Chapter 19: Hu Liena Defeated, the Seeds of Jealousy Sown

"Does this even count as arrogance?"

Tang Niannian turned slightly, deliberately dodging Hu Liena's spirit ability attack. She grabbed Hu Liena's arm and, with a fluid, seamless motion, swung her away. Hu Liena's second spirit ability seemed to have no effect on her whatsoever.

"How is this possible..."

Hu Liena herself was stunned. With a difference of less than five levels in spirit power, why did her Fox Charm have no impact on Niannian at all?

Deeply shocked, Hu Liena realized she could no longer underestimate Tang Niannian. She quickly retracted her strength, steadied herself, and landed at the edge of the arena, barely managing to avoid being thrown off entirely.

Tang Niannian did not give her a chance to react. Almost at the same moment Hu Liena steadied her footing, the Yata Soul-Binding Mirror that Tang Niannian had tossed into the air earlier suddenly hovered directly above Hu Liena’s head.

Just as Hu Liena prepared to launch a second attack, her steps faltered. Her body suddenly became incredibly heavy, so much so that with a slight tilt, she was forced to her knees on the ground!

"What?!"

What was happening? A flicker of terror crossed Hu Liena’s eyes. This immense pressure... could this level of pressure really be released by a Great Spirit Master? Hu Liena could not believe it.

However, she did not know that the Yata Soul-Binding Mirror hovering above her was capable of instantly suppressing any spirit essence of a quality lower than "God-Given." Except for some rare circumstances, the pressure it exerted had a nearly one hundred percent success rate against spirit masters of the same rank. While this pressure might not seem overwhelming to high-level masters, to those of the same or lower rank, it was a nightmare—a nightmare from which there was no escape.

Like Hu Liena now, even though she was filled with reluctance, she had no choice but to concede.

As soon as Hu Liena admitted defeat, the students watching from the sidelines began to complain. At least eighty percent of them had bet on Hu Liena, and they felt cheated. How could it end so quickly? Had Hu Liena really chosen to concede? Were they not being swindled? They did not understand the unique nature of Tang Niannian’s spirit, so misunderstandings were inevitable. Yet, because Hu Liena was the Pope's personal disciple, they dared not voice their frustrations openly, only whispering behind her back.

Yan, who had not expected Hu Liena to lose, stepped forward to comfort her, but was sharply rebuked. Feeling bitter, he immediately went to stir up trouble for Tang Niannian. Tang Niannian had no patience for such a sycophant; she deliberately activated her second spirit ability, waiting for Yan to attack.

Yan charged over aggressively. Although he managed to shatter the barrier around Tang Niannian, he was struck by the rebounding force of the breakage, leaving several bloody gashes on his body. He arrived with great momentum, only to return in complete disgrace.

It was then that the students of the Spirit Hall Academy realized just how terrifying Tang Niannian’s strength truly was. She had severely injured Yan, a fellow Great Spirit Master, without even moving a muscle. She was truly worthy of being personally praised by the Pope; she was indeed extraordinary. Once they understood the extent of her power, most of them stopped bad-mouthing Hu Liena, though this defeat planted a seed of "jealousy" in Hu Liena's heart.

*

Fasno Province, Nuoding City, outside the Nuoding Junior Spirit Master Academy.

Zhou Yang had been waiting at a tea stall with several men for quite some time. It wasn't until the weather took a sudden turn and rain began to fall that he finally saw the long-awaited figure.

"Miss Tang!" Zhou Yang walked over with an umbrella.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Uncle Zhou."

After leaving the Spirit Academy, Tang Niannian had the system teleport her to Nuoding City. Today was the day she had arranged to meet Zhou Yang. For the past year, she had been busy studying theoretical knowledge at the Spirit Hall and hadn't paid much attention to affairs in Nuoding City. Now that she finally had some time, she had been waylaid by Hu Liena and the others, but fortunately, for once, Guang Ling hadn't followed her, giving her a chance to go out alone.

"You're too kind, Miss Tang."

After seating Tang Niannian in the tea stall, Zhou Yang got straight to the point. He took out an account book and placed it before her. "Miss Tang, these are the expenses for the Beggar Gang over the past year. Many more people have joined this year, so the costs will only increase. Should we consider raising the threshold for entry?"

Tang Niannian flipped through it casually and took a sip of tea. "No need, keep it as is."

This was one of her ways to spend money; she didn't mind supporting a hundred people, let alone ten thousand. However, Nuoding City was too small; she needed to expand into Tiandou City and the Star Luo Empire.

"How is the progress on the land purchase in Tiandou City that I mentioned last time?" Tang Niannian asked.

At the mention of this, Zhou Yang’s expression soured. He said with difficulty, "Miss Tang, money alone isn't enough to get things done there. I'm afraid we need a noble to act as a connection to make it happen smoothly."

Hearing this, Tang Niannian realized Zhou Yang had hit a wall. It was her fault; she should have anticipated this.

"It's fine, there's no rush. Waiting a little longer is also acceptable." Tang Niannian pushed the account book back to Zhou Yang and said thoughtfully, "Come to think of it, didn't I have them keep an eye on Xiao Wu? Why haven't I received any news recently?"

"Oh, about that, I was just about to tell you!" Zhou Yang put away the account book, took a large gulp of tea, and frowned. "It's a kid named Tang San. He discovered our people were following Xiao Wu and injured most of them. Several are still bedridden!"

Speaking of Tang San, Zhou Yang was filled with indignation. "Even when our men tried to explain, he wouldn't listen, only saying that if we continued to follow Xiao Wu, he would kill us. Miss Tang, since you're here today, shouldn't we teach that arrogant brat a lesson?"

"..."

Listening to Zhou Yang’s disgruntled tone, Tang Niannian couldn't help but cover her face. She let out a deep sigh and gestured for Zhou Yang to stop. Zhou Yang fell silent.

"I will handle that Tang San," Tang Niannian said in a low voice. She had forgotten that Tang San was also a transmigrator.

"Take some money to take care of the injured and provide them with a subsidy."

After giving her instructions, Tang Niannian waited at the tea stall for Xiao Wu and Tang San. The heavy rain lasted for a while before stopping, and once it cleared, it was time for school to let out at Nuoding Academy. Tang San went out to work at a smithy every day after school to earn his living expenses, and Xiao Wu was usually with him. Tang Niannian didn't have to wait long before those two familiar figures appeared.

As expected, the protagonists are protagonists; even if they weren't in the same grade, they would always cross paths.

At this moment, the system suddenly spoke up: [That is because the working students at Nuoding Academy are assigned to the same dormitory regardless of their grade, Host.]

"..."

Fine, she hadn't been reading the novel carefully enough.

"Niannian?"