Chapter 27 – The Illusionist's Gambit, Tang San Falls in the Web of Deception

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"Dialogue": Represented in double quotes for conversations between characters.

'Thoughts': Represented in single quotation marks, indicating the characters' internal reflections.

[Diary]: Represented in square brackets, used for messages intended for the heroines or entries written by Tenshin.

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Mutant Soul Beast!

You might be wondering why Tenshin revealed so much, even though parts of it were lies. The truth is, he carefully thought it through. He couldn't keep hiding that his martial soul had combat applications forever. However, he wasn't ready to disclose the true soul ability he had acquired just yet.

Now, you may ask: Where did this illusion ability come from? It's simple! Tenshin developed his martial soul's innate mental/spiritual attribute—the Celestial Book—over the past two years. He realized that his mental power was vast, enhanced by both his reincarnation and the unique qualities of the Celestial Book. This book, linked to the Celestial Library, had partially opened his Spiritual Sea, allowing him to easily develop techniques like illusions and mental attacks.

In the end, the only lie in Tenshin's earlier statement concerned the origin of his illusion ability. It was a nearly perfect lie—95% true, with only 5% being false. Tenshin even went so far as to explain the situation with the Fire Tiger he had hunted, making it more believable, even if he lied about the mutation's elemental nature.

Turning to the Audience:

"He hunted a mutated soul beast!? Even if he had injured it, there's no way he could've hunted it!"

"Like he said, it was luck. When Tenshin found the Fire Tiger, it must have just returned from battle. It was probably poisoned, injured, and exhausted."

"Right, right. Just luck... but I wish I had some of that luck."

"..."

Meanwhile, the Dean turned to Yu Xiaogang and asked, "Is it possible for this situation to have occurred? Could a mutated Fire Tiger have a mental attribute?" He asked for two reasons. First, Yu Xiaogang was more knowledgeable about martial souls. Second, Tenshin had conveniently "forgotten" to mention that the Fire Tiger he hunted was a mutated soul beast.

Yu Xiaogang, still in shock, thought for a moment before responding. "Yes, it's possible, but it's extremely rare for a soul beast to develop an attribute so 'strange' to its natural qualities or elements."

He then shifted his gaze back to the competition area. "If I had known this a year ago, I would've tried to take Tenshin as my disciple as well," he said, shaking his head. "But unfortunately, it seems he doesn't trust the academy—or me. The only reason I didn't ask him to be my disciple when I took Tang San was because of his lack of combat application. I didn't want to put him in danger."

The Dean, hearing this, felt a mixture of frustration and seriousness. He had to agree with Yu Xiaogang's assessment of Tenshin's lack of trust in the academy. He thought about Tenshin's performance over the past two years.

Finally, the Dean spoke. "But Xiaogang, do you think Tenshin can defeat Tang San now?" he asked, both out of curiosity and to steer the conversation away from the previous topic. He might agree with Tenshin's stance, but he wasn't blind to Yu Xiaogang's intentions in bringing it up.

Yu Xiaogang quickly denied, "No, even though his martial soul now has some combat power, it still can't match Xiaosan's. Besides, Tenshin probably isn't used to using this soul ability yet, and it must consume a lot of soul power. Given that his soul power is two tiers below Xiaosan's, victory will be Tang San's."

Back to the Competition Area

'So, that's how it is…' Tang San thought, analyzing the situation. 'The last blow I received was mostly due to my own misjudgment and the element of surprise.'

"I won't fall for that trick again," Tang San muttered to himself, his eyes glowing purple once more. He had deactivated his Purple Demon Eyes earlier — not only from the shock and pain caused by the destructive force of the Mysterious Jade Hand, but also to counter the overwhelming aura of intent Tenshin had unleashed.

His gaze locked onto Tenshin, unwavering. 'Let's see how he responds now,' Tang San thought, his muscles tensing in preparation.

Tenshin, on the other hand, merely smiled. He gave a light hum, taking up his fighting stance, confident in his ability to handle whatever Tang San threw his way.

The air thickened with tension.

Moments later, Tang San moved first. With a swift and powerful kick aimed at Tenshin's head, he made his intentions clear — to force a decisive opening.

But Tenshin was ready. His right arm shot up to block the high kick. Just as he was about to retaliate, however, his arm was ensnared by Tang San's Blue Silver Grass soul ability. The vines wrapped around his wrist, restricting his movement.

With quick reflexes, Tenshin shifted his weight, slamming his arm downward with force, breaking the hold. The sudden motion forced Tang San to disengage or risk being slammed into the ground.

As the Blue Silver Grass receded, Tang San found himself briefly suspended in mid-air, without support.

It was the perfect moment for Tenshin to strike.

Without hesitation, Tenshin cast a swift illusion, briefly clouding Tang San's perception. Tang San, already aware of the danger, knew his Purple Demon Eyes would allow him to break free almost immediately. But the brief distraction was enough for Tenshin to close the gap and deliver a powerful kick to Tang San's left side.

The impact hit hard. Tang San's left arm — still sore from previous injuries — couldn't block the strike. In that split second, as he fought to break the illusion, he was forced to absorb the blow.

"Agh!" Tang San grunted as the kick landed squarely, sending him crashing to the ground. His body skidded several feet, the pain shooting through him. But despite the sharp sting, his instincts kicked in.

Rolling swiftly to his feet, he recovered his posture, eyes narrowing as he quickly activated his Bind soul ability once again. This time, the vines wrapped around Tenshin with precision, successfully ensnaring him.

The audience began to murmur as they watched the scene unfold.

"My God, Tang San finally managed to capture Tenshin."

"It looks like the match is over. Victory goes to Tang San."

At this, Yu Xiaogang smiled with satisfaction and said, "It seems Tenshin's ability drains a lot of soul power, just as I suspected. Since he used it repeatedly in quick succession, his performance has suffered."

However, the Dean, who had been listening to the conversation, felt something was off. Even if Tenshin's ability consumed a lot of soul power, it shouldn't have caused such a sharp decline in his performance so quickly after the final blow. From what he had observed throughout the fight, it was clear that Tenshin was highly strategic—everything he did was well thought out.

As the Dean scanned the arena, he noticed something unusual. One half of the wooden spear Tenshin had discarded earlier was missing. He remembered that one half had gone out of the arena, but the other...

A realization struck him. The Dean's eyes widened for a moment in contemplation, then narrowed as he processed the situation. 'So that's it... It was a clever move.'

It might seem, based on his demeanor and the way he interacted with others, that the Dean wasn't very strong—especially since he allowed Yu Xiaogang to remain outside the academy without offering much assistance. This led many to forget that he was a Spirit Ancestor at level 42. In his youth, he had traveled the continent, witnessing many battles that sharpened his instincts. The higher the level of a soul master, the more they relied on these instincts. This, combined with his power, made it easy for him to spot inconsistencies and details others might overlook.

The only reason he showed such respect for Yu Xiaogang was due to the latter's assistance in choosing his third soul ring, as well as honoring the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Even though Yu Xiaogang had been "expelled," he was still the son of the sect leader.

"What's going on?" someone in the audience shouted, confused.

'Ah, it seems he's decided to end the show,' the Dean thought

Back to the Fighting Area

Tenshin stood at the edge of the arena, calm and composed, while Tang San lay outside the ring, sprawled on the ground. To understand how this happened, we need to rewind a few moments.

Flashback: Some Moments Ago

Tenshin was entangled in Tang San's Blue Silver Grass, and Tang San, kneeling in the corner of the arena, was panting heavily, grimacing in pain.

'Shit, I almost lost to him. That would've been a disgrace to me and to Master. We both underestimated Tenshin these last two years,' Tang San thought, anger and humiliation boiling in his chest.

Breathing deeply, he struggled to rise. That last blow really hurt, he mentally sneered at himself.

As Tang San stood, he began his monologue, still catching his breath. "You defeated me just now... Even though I don't want to admit it, I never expected you to fight this hard. But—"

'Tch, seriously? A monologue from a low-class villain?' Tenshin thought sarcastically. His expression was tired, but his effort to maintain it was evident. 'If I had known I was about to be subjected to a villain speech, I would've given up right then and there. Never thought I'd be the target of one of those...' He sighed internally. 'I hope this ends quickly.'

Tenshin then focused his mind, scanning his body's condition. 'The poison from Tang San's martial soul is potent… but due to the conflict between the innate attributes of the Blue Silver Grass and the poison soul ring, it's weaker than it should be. The Blue Silver Grass isn't functioning at full capacity either. Only the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline allows it to function properly.'

The reason Tenshin was going through all this effort was to stay under the radar. Over the last two years, he had meticulously avoided attention, and it had worked. However, if he continued to remain too passive for another four years, someone would inevitably notice the inconsistency in his behavior. Staying low-profile could end up having the opposite effect of what he intended.

So, from the start of the match, he allowed Tang San's poison to seep into his body. But Tenshin was not careless. He controlled the intensity and quantity of the poison with his soul power, ensuring that if anyone examined him, they would believe he was seriously poisoned. This would make it seem like he won by luck, and that if he had delayed a few moments longer, he would have lost, thus solidifying the image of someone with slightly above-average, but still average, strength.

Just as Tang San lost his concentration and balance, still reeling from the impact of Tenshin's last strike, the opportunity arrived.

'Now!'

In that instant, the form of Tenshin trapped in the Blue Silver Grass rippled, revealing it was only one half of the wooden spear Tenshin had discarded earlier. Before Tang San could react, it was already too late.

The real Tenshin appeared behind him in the blink of an eye. With a swift motion, he shoved Tang San out of the arena.

"What's going on?!" someone in the audience shouted in disbelief.

Flashback Ends

Tenshin's voice echoed across the venue. "Tang San, you've lost!"

The familiar sound of wind breaking swept through the arena once more. "Winner! Tenshin!"

The academy's referee stepped into the competition area, raising his voice to announce the final result to the crowd.

"Good!"

"Very good!"

"Tang San's movements and combat skills are impressive, but when facing Tenshin, he's lacking in several key areas."

"Tang San lost much of his mobility on the right side from Tenshin's strikes. Against an opponent like him—who only suffered minor injuries—the outcome was inevitable."

"No matter what, Tenshin wins."

The audience nodded in agreement, their gazes shifting toward Tenshin.

Moments later, Tenshin collapsed in the arena, and several teachers rushed to assist him, including a healing soul master.

Meanwhile, the Dean, accompanied by Yu Xiaogang, approached Tang San, who was also being treated by another healer.

"How is Xiaosan?" Yu Xiaogang asked anxiously.

"He's fine," the healing soul master replied. "Tang San only has a few bruises, thanks to Tenshin using only a training spear; otherwise, his injuries would have been more severe. However, he will need to rest because of the strain on his soul power—he should be awake by tomorrow."

The Dean patted Yu Xiaogang on the shoulder, trying to reassure him.

"See, Xiaogang? He'll be fine. There's nothing to worry about." He paused before adding, "Now, I'm going to check on Tenshin."

Turning to the healer tending Tenshin, the Dean asked, "How is he? What happened?"

"He's stable," the healing soul master answered gravely. "His soul power is nearly depleted, and he's sustained some internal damage. It appears Tang San's attacks were more severe than they seemed—especially since Blue Silver Grass carries a potent poison."

The healing soul master continued, "I'll take Tenshin to the infirmary; there should be an antidote there. He'll likely wake up in a week."

As the healer carried Tenshin away, the Dean turned back to Yu Xiaogang, whose gaze remained fixed on the retreating figure of the wounded boy. His expression was difficult to read.

The Dean's voice broke the silence. "Would you like to say something?"

Yu Xiaogang looked at him, his eyes flickering with complex emotions. "What do you think... should we talk about Tenshin?"

'Now, what nonsense is he going to tell me and use as a basis for some unreasonable request?' the Dean thought wearily, keeping his face neutral.