"Wait, hold on—you want to swear brotherhood with me and Tang San? Did you forget our past at the academy? My good classmate!" Tian Lin looked at them, a bit incredulous. Was Tang San crazy? Tian Lin didn't like him much, and could never fully trust someone with such a low death threshold. But as for Xue Beng, Tian Lin truly despised him.
At the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Tian Lin had seen with his own eyes Xue Beng pretending to be a wastrel, bullying countless men and women. Whenever Xue Qinghe wanted to punish him, he'd have Prince Xue Xing back him up.
Tian Lin had been tempted to kill him more than once but was stopped by Xue Qinghe. Later, Tian Lin found other ways to deal with him—after all, disagreements between classmates were normal.
After that, whenever Xue Beng did evil, Tian Lin would beat him up. Xue Beng had Prince Xue Xing, but Tian Lin had Xue Qinghe at her peak, plus he was a disciple of a titled Douluo. Every time, Tian Lin was justified, and Xue Beng could only swallow his anger.
Thus, the two had deep-seated resentment.
"That was all a misunderstanding, Brother Jun! I was just pretending to be a wastrel to stay alive. I never wanted to bully the people," Xue Beng argued. "Looking back, all my actions were right. The Xue Qinghe you supported was actually a usurper. Both you and Sect Leader Ning were tricked by her.
"Now, the whole empire misunderstands your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, and many promising people only want to join the Clear Sky Sect. That's not good for your sect's development. But if you work with me, I'll help restore your reputation and give you the same treatment as the Clear Sky Sect. When we defeat the Spirit Hall, I'll bring that fake Xue Qinghe to you, so you can destroy her yourself and wash away the humiliation. How about it?"
Now Tian Lin understood: Xue Beng's invitation was half-threat, half-bribe. If Tian Lin sided with him like Tang San, he would let the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect develop alongside the Clear Sky Sect, and give him Qian Renxue's head as a pledge. If not, the empire's resources would lean heavily toward the Clear Sky Sect.
Tian Lin guessed Xue Beng was just one part of the plan. As a vice sect leader, Ning Fengzhi was probably being approached by Emperor Xue Ye as well.
Tian Lin smiled. "Xue Beng, do you think that now that you have the Clear Sky Sect's support, my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect isn't as important, so you can openly force me to pick sides?"
"Brother Jun, you misunderstand. The Clear Sky Sect now has seven titled Douluos, more than your sect. They are now the number one sect in the world. I have to prioritize the most trustworthy and powerful allies for the empire," Xue Beng said, half-threatening, half-coaxing.
"Haha, that's funny. To a mere Soul King, there's no difference between a level-91 titled Douluo and a level-99 Ultimate Douluo, right?" Tian Lin laughed.
He'd already noticed that Xue Beng's strength had actually decreased since the last soul hunt. Originally a high-level Soul King, he was now almost a Soul Ancestor. Apparently, his earlier strength had been artificially boosted, and after the control was lifted, his level dropped sharply. Even if he wasn't a wastrel anymore, he was still a weakling.
Xue Beng was cunning but didn't truly understand the top level of strength. The Heaven Dou Empire didn't even have its own titled Douluo. In his eyes, more Clear Sky Sect Title Douluos meant greater strength.
"What do you mean by that?" Tian Lin's mocking tone made Xue Beng feel insulted.
"Ask Tang San—if his father Tang Hao and uncle Tang Xiao teamed up, could they defeat my master?" Tian Lin glanced at Tang San.
By now, Tang San should have heard about Qian Daoliu from his father.
Under Xue Beng's questioning gaze, Tang San had to answer, "My father said Qian Daoliu is someone even the whole Clear Sky Sect can't afford to provoke. If Sword Douluo can beat him now, that means he alone can suppress our whole sect. If Sect Leader Ning and he join forces, even all seven of our titled Douluos might not win."
"What?" Xue Beng was shocked. No one told him this! Weren't all titled Douluos the same? Was there such a huge gap?
"So, Prince Xue Beng, who do you think is more valuable to His Majesty now—the Clear Sky Sect or the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect? Think carefully." Tian Lin stood up. "As for brotherhood, forget it. I have many brothers—Gu Ran, Tian Heng, Oslo, Shi Mo, Shi Mo, Yu Feng, and Hong Jun—but the only one I truly call big brother will always be just one person, even if we become enemies. That feeling will never change."
With that, Tian Lin prepared to leave. Xue Beng's face was dark—Tian Lin would rather recognize a usurper than him.
"Stop!" Xue Beng slammed the table. "Jun Tianlin, fine, have it your way. I'm not a bootlicker without limits. If you don't think I'm worthy, then forget brotherhood. But since we can't be brothers, we'll just have to find another way to build trust."
"What else do you have up your sleeve?" Tian Lin was getting annoyed. Xue Beng's ambition to have both top sects on his side was obvious, but he didn't have the self-awareness. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the royal family had always just cooperated; even Emperor Xue Ye couldn't command them, so why should Xue Beng think he could?
Did he think the Clear Sky Sect alone gave him the right to challenge Tian Lin?
Seeing Tian Lin's annoyance, Xue Beng got angrier. "Hmph. I know your sect is strong, but without trust, we can't cooperate, and you're of little value to the empire. So, since brotherhood isn't possible, we'll have to forge a deeper bond—through marriage!"