Tang San's mood sank to its lowest point the moment he stepped fully into the arena.
At first, he thought the noise was just the usual chaos of the tournament.
Then the words became clear.
"Boo!"
"Scum Academy!"
"Monsters don't live with humans!"
"Beasts in human skin—get out of here!"
The insults crashed over them like waves.Tang San's steps faltered for a fraction of a second.
His brows knit tightly.
'Why…?'
In his memory, this was not how things were supposed to be.
They had done the same things as in his previous life—no, in fact, they had even held back more carefully at times. So why was the audience's reaction so different? Why was the hostility so open?
Tang San didn't know—
That in this timeline, the deeds of the Shrek Seven Devils were no longer quietly buried.
In the past, incidents like crippling the Blue Sunshine Academy—leaving several opponents mentally disabled—or brutally defeating the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy Secondary Team had been brushed aside.- Soul skills are hard to control. Accidents happen in battle.
Those excuses had worked before.
But now, Heaven Dou City was deeply infiltrated by the Twilight Hermit Order.
Guiding public opinion was effortless.
Especially when Shrek's actions were already stained with blood and controversy.
The murmurs sharpened.
A woman's voice rang out, loud and shrill.
"Look at that fatty! He nearly killed that girl!"
Ma Hongjun's face twitched. Tang San's fingers tightened.
Fatty—Ma Hongjun—lowered his voice and muttered with annoyance, "She couldn't handle a strong man. How is that my fault?"
The words were soft. But in the silence between insults, they were still heard.
Ning Rongrong's expression stiffened.
Without a word, she subtly stepped farther away from Ma Hongjun, creating distance.
Oscar reacted instantly, maintaining his smile as he slipped between them, his body language deliberately casual.
If not for the friendship already formed…
If not for the fact that Tang San had helped her evolve into an Eight Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda…
Ning Rongrong would have left long ago.