As Tang San walked through the Tang Sect, perhaps because it was already nighttime, he didn't encounter anyone along the way.
In front of the Scripture Pavilion, Tang San hesitated for a moment. Not finding any guards, he cautiously pushed open the slightly ajar door and slipped inside.
In a daze, he found himself on the top floor of the pavilion, standing in front of a special chest.
Everything had gone smoother than expected, almost as if everything here had been prepared just for him.
While his mind was still processing, his hands instinctively bypassed the mechanisms on the chest and opened it. Inside, a few books lay quietly, making his heart beat a little faster.
But as his eyes fell on the writing in the books, he froze.
Familiar memories rushed back to his mind, and all his memories were fully restored.
He picked up the books, looking nostalgically at the surrounding architecture, though some details had already become a bit blurry.
"Am I dreaming? Have I forgotten so many things?"
His expression turned bitter, but instead of wandering around, he chose to sit down on the spot.
He caressed the now slightly faded books, the absolute secret of the Tang Sect, and inexplicably felt the urge to revisit these Tang Sect teachings.
"Oh well, maybe I'm just too tired today. I'll just go with the flow."
Tang San was no stranger to sudden whims. In his view, this dream might be due to his unsettled mind.
Since that was the case, he decided to follow his heart. After all, he did miss those days—excluding his father and Xiao Wu—it was the happiest time of his life.
With a calm mind, Tang San began to flip through the pages, engrossed in reading. Even though he already knew the content by heart, he was fully immersed in it.
Of course, Han Li was also watching intently from the side. Though he didn't immediately understand some of the content, he wasn't in a hurry. With his tool right in front of him, if he couldn't learn it, he might as well hit himself with a brick.
Moreover, this was like getting a free ticket to a good show—what was there to be dissatisfied with?
And so, one person reminisced, while the other copied; they didn't disturb each other, and it was quite amusing.
After recording everything, Han Li didn't deliberately guide the dream but let Tang San take the lead, allowing him to outline the Tang Sect from his memories.
Under Tang San's subconscious control, the scenes in the illusion started to rapidly shift.
First, inexplicably, Tang San caught Tang Da's attention, and then, in the illusion, he began to sweep through everything in his path, passing five gates and slaying six generals, becoming the first person in Tang Sect history to ascend from an outer disciple to an inner disciple.
"So in his subconscious, he's still the protagonist of a power fantasy novel?"
Han Li found it amusing but understandable. After all, this was Tang San's dream, where he could naturally do as he pleased.
While Han Li observed Tang San with great interest, he didn't forget to record all of Tang San's cultivation routes and techniques, which Tang San displayed unexpectedly smoothly.
The reason, of course, was that our power fantasy protagonist, Tang San, exhibited extremely high talent throughout the process.
Whether it was facing off in competitions, guiding fellow disciples with less aptitude, or caring for everyone equally with a heart full of love—he embodied all the shining qualities of a perfect protagonist.
Tang San's performance in the illusion was so strong that even Han Li couldn't help but twitch at the corners of his mouth. He was just too strong.
If this were the real world, Han Li would try to make connections with him. Unfortunately, there was no "if."
"There's nothing more worth watching here—blacksmithing and making hidden weapons are just a waste of time for me."
Having gotten everything he wanted, Han Li decided not to continue watching this sci-fi drama starring Tang San.
"Since I'm here, it wouldn't be right not to leave a gift."
Han Li smirked and immediately interfered with the illusion.
Suddenly, Tang San, who thought he was still in a dream, was stunned. One moment, he was at the ceremony for becoming a personal disciple, and the next, he was standing atop Hell's Peak.
The white robe he had been wearing was now gray, and as the chilly mountain wind blew, a biting cold spread through his body.
Seeing the surroundings, Tang San lowered his head, the warm smile on his face disappearing, his hands clenched tightly with veins bulging.
"Even in a dream, I can't escape this? I'm no longer who I was, so why am I being brought back to this moment?"
Tang San suddenly raised his head, his face contorted with rage. This was something he never wanted to mention to anyone, not even to Xiao Wu.
If he had died when he jumped off Hell's Peak back then, there wouldn't have been any problem. But he could say he died, and he could say he didn't—he had been given a new life.
In the past, he always identified as a successor of the Tang Sect, at least in his heart. He even planned to rebuild the Tang Sect.
But this dream, which had been so beautiful until now, suddenly tore open his heart, starkly reminding him that even in a different world and a new life, he was still that outer disciple of the Tang Sect, still the thief of the sect.
This was something he couldn't accept.
"Tang San, how dare you steal the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record from our sect? Your crimes are unforgivable."
"Tang San, the Tang Sect raised you, taught you skills, yet you committed such an unspeakable crime..."
As he remained silent, these voices kept growing louder in his mind, and the faces kept expanding.
Soon, the exact same scene from his memory appeared—the dozen Tang Sect elders had surrounded him.
"Is this really what you all think of me?"
Tang San stared intensely at the Tang Sect elders before him and made a choice completely different from before.
"How dare you, Tang San! You traitor, steeped in sin! You still refuse to repent and dare to argue?"
One of the elders stepped forward, showing no intention of responding to his words, and scolded him harshly.
"Shut up."
As the elder yelled, an inexplicable anger rose within Tang San. This was his dream, so why should he be scolded? The elders seemed startled by his action and stopped their verbal attacks.
"Have any of you ever seen an outer disciple create a Buddha Fury Tang Lotus that's unmatched in the world? Can you do it? Can you? Or maybe you?"
Tang San arrogantly looked down at the elders, finally expressing what he had long wanted to say, thanks to the dream.
"It was your unreasonable rules that denied me, an adopted child, the chance to become an inner disciple, while a bunch of good-for-nothings could easily learn things I couldn't just because of their birth."
"I didn't steal; I took what should have been mine."
"You could have applied for it. The sect doesn't reject geniuses, but you..." An elder sighed and continued, "Taking without permission is theft. No matter how you dress it up, it's still stealing."
"Stealing? Who can prove that? If you all die, no one will be left to prove anything."
A strange smile crossed Tang San's face as he pulled out the Buddha Fury Tang Lotus from his robe. Today, he would take this chance to eliminate his inner demons.
"Get out of the way!"
As shouts of alarm rang out, Tang San threw the Buddha Fury Tang Lotus, but then his smile froze.
The cries of alarm did indeed come from the elders, but the scene that followed was completely different. They only shouted, but their feet remained rooted to the ground, without even a change in expression. It was as if their voices and bodies had been severed from each other.
The Buddha Fury Tang Lotus that Tang San had thrown quickly fell among them, but instead of exploding, it merely released a puff of black smoke and then went completely silent.
"Pfft."
Another sound rang out, but this time it wasn't from the Buddha Fury Tang Lotus; it was the sound of one of the elders chuckling.
"This... this is impossible."
Tang San shouted in disbelief, though his eyes revealed a hint of confusion.
Unable to accept what had happened, Tang San frantically reached into his robe, pulling out the remaining two Buddha Fury Tang Lotuses and hurling them into the crowd.
The last one must have had damp gunpowder, it must have! Tang San screamed internally, his eyes fixed on the two Lotuses flying toward the crowd.
This time, it would work.
"Get out of the way!"
The familiar shouts echoed again, but the elders still made no move to escape.
The scene repeated itself. With another puff, the two even more dazzling Buddha Fury Tang Lotuses failed just like the first.
"Pfft."
This time, even more stifled laughter emerged from the crowd.
"Shut up, all of you! No laughing allowed!"
Standing there, Tang San was on the verge of madness. His eyes were bloodshot, his breathing heavy, and he looked ready to devour someone.
"This is impossible! This can't be happening."
Tang San no longer had any thoughts of eliminating his inner demons; instead, he rushed madly toward the three Buddha Fury Tang Lotuses lying on the ground.
These were his proudest creations—how could they possibly malfunction?
He knelt and cradled one in his hands, beginning to inspect it.
Nothing wrong here, and nothing wrong there either.
Following the steps in the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record, Tang San verified everything. But the more he checked, the more frantic he became.
Everything was correct, so why didn't they explode?
"Did you find anything wrong?"
A familiar voice snapped Tang San back to reality.
"No."
He answered instinctively and turned to see that Master Tang Lan had somehow appeared in front of the elders.
"Then that proves that you never created a real Buddha Fury Tang Lotus."
Master Tang Lan's tone was calm, but it felt like a sharp blade piercing Tang San's heart.
"I never created a real Buddha Fury Tang Lotus?"
Tang San stared at the metal lotus in his hands, feeling his heart grow cold.
"That's right. You never made a real Buddha Fury Tang Lotus. These three flashy toys are just an excuse to cover up your actions, a fantasy of a gambler and a thief."
"Isn't that right, Tang San?"
Master Tang Lan's voice echoed again, but to Tang San, it was as cold as the mountain wind.
"No, that's not true! I did make the Buddha Fury Tang Lotus, exactly as described in the records. This is proof! You can inspect them."
Tang San, nearly hysterical, clutched the metal lotus tightly.
"There's no need. Haven't you already proven it to us?"
A voice from the crowd coldly cut in, shattering Tang San's last line of defense.
He wanted to see who was speaking, but all he saw were elders with identical expressions.