As Lin Yu's taunts filled the screen, Yu Xiaogang's expression froze. His face turned crimson with shame, and he clenched his fists as a wave of fury and embarrassment swept over him.
How dare this bastard bring that up? he fumed inwardly. Could he possibly know about what happened?
Nearby, Tang San caught the undertone of Lin Yu's jab and found himself narrowing his eyes in suspicion. He recalled that ever since their encounter with the Vile Five, his teacher had been moving with difficulty.
When Tang San had asked Yu Xiaogang if he was injured, the older man had given a vague explanation—something about residual injuries from overusing his spirit abilities during their escape.
Yet, Tang San felt something didn't quite add up. He clearly remembered that during their flight, his father, Tang Hao, had used the Blue Silver Emperor's right leg bone's ability, "Wildfire Cannot Consume, Spring Wind Revives" to heal Yu Xiaogang's wounds.
But now, Lin Yu's words planted a new seed of doubt in Tang San's mind, one that made his blood boil: Could those thugs from the Vile Five have beaten the teacher even more while I was unconscious?
The thought filled Tang San with a sharp sense of injustice and sorrow for his teacher. Teacher, you've suffered too much!
He glanced back at Yu Xiaogang, who was now clad in a fresh set of clothes, though his face and neck bore bruises and marks from some unknown ordeal. The sight ignited a fresh wave of anger in Tang San.
Those damned fallen spirit masters, he thought, his fists trembling with rage. How dare they treat the Teacher like this!
For a moment, Tang San considered moving closer to offer comfort. But the air around Yu Xiaogang carried a pungent, almost rancid odor—like a mixture of decay and sewage, perhaps from being thrown into a filthy waterway during their confrontation. The stench caused Tang San's stomach to churn, nearly bringing up the meager breakfast he had managed to consume earlier.
Silently, he shifted a little further from Yu Xiaogang, masking his discomfort as best he could. Though he genuinely felt sympathy for his teacher's plight, there were some things he just couldn't stomach.
Meanwhile, in the virtual space of the live stream:
Lin Yu, through his mental link, watched the scene unfold with a smirk. He noted Tang San's subtle reaction to Yu Xiaogang's condition—how he couldn't bear to stay close despite his teacher's suffering.
So, even after everything your teacher did for you, you can't stand the smell of his sacrifice, Lin Yu mused. I suppose this is your true nature, Tang San. A hypocrite to the core.
Yu Xiaogang, stung by Lin Yu's relentless mockery, could only grit his teeth and lash out:
[Yu Xiaogang (angry and humiliated): Hmph! I may not be strong, but Slaughter City isn't a mere arena. With my intelligence, I'll find a way to protect Tang San!]
Despite the fury boiling within him, Yu Xiaogang tried to maintain a facade of calm, pretending not to be bothered by the insinuations about his ordeal. He focused his rebuttal on his own supposed ability to safeguard his disciple rather than acknowledging Lin Yu's taunts.
For Lin Yu, this was more than enough. His true goal was to drive a wedge between Yu Xiaogang and Tang San, to sow seeds of doubt and mistrust. And he knew that Tang San was still unaware of just how much his teacher had suffered for him.
[Lin Yu: Oh, your brilliant intelligence will protect Tang San, will it? Do you think you can outsmart everything? Hah, it's easy to boast. But we all know you can't hide the pain on your face forever.]
Lin Yu's laughter filled the chat, echoing his amusement at Yu Xiaogang's helpless anger. Meanwhile, Yu Xiaogang could only seethe in silence, unsure whether Lin Yu had deduced the truth or was simply making a wild guess about what had happened to him.
After Lin Yu's parting words, the focus of the conversation shifted. Many viewers in the chat were still mystified by Slaughter City's true nature, and with no further revelations forthcoming, Lin Yu decided to let the matter drop.
The system's voice chimed in, redirecting everyone's attention:
[Ding! The current live stream and Q&A session has concluded. The livestream will temporarily close in three minutes. You may choose to exit at any time.]
[The next livestream and Q&A session will take place in six months.]
The news that the next session was scheduled for another six months came as a disappointment to many. A longer gap meant that the upcoming events were likely to focus on a time much further into the future—territory where, except for Lin Yu, no one had a reliable grasp of what might unfold.
Nevertheless, some chose to comfort themselves with a more positive outlook.
If it's about the future, Lin Yu's just got an advantage because of those random guesses, they reasoned. Everyone else has the same chance as him when it comes to getting it right.
Despite the mixed feelings, participants began to log out one by one as the livestream session ended. Lin Yu followed suit, eager to examine the prize he had just acquired.
Returning to the real world, he quickly retrieved the materials detailing the technology of the Fixed Soul Cannon. The information came in a combination of diagrams and complex blueprints, as well as a flood of technical details that streamed directly into his mind.
Yet as he delved into the specifics, Lin Yu found himself frowning.
He had expected that, with the knowledge and blueprints in hand, he could start manufacturing these powerful cannons immediately and use them as a cornerstone for his soon-to-be-established organization's income.
But the technical knowledge came with a significant catch. Producing the Fixed Soul Cannon wasn't just about having the right blueprints—it also required access to a rare, specialized soul metal, crucial for the cannon's internal mechanisms.
According to the information he had received, this particular soul metal was scarce in the current Douluo Continent, though it was said to be abundant on the distant Sun Moon Continent, a land that was known to be rich in other soul metals as well.
This scarcity explained why, in the era of the Absolute Douluo series, the Heavenly Dou Empire's soul tool technology lagged far behind that of the Sun Moon Empire.
Lin Yu sighed, contemplating his next move. I wonder if the Heavenly Dou Empire has managed to locate and mine any of this metal yet...