All the participants had finished their battles, registered their points, and left the Great Soul Arena.
"Boss Dai, are we going out to have some fun tonight?" Ma Hongjun asked Dai Mubai with a mysterious grin.
In the past, Dai Mubai might have been tempted, but not today—his fiancée had arrived. Suppressing his true feelings, he declined, "Not going! I don't have as poor a taste as you."
"Hmph, disgusting!" Zhu Zhuqing snorted coldly and walked off alone. How could she not see through Dai Mubai? He had been a frequent visitor to such places in the past. Now, he was just pretending to be virtuous in front of her.
"You!" Dai Mubai was furious at Zhu Zhuqing's words, but he knew he was in the wrong. He clenched his fists tightly but forced himself to calm down, ultimately walking off in another direction.
"Hongjun, you're also not allowed to visit such places anymore," Tianlin sternly warned Ma Hongjun. "Don't forget, you now have the Ice Soul Pill suppressing your evil fire. From now on, you must not indulge in such desires. Otherwise, forget about joining the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan."
Tianlin understood that Ma Hongjun's previous behavior was due to his unique condition, but now that there was another solution, he could no longer tolerate such indulgence. A future Titled Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan must not be someone who wallowed in debauchery.
He didn't care if Ma Hongjun could marry ten wives, but frequenting such places would only lead to moral decay. Strength was important, but the character was even more so. No matter how talented someone was, Tianlin wouldn't accept them if they lacked virtue.
"Hongjun, Tianlin is right," Flender added with a serious tone. "In the past, I allowed you to go to those places to control your condition, but now that there's another method, I won't let you fall into depravity. Otherwise, what's the point of Tianlin helping you? Someone like that doesn't deserve the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's treasures."
Flender, as Ma Hongjun's mentor, cared deeply about his future. He didn't want Ma Hongjun to lose such a rare opportunity due to his past habits.
Hearing the warnings from both Tianlin and his mentor, Ma Hongjun nodded earnestly, suppressing his desires. "Boss, Dean, don't worry. I won't go to such places anymore."
Tianlin smiled and patted Ma Hongjun on the shoulder. "Good, that's the spirit. Resisting temptation is also a form of mental training. If one day you become a strong, virtuous Soul Master, many women will naturally be drawn to you. At that time, whether you want three wives or four concubines, your boss here will prepare red envelopes big enough for all of them!"
After settling Ma Hongjun's matter, Tianlin turned to Tang San. "Brother Tang, it's our turn now. As we agreed, let's have a private chat."
Tang San had been waiting for this. He pointed in a direction and said, "Brother Tianlin, this way, please!"
The two left the group together. Ning Rongrong, understanding that Tianlin had something important to discuss with Tang San, said nothing and followed Flender and the others back to Shrek Academy. However, the little rabbit, Xiao Wu, was displeased that Tang San had left her behind and secretly followed them.
Tianlin and Tang San arrived at a quiet park in the center of Suoto City. It was late, and there was no one around.
Tang San stopped, turned around, and said, "Brother Tianlin, there's no one here. You can speak freely."
Tianlin nodded and transmitted his voice directly to Tang San using a sound-based technique: "Brother Tang, allow me to communicate with you this way. I suggest you do the same to avoid being overheard."
Tianlin suspected that two Titled Douluos might be secretly watching. After all, Tianlin was a treasured member of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, and Tang San was the son of the Clear Sky Douluo. It was unlikely that their guardians would leave them entirely unsupervised. Moreover, there were things Tianlin didn't want anyone else to hear.
Tang San, unaware of so many details, thought Tianlin was trying to guard against Xiao Wu, whom he had sensed following them. He nodded and replied in the same manner, "No problem, Brother Tianlin."
The technique of transmitting sound directly into someone's ear wasn't a high-level skill. Many sects had similar methods, including the Tang Sect and Shu Mountain.
"Brother Tianlin, you seem to know that I'm from the Tang Sect. Are you, by any chance, someone like me... from…" Tang San was cautious. Even though Tianlin had revealed his connection to the Tang Sect, Tang San didn't want to expose his identity as a transmigrator. He deliberately left the sentence unfinished, hoping Tianlin would reveal more first.
Tianlin smiled faintly. This carefulness was indeed characteristic of Tang San from the original story. "Brother Tang, there's no need to test me. I'm just like you—someone from another world. I recognized your identity during your battle earlier. The footwork you used was Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, wasn't it? And those glowing eyes must be the legendary Purple Demon Eye, both of which are secret techniques of the Tang Sect."
Tianlin's goal was to convince Tang San that they were from the same world, making it easier to gain his trust and access information about the Tang Sect.
However, Tianlin discreetly gripped his soul tool. He wasn't sure how Tang San would react next—would he try to kill him to protect his secret, or would he treat him as an old friend from their shared world? If it was the former, Tianlin was prepared to deal with Tang San. The soul tool he held contained a trump card capable of threatening even Tang Hao. If he had to kill Tang San, he'd do so decisively, eliminating Tang Hao and Xiao Wu as well to avoid future trouble.
But Tianlin had underestimated Tang San. Initially, Tang San did feel a flicker of murderous intent, but it quickly disappeared, replaced by a feigned smile. "I didn't expect to meet another transmigrator in this world. I had my suspicions earlier. The sword technique you used before executing the Seven Kill Sword doesn't belong to this world. May I ask which sect Brother Tianlin belongs to? Forgive my ignorance, but I couldn't identify your lineage."
"I am a disciple of the Shu Mountain Sect," Tianlin replied.
Tianlin smiled inwardly. He had momentarily forgotten that Tang San was a shrewd and calculating individual. Acting impulsively wasn't in his nature. Tang San still believed himself to be a commoner's son, with his father just an ordinary blacksmith. Without the certainty of a one-hit kill, Tang San wouldn't dare offend someone from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. He understood too well the principle of enduring small grievances to achieve greater goals.
"Shu Mountain Sect?" Tang San murmured, trying to recall if he'd ever heard of such a sect.
Of course, he hadn't. The Shu Mountain Sect and the Tang Sect didn't belong to the same world.
Tianlin continued to weave his story. "The Shu Mountain Sect is a hidden sect. It's only natural that Brother Tang hasn't heard of it. There's no need for apologies."
"So, it's a hidden sect. My apologies!" Tang San cupped his fists politely.
"What are they even talking about? And that gesture—they're clasping their fists like that. Is this some new trend in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan?" Tang Hao muttered in the shadows. Due to their sound-transmitting technique, not even a Titled Douluo could hear their conversation.
Yin Yang, another observer from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, looked equally confused. "What? That's not a tradition of the Clear Sky Clan? I've never seen Tianlin greet others like this before."
Naturally, neither of them could understand that the gestures and manners being exchanged were from martial arts worlds that only Tianlin and Tang San knew.