Tang San's quests might be relatively easy, with their rewards steadily increasing as his strength grew, but You Chen knew better than to exploit the same target endlessly.
He understood that completing a hundred quests from Tang San now wouldn't match the value of a single quest triggered in the future.
If Tang San were pushed too far now and became unwilling to spar with You Xing, his alternate identity, then quests would only trigger again once their identities clashed openly, forcing the two onto opposing sides. By then, the opportunities to complete early quests would be long lost—a significant loss indeed.
As for the idea of reforming Tang San, or attempting to walk the "good brother" route popular in fanfiction? You Chen had outgrown such naive notions.
In this world, surface-level relationships could shift easily, but any conflict rooted in a person's fundamental nature was far more intractable.
Tang San and "You Xing" were destined to clash because Tang San was Tang Hao's son. As long as that fact remained, Tang San would never relinquish his desire to avenge his father and mother against Spirit Hall.
Unless You Chen was willing to completely sever ties with Spirit Hall, their conflict would never be truly resolved.
But just because You Chen had a low moral baseline didn't mean he had none at all.
The Spirit Hall was more than just an organization. Even without formal statehood, it had essentially become a de facto nation on the Douluo Continent.
For those raised as orphans under Spirit Hall's care, or for families who had fully pledged their allegiance, Spirit Hall wasn't just a power—it was their home.
Having grown up in Spirit City, You Chen had built his life, achievements, and connections within its walls. Naturally, he felt a strong sense of belonging, akin to patriotism, toward the Spirit Hall.
His earlier comments about "leaving Spirit Hall" were akin to emigrating and living in quiet seclusion abroad.
But choosing to stand with Tang San would be equivalent to aiding a foreigner in destroying one's own homeland.
Yes, Spirit Hall had its flaws. It certainly wasn't the embodiment of absolute justice that some fanfiction authors or biased critics painted it to be.
However, this wasn't a matter of right or wrong—it was a matter of allegiance.
Even if You Chen managed to overthrow Bibi Dong and take her place, the internal dynamics of Spirit Hall would remain a matter of Spirit Hall's own affairs. No matter what chaos ensued, one thing would remain constant: the preservation of the Spirit Hall institution.
After all, it was inseparable from his identity.
---
Besides Tang San, You Chen also farmed quests from Yu Xiaogang whenever possible.
However, Yu Xiaogang, being both an old "piece of dried meat" and likely aware of You Chen's potential wrath, triggered far fewer quests than Tang San. Despite You Chen provoking him more frequently, the total number of quests triggered was roughly the same as those involving Tang San.
An unexpected discovery, though, was the existence of "group quests."
This occurred during an incident where Tang San and Yu Xiaogang shared an unusual camaraderie in their animosity toward You Xing. Instead of triggering separate quests for each of them, their animosity merged into a single, larger group quest.
What's more, the rewards didn't diminish from being combined. On the contrary, they stacked and even led to higher-quality rewards.
Unfortunately, You Chen had only triggered one such group quest over the course of the year, leaving him without enough data to investigate this phenomenon further.
---
Quests, however, were not the most important part of the past year.
The key milestones were fully digesting the system rewards and advancing Tang San's transformation into a "devoted lapdog" for Xiao Wu—a plan he dubbed the "Dog Training Program."
So far, this program had gone smoothly, achieving its current phase goals without triggering any excessive reactions from Tang Hao.
Tang San's cultivation, in contrast, lagged significantly compared to the original storyline.
---
One major reason was the promise Tang San had made to repay the hundred Zhuge Crossbows he owed You Chen after losing their initial wager.
To meet this debt, Tang San worked part-time at a blacksmith shop, making at least one Zhuge Crossbow per day.
Second, without Xiao Wu in Dorm Seven, Tang San—reluctant to draw attention to himself or tarnish his "noble" image by pushing tasks onto others—couldn't avoid completing the miscellaneous chores assigned to working students.
Lastly, the biggest obstacle wasn't a matter of hours, but rather the mental toll exacted by You Xing and Xiao Wu's existence.
Time, like money, becomes exponentially more precious when resources are scarce.
For example, a person earning 3,000 gold coins per month would feel the pinch of basic expenses—rent, utilities, and food—far more than someone earning 6,000. The relative amount of disposable income would be disproportionately reduced.
Time worked similarly. After accounting for rest, meals, and studies, the remaining hours were minimal. Each additional task, no matter how small, ate into Tang San's already limited cultivation time.
Over the course of a year, during the crucial early phase of cultivation when progress was typically faster, Tang San had only advanced from level 13 to level 15.
At this pace, whether he could break through to the Spirit Grandmaster level before the three-year deadline remained uncertain, entirely dependent on how much he could push himself.
Tang San also lacked the luxury he would later enjoy at Shrek Academy, where daily meals of spirit beast meat fueled his progress. Pushing himself too hard now would only exacerbate hidden losses in potential.
---
Beyond the developments in Notting City with Tang San and Yu Xiaogang, Bibi Dong's reactions in Spirit City were also worth mentioning.
Although You Chen couldn't see Bibi Dong's expressions, he could easily guess her state of mind.
The "No Entry for Yu Xiaogang and Dogs" sign didn't last long before being ordered removed by the Notting City temple master.
Tang San, mistakenly thinking You Chen had shown him kindness, even paid him an awkward visit to thank him.
Half a month later, Spirit Hall dispatched two additional Yellow-Clad Deacons to the remote Notting City. Oddly, one of them was at the Spirit King level—an unusual choice since Spirit Kings were typically qualified to become Purple-Clad Bishops.
While others might only be puzzled by the arrival of two new deacons, You Chen could see the truth: they were there to watch him.
Four deacons in a minor city like Notting? Their arrival split the local temple's power, greatly curtailing You Chen's previous freedom to act. With at least one deacon constantly monitoring him, You Chen's ability to handle Yu Xiaogang without interference was drastically reduced.
Yet everything followed Spirit Hall's rules.
Bibi Dong probably believed that You Chen's "self-imposed exile" to Notting City was specifically intended to deal with Yu Xiaogang.
Others might think You Chen's actions were merely coincidental, but in Bibi Dong's eyes, Yu Xiaogang was a man worth such attention.
Even if You Chen was a pinnacle figure in Spirit Hall's theoretical circles, it seemed perfectly reasonable under Bibi Dong's assumptions that he would self-demote and spend years targeting Yu Xiaogang.
This misunderstanding left You Chen secretly delighted.
He could only hope Bibi Dong continued to believe it.
For all he knew, Bibi Dong was even smugly satisfied with how quickly she'd "seen through" You Chen's motives.
As for the deceased Spirit Emperor Bai He? It seemed his death had been conveniently brushed aside. Judging by the strongest Spirit Master Bibi Dong had sent being a mere Spirit King, she likely hadn't even considered the possibility that You Chen was responsible.
While Tang San's cultivation progress faltered and Bibi Dong remained blind to the truth, You Chen's plans continued advancing smoothly.
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