115: Chapter 115 Tide Technique

Tang Long had just stepped out of the teaching building when he received a message from Lv Yang.

"Lu Pingan has been found. But it was a bit late; he couldn't be saved."

Tang Long frowned deeply.

His luck today seemed rather poor; nothing good had happened since he woke up this morning.

In fact, his attempt to condense the Gold Spirit Ring had also failed. The difficulty of the fifth Spirit Ring seemed to have jumped significantly, producing a very powerful Spirit Blast from the very beginning.

He barely withstood two impacts before realizing his health was far from enough, so he had no choice but to give up.

He didn't care about the bratty kids' opinions, and he didn't really care much about the life or death of an old man he wasn't close with.

But it did indeed affect his mood.

"Old Lv, I handled Shang Yuqing for you. This is the first time I've asked you for a favor, and you're being this unreliable?"

Lv Yang replied, "This... I truly apologize, Your Excellency. But as you know, with the beast tide being so massive, I simply couldn't spare any attention elsewhere. Lu Pingan was heavily injured in the tide and hid in a deep cavern; my subordinates did their absolute best."

"Has the body been brought back?"

"It's back. If you need it, a car will deliver it to the school gate within ten minutes."

"Then send it over. Let Xiaohu say his goodbyes," Tang Long said as he walked toward the second-year teaching building.

A minute later, Lv Yang sent another message.

"Your Excellency, there's one more thing. I received word that someone posted a bounty on you in the black market last night for three hundred thousand."

Tang Long immediately asked, "Blasphemers?"

"It doesn't seem like them. Based on my investigation, the bounty was posted by the Hot-Blooded Gang. Three assassins took the job: two at the seventh stage and one at the eighth. Just ordinary desperadoes with no significant background."

"Given the last lesson, if it were the Blasphemers, they shouldn't be sending people this weak again."

"Furthermore, last night, your classmate Wei Lin happened to visit the Hot-Blooded Mansion."

Tang Long narrowed his eyes and replied, "That's actually good news. I'm currently in the mood to kill someone."

Lv Yang replied quickly, "I thought as much, so I haven't moved against those three yet. I'll send you their information immediately. However, Your Excellency, I hope you won't touch Fei Shan or Wei Lin."

Tang Long sneered, "Old Lv, don't be so hypocritical. Telling me all this—isn't it because you want me to deal with them?"

"I want them to suffer, but I don't want them dying by your hand—at least not for now. These are extraordinary times, and Song City needs stability."

Tang Long thought for a moment. "I can hold off on killing them for now, but not retaliating is impossible."

Lv Yang responded, "By the way, Your Excellency, the banquet is tomorrow evening. I will send a car to pick you up then."

No objection meant agreement.

By now, Tang Long saw Lu Xiaohu walking over, so he put away his phone and waved to him.

Lu Xiaohu had a bruised eye socket and a badly swollen lip. He started complaining the moment they met.

"Brother Tang, do I really have to learn from that Mad Dog? That guy is a total lunatic, and the stuff he teaches is a mess. I can't see how he's anywhere near as good as you..."

Tang Long sighed and patted the boy's head. "Xiaohu, your grandfather has been found."

"Where?"

Tang Long sighed heavily. "He didn't make it through the beast tide. In a few minutes, someone will bring his body over."

The excitement Lu Xiaohu had felt moments ago vanished instantly. He stood there speechless, stunned for a long while before silently nodding.

A few minutes later, the two went outside the school gate and saw Lu Pingan's body inside a medical vehicle.

Tang Long merely watched from a few steps away. Lu Xiaohu boarded the vehicle, but he didn't wail. Instead, he leaned over his grandfather's body and murmured something, appearing to be praying for him.

Perhaps children who grow up in such a cruel environment are simply more mature.

After seeing Lu Pingan off, Lu Xiaohu said nothing and went to a corner of the campus to stare blankly into space alone.

Tang Long didn't disturb him while he licked his wounds, returning to the library as usual.

Elder Zheng wasn't there today, and Miao Manman hadn't come either; Tang Long was alone in the library.

After Lv Yang sent the information, he considered it briefly and first sent a message to Mad Dog.

Then, he quietly looked for some books regarding Ye Baiqiao, intending to gain a more detailed understanding of this legend of the Dongyu Kingdom.

He realized that although he knew much about the future, his knowledge of Ye Baiqiao wasn't that deep.

For instance, what was Ye Baiqiao's greatest secret that Mad Dog had mentioned earlier?

In the game, the weapon Ye Baiqiao used when he appeared was a sword, and his Spirit Map was called the Guizang Sword Map. In battle, the sky would be filled with sword light.

Within his Huagai Realm, a God-Slaying Sword was nurtured, which even severed a hand from a Alien God.

As a God-Vessel, he could host the descent of the Yuanwu God.

But these abilities were displayed in the 'future.' Whether he possessed such strength now was likely still a question mark.

Books recorded that starting from his time as a student, he spent eight months on Blood Refining, reached Open Origin in a year and a half, and entered the Spirit Map stage seven years later. There were no records at all regarding his encounters or abilities during this period.

Along with his achievements, it was as if they were being deliberately obscured by someone.

While Tang Long was deep in thought, Elder Zheng arrived.

But today, his usually slow pace was somewhat hurried, and he called out to Tang Long immediately upon seeing him.

"It's good that you're here."

"Kid, I'll teach you the Wuque Method I promised you right now. You must learn well; I only have the morning."

Tang Long asked in surprise, "What happened, Elder Zheng?"

"It's the strange beasts again. At the High Priest's personal call, the high-level martial artists in the city will be fully mobilized to hunt down high-level strange beasts in the wild. I have to participate as well."

"What? Is it that serious? Even someone your age has to go to the front lines?"

"Don't mention it. A military fortress was destroyed last night, and a battalion from the Second City Guard Division was wiped out. Another location was also heavily damaged; if a Special Task Force hadn't arrived in time, it likely wouldn't have been spared either. According to survivor reports, more than one Spirit Map-level strange beast appeared. If there are many of those things, the city's defenses will be in peril."

Spirit Map-level BOSSes... they're appearing this early?

While Tang Long was still dazed, Elder Zheng's entire body erupted with spiritual energy, and spiritual light spread out from beneath his feet like layer upon layer of waves.

"Kid, don't just stand there! Feel it carefully."

Tang Long quickly snapped out of it, but facing the surging spiritual light that already covered the entire library, he couldn't help but gasp.

This old man's strength was truly staggering; his Spirit Map had just unfolded—and surely without full effort—yet it was already larger than any Spirit Map he had seen in his past life.

"Kid, sense it well. What do I seem like right now?"

Tang Long answered offhandedly, "You seem like... an ocean."

"You truly are an absolute genius," Elder Zheng immediately praised with a smile. "The technique I practice is called the Tide Art, which is a Water-type Wuque Method. What we call the tide is the breathing of water."

"In terms of attack, it is far less sharp and fierce than the Lightning or Fire types. In terms of defense, it is also far less tough and solid than the Gold or Earth types."

"But with its power, I can proudly say that currently within Song City, no one at the Spirit Map realm can do anything to me. Do you know exactly what makes it special?"

Although Tang Long had some guesses, he still shook his head honestly. "Please enlighten me, Elder."

"Because water seems weak, it is inherently the attribute that inherits the characteristics of the Primal Spirit most strongly. It is very easy to disperse or disrupt, yet the hardest to destroy."

"You can strike water a thousand or ten thousand times with a hammer, but when it settles and regathers, there is still not the slightest loss."

"When the Tide Art is practiced to mastery, one can achieve the Weak Water Indestructible Body!"

"Since Ye Baiqiao passed, no one except the High Priest can kill me. If others fight me, they'll only end up being worn down and exhausted to death. I rely on this ultimate skill to sit firmly among the top three in Song City's Spirit Map realm."

As Elder Zheng spoke, he retracted his Spirit Map, a hint of pride still hard to conceal on his face, and then tossed over a small booklet.

"Hurry up and read it. Strive to memorize it word for word. If there's anything you don't understand, ask immediately."

Tang Long gave his assent and immediately opened the booklet to study it.