Doulou Dalu 32

Here's a revised version of your chapter wit

"Bang!"

The elder of the Inner Court slammed the table in anger before leaping down from the stands. His palm struck toward Lin Fan with immense force.

"You demon! You are not a disciple of my Haotian Sect!" he roared.

The oppressive aura of a level 78 Soul Sage weighed heavily on Lin Fan, making it hard for him to breathe. Sensing the imminent danger, he instinctively prepared to dodge, but just as he was about to move, a figure stepped in front of him.

"Stop! What do you think you're doing?!" Tang Yiran shouted, standing protectively in front of Lin Fan.

The Inner Court elder hesitated, his eyes narrowing as he studied Tang Yiran. Even though he halted his attack, his tone remained harsh.

"Yanran, didn't you notice? The techniques he used in this battle—none of them belong to our sect! Each move had the power of a ten-thousand-year soul skill, but he is just a teenager at level thirty-two. How could he possibly wield such techniques?"

Tang Xiao, the acting sect master, frowned deeply. His eyes swept over the injured disciples lying on the ground. With a swift gesture, he signaled for the other elders to take them away for treatment. Then, with a flash, he appeared on the stage.

Seeing his older brother take action, Tang Hao stepped forward as well.

Lin Fan had never met Tang Hao's elder brother, Tang Xiao, before. He immediately noticed the difference between the two. Unlike Tang Hao's imposing and domineering presence, Tang Xiao seemed composed and steady. According to what Lin Fan knew from the original story, Tang Xiao had never attained the Slaughter God Domain and was weaker than Tang Hao, but he was the one overseeing the sect's affairs while their father remained in seclusion.

Tang Xiao's sharp gaze locked onto Lin Fan.

"Boy, who exactly are you? Release both of your martial spirits." His voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority.

Lin Fan took a deep breath and nodded. He stretched out his hands, summoning his first martial spirit—the Purple Flame Tiger—and then his second, the Shadow Battle Axe.

A murmur rippled through the crowd.

"His second martial spirit actually has a ten-thousand-year soul skill?" Tang Xiao muttered in shock before his expression hardened. "Even so, explain yourself. You used a strange ability just now—your aura briefly skyrocketed, almost reaching the level of a Soul King or even close to a Soul Emperor. But now, that power has vanished. What is going on?"

Lin Fan met Tang Xiao's gaze and spoke calmly. "Sect Master, what I used just now was a secret technique. It comes at a great cost to my body, but in that situation, I had no choice. I needed to win."

Tang Xiao's eyes narrowed. "A secret technique? And what about your absurd speed, your teleportation, and that flamethrower ability? Where did you learn them?"

Lin Fan hesitated for a moment before answering, "They are soul techniques as well. Although they are not as powerful as ten-thousand-year soul skills without the right soul rings, they do not require spirit rings to be activated. My teleportation ability, for example, only enhances my speed for a short duration."

Tang Hao suddenly spoke up.

"What Xiaofan said is not unreasonable. Not all techniques require soul rings. Our Haotian Sect's Chaos Cloak Hammer Technique and Haotian Nine Absolutes do not require rings either, yet they are just as powerful as ten-thousand-year soul skills."

Tang Xiao nodded slightly, acknowledging the logic. However, his suspicions remained.

"That may be true," Tang Xiao said, his tone sharp, "but those techniques have been passed down in our sect for generations. You, however, are a teenager with unknown origins. Where did you learn these moves?"

Lin Fan lowered his gaze slightly before responding, "I'm sorry, Sect Master. I swore to my master that I would never reveal these secrets to anyone."

This was a lie, of course—he had no master. But in martial arts novels from his past life, the protagonist always said something similar when questioned about their techniques. He was simply following their example.

Tang Yiran turned to his brother.

"Big Brother, I know a bit about Xiaofan's past. He has secrets, but not ones that pose a threat to our sect. Please don't press him any further."

However, the Inner Court elder was not convinced.

"The origins of his skills are unknown," the elder accused. "For all we know, he was sent by the Demon Sect to infiltrate us!"

"That's impossible," Tang Hao interjected firmly. "He is only fourteen years old. Before I brought him here, he was merely a disciple of Spirit Hall."

The elder scoffed. "Exactly! That only proves that Spirit Hall deliberately planted him here! The kind of techniques he used today—only a Titled Douluo could have created them!"

"Enough!" Tang Hao's deep voice silenced the elder instantly. "If I hadn't saved him that day, he would have died at the hands of Spirit Hall. He has even killed a Demon Sect elder before. Yi Ning and her disciples can all testify to that."

Tang Yiran nodded. "Yes, Big Brother, Second Brother knows everything about this, and so do my other three disciples."

Tang Xiao studied his younger brother's face before exhaling slowly. Tang Hao rarely spoke up for anyone, yet he was openly defending Lin Fan. It was clear that he trusted the boy.

After a long pause, Tang Xiao finally stroked his beard and smiled slightly.

"Fine. Since you are neither from the Demon Sect nor Spirit Hall, I will not press further. You are indeed young and talented. Earlier, if you had used your axe again, Tang Long and Tang Feng would have died on the stage. But you held back. That proves you have discipline. In that case, you win. These four spots are yours."

Lin Fan immediately bowed. "Thank you, Sect Master."

At that moment, a familiar voice called out.

"Xiaofan!"

Liu Erlong and Ye Keke ran onto the stage. Liu Erlong grabbed his hand excitedly.

"You did it! I can't believe we actually won against three Soul Kings! You're amazing!" Then she paused and examined him. "Wait, are you hurt?"

Lin Fan smiled slightly. "I'm fine. Just a little drained."

Liu Erlong and Tang Yiran helped him to the stands, while Ye Keke began treating his minor injuries and replenishing his soul power. The crowd slowly dispersed, though many of the Haotian Sect's direct disciples now looked at Lin Fan with a mix of awe and fear.

Just as he was recovering, three figures approached him.

Two men and a tall, red-haired woman.

The woman stepped forward first, looking down at Lin Fan with a smirk.

"Not bad. I didn't expect you to actually beat Tang Long and the others. Well, congratulations—you're my teammate now."

Lin Fan looked up at her and was momentarily taken aback. She was incredibly tall—at least 1.8 meters—with long, straight legs and a striking figure. She reminded him of the supermodels he had seen in his past life.

Tang Yiran's eyes lit up with admiration. "Xiaofan, let me introduce you. This is Tang Huo'er, the captain of Haotian Sect's Golden Generation and the number one talent in our Inner Court."

Lin Fan quickly straightened up. "Senior Sister, it's an honor. I only won by luck—I hope I won't slow you down."

Tang Huo'er chuckled. "Oh, don't worry. Compared to those four losers, you're already a huge improvement."

Lin Fan was stunned. "Wait… you mean Tang Long and the others? Three Soul Kings?!"

Tang Yiran nodded. "Huo'er led Haotian Sect to second place in last year's tournament. She even forced Bibi Dong to exhaust her soul power in a one-on-one fight."

Tang Huo'er clenched her fists. "That was last year. This time, I'll defeat her."

Lin Fan smiled.

"This year is going to be interesting."