"That won't do."
"Dugu Bo and I are close friends despite our age difference."
"What if I accidentally hurt Dugu Yan during our sparring match? That wouldn't be good."
Tang San didn't believe Dugu Yan would be his opponent; even if Dugu Yan's Spirit had evolved, he, Tang San, could still easily handle her.
"It's just sparring."
"Just be careful not to use too much force."
Yu Xiaogang wasn't in a hurry to make a judgment. He also wanted to see if Dugu Yan, whom Shen Fan thought so highly of, had truly increased her combat power due to her Spirit evolution. If Dugu Yan had indeed undergone a significant transformation, that would be another boost to his fame.
"This…"
"Alright."
"However, for safety, I will only use my Spirit abilities and will not use Hidden Weapons or the Eight Spider Lances."
Tang San said hypocritically.
"Understood."
Yu Xiaogang nodded, then looked at Shen Fan and said, "Let's go to the training ground in the back mountain."
"No need for such trouble."
"This office is quite spacious; let's just do it here."
"Anyway, Yan Yan will win easily, and it won't cause much commotion."
Shen Fan shook his head, refusing.
The Ten Thousand Poisons True Understanding that Dugu Yan cultivated was a fantasy cultivation method given by Shen Fan. To deal with a martial arts-style Mysterious Heaven Skill, it was simply a dimensionality reduction strike.
"Shen Fan."
"I know you are very strong, so strong that Tang San doesn't even have the ability to fight back in front of you."
"But you can't look down on Tang San just because he has no power to resist in your hands."
"You should know that under my tutelage, Tang San's combat power, if not among the best of his generation, is at least far ahead."
"Moreover, as Dugu Yan's boyfriend, you should also know that Dugu Yan was defeated by Tang San not long ago."
"To be honest."
"I feel that even with Dugu Yan's current transformation, being able to fight Tang San, who isn't using Hidden Weapons or the Eight Spider Lances, to a draw would already be incredible."
Just now, Yu Xiaogang indeed didn't want to quickly make a judgment on Dugu Yan's current combat power, but Shen Fan's undisguised contempt for Tang San forced Yu Xiaogang to defend his disciple for his own reputation.
"Wouldn't we know if we tried?"
Shen Fan was too lazy to argue with Yu Xiaogang and told Dugu Yan through sound transmission, "Don't seriously injure Tang San, but you can strike at his heart."
"Understood."
Dugu Yan also replied using sound transmission.
"Then let's try it."
Tang San was annoyed by Yu Xiaogang's repeated statement that he didn't even have a chance to fight back in front of Shen Fan, and he also didn't want Yu Xiaogang to continue spouting nonsense.
"Very well."
"You two first summon your Spirits, and then I'll say 'start,' and you can begin your Spirit battle."
Yu Xiaogang didn't understand why Tang San, who had just seemed unwilling to fight, was now so proactive, but seeing that Dugu Yan and Tang San were both ready, he didn't think much more of it.
"Tang San."
"Spirit: Blue Silver Grass."
"Level 40, three-ringed Tool Spirit Elder."
Tang San spoke first.
"Dugu Yan."
"Spirit: Ice Fire Poison Dragon King."
"Level 40, three-ringed Battle Spirit Elder."
Dugu Yan named this Spirit herself based on its attributes and form.
"Ice Fire Poison Dragon King?"
"What kind of Spirit is that?"
"Why have I never heard of it?"
Yu Xiaogang asked, puzzled.
"It's a dragon-type Spirit with ice, fire, and poison attributes."
"I named the Spirit myself, so of course you haven't heard of it."
"Alright, I've explained it to you."
"Can we start the Spirit battle now?"
This wasn't important information; once she used her Spirit abilities and Spirit Skills, everyone would be able to see it, so Dugu Yan had no intention of hiding anything.
"Uh."
"Begin."
Yu Xiaogang ordered.
"Among my Immortal Herbs, there is absolutely no single one that could cause such a significant change in Dugu Yan's Spirit."
"It seems there's really nothing suspicious about Dugu Yan anymore."
As Yu Xiaogang ordered the Spirit battle to begin, Tang San thought about Dugu Yan and the Immortal Herbs, while his hands moved without the slightest pause, directly unleashing his third Spirit Ability, Spider Web Restraint, on Dugu Yan.
"You lose."
The next second, seeing that Dugu Yan hadn't dodged his Spirit Ability and was completely bound by it, Tang San immediately withdrew his Spirit with a calm expression.
"Oh?"
"Are you sure?"
However, before Tang San could bask in the imagined gazes of admiration from the crowd, Dugu Yan's disdainful voice suddenly rang out.
Immediately after, with a "bang," the spider web Binding Dugu Yan didn't even last a second before it was shattered into countless pieces by Dugu Yan, scattering across the ground.
"What?"
"How is that possible?"
Seeing this, Tang San was greatly alarmed and quickly resummoned his Blue Silver Grass Spirit to protect himself.
"Don't worry."
"I won't ambush you while you're withdrawing your Spirit."
Whether it was because Shen Fan told her to strike at Tang San's heart or to get revenge for her past self and Ye Lingling, Dugu Yan had no intention of quickly finishing off Tang San.
"Damn it."
"First Spirit Ability: Binding."
"Second Spirit Ability: Parasite."
The slight smile on Dugu Yan's face, that of a former loser, and her tone, which completely disregarded him, Tang San, were like maximum-level taunts, causing Tang San's anger to instantly surge to his head.
"Why don't you just use the Eight Spider Lances?"
"Your three Spirit Skills are completely useless against me."
"Also, your speed and your glowing white hands, those are useless against me too."
"Oh, right."
"That thing you mentioned earlier, Hidden Weapons, you can use those too."
"Don't be afraid of hurting me."
"With Lingling here, I won't die."
Dugu Yan stood still, watching Tang San alternate between his three Spirit Skills while scurrying around her like a monkey, occasionally attacking her with his glowing white hands. Feeling quite bored, she spoke.
"You said it."
After speaking, Tang San stopped his movements and, as the spectators retreated, summoned his external Spirit Bone, the Eight Spider Lances.
Going back on his word was embarrassing, but it was better than losing.
"Bang, bang, bang."
The appearance of the Eight Spider Lances gave Tang San much more confidence. He no longer used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Steps but instead fought Dugu Yan face-to-face.
"How can this be?"
"Your Spirit clearly isn't manifested, so why is your body's defense so high?"
"No."
"Even if your Spirit were manifested, you shouldn't have such high defense."
After clashing the Eight Spider Lances' spider legs against Dugu Yan's tender white hands three times in a row without causing her the slightest injury, Tang San's expression finally changed.
At this moment, Tang San felt powerless for the first time in front of Dugu Yan, who had undergone a Spirit evolution.