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Tang Chen's Deceptive Proposal
"If you agree to be my bodyguard for three years, I guarantee to help you raise your Spirit Power Rank from ninety-two to ninety-five within ten years."
Tang Chen eyed Dugu Bo, a rather cunning smile playing on his face, like a fox trying to lure a rabbit.
Dugu Bo's brows furrowed slightly, and he immediately became interested, his mouth twitching involuntarily. "Within ten years? Help me reach Rank ninety-five?"
"Yes," Tang Chen slowly turned and smiled at Dugu Bo. "You've witnessed my strength. I even helped your granddaughter's Spirit evolve into the Jade Phosphor Serpent ahead of time. Helping you increase your Spirit Power by three Ranks within ten years shouldn't be an empty boast, should it?"
Tang Chen continued, "As a Titled Douluo, you should be well aware that after a Spirit Master's cultivation reaches the Titled Douluo stage (Level 90-99), every Rank increase becomes incredibly difficult.
If you were to cultivate through meditation on your own, your Spirit Power Rank might not even reach ninety-five by the time you die, right?"
Hearing this, Dugu Bo's aged face changed slightly. A hidden hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he quickly returned to normal, staring cautiously at Tang Chen. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, "Tell me, how exactly do you plan to help me increase my strength?"
Looking at Dugu Bo's slightly bewildered expression, Tang Chen couldn't help but laugh. "I wonder if, Senior, you've ever heard of a python transforming into a dragon? Your Jade Phosphor Serpent also belongs to the Dragon Clan. If it can devour a bit of the Bloodline of a rare Dragon Clan Spirit, it might be able to evolve."
"Plus, I can also refine some Medicinal Pills to enhance strength," Tang Chen added with a smirk. "Within ten years, helping you raise your Spirit Power Rank to ninety-five would be as easy as turning over a hand, wouldn't it?"
Tangent: In the original story, after the Sky Azure Bull Python was revived by Tang San, part of its Dragon Clan Bloodline was activated, and it naturally evolved into the Sky Azure Divine Dragon.
Tang Chen mused that in ten years, if his cultivation path goes smoothly, he might already have become a god. By then, helping Dugu Bo evolve his Spirit would indeed be a piece of cake.
Dugu Bo's brows furrowed slightly as a complex light flashed in his eyes. He slowly opened his mouth and said, "You... can you really get the Bloodline of a rare Dragon Clan?"
"Heheā¦" Tang Chen chuckled, licking his lips. "Look, didn't we meet a Golden Saint Dragon at Shrek Academy today? Later, when there's an opportunity, wouldn't it be enough to extract its Bloodline for you to devour?"
He then added with a dismissive wave, "Anyway, keeping that thing for a waste like Yu Xiaogang is just a waste!"
After a brief moment of contemplation, Dugu Bo's eye twitched, and then he smiled, his grin resembling a venomous snake ready to devour someone at any moment.
"You brat, you're truly a living Yama," Dugu Bo said with a shake of his head. "Yu Xiaogang meeting you is his bad luck! Since that's the case, then this old man agrees to stay by your side as your bodyguard for the next few years. If you tell me to go east, I will never go west. If anyone dares to trouble you, I'll directly use poison to threaten their entire family!"
"Hahaha, then for the next few years, I'll trouble you, Senior," Tang Chen was overjoyed, his lips curling into a wide smile.
With a Titled Douluo (Level 90-99) by his side at all times, Tang Chen felt safer. Even if Tang Hao or people from Spirit Hall wanted to attack him in the future, they would probably have to think twice. Even if he couldn't win a fight, having a Titled Douluo (Level 90-99) around at least gave him a chance to escape.
He mused that while the Auspicious Beast was accompanied by the Red King, what if he wasn't with her, like today? Or what if Di Tian came knocking one day and took the Auspicious Beast back to the Star Dou Great Forest? At that time, he'd be left without anyone useful by his side. Now, with Dugu Bo's presence, Tang Chen had more or less an extra trump card.
After a brief sigh of resignation for his upcoming years of hardship, Dugu Bo then took out a map from his interspatial tool and pointed to a piece of land on it, saying seriously:
"Boy, didn't you say you wanted to establish an academy before? This location is well-connected, and the environment is quite good. I've already negotiated the price for you. Now, it's up to you to pay and then find people to start construction."
A look of pleasant surprise appeared on Tang Chen's face. He took the map, examined it carefully, and couldn't help but shake his head in admiration.
"It seems that hiring Senior as a bodyguard was an extremely wise decision. See, I don't have to worry about anything, hehe."
Dugu Bo merely curled his lips at Tang Chen's praise, not paying much attention.
"Let's go, to buy the land," Tang Chen said. He examined the map again, carefully put it away, then waved to Dugu Bo and Xiao Ruier, smiling.
Immediately after, he turned and walked out of the alley. Behind him, Dugu Bo and Xiao Ruier exchanged glances, shrugged helplessly, and followed him out of the alley.
The Aftermath at Shrek Academy
A few days later, at Shrek Academy, Tang San awoke from his coma to find himself lying on a bed in the dormitory.
He first took a light breath, then activated the Mysterious Heaven Skill within him, allowing his internal energy to circulate once before slowly opening his eyes and scanning his surroundings. Tang San then noticed that his left hand was being held tightly by a warm, small hand. Looking down, he saw that the owner of that hand was Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu was currently lying on him, her breathing even, sound asleep.
"Xiao Wu," Tang San called out softly, his heart warming slightly. After a moment of silence, he reached out his right hand and gently poked her cheek.
A moment later, Xiao Wu stirred slightly, groggily opening her eyes. When she saw that Tang San had woken up, she instantly became alert, her eyes reddening as she urgently cried out, "Brotherā¦ you're finally awake?"
Tang San nodded, revealing a comforting smile, but then he turned his head to look beside him. That one glance made his smile vanish instantly.
On a nearby bed, Yu Xiaogang's face was pale, his breath faint. His lower abdomen was thickly wrapped in layers of bandages, and he was completely unconscious.
"Xiao Wu, what happened to Yu Xiaogang?" Tang San demanded, his heart tightening. He sat up abruptly, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.
Hearing this, Xiao Wu's expression was slightly complex. After a sigh, she meticulously recounted the events of how the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had come and crippled Yu Xiaogang to Tang San.
Upon learning that Yu Xiaogang had been castrated, Tang San's heart immediately surged with rage.
"Bastards! This Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is truly courting death!" he swore. "Yu Xiaogang, don't worry, when I become a Titled Douluo (Level 90-99) in the future, I will definitely avenge you!"
Then, his expression suddenly froze, as if he remembered something. His brows furrowed tightly, his gaze flickered, and he muttered to himself in a low voice:
"I remember before I passed out, I seemed to vaguely hear Dean Flender say to Dugu Boā¦ that my father was someone he couldn't afford to offend?"
The next second, Tang San's mind was flooded with images of Tang Hao's usual drunken, slovenly appearance. His face was filled with doubt and confusion, and even a hint of bewilderment appeared in his eyes.
"Isn't my father just a blacksmith from a remote village? How could he be someone even a Titled Douluo (Level 90-99) couldn't offend? Could it beā¦ he has some other identity?"
Thinking of this, Tang San flipped out of bed, his movements showing a hint of urgency.
Seeing this, Xiao Wu quickly reached out to stop him, asking anxiously, "Brother, you just woke up, where are you going?"
Tang San's gaze was firm, but his tone carried a hint of heaviness as he explained, "I need to find Dean Flender. There's somethingā¦ I need to ask him personally."
Tang Hao's Regret
At the same time, outside Saint Spirit Village, in a quiet small forest, a very burly middle-aged man was walking slowly with heavy steps. Each step felt as if it carried an enormous weight, and his breathing became increasingly rapid.
As he walked, his body suddenly stiffened, and his face instantly turned pale.
Thudā
The middle-aged man could no longer support himself and fell heavily to the ground. The withered yellow fallen leaves were quickly soaked by the blood from his chest, turning crimson, and a bloody smell permeated the forest.
The person lying in the pool of blood was none other than the Clear Sky Douluo, Tang Hao.
Directly in front of him was a towering mountain cliff that reached into the clouds. A huge waterfall cascaded down the cliff, the water roaring like ten thousand galloping horses. Its momentum was vast, and the mist obscured everything below.
At this moment, Tang Hao was covered in blood. He lay sprawled on the ground, looking disheveled. After a moment, he laboriously lifted his head, his gaze piercing through the swirling mist, fixed on the stone gate behind the waterfall. His eyes were filled with endless regret.
"Ah Yinā¦" he whispered.
"Are you still inside? I've come to see you. So many years have passed, and I never came once, not because I didn't miss you, but because I had no face to see you. I trulyā¦ I'm sorry. I was wrongā¦"
Tang Hao continued, his voice heavy with sorrow, "What I owe you, I can never repay in this lifetimeā¦ I shouldn't have brought you back to the Clear Sky Sect when you were about to fully transform into a human. Instead, I should have taken you to hide and cultivate in the Star Dou Great Forest, never venturing out. Iā¦ I shouldn't have had such thoughts back then!"