Chapter 51: Little San, You've Grown a Bit

Witnessing this scene, the boy's father flew into a rage and berated, "My son was an outstanding spirit master at the Junior Spirit Master Academy, how could he possibly fail to meet the requirements? You must refund the money! Refund it!"

The elderly man's gaze turned cold. "It seems none of you bothered to understand the situation before coming to register. In that case, you would only be wasting your gold spirit coins in vain. Want a refund? Very well! Mubai!"

Suddenly, Dai Mubai, who had been lounging lazily in a tree, leaped down gracefully. He dusted off his sleeves, hooked his finger at the crowd of applicants, and declared, "If you want a refund, defeat me first!"

He took a fierce step forward, and three dazzling spirit rings rose from beneath his feet—a standard spirit ring configuration of yellow, yellow, and purple!

The next instant, it instantly drew gasps of astonishment from everyone present...

"A spirit elder? How is that possible!"

"How old is he? How could he already be a spirit elder!"

"Let's go, let's go. I certainly don't want to study at this amateurish academy."

...

A young girl with a delicate braid, possessing skin as smooth as ice and bones of jade, gently patted the shoulder of the slightly ordinary-looking boy in blue tight-fitting clothes beside her. "Third Brother, did we really come to the right place? This academy looks so run-down."

The boy nodded slowly, a glint of determination flashing in his eyes. "We shouldn't be wrong. This Shrek Academy is the very place Teacher mentioned—the academy that only recruits monsters."

The two of them were none other than Tang San and Xiao Wu, who had just graduated from the Notting Junior Spirit Master Academy!

However, little did they know that standing right behind them was a man wearing a veiled hat to conceal his face and a dark cloak, taking in every single word...

Beneath his concealed hood, Xusheng's lips curled into a slight smirk. His cold gaze slowly drifted downward, locking firmly onto Tang San's Twenty-Four Bridge Moonlight Night!

Xiao Wu, happening to glance sideways, caught this exact moment. She shifted closer to Tang San and whispered into his ear, "Th... Third Brother, don't you feel a creepy chill behind us? That weird guy's gaze has been locked on your storage tool this entire time."

"He doesn't look like a good person at all. Should we catch him and teach him a harsh lesson?"

Hearing this, Tang San's eyes, turned away from Xusheng, narrowed slightly...

He gently squeezed Xiao Wu's hand, shaking his head imperceptibly to signal her not to act rashly...

Until the intentions of the man behind them were certain, they must not alert the enemy!

If Xiao Wu were to get hurt because of this, the consequences would be severe!

As the elderly man responsible for judging bone structure ahead shook his head and spat out a single phrase, "Next,"

The long queue began to edge forward...

Seeing this, Tang San and Xiao Wu also walked ahead...

Xusheng, standing right behind them, suddenly made his move. Before Tang San and Xiao Wu could react, he effortlessly snatched away the Twenty-Four Bridge Moonlight Night...

Feeling the item taken from his waist, Tang San wore an unsightly expression as he glared at the sprinting Xusheng. "What? Such incredible speed!"

This man's movement technique even surpassed the speed of his own Purple Demon Eye!

Xiao Wu, watching Xusheng as he was about to vanish from sight, asked anxiously, "Third Brother, what should we do?"

Tang San offered a reassuring smile, patted her shoulder, and replied, "Xiao Wu, wait here for me. I'll go get the item back!"

He then spun around abruptly, his eyes flashing with a faint purple light as he locked onto Xusheng's figure, and called out coldly, "Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track!"

His entire body morphed into a phantom, pursuing the direction of Xusheng's departure at breathtaking speed...

...

Xusheng glanced back to see Tang San closing in on him with ghostly footwork...

Although he had restrained the vast majority of his speed, he still felt a tinge of surprise.

After all, if he had truly departed at the speed of a Titled Douluo, Tang San wouldn't even have been able to see his back!

Tang San, pursuing him relentlessly from behind, shouted coldly, "Blue Silver Grass!"

Dozens of deep purple Blue Silver Grass blades suddenly wove together into a dense, intricate net right in front of Xusheng...

Xusheng looked at the giant web rising before him and evaluated calmly, "Not bad!"

Of course, Xusheng could tear apart the current Blue Silver Grass with a mere casual wave of his hand...

However, figuring that continuing to run would take him too far from the Shrek registration site, Xusheng abruptly halted his sprint...

Seeing the figure ahead come to a stop, Tang San also checked his momentum and stopped...

He stared coldly at Xusheng's back. "Return the spirit tool to me, or else!"

That was a gift from Grandmaster; it must never be taken away by someone else!

Xusheng slowly turned around, his muffled voice coming from beneath the hat. "If you want it, come and take it yourself."

Hearing this, Tang San narrowed his eyes where he stood, his entire body suddenly erupting into motion as he dashed straight toward Xusheng...

He shouted inwardly, "Mystic Jade Hand!"

The skin below Tang San's arms suddenly solidified into a chilling, jade-like texture...

Xusheng gazed calmly at Tang San's incoming attack, murmuring, "The Mystic Jade Hand, is it?"

With that, he extended a single palm to meet the strike...

On the other side, seeing the man in black attempt to clash palms with him, Tang San's lips curved into a trace of confidence. "I've won! My Tang Sect secret technique, the Mystic Jade Hand, is indestructible and impervious to water and fire! If he takes this head-on, his palm bones will shatter at the very least!"

With a loud crash, the two colliding palms unleashed a violent flash of fire. The next second, the confident expression on Tang San's face twisted dramatically, and his entire body was sent flying backward instantly...

Collapsing to the ground, Tang San clutched his chest as a few threads of blood spilled from his lips...

He stared with disbelief at Xusheng, who was walking toward him step by step. "Th... This is impossible!"

Xusheng closed in on Tang San step by step, an intense pressure radiating from his entire body. His voice was laced with boundless murderous intent. "Kid, do you have any other tricks? If not, prepare to meet your death!"

Already injured, Tang San suffered the crushing impact of the pressure and coughed up another mouthful of blood with a sharp gasp...

The look Tang San cast at Xusheng was tinged with genuine fear!

Such dense murderous intent!

How many people must this fellow have killed...

To be able to condense such a terrifying aura of slaughter?!

Tang San gritted his teeth fiercely, roaring internally, "No, I cannot die yet! I haven't fulfilled Grandmaster's wish! And Xiao Wu is still waiting for me!"

In his left hand, a small hammer began to expand and grow larger...

"Whoosh." A gust of wind swept through the forest, and Xusheng quietly retracted his pressure...

Looking down at Tang San from above, Xusheng refrained from striking further. Instead, he uttered a sentence filled with boundless chill: "Little San, you've certainly grown quite a bit over the years."

The Clear Sky Hammer in Tang San's hand plummeted sharply. Staring blankly at Xusheng, he asked in sheer astonishment, "You... You are..."

Xusheng tossed the Twenty-Four Bridge Moonlight Night across the space, extended his hand toward Tang San, and said calmly, "Yes, it's me."

Holding the Twenty-Four Bridge Moonlight Night in his left hand, Tang San stared at Xusheng's suspended hand, grabbed it with his right, and pulled himself up to his feet...

Tang San wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at Xusheng with eyes full of hopeful anticipation. "Brother Sheng, is it really you?"

Ever since leaving Holy Soul Village, he had never laid eyes on Xusheng again...

Remaining silent, Xusheng slowly raised his hand. Countless Nine-Heart Blood Begonia petals emerged from beneath the earth, wrapping tightly around Tang San's entire body and causing the petals to sink into his skin...

Tang San was startled at first, but upon feeling the severe injuries inside his body begin to heal at a miraculous rate, he gasped in shock, "This is... My critical injuries are actually undergoing a terrifying recovery!"

Before long, Tang San's wounds were completely healed, while those few stalks of Nine-Heart Blood Begonia shattered into crystalline particles.

Fully recovered, Tang San stammered, "Brother Sheng, you—"

Tang San had countless questions he wanted to ask Xusheng at that moment—he wanted to know in detail where Xusheng had gone over the past three years and what he had been doing...

Of course, there was also the question of how Xusheng could shatter the Mystic Jade Hand with raw physical power alone, without even releasing his martial spirit!

Xusheng did not afford Tang San the chance to question him further. He turned his back to him quietly and said, "Let's go. Let's return to the Shrek registration point first; it won't do if we miss the registration."

Tang San murmured a soft assent, neatly secured his Twenty-Four Bridge Moonlight Night, and quickly followed in Xusheng's footsteps...