"Hahahahahahaha!"
After Yu Xiaogang left, Tang Hao and Tang San finally couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.
"Never thought this smoggy waste Xiaogang would see such a day. This Spark Academy really did a fine job," Tang Hao said.
Tang San chuckled. "Yeah. Originally, I just wanted to watch Yu Xiaogang stuck forever at level 29, living in endless misery. But I didn't expect things to go this way. Compared to merely watching a useless worm flail helplessly, it's far more satisfying to make him even more of a useless worm."
Tang Hao asked, "So, Little San, what's your plan?"
Tang San sneered. "Of course Spark Academy won't be spared. This faction is recklessly using forbidden technology, disrupting the balance of heaven and earth, and allowing unworthy people to possess powerful martial souls. They are courting death. When I ascend to godhood, I will eradicate them. And as for that forbidden technology—it must be placed under the supervision of the Tang family."
"But this little trick of Spark Academy, I'll still inherit. In this second life, I have no other hobby. I just love watching that maggot in despair, helpless yet still struggling against fate. Level 29? That's nothing—let him keep dropping. Watching that maggot slide deeper and deeper into the abyss of uselessness, watching him squirm and struggle… that really makes me feel so comfortable." Tang San said with satisfaction.
After father and son mocked Yu Xiaogang, they went off to the Star Dou Great Forest to find Tang San's sixth spirit ring.
Meanwhile, after failing to get help from Tang San, Xiaogang returned gloomily to the Alliance.
At this point, the only option left for him was to wait for Tang San to become a god. As long as Tang San reached godhood, all his problems would be solved.
But Tang San's godhood would take years. At Xiaogang's current rate of level loss, by then he might already be reduced to a level-zero useless wreck.
This was something Yu Xiaogang absolutely could not accept.
He was a Great Spirit Master. In the spirit master world, in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, he was indeed a useless one—but still, that was within the circle of spirit masters.
Across the entire Douluo Continent, with hundreds of millions of people, only a few hundred thousand were spirit masters. Spirit masters represented a noble class. Every spirit master carried pride and superiority when facing ordinary people.
Every time he suffered humiliation and discrimination among spirit masters, he would soothe his wounded heart by finding a sense of superiority over the "lowly" commoners of Nuoding City—like gatekeepers, clerks, guards, peasants, and slaves.
Being a spirit master was Yu Xiaogang's dignity, his face, his identity. No matter what, he couldn't lose it—not even for a moment.
But with such thoughts, he brought suffering to all spirit masters under the Alliance.
Originally, a large portion of the cultivation resources collected from major clans and powers was diverted by Yu Xiaogang for his own use. But because the base amount was big enough, others still received a share.
Now, after encountering his crisis, Xiaogang returned to the Alliance and directly diverted all collected resources into his own pocket.
In his eyes, nothing mattered more than stopping his level from dropping. To him, any price paid to prevent that was worth it.
And so, the Shensequence Alliance witnessed a bizarre spectacle: the entire Alliance's resources funneled into Yu Xiaogang's maw. Our dear Xiaogang devoured them like a pig—crunching hundred-year ginseng, chomping thousand-year snow lotus, chewing down ten-thousand-year lingzhi like candy—while his rear valves sputtered uncontrollably, spewing out foul-smelling gas.
Meanwhile, those beneath him received not even a scrap of cultivation resources. They could only watch with helpless eyes as Xiaogang consumed what could have raised an army of tens of thousands of spirit masters.
Their hearts brimmed with resentment. Many wished they could slaughter this swine. Plenty even had the strength to do it. But none dared, because several major forces still shielded Yu Xiaogang. Bone Douluo Gu Rong personally stood guard at his side. For now, Xiaogang's position in the Alliance was untouchable.
On the other side, in Tang San's secluded dwelling—
After Tang San and Xiao Wu returned, Tang San hadn't spoken another word to her. He poured all his energy into cultivation and the God Tests.
It wasn't that he didn't love Xiao Wu anymore. But after so much torment, he now longed for the Xiao Wu of his past life even more. This longing became an obsession: to become a god and bring back the Xiao Wu he once knew.
With tireless effort, Tang San finally advanced to Spirit Sage. Although his Spirit Sage ring wasn't a hundred-thousand-year ring, Tang San no longer cared so much about spirit ring quality. He only wanted to become a god as soon as possible.
"Spirit Sage realm. Shura God, I've completed the second trial," Tang San said.
As soon as the words left his mouth, the Shura God Sword Scabbard flew over, appearing before Tang Hao and Tang San.
Elsewhere on the continent, a bucktoothed man in a cowboy hat strolled down a street. His name was Bu Le. Looking at the scantily clad girls around, he felt no excitement. Instead, he thought longingly of the kind, beautiful, and adorable Xiao Wu.
Suddenly, he felt a pull, as if Xiao Wu herself were calling him. Then he saw his own body collapsing, breaking into green specks of light.
Before he could react, Bu Le transformed into green light and shot away.
Tang Hao and Tang San watched as the second slot on the sword scabbard lit up, filled with green radiance.
A god-bestowed spirit ring descended. Tang San didn't attach it to his Blue Silver Grass but instead condensed it into a spirit bead, saving it for when he reached Spirit Douluo.
Tang Hao sighed. "In your past life, you had Xiao Wu's sacrifice. From your sixth ring onward, they were all hundred-thousand-year rings. This time, you'll only start fighting for hundred-thousand-year rings from the eighth ring."
"Father, there's nothing to regret." Tang San wasn't bothered. He said, "Once you reach Title Douluo, spirit ring configuration doesn't make as much difference. What's more important is god position affinity. In my last life, I had full affinity with the Sea God, a first-class god, but even with perfect rings, I still fell to Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong's shameless joint assault. After being revived, with only thirty percent affinity with the Shura God position, I easily killed Bibi Dong, crippled Qian Renxue, and ended Spirit Hall's evil rule."
"This life will be different. Even if my rings aren't as good, so what? As long as I fill all ten slots with green light, I'll hold the supreme Shura God position with one hundred percent affinity." Tang San's eyes blazed as he stared at the sword scabbard's ten slots.
Father and son were both full of expectation for the future.
Tang Hao asked, "So what is the content of the Asura God's third trial this time?"
Tang San sensed the information granted by the divine rune.
Asura God — Third Trial: A Confused Past
Indirect: Within one year, travel with Xiao Wu and Tang Hao to the Asura God trial site deep inside the Star Dou Great Forest to begin this trial.
At the same time, a map of the trial site appeared in Tang San's mind.
Tang San told Tang Hao about it.
Tang Hao's face darkened slightly. "Why is this trial connected to Xiao Wu again?"
Tang San said, "Dad, Xiao Wu is the Asura God's sword scabbard — the bearer of the Asura God's divine seat. It's inevitable the trial would be connected to her."
"All right." Tang Hao sighed.
At that moment a flicker of worry rose in Tang Hao's heart. If the trial continued to be connected with Xiao Wu, what if it revealed what he had done back then? If he could return to the past he would stop himself from taking the Ninth Soul Ring, but now whatever he said was too late.
The father and son agreed to depart the next day, and that night each of them rested.
The next morning, when Tang Hao and his son were about to set off with Xiao Wu, Tang Hao noticed Xiao Wu's face flushed and felt puzzled.
With Xiao Wu's demeanor, it wouldn't be strange if she had gone off to dalliance with some wild man overnight — but the problem was Xiao Wu had spent the whole night under his watch. Where would she have found a wild man? That was what left Tang Hao baffled.
Tang San, however, had already gotten used to Xiao Wu's behavior. With a dark face he said, "Let's go."
Father and son accompanied Xiao Wu into the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest. Tang San led the way in front, while Tang Hao watched over Xiao Wu's sides. With Tang Hao's title- Douluo-level strength, ordinary spirit beasts wouldn't dare approach; even facing a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast he could fight. So the journey went smoothly and they arrived at the trial site.
It was an altar overgrown with wild grass, appearing unremarkable.
"This is it," Tang San said.
The three of them stepped onto the altar. There happened to be three positions; Xiao Wu, Tang Hao, and Tang San took up the triangle stance on the altar.
Suddenly a blood-red light appeared beneath their feet and enveloped them.
Tang San heard the voice of the trial in his ear:
Asura God — Third Trial: A Confused Past
Indirect: Participate in the story, unlock the contained plot, make the correct choices to complete the trial.
Trial rewards: Soul Power Level +5, Asura God affinity +10
Immediately Tang San felt the ground vanish beneath them and his body began to fall. He hurriedly looked to the other two sides — Xiao Wu and Tang Hao were falling as well.
Then the three split apart. During the rapid descent Tang San lost consciousness.
Where am I... Tang San slowly regained awareness. He looked around and it seemed he was still within the Star Dou Great Forest.
Strangely, his field of vision moved without his will; the feeling was very odd.
The entity controlling this body turned its head toward its own body and groomed its white fur. Only then did Tang San see the full appearance of his body.
He was — a rabbit?
This rabbit had no awareness that there was a third-party observer inside it. She hopped about naturally, and Tang San could perceive everything: the body's movements, hunger, sensations — yet he could not control it.
The rabbit was clearly foraging. She hopped to a place rich with aquatic plants. Tang San followed the rabbit's gaze and nearly went cross-eyed — although there were no immortally rare items here, hundreds- and thousands-year-old spiritual medicines and toxins were everywhere.
Tang San wanted desperately to harvest all these treasures, but he was only a rabbit and could do nothing.
The rabbit's nose sniffed along the ground. When Tang San caught a fresh scent, the rabbit began digging and unearthed a precious herb — a crystalline carrot — and began to gnaw on it.
Sweet, delicious juice flowed into the rabbit's mouth. Tang San also sensed the taste and felt the hunger abate for a while.
After eating, the rabbit dug a burrow here and made a nest, settling down until the food she liked was exhausted.
Tang San hadn't forgotten the Asura God's trial. While adapting to being a rabbit, he also wondered what the purpose of the trial was.
Suddenly Tang San felt something was wrong with the rabbit: one part of her body swollen and reddened; she grew restless and agitated and began hopping out in search of something.
Then he saw her approach a small grey rabbit.
What... what is this doing? Tang San was puzzled.
The small grey rabbit also smelled the white rabbit's scent. It looked at the white rabbit, and Tang San found the grey rabbit's gaze chilling.
The grey rabbit hopped to the white rabbit's side, sniffed her, and then circled around her.
Tang San was utterly bewildered until he precisely felt the grey rabbit licking some spot at the white rabbit's rear. Tang San's soul suddenly realized what was happening.
"No — get away, you damned rabbit! Get away from me! And you, white rabbit, run! Quickly!" Tang San's soul roared frantically.
But Tang San only had the right to sense this body — not to control it.
The grey rabbit didn't heed him. Well, even if it had heard it wouldn't understand; it only emitted a brief sharp cry, then rolled off the white rabbit and, after a moment, got up and hopped away.
Tang San swore this was the most humiliating moment of his life. He memorized the little grey rabbit with hatred and vowed that once he completed the trial and became a god, he would search mountains and seas to find that grey rabbit — even if he couldn't find its body, he would find its spirit and torture it mercilessly.