Douluo Continent: Tonight, a Fairy Tale Descends

Secondly, he made his stance clear, showing sufficient goodwill and respect, and placing himself in a position that was almost beyond reproach.

Even if Levin ultimately didn't use the elixir, or if he did but didn't immediately pledge allegiance, Davis would still occupy the moral high ground as both the benefactor and the talent seeker, giving him room to maneuver no matter what happens in the future.

Finally, he put pressure on Levin.

That silent pressure stemmed from his status as a prince and the potential for future retaliation.

Levin is a smart man; he can weigh the pros and cons.

Chapter 136 Nottingham City: A City of Hidden Thoughts

“The seed has been planted. Now, it’s just a matter of waiting for it to take root and sprout, or for it to be nipped in the bud by its own hand.” Davis’s lips curled into a faint smile.

Regardless of Levin's final choice, this is a move he can't afford to lose.

If Levin accepts and uses the elixir, then he will owe this favor, which he will have to repay in the future.

If Levin insists on not using it, or hands the elixir over to the academy or the royal family, it doesn't matter. On the contrary, it would better highlight Davis's reputation for valuing talent and being magnanimous. The only loss would be an elixir that is not indispensable to him.

Moreover, a genius who is so out of touch with reality will be less valuable in the eyes of other forces, and will be easier for them to control in the future through other means.

"Send someone to keep an eye on Levin's next moves, especially whether he has any contact with the Second Prince or the Third Prince," Davis whispered to the guards.

"Yes, Your Highness."

……

Time flies, and quite some time has passed since Tang Hao left Nottingham City with that hastily written letter.

Life at Notting Junior Soul Master Academy appears to be largely unchanged on the surface.

The students continued to attend classes, practice, and play around, while the teachers continued to teach and conduct assessments.

In Yu Xiaogang's office, the oil lamp cast a dim, yellowish glow.

He sat behind his desk, holding a thick illustrated guide to soul beasts in his hands, but his gaze was not on the pages. Instead, it drifted somewhat toward the deep night outside the window.

After the initial shock and brief elation at Tang Hao's departure, Yu Xiaogang quickly regained his senses and began to ponder the true intentions of this Haotian Douluo.

"From light to darkness... Yes, that must be it!" he thought with certainty.

"His Majesty Haotian has made too many enemies, especially the Spirit Hall. If he continues to stay in Notting City, he will be too conspicuous, which would be a huge hidden danger for Tang San and Cindy. Now that he has left quietly and created the illusion of his father's disappearance, he can both clear the children's names and secretly protect them, killing two birds with one stone!"

This speculation calmed Yu Xiaogang's feverish mind considerably.

He suppressed his overly eager thoughts and once again adopted the serious and responsible demeanor of a mentor, showing meticulous care and guidance to Tang San and Cinderella, even more so than before.

Yu Xiaogang dared not overstep the bounds in the slightest, fearing that there might be a pair of eyes belonging to Haotian Douluo coldly watching him from some corner.

However, day by day, week by week, the days passed.

Notting City was calm and peaceful. There was no news about Tang Hao, nor any indication that the titled Douluo was still nearby.

Yu Xiaogang's mind began to stir again.

"Perhaps His Majesty the Jade Emperor is held up by something extremely important, and unable to return in the short term? Or perhaps..."

An even bolder thought began to grow uncontrollably in his mind: "Could he have even met with some misfortune?"

This thought filled Yu Xiaogang with both fear and an indescribable excitement.

They were terrified by the risk that even a Title Douluo might perish, but excited by the possibility that Tang Hao might not come back.

Then wouldn't those two exceptionally talented children be...?

Yu Xiaogang shook his head vigorously, trying to dispel this overly beautiful but unrealistic fantasy.

He gave a bitter laugh and muttered to himself, "Yu Xiaogang, Yu Xiaogang, what are you daydreaming about? That's Tang Hao, the Haotian Douluo who possesses the number one weapon spirit in the world! If he were so easy to kill, the Spirit Hall would have succeeded long ago. You could die ten times over and he'd still be alive and well."

That being said, once the seeds of hope are planted, they will tenaciously seek an opportunity to sprout.

Yu Xiaogang initially thought that Tang Hao probably wouldn't be coming back anytime soon.

This was precisely his opportunity—a chance to truly bind these two geniuses to him, to formally make them his disciples, and to rightfully make them the products of his theoretical practice.

Once they have the title of master and disciple, even if Tang Hao returns in the future, can he force his son and adopted daughter to betray their sect?

At that time, Yu Xiaogang's achievement of cultivating two unparalleled experts will be enough to make him famous in history and wash away all the shame.

Thinking of this, Yu Xiaogang's eyes regained their fervor. He had to seize this time, while Tang Hao was away, to make Tang San and Cinderella willingly acknowledge him as their teacher!

……

Inside the dormitory, Cinderella sat cross-legged on her bed, with faint fluctuations of soul power emanating from her body.

She finished her evening meditation, gently exhaling a breath of stale air. However, there was little joy in her azure eyes; instead, they were filled with an unyielding sorrow and anxiety.

On the system panel in front of her, the number in the reputation value column was increasing at a despairingly slow pace.

"Sigh..." Another sigh echoed in my heart.

At first, she shared a similar view with Yu Xiaogang, believing that Tang Hao's departure was a strategy, a shift from the open to the covert, perhaps he was secretly protecting them somewhere.

She had secretly hoped that her powerful titled Douluo adoptive father could provide her with some shortcuts or resources to gain prestige.

But as time went on, this expectation gradually cooled, turned into uncertainty, and eventually became confirmation.

Tang Hao has probably really left Nottingham City and won't be back anytime soon.

This put her under unprecedented pressure.

Having lost their biggest backer, she and Tang San were like children carrying a huge treasure walking down the street, constantly at risk of being coveted.

Although Nottingham is small, it is not absolutely safe.

Moreover, her beauty grew more and more dazzling over time, and the subtle glances she received from some noble children in the academy gradually made Cinderella wary.

She must become stronger faster!

It's not just about reputation points, but also about self-preservation, about surviving and thriving in this perilous world.

"I can't rely on anyone anymore; I can only depend on myself." Cinderella clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms, causing a slight sting that made her even more alert.

Compared to Yu Xiaogang's complex calculations and Cinderella's anxious efforts, Tang San's thoughts were much simpler and more direct.

Ever since he saw the note and money bag left by Tang Hao that day, Tang San had sentenced this nominal father to death in his heart.

Abandonment is abandonment; there is no excuse for it.

He no longer practiced the Chaotic Cloak Hammering Technique at the blacksmith's shop, since he had already mastered it and the rest was just a matter of time before he could practice it.

Tang San chose to devote more time and energy to two things: cultivating the Xuan Tian Gong and making hidden weapons.

The former is the foundation, the guarantee of future strength. The latter is the claws, the basis for survival in the present!

Chapter 137 Tang San's Gaze

Especially concealed weapons.

Tang San's past life in the Tang Clan made him deeply understand the principle that "beauty is the original sin, and weakness is the original sin even more so."

Cinderella's increasingly dazzling beauty, like a pearl in the night, attracts countless eyes, both bright and dark.

Previously, Tang Hao had secretly dealt with those who coveted Cinderella, but now that Tang Hao was gone, Tang San's sense of crisis instantly soared to its peak.

He would never allow anyone to harm his sister! Even the slightest hint of covetousness was enough to condemn anyone to death in his eyes!

How did the blacksmith shop in Notting City become Tang San's new base?

He used the money left by Tang Hao to purchase a large amount of materials and some necessary tools.

Then, Tang San plunged headfirst into the blacksmith shop.

Inside the blacksmith's shop, the clanging and hammering sounds were constant.

Unlike his fierce and domineering demeanor when practicing the Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique, Tang San was now focused and calm, his movements as precise as the most sophisticated instruments.

What he held in his hands was no longer a heavy casting hammer, but a small file, carving knife, and pliers.

On his workbench, some oddly shaped little things, gleaming with a cold metallic luster, gradually appeared.

A slender yet resilient steel needle, a barbed dart, a complex mechanism housing...

These are all parts of Tang Clan hidden weapons that Tang San knew by heart from his previous life. From the simplest sleeve arrows and back crossbows to the slightly more complex ones like the Sand-Spitting Arrow and the Tight-Back Flower-Patterned Crossbow, he tried to replicate them all.

Only by combining soul power with hidden weapons can their maximum power be unleashed.

He channeled his Xuan Tian Gong internal energy into his fingers to assist in some extremely delicate polishing and assembly work.

Although his soul power level is still low, it is more than enough to make these low-level hidden weapons.

"Sister..." Tang San murmured to himself as he carefully assembled the mechanism of a hidden arrow.

"Wait a little longer. Soon, I'll have something strong enough to protect you. Anyone who dares to lay a finger on you will pay the price!"

Tang San's eyes were cold and resolute, a kind of obsession and protectiveness that transcended his age.

In his heart, Cinderella was his only warmth and Achilles' heel in this cold world; touching her would mean certain death!

Yu Xiaogang is now undoubtedly the number one suspect on his blacklist.

Therefore, whenever Cinderella went to Yu Xiaogang's office under the guise of asking questions, trying to squeeze more out of him, Tang San would always follow her like a shadow.

He sat in a chair in the corner of the office with a few books in his arms, his eyelids lowered, seemingly reading attentively, but in reality, all his senses were heightened, and he was paying close attention to Yu Xiaogang's every move.

Inside the office, the glow of the oil lamp cast a warm sheen on Cinderella's blonde hair. She tilted her head slightly, listening to Yu Xiaogang's eloquent explanation of the relationship between soul power attributes and martial soul mutations. Her azure eyes revealed just the right amount of admiration and contemplation.

This scene was naturally very pleasing to Yu Xiaogang.

To have such a talented and handsome student listening so attentively to his teachings was a scene he had always dreamed of.

He even felt that the resentment he felt from being ridiculed by the world over the years had dissipated considerably in Cinderella's clear gaze.

However, what appeared to Yu Xiaogang as a harmonious scene of teacher-student interaction was a completely different sight in the eyes of Tang San, who was hiding in the corner.

Tang San keenly noticed the subtle pauses in Yu Xiaogang's seemingly focused academic gaze when it occasionally swept over Cinderella's exquisite profile.

In his eyes, it was not an appreciation from a teacher to a student, but a spying with ulterior motives.

Furthermore, when Yu Xiaogang speaks, his body unconsciously leans slightly forward, trying to get closer to his sister. In Tang San's eyes, this subtle movement is full of malicious probing.

"A path to death!"

Tang San coldly pronounced judgment on Yu Xiaogang in his heart, his fingers gripping the spine of the book tightening slightly, his knuckles turning white.