"The enhanced version of the Zhuge Divine Crossbow differs in power depending on the type of bolt used. The most powerful bolts can threaten a Level 60 Soul Master in full defense. Even the most basic bolts are a grade stronger than the standard model. They are sufficient to make a Level 45 Soul Master regret their last moment. There are twelve types of bolts in total: Bone-Piercing Bolt, Thunderfire Bolt, Armor-Breaking Bolt, Blade-Splitting Bolt, Demon-Suppressing Bolt, Overlord Bolt, Nether-Yin Bolt, Dragon-Severing Bolt, Desire-Extinction Bolt, Dragon-Whisker Bolt, Oblivion Bolt, and Seven-Slaughter Bolt. The most powerful among them are the Oblivion Bolt and the Seven-Slaughter Bolt. However, these bolts require extremely exquisite craftsmanship and rare materials to produce. Therefore, their cost is high."
As he spoke,
Bai He couldn't help but ask, "What is the effective lethal range of this weapon?"
Tang San replied, "It can guarantee maximum lethality within fifty meters. The farther the distance, the more its power gradually weakens."
Taking a deep breath, excitement was unmistakable in Bai He's eyes. "Good. I'll take it. How much? I want two hundred of them."
Tang San smiled faintly. "It's not expensive—150 Gold Soul Coins each."
Bai He pondered for a moment. "Can you make it any cheaper?" Although it wasn't in his nature to haggle, 150 Gold Soul Coins was already a significant sum for the entire Quick clan.
Bai He had never allowed clan members to accept subsidies from Spirit Hall. The clan's poverty was, in fact, among the worst in the Soul Master world.
Tang San thought for a moment. "Since you are friends with Senior Titan, I'll give you a special price. 120 Gold Soul Coins each. It can't go any lower."
Bai He let out a slight sigh of relief. "Good. Then I'll buy them." As he spoke, he made a wiping motion over the Soul Guide bracelet on his wrist and carefully produced a pouch of Gold Soul Coins. "Here are 100 Gold Soul Coins. I'll pay the remaining twenty when the Poison clan arrives."
Tang San didn't take the pouch, looking somewhat troubled. "Senior, you seem to have misunderstood. I said 120 Gold Soul Coins *each*. If you want two hundred Zhuge Divine Crossbows, the total price should be 24,000 Gold Soul Coins."
"What did you say?" Bai He shot to his feet, his face flushing red. He was already pained by his clan's poverty, and hearing Tang San name such an astronomical sum, his innate pride instantly turned to anger. "Are you toying with me?" A sharp pressure erupted from his body. Even though he specialized in speed cultivation, he was still, after all, a Soul Douluo-level powerhouse.
The beautiful young woman sitting beside Bai He also stood up, glaring at Tang San. "Why don't you just rob people?"
Tang San smiled calmly, seeming not to feel the pressure released by Bai He at all. As fellow Soul Douluos, the pressure Bai He gave him was far less than
As he spoke, Tang San lightly stamped his foot on the ground. A faint white light surged from him and vanished in an instant. Bai He clearly felt his released pressure forcibly parted. From the ground, sixteen black shadows bounced up, and Tang San caught them in his hand, calmly and deliberately loading the sixteen bolts back into the crossbow mechanism.
Titan spoke up. "Bai He, I can vouch for him on this. Selling the Zhuge Divine Crossbow for 120 Gold Soul Coins is definitely not expensive. As far as I know, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan is a long-term customer of the Tang Sect. The price given to you is already very low. My advice is, if you're willing, you could buy one for self-defense."
Bai He slumped back into his seat dejectedly. "This thing is excellent, but what good is just one?" Just as Niu Gao had said, the biggest problem plaguing the Quick clan was offensive power. If they possessed sufficient offensive capabilities, then even hunting Soul Beasts specially would be enough to support the clan's survival. The appearance of the Zhuge Divine Crossbow undoubtedly caught Bai He's eye, but this price was just too difficult for him to accept.
Tang San smiled faintly. "Senior Bai He, even if a deal falls through, our goodwill remains. Since we've just met today, please accept this Zhuge Divine Crossbow as a gift." With that, he handed the crossbow back to Bai He.
Bai He was stunned. "You want to give it to me? I cannot accept unearned gifts." In his heart, 120 Gold Soul Coins was not a small amount. Accepting aid from the other Single-Origin clans was one thing, but accepting a gift from someone else was entirely different. If he weren't so proud, the Quick clan wouldn't have ended up in this state today.
Tang San said, "Then how about this? This young lady must be your granddaughter, correct? I have always been very interested in speed myself. Why don't I have a speed contest with her? If I win, the 100 Gold Coins in your hand are mine. If I lose, this Zhuge Divine Crossbow becomes your stake. How does that sound?"
Hearing this, Bai He's heart stirred. Speed was his clan's greatest asset. Although Tang San had just revealed considerable aura, he absolutely refused to believe his granddaughter could lose to him in a speed contest. Furthermore, in his mind, Tang San had intended to give him the crossbow anyway; this was just finding a pretext. Although Bai He cared deeply about face, the temptation of the Zhuge Divine Crossbow was simply too great. He couldn't help but glance at his granddaughter.
The beautiful young woman leaped up from her chair and, in a mere flash, stood in the center of the hall. "Alright, I'll race you!"
Tang San set the Zhuge Divine Crossbow aside and walked slowly toward the young woman. Now, facing each other, he couldn't help but silently admire her beauty—especially her perfectly proportioned figure. However, that was merely appreciation; in his heart, apart from
The young woman lifted her head haughtily, looking at Tang San, who stood more than half a head taller than her. "How do you want to race?"
Tang San smiled faintly. "I have long heard of the Quick clan's astonishing speed and agility. Let's do it right here in this reception hall. As long as you can touch any part of my body, you win. The time limit is one incense stick's burning. Otherwise, I win."
The young woman answered without hesitation. "Alright, then light the incense."
Tang San's Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlit Night contained everything. He casually retrieved an incense stick, flicked it toward
"Tang San of the Tang Sect, please instruct me." Tang San elegantly made a gesture of invitation, his entire being instantly becoming focused and sharp.
The young woman curled her lips disdainfully. She didn't believe Tang San could compare to her in speed. "
"Please."
The moment Tang San finished speaking, Bai Chenxiang was already in motion. Even with Tang San's keen eyes, he only caught a fleeting afterimage before she was upon him.
However, he had been prepared. As he uttered the word "please," his feet shifted slightly, sliding one foot to the left.
Bai Chenxiang's speed was astonishing, but it was precisely because of this that her momentum was naturally strong. She shot past Tang San, missing him by a hair's breadth.
At this moment, a purple-gold light had begun to glow within the deep blue of Tang San's eyes. A chill ran down his spine. The Quick clan's speed was even more terrifying than he had imagined. Not daring to be careless, he immediately activated his Purple Extreme Demon Eye, his spiritual power fully unleashing.
Bai Chenxiang's rushing body nimbly leaped, her toes lightly tapping a pillar in the reception hall, and she shot back toward him even faster than before. The entire forward-and-return motion took but the blink of an eye.
Tang San was already extremely cautious. His Purple Extreme Demon Eye locked onto Bai Chenxiang's form, and he moved with the Ghost Shadow Phantom Trail, his entire figure instantly becoming ethereal and illusory.
The Ghost Shadow Phantom Trail was by no means the fastest footwork, but it was absolutely the most agile and profound. Although Bai Chenxiang was fast, Tang San's movements consistently caught her off guard. Her lunge missed again.
Bai Chenxiang, naturally unwilling to concede, unleashed her full speed in pursuit. Tang San simply stopped watching her, relying on his spiritual power to lock onto her position as he continued to move in the confined space using the Ghost Shadow Phantom Trail. In his view, if the Quick clan could be paired with Tang Sect's Hidden Weapons, they would be very much like the disciples of the Tang Sect from his previous life. His purpose in handling it this way today had been planned long ago with Titan and Niu Gao. The most critical factor was whether he could win their respect.
Speed was the Quick clan's greatest strength. Just as Tang San had broken through Niu Gao's psychological defense in terms of defense, if he could surpass the Quick clan in speed, then everything would become much easier.
Choosing to hold the contest in the reception hall had required considerable deliberation from Tang San. The young woman in front of him, Bai Chenxiang, was not difficult to deal with; the real challenge was the Quick clan's patriarch, Bai He. Tang San knew that even with his Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone, his straight-line speed could never rival Bai He's. Therefore, he had to rely on agility. No one could match a Quick clan Soul Master in straight-line speed. But while straight-line speed was fast, body flexibility without a mature technique was still limited. Tang San wanted to use his Ghost Shadow Phantom Trail to conquer them.
At first, Bai He's expression had been quite relaxed, but as Tang San repeatedly evaded Bai Chenxiang's pursuit, his face gradually grew serious.
Although Bai Chenxiang hadn't yet used her Martial Soul, speed was actually already ingrained in every Quick clan Soul Master's bones. Even without the Martial Soul's assistance, their speed was already incredibly fast.
The incense was burning a bit faster than usual—this was, of course, due to Ma Hongjun's Phoenix flame—but no one was paying him any attention now. Even if the incense burned quickly, the Quick clan's speed was enough to allow for countless lunges within that timeframe.
Bai He was gradually seeing the key. Tang San's speed was indeed inferior to his granddaughter's, but his footwork was exceptionally peculiar. It was precisely this profound footwork that allowed him to dodge Bai Chenxiang's lunges at the last possible instant.
Half the incense stick had burned away. Bai Chenxiang no longer cared that Tang San wasn't using his Martial Soul. With a low shout, her long hair whipped up, her arms spread, and her Martial Soul instantly released.
Two yellow and two purple Soul Rings appeared around her graceful figure. At twenty years old, a Level 40+ Soul Ancestor, her strength was already quite formidable. Moreover, it was the optimal Soul Ring configuration. Although this girl was young, she was the pride of Bai He's Quick clan. Bai He firmly believed his granddaughter had the chance to reach the Titled Douluo level in the future.
As soon as her Martial Soul was deployed, Bai Chenxiang's body sprang up like lightning. Her legs pressed together as if fused, and her outstretched arms transformed into wings. With a twist of her body, as her third Soul Ring shone brightly, she took flight, her speed surging dramatically as she pounced toward Tang San through the air.
This third Soul Skill was undoubtedly her flight ability. With flight, obstacles like tables and chairs on the ground could no longer hinder her. Combined with the speed boost, the pressure on Tang San increased enormously.
Immediately after, Bai Chenxiang's first Soul Skill also activated. Behind her, four afterimages appeared simultaneously, extremely clear shadows, just like her real self. When she swooped sideways, it appeared as if five Bai Chenxiangs were lunging at Tang San at once. The covered area increased dramatically. Even though he knew four of the five were illusions, the sudden appearance of such a phenomenon could easily create visual deception.
Unfortunately for Bai Chenxiang, she was facing Tang San. His Purple Extreme Demon Eye glowed with fluctuating light, rendering all illusions meaningless before his powerful gaze. Tang San's footwork also abruptly quickened. The Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone began to exert its effect. Although Tang San didn't activate any attached skills, as Soul Power flowed into it, his speed increased as well. His figure flickered through the hall like smoke.
Despite Bai Chenxiang's astonishing speed and incredible agility in the air after releasing her Martial Soul's flight skill, she simply could not pinpoint Tang San's exact position. The two engaged in a continuous chase and evasion as time steadily passed.
Bai Chenxiang was filled with frustration. She could clearly see that even after Tang San accelerated, his speed still couldn't match hers, but his bizarre movement routes caused huge problems for her judgment. She always seemed on the verge of touching him, only for him to evade instantly as if he had anticipated it.
At this moment, among the onlookers, even Titan and Niu Gao were dazzled. Six figures constantly flickered within the hall, and they could barely make out the actions of either party. Especially Bai Chenxiang's—her movements were just too fast. It looked like a direct lunge, but then she would make an agile flip, her body twisting beautifully in mid-air, instantly changing direction. Yet Tang San's reactions were no less quick. No matter how fast the Needletail Swift flew, he always managed to dodge in time, never letting Bai Chenxiang touch him.
Bai He's brow was deeply furrowed. He knew his granddaughter had tried her best, and in this contest of wagers, his side had lost. Bai Chenxiang's fourth Soul Skill only benefited straight-line acceleration and was useless in such a confined space. Looking at it this way, there was no way his granddaughter could touch that young man named Tang San. Lowering his head, he looked somewhat heartbrokenly at the money pouch in his hand, thinking, *Does heaven truly intend to go against my Quick clan? One must not be greedy! Under greed, even this last bit of money might be lost. How will the Quick clan survive in the days to come? Must we truly seek refuge with some sect? Even if we wanted to, in today's world, the upper three sects no longer exist. How many sects are there with sufficient strength and no ties to Spirit Hall?* "Time's up!" Ma Hongjun shouted loudly. The incense stick in his hand had burned to its end.