Douluo Continent: The original Yu Xiaogang brutally defeats Tang San at the start.

After the humiliating sneak attack in the forest, Tang San's situation at Notting Academy plummeted to an unprecedented abyss.

He became a pariah, hated by everyone.

Wherever he goes, the crowds will part like Moses parting the sea, quickly creating a vacuum around him.

The classmates who used to surround him now avoid him like the plague, as if he carries some kind of contagious poison.

Whispers were ever-present.

"Look, it's him, that scoundrel who attacked his own teacher with a poisoned needle."

"You can know a person's face but not their heart. I used to think he was a genius, but I never expected him to be so vicious."

"Stay away from him. Who knows what kind of dirty tricks he might be hiding in his sleeve? He might just do that to you one of these days if he doesn't like you."

The teachers' gazes towards him shifted from initial pity to utter disappointment and deep disgust.

In class, no teacher would call on him anymore; on the street, if they bumped into him, they would frown and take a detour.

He was completely and utterly isolated.

In stark contrast to his miserable and gloomy situation was the increasingly intimate relationship between Lin Yuan and Xiao Wu.

As they spent more and more time together, Xiao Wu, a girl who had transformed from a 100,000-year-old soul beast, became increasingly sensitive and complex.

Her feelings for Lin Yuan gradually evolved from initial admiration and gratitude into a subtle, ambiguous affection that was hard to define.

She no longer only respectfully sought guidance when she encountered problems in her cultivation, as she used to.

Instead, she started looking for all sorts of excuses, even some clumsy ones, to create every possible opportunity to be alone with Lin Yuan.

……

On the academy's exclusive advanced training ground.

The afternoon sun was warm and gentle, turning the venue into a golden hue.

Xiao Wu was dressed in a pink outfit, and her shapely figure looked even more youthful and energetic under the sweat.

She was practicing a set of close-combat techniques that Lin Yuan had tailored for her. This set of techniques combined the characteristics of her soft skills with many powerful techniques that could defeat an enemy in one strike.

"Teacher, look at my movement, 'The Rabbit Swings Its Tail,' why do I always feel like I can't project the power from my waist when I'm putting force into it?"

Xiao Wu was drenched in sweat and slightly out of breath. She deliberately performed a high-knee roundhouse kick, and then, at the moment when her body was stretched to its limit, she let out a soft cry, as if she had "accidentally" lost her balance and uncontrollably fell into Lin Yuan's arms, who was standing with his hands behind his back.

Lin Yuan's eyesight was incredibly sharp, so he could naturally tell that the little girl was doing it on purpose.

He found it somewhat amusing, but didn't point it out.

He simply stretched out his arms naturally and steadily embraced that soft and delicate body, helping her to stand firmly.

The girl's faint fragrance lingered in the air.

Be careful.

Lin Yuan spoke gently, without making any unnecessary movements.

"Um……"

Xiao Wu's cheeks were as red as an apple. She lowered her head and spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

She enjoyed the feeling of being protected by Lin Yuan.

This scene was witnessed by Tang San, who happened to be passing by.

Looking at Xiao Wu's shy appearance and Lin Yuan's calm expression, he felt an inexplicable burning jealousy in his chest.

He clenched his fists, silently turned and left.

Such scenes played out frequently in the days that followed.

Xiao Wuhui, using the excuse that the food in the cafeteria wasn't to her liking, dragged Lin Yuan to the food street in Nottingham City.

She would act like a real girl next door, affectionately linking arms with Lin Yuan, skipping and hopping along the street, chattering about the interesting things that happened at the academy.

Although Lin Yuan maintained the composure of a teacher, he did not reject Xiao Wu's affectionate gestures.

All of this was like a series of poisonous thorns, deeply embedded in Tang San's heart.

He could only watch from afar as the place that should have been his was taken by someone else.

Watching the girl who should have been acting coquettishly towards him smile at another man.

The most unbearable time for him was in the college cafeteria.

Xiao Wu somehow obtained a delicate pastry, which she presented to Lin Yuan like a treasure.

"Teacher, try this, it's delicious!"

Lin Yuan picked up a piece and was just about to put it in his mouth.

Xiao Wu suddenly laughed and said, "Oh dear, your hands are covered in chalk dust, let me feed you!"

As she spoke, she actually picked up a piece of pastry and, in front of everyone in the cafeteria, personally fed it to Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan paused for a moment, then smiled helplessly and ate it anyway.

The surrounding students all made good-natured noises.

Meanwhile, Tang San, who was sitting in the corner, had his chopsticks snapped in half!

His heart felt as if it were being slowly tortured, the pain so intense he couldn't breathe.

He couldn't sit still any longer. He suddenly stood up and rushed out of the cafeteria amidst the strange looks from the crowd.

[Ding! Detected that Tang San witnessed the intimate interaction between the host and Xiao Wu. Emotion value -30, mental state suffers continuous damage!]

[Congratulations, host! You've gained 2000 points for defeating Tang San!]

Tang San rushed out of the cafeteria and hid in a deserted corner, where he slammed his fist hard against the wall, drawing blood.

"Someday...someday!"

He gritted his teeth, his eyes were bloodshot, and he roared hoarsely.

"I will make you pay the price for everything that has happened today!"

[Ding! Xiao Wu's affection level has increased from 70% to 80%!]

Lin Yuan listened to the notification in his mind, then looked at Xiao Wu beside him, whose face was flushed with embarrassment, and calmly said, "Don't do that next time, it's not a good influence."

"Oh..." Xiao Wu responded somewhat dejectedly.

But Lin Yuan knew that the seed had already been planted.

For Lin Yuan at this moment, Notting College was like an oversized coat.

Although it fit him well, it restricted his movements and limited his development.

He has already accomplished all his initial goals here.

He ruthlessly trampled Tang San, the chosen one, from the clouds into the mire, ruining his reputation and causing him to lose his composure, and successfully snatched away all of Tang San's important opportunities in the early stages.

He not only won the heart of Xiao Wu, a 100,000-year-old soul beast, but more importantly, he gained enough strength and knowledge from the Tang Sect's secret techniques as his trump card for future survival.

But Lin Yuan knew very well that Notting Academy was ultimately just a beginner's village.

To obtain higher-level resources, access the true core circle of Douluo Continent, meet the legendary Title Douluos, and explore the deeper secrets of this world, he must go to a larger stage.

The name of that stage had already been marked with a prominent stroke in his plan.