In a quiet, sun-drenched courtyard hundreds of miles away, the world was a picture of tranquil, domestic bliss. Two figures sat at a small, elegant stone table, a pot of fragrant, steaming tea between them.
Zhang Tian took a slow, appreciative sip of his tea, the warm, floral notes a pleasant sensation on his tongue. Opposite him, Ah Yin, in her simple but elegant maid's uniform, did the same, her crimson eyes sparkling with a quiet, happy amusement.
Through the silent, invisible network of their shared Blood Silver Domain, they were watching a play. A beautiful, tragic, and utterly hilarious play, unfolding in real-time on the training grounds of the new Shrek Academy.
They saw it all. They saw the proud, expectant faces of the Clear Sky Sect elders. They saw the nervous, desperate hope in Tang San's eyes. And then, they saw the hammer.
The moment the three pathetic, white spirit rings materialized, a sound that was not a sound, but a shared, mental explosion of pure, unadulterated glee, erupted in their private, spiritual connection.
Ah Yin's teacup rattled against its saucer as her body shook with suppressed, silent laughter. Tears of pure, malicious joy streamed down her beautiful face.
'Oh, my Emperor,' she projected, her mental voice a choked, ecstatic sound. 'Look at their faces! Look at that old fool, Tang Hao! His expression… it's like he just swallowed a live toad!'
Zhang Tian let out a low, appreciative chuckle of his own, a deep, rumbling sound of pure, satisfying amusement. He took another sip of his tea, savoring the moment. 'It is a fine piece of work, is it not, my Empress? The beginning of a long, and very painful, tragedy.'
He watched, with a calm, clinical fascination, as the scene continued to unfold, as the broken, pathetic protagonist tried to explain the inexplicable.
"I… I don't know how it happened!" Tang San's voice was a raw, ragged sound of pure, desperate sincerity. He looked at his uncle, at the two grim-faced elders, his own face a mask of profound, heartbreaking shame. "It was a year ago. Just before my father took me away for my training. Someone… someone schemed against me. They did something to me. I was unconscious. And when I woke up… they were just… there."
He held out the hammer, the three pathetic white rings a testament to his violation. "I would never do this," he said, his voice a low, pleading whisper. "You must believe me. I would never be so foolish."
Tang Xiao stared, his sorrowful eyes a swirling vortex of disbelief and a dawning, terrible understanding. Tang Ming, the calm, fair-minded elder, just shook his head slowly, a look of profound, academic shock on his face.
The Seventh Elder, Tang Haien, however, was not so composed. "Forcibly made to absorb rings?!" he roared, his voice a clap of thunder that made the very air tremble. "What kind of demonic technique is that?! To be able to control another Spirit Master, to force them to kill a beast and absorb its ring against their will… it's unheard of!"
Tang Xiao's sharp, analytical mind, a trait he shared with his younger brother, began to race through the possibilities. "An illusion," he murmured, his voice a low, thoughtful sound. "It must have been an illusion-type spirit. A powerful one. They must have put him in a trance, a half-dream state. They made him see something else, while his body was being controlled, forced to perform the actions."
The theory, as fantastic as it sounded, was the only logical explanation. It was a terrifying one. It implied a level of mental manipulation that was the stuff of nightmares. A wave of shocked, fearful murmurs went through the other Shrek students who were listening.
It was then that the Grandmaster, who had been a silent, stone-faced observer throughout the entire, humiliating ordeal, finally spoke.
"It is as Sect Leader Tang says," Yu Xiaogang announced, his voice a calm, authoritative sound that cut through the tense, fearful atmosphere. He stepped forward, a look of profound, analytical wisdom on his stiff, emotionless face. "That was my own conclusion as well. A high-level illusion, combined with a subtle, mind-controlling poison, perhaps. It is a rare, but not entirely impossible, combination."
He had, of course, thought of no such thing. But he would never, ever, admit that another man's theory was more insightful than his own.
The explanation was accepted, the sheer, terrifying power of illusion-type Spirit Masters a new, chilling reality in the minds of everyone present.
Tang Haien, however, was not so easily placated. He looked at the three pathetic white rings, and then at Tang San, and a cold, dismissive sneer twisted his lips. "So, a genius was crippled before he could even begin to fly," he spat, his voice dripping with a contemptuous, almost gleeful, disappointment. "What a waste. Three ten-year rings. His Clear Sky Hammer is a joke. Its potential… it has been destroyed."
The words were a dagger in Tang San's heart. He flinched, his face paling, the shame of his defilement a fresh, raw wound.
"You are wrong!" Yu Xiaogang's voice was a sharp, defensive crack. He stepped forward, placing a protective hand on his disciple's shoulder, his own pride, his own theories, now inextricably linked to the boy's future.
"His potential has not been destroyed," he declared, his voice ringing with a fierce, unwavering conviction. "It has merely been… delayed."
He looked at the two skeptical elders, at the sorrowful face of Tang Xiao, and he laid out his grand, beautiful, and utterly, completely, and almost comically impractical, solution.
"To compensate for these three, pathetic, trash-tier rings," he announced, his voice a grand, sweeping pronouncement, "his future rings must simply be of the absolute highest quality. When he reaches the seventieth rank, when he is a Spirit Saint, his seventh, eighth, and ninth rings… they will all be from hundred-thousand-year-old spirit beasts."
The silence that followed was not one of shock. It was one of pure, unadulterated disbelief.
As he spoke, a single, almost imperceptible movement broke the stillness of the group. Xiao Wu, who had been standing beside Tang San, her hand clutching his arm in a tight, supportive grip, flinched. It was a tiny, involuntary tremor that no one, not even Tang San himself, seemed to notice.
But from his hidden vantage point in the deep, silent woods, a pair of burning, sorrowful eyes saw it.
Tang Hao watched, and his mind, a cold, calculating machine, began to turn its gears.
'Three hundred-thousand-year-old rings,' he thought, a flicker of something, a hint of a cold, hard, and deeply pragmatic ambition, entering his burning eyes. He thought of the two colossal, terrifying figures who had stood at Xiao Wu's side in the heart of the Star Dou Great Forest. The Titan Giant Ape. The Sky Azure Bull Python.
'They are her sworn brothers,' he mused. 'To hunt them… it would be a betrayal. It would destroy my son's relationship with the girl. It is a path I cannot take. Not yet.'
He looked at Xiao Wu, at her small, beautiful, and fiercely loyal form. A strange, almost predatory light entered his eyes.
'But she herself…' the thought was a cold, sharp blade in his heart. 'She is a hundred-thousand-year-old spirit beast. A perfect, ready-made ring. If the time comes, if there is no other way…'
He ruthlessly suppressed the thought. It was a final, desperate option. A last resort. For now, he would wait.
After all, his own son wasn't ready yet to absorb the massive influx of energy from absorbing a hundred-thousand year old spirit ring.
He looked at Xiao Wu again, and a flicker of something else, a hint of a deep, paternal concern, entered his eyes. He saw the three powerful Titled Douluos standing so close to her. He saw their immense, probing auras. And he felt a wave of profound, grateful relief.
'It is a good thing I had her eat that herb,' he thought, his mind drifting back to a memory from a lifetime ago. A rare plant he and his beloved Ah Yin had found, a treasure that could perfectly, flawlessly, conceal the aura of a spirit beast, even from the senses of a Titled Douluo. 'Without it… they would have discovered her in an instant.'
Xiao Wu, for her part, was a storm of conflicting emotions. She had heard the Grandmaster's grand pronouncement, and her heart was a cold, heavy stone in her chest. She looked at the boy she loved, at his pale, determined face. And then she thought of her two brothers, of Da Ming and Er Ming. The thought of them, of their kind, gentle eyes, of their fierce, protective love… and the thought of them being hunted, of their rings being taken… it was a thought she could not bear.
But she said nothing. She just held her brother's arm tighter, a silent, desperate promise in her heart.
Tang Haien, the fiery, impatient Seventh Elder, was the first to break the stunned silence. He let out a harsh, ugly, and utterly dismissive laugh.
"A hundred-thousand-year-old ring?" he sneered, his gaze fixing on Yu Xiaogang with a look of pure, unadulterated contempt. "Are you a fool, or just a dreamer? Do you have any idea what you are saying?"
He gestured to Tang San. "This boy, to even have a chance of absorbing such a ring, would first need to become a Titled Douluo. With this… this trash Purple Spirit Grass, this pathetic mutation of a trash Blue Silver Grass, who knows how long that will take? Decades? A century? And even then, where do you propose we find three hundred-thousand-year-old spirit beasts? Do you think they grow on trees? They are creatures of myth! To find one in a lifetime is a miracle! To find three… it is a pipe dream!"
"Seventh Brother, that's enough," Tang Xiao's voice was a low, firm sound that cut through the elder's angry tirade. He looked at Yu Xiaogang, his expression a mask of polite, respectful apology. But his eyes held a cold, hard agreement with his brother's words.
He then turned to his nephew, his own voice a more gentle, more pragmatic sound. "Your teacher's ambitions for you are great, Xiao San. And we, of the Clear Sky Sect, will do everything in our power to help you achieve them."
He looked at his other elder, at the calm, thoughtful Tang Ming. "While a hundred-thousand-year-old ring may be a difficult, if not impossible, goal for now, we can still find powerful substitutes. Beasts of seventy, eighty, even ninety thousand years. Their rings, while not red, will still be of immense power. They will be more than enough to compensate for this… initial setback."
He placed a comforting hand on his nephew's shoulder. "And do not worry about your cultivation speed. You possess Full Innate Spirit Power. Your path to the Titled Douluo realm, even with this new spirit, will be a swift one. You will not be left behind."
The promise was a solid, comforting one. It was a path that was not born of dreams, but of a cold, hard, and achievable reality. Tang San looked at his uncle, at the calm, unwavering confidence in his sorrowful eyes, and he felt the last of his shame, of his despair, just melt away, replaced by a new, hard-won resolve. He would become strong. He would have his revenge. And he would make his clan proud.
With a final, comforting hand on his nephew's shoulder and a promise of a future paved with power, Tang Xiao finally allowed the tense, heavy atmosphere on the training field to dissipate. He looked at the other students, at their tired, awestruck faces, and then at the two men who stood as the pillars of this strange, monstrous academy.
"Dean Flender," Tang Xiao began, his voice once again the calm, regal tone of a sect leader. "I wish to have a word with you. In private."
Flender, who had been a silent, nervous spectator to the family drama, immediately snapped to attention. "Of course, Sect Leader Tang! Right this way!"
He gestured for the students to disperse. "Go on, all of you! Rest! Recover! You've had a… an eventful morning."
As the students began to walk away, their minds still reeling, a new, heavy silence fell over them. The initial, explosive shock of the revelation had given way to a quiet, simmering sympathy. They walked in a tight, protective cluster around Tang San, their earlier awe at his power now mingled with a deep, profound pity.
It was Dai Mubai who finally broke the silence, his voice a low, incredulous rumble. "I still can't believe it," he said, shaking his head. "White rings… on a Clear Sky Hammer. Who would do something so… so despicable?"
Oscar, walking beside him, nodded in agreement. "I mean, what kind of person does that? It's not just crippling a genius; it's a slap in the face to the entire Clear Sky Sect. It's just… evil."
Ma Hongjun, for once, was not thinking about food. His beady eyes were narrowed, a rare, serious look on his chubby face. "Yeah," he grunted. "Whoever that bastard is, when we find him, I'll personally roast his nuts off over a low fire."
They were careful not to ask Tang San for the details. They did not ask what kind of beasts the rings had come from, or what pathetic, useless abilities they had granted. They knew, with a shared, unspoken understanding, that it was a wound too deep, too raw to be prodded. It was a taboo subject, a sacred shame that they would not violate.
Instead, they offered the only thing they could.
Dai Mubai clapped a heavy hand on Tang San's shoulder, his earlier rivalry completely gone, replaced by a new, hard-won camaraderie. "Don't worry, Xiao San," he said, his voice a low, firm promise. "We're with you. All of us. Whoever did this to you… we'll find them. And we will make them pay."
The others murmured their agreement, a chorus of fierce, unwavering loyalty. Tang San looked at them, at his friends, at his new, true family, and a wave of profound, heartfelt gratitude washed over him, a warm, welcome balm on his wounded soul.
The conversation then shifted, the shared sympathy quickly crystallizing into a shared, burning hatred for a different, more immediate, and far more personal enemy.
Dai Mubai's handsome face, which had been a mask of grim sympathy, twisted into a snarl of pure, venomous rage. "And speaking of making bastards pay," he growled, his evil eyes blazing with a cold, furious light. "The tournament. That's our stage. That's where we get our revenge."
He looked at the others, his voice a low, dangerous promise. "When we face that Emperor Team, when we face him… that pretty boy, Zhang Tian… I'm going to break him. I'm going to cripple him, just like he did to you, Xiao San. And then…"
His gaze turned dark, possessive, a predator's hungry fire in his eyes. "Then I'm going to deal with that bitch, Zhu Zhuqing. I'm going to suppress her. I'm going to humiliate her in front of the entire world. And then, I'm going to take her back. I'm going to drag her back to my side, where she belongs. She is my fiancée. She will learn the price of her betrayal."
Tang San nodded, a cold, hard agreement in his eyes. Xiao Wu's own pretty face was a mask of furious indignation. "That's right! And I'll deal with that arrogant princess, Ning Rongrong! I'll show her what a real fight looks like!"
It was Yu Tianheng who finally injected a dose of cold, hard reality into their furious, vengeful plotting.
"Don't get ahead of yourselves," he said, his voice a calm, steady sound that cut through their emotional storm. He had been a silent, thoughtful observer throughout the entire exchange. "Your anger is justified. But do not let it blind you to the truth."
He looked at them, his expression serious. "I have fought them. I have seen their power firsthand. Their teamwork is on another level. And Zhang Tian… he is not just a simple control type. He is a strategist. A monster of intellect and creativity. To defeat them… it will not be easy. Even now."
He let his words sink in. "We have grown strong. But they have not been idle. We must be stronger still."
Back on the training field, the students were gone. The only figures that remained were the true power players, the architects of the future.
Tang Xiao stood before Flender, his sorrowful face a mask of calm, regal authority. "Dean Flender," he began, his voice a low, serious sound. "I wish to discuss a matter of… mutual interest."
Flender, whose mind was still reeling from the day's revelations, immediately snapped to attention. "Of course, Sect Leader Tang! Anything!"
"My Clear Sky Sect," Tang Xiao said, his voice a quiet, powerful statement of fact, "has returned to the world. And we wish to forge a new, powerful alliance. An alliance with your Shrek Academy."
Flender's heart, the heart of a perpetually broke, but fiercely ambitious, dean, gave a single, hard, joyful thump against his ribs.
"We will provide our expertise," Tang Xiao continued, his offer a thing of breathtaking, almost unbelievable generosity. "Our elders, men who have been honing their combat skills in secret for fourteen long years, will assist in the training of your students. We will guide them in techniques that are leagues beyond what any normal academy can offer. And when the time comes for them to acquire their next spirit rings, our Titled Douluos will even assist in the hunt."
Flender's mind was a dizzying, beautiful whirlwind of gold coins. He could see it all. The fame. The glory. The endless stream of wealthy, powerful patrons, all clamoring to send their children to the academy that was personally backed by the legendary Clear Sky Sect.
"And in return…" Tang Xiao said, his voice dropping, the true, practical nature of the deal finally revealed.
"We need your academy to act as our intermediary. We have been in exile for too long. Our connections to the noble houses, to the merchant guilds of this empire, they are… gone. We need you to acquire contracts for us. Forging commissions for our blacksmiths. Protection details for merchant caravans. Anything that can put our skills, and our hammers, back to work. We need to rebuild our wealth. Our influence."
Flender didn't even hesitate. He practically lunged forward, his hand extended, his face a mask of pure, unadulterated, and almost comically profound glee.
"Sect Leader Tang," he said, his voice a choked, emotional sound, "you have no idea… this is… this is a partnership that Shrek Academy would be honored, no, blessed, to accept!"
Yu Xiaogang, who had been a silent, analytical observer, gave a single, almost imperceptible nod of approval. The strategic value of this alliance was immense. It would not just strengthen his team; it would give them access to a level of resources, of power, that he had only ever dreamed of.
The deal was struck. The new, powerful alliance of Shrek Academy and the Clear Sky Sect was forged.
~~
A/N: Check out my other novels like "Douluo Dalu: Time Travel", "Harem Master: Seduction System" and the "Villain: Manipulating the Heroines into hating the Protagonist" and I hope you like this story and those stories as well.
Check out more chapters on my P.atreon. The P.atreon will have 20+ Chapters ahead for this story. I hope you like it.
The link of p.atreon is: bit.ly/evildragon