After Yu Xiaogang's impassioned words, Ma Hongjun—who had originally been swayed by Flender's argument to give up on the Evil Nether Wraith—felt a faint stir of longing in his heart.
He wanted power.
He wanted revenge.
Those four men had branded him with humiliation. How could he not grow stronger as quickly as possible?
Even if it meant falling into darkness—so be it.
"I believe in Teacher."
With a resolute expression, Ma Hongjun answered firmly.
Had they not known him well, perhaps the others might have been deceived by that determined look.
Even Flender—one of the people most familiar with Ma Hongjun—was fooled.
He knew the boy's temperament well, but his affection for him often clouded his judgment.
Since Ma Hongjun had made his decision, Flender chose to believe in him once again.
However, even as he agreed, he set forth three rules.
"Little Ma, since you've chosen this path, I'll allow it,"Flender said gravely."But if you show even the slightest sign of corruption, I'll personally take you to the Extreme North to train in seclusion—and you'll never set foot on the continent again."
"And if you do fall… then I'll have no choice but to personally send you to the City of Slaughter."
Hiss—!Hiss—!
Gasps of shock echoed through the office.
Everyone froze.
The name City of Slaughter sent chills through their spines.
Looking at Flender's solemn face and the firm hand he placed on Ma Hongjun's shoulder, none of them doubted his words.
That place… was worse than death.
"Yes, I will not disappoint your expectations,"
Ma Hongjun replied, face unwavering—serious and respectful on the surface, but inwardly elated.
If he could obtain such a martial spirit, his strength would surely skyrocket.
He just needed to train hard and grow strong as fast as possible.
Though his path was now twisted, it was still a path to power.
"You all talk so well," a crisp, clear voice suddenly rang out.
"But let's see if he truly has the determination to match those words."
In the next instant, to everyone's astonishment, Liu Erlong reached out with one hand and seized Ma Hongjun by the collar.
"Erlong, what are you doing?!"
Flender immediately grew tense, frowning. If not for his deep trust in Liu Erlong's character, he might have already intervened.
"Flender," Liu Erlong said coolly,
"Since this kid is so confident, let's test that resolve of his."
As she spoke, a faint, almost playful smile curved her lips.
"Didn't he kill those innocent civilians in Heaven Dou City? Then let him spend half a year in the city's prison."
"Let's see if he truly has the will he claims to have. It will also serve as penance—so the name of Blue Tyrant Academy won't be tarnished."
Her words were simple, but cutting.
Ma Hongjun had taken lives. He had to atone for it.
Still, considering he was a noble soul master, and a victim of psychological torment himself, six months' confinement was already lenient.
If, in those six months, Ma Hongjun genuinely changed for the better, Liu Erlong would give him a chance.
If not—then she would personally send him to the City of Slaughter herself.
Soon, the rest of the "law-ignorant" group nodded in agreement. They accepted Liu Erlong's proposal and decided to send Ma Hongjun to the Heaven Dou City prison.
Outwardly, Ma Hongjun appeared calm and understanding, even reassuring Flender not to worry about him.
But inside—his hatred had reached its peak.
His Evil Fire blazed stronger than ever, surging uncontrollably.
At that moment, he made up his mind:
One day, he would make Liu Erlong pay.
His narrowed eyes concealed the murderous intent burning within. No one noticed what he was truly thinking.
Meanwhile…
Far from Heaven Dou City, Xiao Lin and his group had already fled, heading straight toward the Sunset Forest.
This trip had been far too dangerous—almost exposed.
That was Xiao Lin's first thought.
Right now, he only wanted to return to his research and cultivate quietly, to become stronger.
Two years from now would be the Continental Academy Tournament.
If Bibi Dong saw through Tang Ni's disguise, Xiao Lin couldn't afford to appear weak or helpless.
Best if that day never came.
Inside the carriage, Tang San was silently regretting a few things—he had forgotten to sell the Zhuge Divine Crossbow to Ning Fengzhi, and forgotten to buy some fine ores at the auction.
If only he hadn't gone to the Soul Arena today…
Xiao Wu and Tang Ni also showed faint traces of regret.
For Xiao Wu, it was simply that she hadn't played enough.
But Tang Ni's regret was far deeper—she had sensed the presence of someone who would one day become catastrophic for soul beasts.
That person would go on to massacre countless spirit beasts in the future.
She had wanted to intervene.
Yet she couldn't even tell who it was.
"Was it that chubby boy who followed us?" she wondered.
No. It wasn't him.
The destiny she had glimpsed didn't belong to that boy.
But if not him… then who?
What exactly had she seen?
Tang Ni's confusion was obvious to the others in the carriage.
Still—everyone had their own secrets.
So, no one asked.
"By the way," Xiao Lin suddenly said,"when I fought that White Tiger Soul Master, I noticed something odd. The same goes for that soul master who was tailing us."
The carriage had a sound-dampening formation, muffling vibrations and blurring voices—so their talk was private.
Because those two were familiar strangers—Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun—Xiao Lin was particularly interested in discussing them.
Hearing this, the others pricked up their ears.
"Did any of you notice it too?" Xiao Lin continued.
"That feeling of deep, unsettling evil?"
The group paused to recall.
True, both Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun carried a faint air of darkness about them—but in Tang San's eyes, that hardly counted as "evil."
"Never underestimate small evils," Xiao Lin said softly.
"They may seem harmless now, but given time…"
"I've recently been studying why people become corrupted. Want to hear?"
Instantly, the others straightened up, curious.
They had all encountered fallen ones before—and would likely face more, even in the Extreme North.
"First," Xiao Lin began, "I propose a simple truth: It is people who fall—not martial spirits."
"Even in the world of soul beasts, the same holds true.
Take the Man-Faced Demon Spider, for instance—it grows stronger by devouring other creatures' life force, but at its core, it's simply a soul beast that enjoys killing."
"A martial spirit may influence a weak-willed soul master, but corruption always begins when the will itself falters."
"For example, Tang San—if you gained the ability to grow stronger by devouring others, would you use it?"
"And Tang Ni, Xiao Wu—you two, imagine yourselves in that position."
Tang San froze briefly, then shook his head firmly.
Never.
Not only did he seek pure life energy to save his mother, but his Xuan Tian Technique was a Daoist art—it rejected all demonic methods.
The Tang Sect might tread the line between righteousness and evil—but it was no demonic cult.
"I wouldn't either," Tang Ni said.
"My Golden Dragon Spear can absorb life force—but I rarely use it."
"Me neither!" Xiao Wu chimed in.
(And indeed, the silly rabbit wouldn't—Xiao Lin believed that completely.)
"But you know," Xiao Lin continued,"human behavior is deeply influenced by environment. Where corruption appears—it tends to spread."
"Take the City of Slaughter for instance… or that group we met."
His intent was to warn Tang San that the City of Slaughter housed many fallen ones—and that when Tang San eventually sought the Killing God Domain, he should not destroy the city.
Tang San took note of that.
But he and the others misunderstood Xiao Lin's meaning— they thought he was implying that a fallen organization stood behind those three men.
"Hiss—!"
Realization struck them like a bolt of lightning.
Tang San's eyes widened.
"An organization of fallen ones… in Heaven Dou City? Impossible!"
Tang Ni trembled.
"Ma Hongjun and the others—are they part of such a group already? Humans raising corrupted spirits like Man-Faced Demon Spiders or Evil God Tigers…?"
Xiao Wu didn't think that deeply. She simply mimicked the others' shocked reaction.
"Brother Lin," Tang San asked after a pause, "then how do we completely eliminate the fallen?"
"We can't," Xiao Lin said flatly, giving him a strange look.
A thousand years later, the world would be full of Evil Soul Masters—partly because of Tang San himself.
But more than that, it would be due to the Sun–Moon Empire and the Holy Spirit Cult joining forces.
(End of Chapter)