Chapter 170: Twisting Black and White
The smile on Flender’s face froze.
He did not know how to answer.
Should he say that Xiaogang was dead?
He dared not.
He feared Liu Erlong would be unable to bear the shock.
Should he say that Xiaogang was still alive?
But he truly did not know what had become of Xiaogang.
Ever since that man named Jiang Bai had abducted them, there had been absolutely no news.
Whether they were alive or dead, he simply did not know.
Liu Erlong observed his reaction.
The taut string within her heart gave a sudden, violent shudder.
A sense of ominous foreboding surged within her.
"He... has something happened to him?"
Her voice began to tremble ever so slightly. Flander remained silent.
At that moment, Tang San spoke up.
His voice was low, tinged with a perfectly measured blend of grief and indignation: "Dean... Teacher... Teacher has been abducted by a mysterious figure!"
Liu Erlong’s body gave a sudden, violent shudder!
"What?!"
Her voice instantly rose in pitch, her eyes blazing with astonishing intensity: "Abducted?! By whom?! Why?!"
Tang San took a deep breath and began to recount a story—one woven of half-truths and fabrications: "That day, we were in a small town just outside the Star Dou Great Forest, preparing to resupply before entering the forest to hunt for Spirit Rings."
"Unexpectedly, while we were eating, we ran into a group of people."
He paused, his face displaying a perfectly calculated expression of grievance and outrage: "Seeing that we students from Shrek Academy were dressed rather shabbily, they began to taunt us. When they noticed we had two beautiful female students with us, they even made physical advances to harass them. We had no choice but to fight back."
"The result... the person behind them stepped forward, gave us a severe beating, and even killed one of our classmates."
Liu Erlong’s brows furrowed ever more deeply.
"Preposterous!"
She cursed in fury, a glint of murderous intent flashing in her eyes: "To think they would bully people to such an extent!"
She demanded sharply, "What happened next?!"
Tang San’s voice grew even heavier: "In the end, that man summoned a small tower—presumably his Spirit. The ability of that Spirit was incredibly bizarre; it was actually capable of sucking people inside..."
He raised his head to look at Liu Erlong, his eyes filled with profound sorrow: "Teacher and Xiao Wu... they were the ones he took..."
Upon hearing this, Liu Erlong clenched her hands into tight fists; her fingernails dug deep into her palms, yet she felt absolutely no pain.
Her full, ample bosom rose and fell violently as rage burned in her eyes—like a volcano on the verge of eruption!
Watching her in this state, Flander felt a complex mix of emotions.
He knew that Liu Erlong’s feelings for Yu Xiaogang had never changed.
Even though Yu Xiaogang, driven by his own ridiculous pride, had chosen to run away.
Even though, for all these years, Yu Xiaogang had never sent her a single word, leaving her to live out her life in this world in utter solitude.
Even if... even if everyone said that Yu Xiaogang wasn’t worth it.
It hurt! It hurt so much!!
Flander’s heart ached with a dull, throbbing pain.
Yet, he still spoke up to offer comfort: "Sister Erlong, don’t worry too much. Xiaogang... good fortune favors the virtuous; perhaps..."
Liu Erlong, however, did not look at him.
She whipped her head around abruptly, fixing her gaze on Tang San: "Are you saying that man’s Spirit was a tower?"
Tang San nodded.
Liu Erlong asked again: "Are you certain it wasn’t the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda?"
Tang San answered with absolute certainty: "Definitely not! At the time, our team included a Spirit Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, and even she didn’t recognize it. Furthermore, that man’s tower was completely different from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda—it was more... more..."
He paused to think, searching for the right word: "More radiant—as if nine different colors were flowing across its surface."
Liu Erlong cut him off, asking directly: "Did his tower have nine stories? With nine colors flowing?"
Tang San was slightly taken aback: "I didn’t notice the number of stories, but the surface of his tower certainly did have nine colors flowing across it."
He looked at Liu Erlong, a flicker of anticipation flashing in his eyes: "Dean... do you know who that man is?"
Liu Erlong nodded.
A complex light flickered within her eyes.
She knew.
Of course she knew.
Just two days prior, after returning from Spirit City, Yu Luomian had made a special trip to Blue Tyrant Academy to deliver a dossier to her.
The dossier contained a detailed record of everything that had transpired in Spirit City.
The ascension of the new Pontiff, Qian Renxue; the sudden emergence of the Adjudication Elder, Jiang Bai; the nine 100,000-year Spirit Rings that had shaken the entire continent; and...
That very Jiang Bai had even publicly boasted that he had personally slain the Clear Sky Douluo, Tang Hao—and that he would offer Tang Hao’s six Spirit Bones as the grand prize for the next All-Continent Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament.
Yu Luomian had delivered this dossier for two specific reasons.
First, he wanted to make Liu Erlong aware of this man’s existence and warn her not to cross him lightly.
And the second reason...
Liu Erlong understood Yu Luomian’s intentions perfectly.
It was nothing more than an attempt to introduce her to promising young talents—to force her to face reality and finally forget about that good-for-nothing, Yu Xiaogang. Liu Erlong took a deep breath, steadying her emotions.
She looked at Tang San and spoke slowly: "That man is named Jiang Bai. He is a newly appointed Adjudication Elder of the Spirit Hall."
"His power is unfathomable; it is said... that he possesses nine 100,000-year Spirit Rings."
As her words fell, the entire Shrek group stood frozen in shock.
Nine 100,000-year Spirit Rings?!
What kind of concept was that?!
Dai Mubai’s face turned deathly pale.
He suddenly realized exactly what level of existence the man accompanying that blonde woman truly was.
Zhu Zhuqing remained silent, yet her eyes flickered with a complex light.
As for Tang San—he stood rooted to the spot, motionless.
His handsome face was utterly devoid of expression.
Yet, his hands were clenched tightly into fists; his fingernails dug deep into his palms, drawing blood.
Jiang Bai...
Spirit Hall... Adjudication Elder... Nine 100,000-year Spirit Rings...
Teacher... Xiao Wu...
Within his heart, an endless hatred surged.
Spirit Hall—you have truly paved your own path to destruction!
...
Meanwhile, in Spirit City.
On Pope Mountain, within a certain bedchamber...
Jiang Li’er pushed open the door and stepped inside.
Today, she wore a simple, form-fitting golden outfit that accentuated her radiant beauty. Her long golden hair was tied high in a ponytail, swaying gently with every step she took.
Jiang Bai, who was seated cross-legged on the floor, sensed the familiar aura and slowly opened his eyes.
Seeing that it was Jiang Li’er, he paused for a moment in surprise: "Li’er? What is it?"
Jiang Li’er placed her hands on her hips, her face beaming with uncontainable excitement.
She skipped over to Jiang Bai with a light step, looking down at him from above, the corners of her mouth curling into a triumphant smirk: "I’ve reached Level 70!"
Her voice was brimming with pride and triumph: "Hurry and take me back to the Star Dou Great Forest! I want Uncle Di Tian to arrange a powerful Spirit Beast for me, too!"
Watching her look so smug and triumphant, Jiang Bai couldn’t help but smile.
He stood up, brushed some non-existent dust off his clothes, and walked over to her.
"Isn’t this your seventh Spirit Ring?"
He reached out and gently pinched her cheek. "Your seventh Spirit Skill is the fixed True Spirit Avatar—you know that, right?"
Jiang Li’er nodded, her eyes still sparkling brightly. "I do! But the higher the Spirit Ring’s cultivation age, the greater the boost provided by the True Spirit Avatar!"
Jiang Bai chuckled. "That logic is sound enough."
He paused, then asked, "Can you actually find a 100,000-year Spirit Beast willing to sacrifice itself for you?"
Jiang Li’er’s smile faltered slightly.
"100,000 years..."
She blinked, her confidence visibly waning a few degrees. "Well... wouldn’t one that’s eighty or ninety thousand years old work?"
Watching her look so sheepish and guilty, Jiang Bai felt amused.
He reached out and ruffled her hair. "That should work."
Jiang Li’er’s eyes lit up. "Really?!"
Jiang Bai nodded. "Come on. It’s been a long time since I last saw Di Tian, anyway."
He took Jiang Li’er’s hand, and the two of them walked out of the sleeping quarters side by side.
...
Heaven Dou City, Blue Tyrant Academy.
By the small lake behind the academy.
Liu Erlong gazed into the distance, remaining silent for a long time.
That name echoed repeatedly in her mind:
Jiang Bai—Spirit Hall—Elder of Judgment.
The man who had taken Xiao Gang away.
She took a deep breath, turned around, and looked at the Shrek group.
"You should all get settled in first."
Her voice had regained its composure.
"The academy has dedicated dormitories; I’ll have someone show you the way."
"As for the matter regarding Xiao Gang..."
She paused, a flicker of determination flashing in her eyes.
"I will find a way."
Flander looked at her, parting his lips as if to speak, but ultimately said nothing.
He simply nodded silently.
Tang San stood to the side, watching Liu Erlong’s retreating figure, a complex glint flashing in his eyes.
Once everyone else had left, he stepped forward and spoke up, "Dean Liu..."
Liu Erlong turned around, furrowed her brows, and asked, "Is there something else?"
Having said that, she cast a scrutinizing glance at Tang San.
Although the boy possessed an unremarkable appearance, the fact that he had managed to cultivate to the rank of Soul Elder at the age of twelve or thirteen spoke to his truly exceptional talent—it was no wonder that Xiao Gang had taken him on as a disciple.
Liu Erlong asked, "What is your Spirit?"
"Blue Silver Grass."
"Blue Silver Grass?!"