Yun Chuan could sense it instantly — the faint shift in Tang San's aura told him the boy was preparing to unleash his hidden weapons.
But standing there waiting to be hit? That was not Yun Chuan's style. The armored giant under his control began striding toward Tang San. The pace wasn't fast, but every step was solid and deliberate, making the ground tremble ever so slightly.
"Tang-laoshi, be careful!" Tang San's head suddenly snapped up, the amethyst glow in his eyes intensifying. His hands, which had been hanging loosely at his sides, rose in a smooth motion.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
Ten cold flashes of steel burst from his fingers, each aimed at a different vital point — the giant's eyes, shoulders, throat, heart, knees, gut, groin, and lower abdomen.
For a normal human, these were all lethal targets. But to the armored giant, they were nothing. With this monster's sheer defensive capability, Yun Chuan didn't believe for an instant that these trinkets could break his guard. He made no move to dodge, letting the storm of weapons fly.
Tang San didn't stay put either — his feet shifted into Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, carrying him quickly backward.
Clang, clang, clang…!
The sharp ring of metal striking metal echoed in rapid succession. As expected, the hidden weapons didn't pierce the armor at all.
Tang San's brows lifted slightly in surprise. Those weren't ordinary darts — they were Penetrating Bone Nails, among the heaviest small-scale hidden weapons. With his inner force driving them and their piercing properties, they had never failed him before. Yet here, they couldn't even scratch the surface. Just how terrifying was this blue-silver armor's defense?
No… his Blue Silver Grass can't be normal.
Though doubts churned in his mind, Tang San's hands didn't stop. He spun on one foot, sending another ten-plus flashes of steel slicing toward new, untested points on the giant's body.
Clang, clang, clang! More steel on steel. No results.
'I don't believe it!'
He refused to accept that this giant was flawless with no weak points. If he hadn't found the chink yet, it only meant he was looking in the wrong places.
His hands became a blur, weapons flicking, popping, and sliding from his sleeves in a dazzling spray — Willow Leaf Blades, Flying Locust Pebbles, Coin Darts, Penetrating Bone Nails. Straight shots, angled arcs, even some curving around to the rear — all weaving his Rain of Hidden Weapons, battering the armored colossus from every possible angle.
"Heh… fancy tricks. Not worth a damn."
Yun Chuan's amused scoff rumbled from inside the giant. He didn't slow, didn't block — just kept advancing toward Tang San, ignoring the metallic hail.
Tang San stayed calm outwardly, but urgency prickled in his chest. As he backpedaled, strands of Blue Silver Grass uncoiled along the ground, tangling across the giant's path. Every tendril was just enough to catch a foot for a heartbeat — too weak to stop him, but enough to slow the advance, all while conserving Tang San's inner force.
With Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and his vines, he kept barely ahead of that massive reach.
To the onlookers, it was mesmerizing. The constant glitter of Tang San's weapons — so varied, so unpredictable — made even veterans like Dai Mubai's scalp tingle. Ning Rongrong, though raised in the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan and hardly ignorant of rare martial techniques, couldn't identify half of what she saw. But she could feel the danger in them.
After some time, the armored giant halted, irritation creeping into its deep voice.
"You sure can squirm, slippery as an eel. Fine. Since you like dodging so much… don't blame your teacher for dropping the courtesy. Let's do this the brute-force way."
The sudden burst of blazing blue light nearly dazzled the crowd. Terrifying soul power exploded outward like a tidal wave. The deafening roar of it filled the arena — and Tang San, who had been darting about the limited space, had nowhere to run. The full force of the shockwave hit him head-on.
BOOOOM!
He was hurled skyward, chest roiling with pain. The giant stamped down, cratering the floor, and then surged up toward him like a charging beast.
Midair, reeling, Tang San still forced himself to move. Both hands snapped up and twang-twang — six blazing bolts burst from his sleeves. A micro-crossbow's fierce snap echoed as they tore through the air, screaming straight for the giant's chest.
Thunk-thunk-thunk-thunk-thunk-thunk!
All six hit dead center — and to Tang San's satisfaction, they sank in two or three centimeters. Only the surface, but still — real damage at last.
Crossbows — the hidden weapon type Tang San had devoted his past life to — delivered far more punching power than anything thrown by hand. Even this giant couldn't ignore a direct bolt.
"Hmph. Useless. You'll never break my defense," came the voice from within, steady as ever. He barreled in without slowing, a massive hand reaching to grab Tang San's leg. But the boy twisted away again, slipping free.
Power and defense the giant had in abundance — agility, not so much.
Watching him scurry sideways again, Yun Chuan's patience frayed. Alright… you want to keep running? Then I'm done chasing you like some idiot! He realized there was a far better way to handle this.
The giant stopped abruptly, right arm extending as pale blue light pooled in its palm. A single strand of Blue Silver Grass sprouted, stretching and weaving into a long, whip-like vine.
One lazy flick — CRACK! The whip split the air like a thunderclap.
Tang San's heart clenched. The sound alone told him what that whip could do — its cruel flexibility and speed promised skin torn open and bones likely broken.
"Dodge? I'll teach you about dodging!"
The whip lashed at him.
CRACK! Air exploded in its path.
Tang San twisted aside just in time, but cold sweat pricked his skin — the wind off that strike scoured across his cheek. Maybe he should just give up… come back when he was stronger.
"Teacher Tang, I—" he began, one hand rising in surrender.
CRACK! The whip came again, forcing him to dive.
"I surre—" CRACK!
This one landed. Pain seared across his thigh as his pants split, a bloody welt rising beneath.
"Hiss!" The sharp intake escaped before he could stop it.
And Yun Chuan had no intention of stopping now. He'd waited this entire match for this. Today, if he didn't get his fill, the itch in his heart would never go away.
CRACK! Across Tang San's waist, another line of red, the blow flipping him to the ground.
"Hh— I—"
CRACK! An arm.
CRACK! The other leg.
CRACK! The chest.
Inside the armor, Yun Chuan's mind spat curses with each lash.
That's for using hidden weapons on me!
That's for being despicable!
That's for being unreasonable!
That's for deceiving Na'er and Xue'er in the original story!
That's for killing my mother in the original!
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Each strike landed as his thoughts named another grievance, pulling from all the grievances and tragedies Tang San had caused across the Soul Land timeline.
This one's for Wang Qiu'er!
This one's for Huo Yuhao!
This one's for Juzi!
This one's for—
The more Yun Chuan remembered, the more the rage burned. Even if this Tang San hadn't yet committed those atrocities, Yun Chuan knew what he would become with unchecked power — a calamity for the common people, a ruin to countless lives.
Right now, this wasn't just him lashing Tang San. Yun Chuan told himself he was swinging that whip on behalf of all past and future victims of Tang San's cruelty — on behalf of the entirety of the Soul Land world.
(End of Chapter)