Jiang Tang was once celebrated as a genius, but his remarkable abilities eventually turned him into a resource that powerful organizations wanted to control. After escaping that role, he enters a world filled with cultivators, factions, and larger-than-life figures who all seem determined to define him before he can define himself. Some see a future ruler, others a dangerous rival, and still others simply a useful worker. Jiang, however, insists that he wants an ordinary life. The problem is that every new encounter makes that ordinary future harder to reach—and reveals more about why his abilities matter.
Chapter 41: Where Did This Hot Temper Come From?
Fan Yanrui retreated again and again, but no matter how fast he was—far faster than Jiang Tang—he was no match for Dongfang’s precise calculations! In the blink of an eye, Dongfang had blocked Fan Yanrui’s five evasive maneuvers, and each time he was intercepted, Jiang Tang instantly followed up, his blade piercing through Fan Yanrui’s body as he called out, “Two!” “Three!” Four! “Five breaths are enough for me to kill you a thousand or a hundred times!” Fan Yanrui suddenly went mad, and in an instant, countless fireballs flew from his body. “Explode! Fan Yanrui roared repeatedly, like a madman or a demon. His Spirit Body Technique could ignore sword slashes and axe blows, but it was highly vulnerable to spells—especially water and ice, which were extremely effective against him. Although fire elements posed little threat to him, such close-range explosions still inflicted severe damage on his body. However, Jiang Tang was even worse off! “Scared now, ha ha ha!” Seeing the flesh and blood torn from Jiang Tang’s body, Fan Yanrui laughed maniacally, his madness growing even more evident. “Flaming Dragon’s Blaze!” Fan Yanrui roared, and a massive fiery formation suddenly materialized behind him. “Go!” As he completed the incantation, the formation burst into a blinding red light, and the appearance of three fire dragons forced all the disciples watching the battle to look away in fear. After merging with the Earth Spirit Flames, these three dragons possessed even greater and more terrifying power than before. “Flying Dragon in the Heavens!” Jiang Tang called out instinctively, striking out with a palm to summon a golden dragon once more, which lunged menacingly toward the three oncoming fire dragons. The moment the two collided, they exploded apart. The massive shockwaves shook the arena to its core, and thick smoke filled the air, causing all the disciples to instinctively stand up, eager to see what was happening within the smoke! “Fire Rain Scorches the Heavens!” It wasn’t until the spectators heard Fan Yanrui’s roar that they noticed the sky above the arena was thick with fiery clouds. “Dense Clouds, No Rain!” Jiang Tang also bellowed in that instant, his palms continuously summoning dragons. In the blink of an eye, eighteen ten-zhang-long golden dragons soared into the sky, exploding violently within the fiery clouds and instantly dispersing them. Before the disciples could react to their shock, someone suddenly cried out, “Spirit Shadow Clone Technique!” At that moment, all the disciples’ gazes darted downward, locking onto the three fiery figures that Fan Yanrui had split into! The moment the fiery figures appeared, they nearly surrounded Jiang Tang from both sides, while another forced Dongfang to retreat. “Particle Transformation!” Dongfang, however, paid no heed to Jiang Tang; just as he unleashed his gongqi, he suddenly pulled out a tablet and began rapidly recording something. Though Jiang Tang, trapped in the encirclement, kept dodging, his speed was nowhere near that of the fire figures. In the blink of an eye, they caught up to him, and without any fancy moves, the fire figures pinned Jiang Tang between them and slammed him violently! “Boom!” The mountains shook and the earth trembled! When the smoke cleared, Jiang Tang lay on the ground, his entire body charred black. “Reborn from the Flames!” The flames drifting around him suddenly coalesced, revealing Fan Yanrui’s physical form. Gazing at the charred Jiang Tang, his face was filled with a smug, triumphant smile. However, none of the disciples watching the battle cheered for him despite his apparent victory. On the contrary, just as a few were about to speak up, there was a sudden “thud” from Fan Yanrui’s head—his head lolled to one side, and he collapsed unconscious onto the ground! “Hehe, that’s what you get for ignoring this old man Qiong!” Qiong Sang shamelessly flapped his tiny wings, his cat-like paws swinging a wooden mallet bigger than himself, chuckling smugly like a petty tyrant. At that moment, everyone was speechless. Even Jiang Tang had gone down—you, a spirit-possessed puppet, are still considered the loser even if you knock your opponent unconscious. I really don’t know what you’re so smug about! “Hiss, hiss!” Not only did the people find Qiong Sang despicable, but even the Fire-Poison Python—a mere beast—couldn’t help but tremble as it flicked its tongue at Qiong Sang. “Hmm!” Qiong Sang turned his head and shot it a cold glare, instantly terrifying the Fire-Poison Python into slithering off the arena and cowering in a dark corner, trembling uncontrollably. This was a late-stage second-tier demon snake, yet it had been completely cowed by a puppet made entirely of first-tier materials. Just how powerful was the spirit inhabiting that puppet? At least fourth-tier, no less! Most importantly, how come Jiang Tang wasn’t suffering any backlash? “Jiang Tang of Black Reef Island—the winner!” The elderly announcer’s sudden declaration left all the disciples stunned. What? Jiang Tang was clearly the one who went down first—how could it be him… Before the disciples could process what had happened, Jiang Tang suddenly stood up, tossed out, “If you want a spot, come find me,” and walked straight off the stage. Instead of returning to his seat, he headed straight down the mountain. Seeing his body completely charred black, no one could bring themselves to laugh. Such injuries would have been fatal for any other disciple! But Jiang Tang… “Now that’s a strategy! A true example of the weak defeating the strong,” Yuan Tian suddenly remarked approvingly. The young man behind him was completely baffled: “Why? It seems to me that if Senior Brother Fan hadn’t been careless, Senior Brother Jiang would have been certain to lose.” “Carelessness! That’s the deadliest thing of all!” Yuan Tian glared at his younger cousin before explaining, “After his battle with Gao Heng, Jiang Tang had already depleted nearly all his spiritual energy. That’s why he deliberately provoked Fan Yanrui into fighting him with everything he had. The moment Jiang Tang fell, Fan Yanrui felt nothing but sheer exhilaration. Do you really think it’s that easy to control one’s last breath?” “Well…” The young man had never faced such an opponent before, so naturally he couldn’t answer. “No matter what, you must always remember to deliver the final blow to your opponent!” Yuan Tian said before standing up and leaving. After observing Jiang Tang’s battle, he had truly gained a great deal—especially regarding the use of Golden Gāng True Qi. He had never imagined that one could use Gāng Qi to suppress the primordial energy of heaven and earth! He was eager to try it himself. As for the remaining top ten, Yuan Tian had lost all interest in them. Black Reef Island。 Jiang Tang, who had rushed all the way back, had just reached Snake Bridge when he suddenly spotted a graceful figure standing at the bridgehead. From her silhouette alone, he could only make out her snow-white robe and long hair flowing like a waterfall, yet it was enough to make Jiang Tang’s sprinting figure come to an abrupt halt. He addressed the tall, graceful figure: “You actually came to see me on your own. You haven’t told anyone about my identity, have you?” The figure turned around, offering Jiang Tang only a stunning profile; she nodded slightly. “Come on, say something!” “Could you please stop looking at me sideways? It’s impolite!” Yu Chang paused for a moment upon hearing this. She turned her face slightly, though her dark eyes didn’t turn all the way—they were still looking askance. She watched Jiang Tang for a moment, then suddenly placed a bottle of elixirs on the bridge railing. Jiang Tang was taken aback for a moment and said irritably, “What’s this supposed to be? Pity? Sympathy?” Yu Chang shook her head. Jiang Tang pressed his hand to his forehead for a moment, then suddenly looked up angrily and said, “If it’s not sympathy, why are you giving me medicine? Say something—are you just being coy?” Yu Chang’s body trembled; she suddenly soared into the air, transforming into a flash of light that shot into the clouds. “Huh?” Jiang Tang stood there in bewilderment for a moment. He walked over, picked up the small bottle, and examined it. Suddenly, as if overcome by an urgent need to urinate, he tucked the bottle away and sprinted across the Snake Bridge. After dashing into the house, he wiped the sweat from his brow and rubbed off a large patch of charred skin from his forehead. “That was close—if I’d been even a moment slower, my injuries would’ve fully healed!” Jiang Tang shook his head and sighed. The injuries he’d sustained would have been fatal to anyone else, but to him, they were nothing more than a tickle—yet he couldn’t let anyone know that! If the elders found out that his injuries could heal so quickly without injections or medicine, wouldn’t they become suspicious? However… Jiang Tang picked up the small vial Yu Chang had given him. After opening it and taking a sniff, he said with a look of astonishment, “What on earth is that woman up to?” Dongfang and Qiong Sang had stayed in the stands to watch the match and couldn’t offer him any advice, so Jiang Tang had no choice but to put his worries aside. He didn’t plan to use the third-grade healing elixir Yu Chang had given him—after all, he truly didn’t need it, so he might as well save it to sell for money. The next day, while meditating, Jiang Tang suddenly opened his eyes and saw Dongfang and Qiong Sang flying in. “What’s the rush? Who came in first?” Jiang Tang asked offhand, then closed his eyes to resume his meditation. Dongfang, however, paid him no mind. He flew straight to a corner, pulled out a few tablets, and began compiling the data. Qiong Sang, on the other hand, chuckled and flapped her wings over to land on Jiang Tang’s shoulder, saying, “Your wife.” “Huh?” Jiang Tang opened his eyes and glanced sideways at Qiong Sang. “Didn’t she skip the competition? Besides, if she’d participated, wouldn’t that have been unfair?” “Exactly. your wife was totally taking advantage of them. You’d only just left when she suddenly appeared on the arena. After stopping the match, she immediately ordered everyone to come at her. She suppressed her cultivation to the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage and took on eight opponents at once. Even so, in the blink of an eye, those eight poor souls were all lying on the ground. She flew off without a word—that feisty little temper of hers is really endearing.” “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Jiang Tang clearly didn’t believe a word of it. “He’s not joking,” Dongfang suddenly interjected. “Thanks to your wife, I missed out on a lot of intel!” Hearing that, why did Jiang Tang feel a chill run down his spine? “No kidding. Even if she didn’t kill anyone, she certainly left them badly injured. After that, in the second, third, and fourth-ranked battles, those disciples couldn’t give it their all—it made Monk Ling so furious he nearly snapped a blood vessel in his brain!” “She… did the elders give in?” Jiang Tang frowned. “She was qualified to begin with; the elders had no choice.” After saying this, Qiong Sang flapped his wings and flew to the window, lazily basking in the sea breeze as he added, “Right now, you’re ranked ninth, and the tenth spot is up to you. Make sure to sell it for a good price.” “No kidding.” Jiang Tang said. Then, suddenly remembering something, he asked, “What about my reward? Didn’t you guys take it?” Dongfang replied, “Hua Mo Leng collected it on your behalf. I told him you were recovering from your injuries and would pick it up in a few days. The materials are worth over two thousand crystals in total—that should be enough for me to perfect the magic furnace.” “But didn’t you already finish building your magic furnace?” Jiang Tang asked, a bit annoyed. Dongfang replied coldly, “That was a half-finished product. The energy from the magic particle fusion can currently only be used to transform into Gāng Qi; it has no means of attack.” Jiang Tang was at a loss for words and didn’t press the issue, because he knew that if he asked, Dongfang would surely retort, “We’re getting ready to go to Spirit Island—what good would those materials do to you?” Jiang Tang wanted to cultivate properly too, but whenever he had the time, that scoundrel Dongfang had already drained all his crystals! “I don’t care. I’ve just mastered a new cultivation method—I can’t put it on hold. I want all the crystals from selling those spots.” With that, Jiang Tang ignored whether Dongfang agreed or not and resumed his cross-legged meditation. Watching one tend to his injuries and the other conduct research, Qiong Sang let out a sigh of lament: “I’m the one who knocked that guy out—why am I left out of this spoils-sharing?” But that was Qiong Sang for you—he was never tempted by material gain. He was content as long as he could roam the world freely. Besides, the things Jiang Tang and Dongfang stood to gain were of no use to him. If he could get his hands on some genuine heavenly treasures, he would certainly ask for them, because he still wanted to regain his physical body, savor all the delicacies the world had to offer, and enjoy the company of the demon clan’s beautiful beasts!
