What?! The first prize is the complete technology for the Fixed Soul Cannon?!
As the live stream displayed the list of rewards, shock rippled through the audience. Those watching could scarcely believe their eyes, but that disbelief soon turned into uncontainable excitement.
For support-type spirit masters like Ning Fengzhi, this prize held particular allure. Their primary weakness was their lack of combat ability, leaving them dependent on battle-type spirit masters for protection. However acquiring the technology to create Fixed Soul Cannons could change that dynamic drastically, providing a means to bolster their defenses and even fight back.
Lin Yu, too, couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation when he saw the reward. The technology for creating the Fixed Soul Cannon... He knew it had immense potential. Like the profit he could generate from his medicinal pill ventures, mastering this technology could provide his fledgling organization with another lucrative revenue stream.
Yet, while he had a strong desire for the prize, he didn't immediately know the answer. That is, until a moment later when the knowledge was transmitted to him by his Taiching avatar stationed within the Spirit Hall.
Without hesitation, Lin Yu input his response into the system:
[Lin Yu: The inventor of the Fixed Soul Cannon, as shown in the live stream, is Disra.]
Thanks to his special privileges as the system's host, Lin Yu's answer was the first to appear on the virtual screen.
After he sent in his response, however, there was a noticeable pause. No other answers immediately followed. The reason was simple: the knowledge of who invented the Fixed Soul Cannon had long been lost to time. No records of such technology remained in circulation across the Douluo Continent.
The mystery of why such a powerful weapon had vanished from history was suddenly clear—there were no longer any books or writings that even hinted at the existence of Fixed Soul Cannons.
Of course, this scarcity didn't apply to everyone. Some entities, like the Spirit Hall, had preserved such rare knowledge, buried deep within their archives. This was precisely how Lin Yu's Taiching avatar had access to the answer.
It wasn't until half a minute later that a second response flashed onto the screen. This time, it came from a Spirit Hall disciple. After that, a third response appeared, submitted by a disciple from the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan, followed by answers from the Star Luo Empire, the Heaven Dou Empire, and the Duke of Netherworld's faction.
Beyond these, however, there were no more responses. The question proved too difficult for most, as knowledge of ancient soul tool technology had been nearly obliterated, possibly due to a deliberate effort to destroy such records. Without the proper texts, no one else dared to risk a random guess, fearing the livestream's infamous penalties.
After three more minutes, with no new answers forthcoming, the system proceeded to announce the results.
[System Announcement: Lin Yu's answer: 'The inventor of the Fixed Soul Cannon is Disra'—Correct! Reward: Complete Technical Blueprint for the Fixed Soul Cannon. Distributed!]
[System Announcement: Spirit Hall - Xie Rao's answer: 'The inventor of the Fixed Soul Cannon is Disra'—Correct! Reward: One random low-level cultivation technique. Distributed!]
With the system's declaration, blood-red text blazed across everyone's vision. The chilling, mechanical voice echoed in the virtual space.
Only two people got the answer right this time.
Surprise swept through the livestream audience as the truth of the system's message sank in. The fact that so few had correctly answered the question revealed just how obscure this knowledge truly was. And if so many had failed, that meant there would be consequences—painful ones.
Their suspicions were quickly confirmed as the system's voice transitioned from announcing rewards to delivering the punishments:
[System Announcement: Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan - Lin Shi: 'The inventor of the Fixed Soul Cannon is Fang Yingxing'—Incorrect! Penalty: Loss of third spirit ring!]
[System Announcement: Heaven Dou Empire - Soran: 'The inventor of the Fixed Soul Cannon is Elaro'—Incorrect! Penalty: Loss of fourth spirit ring!]
One by one, the list of incorrect answers was read aloud, with punishments meted out for each wrong guess.
While most spectators winced at the system's harshness, Lin Yu, safe within the halls of the Dugu Mansion, couldn't suppress a smirk. He knew all too well what lay in store for Tang San and Yu Xiaogang in the Slaughter City.
Through the spiritual mark he'd placed on Tang San, Lin Yu had watched their desperate flight from Bibi Dong and subsequent refuge in the city of killers. He'd even witnessed Tang Hao's self-sacrifice to buy his son time to escape, an act that Lin Yu found rather pathetic. He knew that with the younger Tang San's limited power, their time in Slaughter City would be anything but easy.
After all, Lin Yu thought to himself, the Tang San of ten years from now came to Slaughter City to obtain the Slaughter God Domain. But this version of him? He's only here as a last resort to escape his pursuers.
The irony of their situation was not lost on him. Far from a noble quest, Tang San and Yu Xiaogang's time in Slaughter City had already devolved into a desperate struggle for survival—culminating in their brutal mugging by the infamous gang known as the Vile Five. Lin Yu had to stifle a laugh when he learned that after Tang San was beaten senseless, Yu Xiaogang, in a pathetic bid to protect his disciple, ended up... well, thoroughly humiliated in his own right.
Recalling the scene through his mental link, Lin Yu couldn't resist adding fuel to the fire:
[Lin Yu: Haha, @TangSan, @YuXiaogang, it's truly surprising how resilient you two are. Tang Hao's gone, but you're both still alive?]
[Don't fool yourselves. Slaughter City isn't a place where the weak survive for long. With your current strength, I doubt you'll last much longer there.]
[You haven't met your end yet, have you? Because that would be quite the relief for the rest of us on the continent—two less headaches to worry about!]
Meanwhile, in a dark alley within Slaughter City, Tang San and Yu Xiaogang sat slumped against a wall, nursing their injuries. As Lin Yu's taunts echoed through the livestream, both of them clenched their fists in anger.
Though their lives had indeed become a daily struggle in the city of killers, they were far from beaten yet. For Lin Yu to mock their hardships like this, to taunt them with death, only served to stoke the flames of their resentment.
Yu Xiaogang, his face contorted with indignation, typed his reply:
[Yu Xiaogang (angry): Hmph! Don't be too confident, Lin Yu. Both Tang San and I are still here, and I swore to Tang Hao that I'd look after his son. No matter what, I'll keep him safe!]
Lin Yu's response came back almost instantly, dripping with amusement:
[Lin Yu: You, protect Tang San? Are you sure it's not the other way around? What are you planning to protect him with, exactly—your backside?]
His laughter echoed in the void, and those watching couldn't help but feel the sting of the cruel joke. Lin Yu's words cut deep, but in the world of Douluo, where power dictated survival, there was little room for pity.