Sparring Match

"Reality was the first time we had met, wasn't it?"

Ye Cheng watched the silent Tang Hao and smiled as he spoke in an even tone.

He could sense that although Tang Hao appeared calm, Soul Power surged within him and his entire body was taut. He could unleash a thunderous strike at any moment!

Clearly, Tang Hao was deeply wary of him and on high alert.

That was only natural. After all, in the Future Video revealed during the Q&A, he had severed the man's limbs. Even if that had only been something destined to happen in the future, and Tang Hao had not provoked him in the present, caution was still warranted.

Seeing that Ye Cheng, who had suddenly appeared, was treating him with remarkable indifference rather than the hostility or targeting he had expected, Tang Hao was slightly surprised. After thinking it over carefully, he quickly understood why.

Although he had provoked Ye Cheng in the previously shown Future Video because he had been overly protective of his family, that was ultimately something that would happen in the original future. The current him had not provoked Ye Cheng yet. There was no conflict of interest between them, and this man was not from Spirit Hall. There was no reason for him to attack.

Thinking about it that way, Ye Cheng's indifferent attitude upon seeing him was actually the most natural reaction. If Ye Cheng had started shouting about fighting and killing the moment they met, filled with hostility toward him, that would have been abnormal instead. That would mean Ye Cheng was most likely standing with Spirit Hall, or that he—or someone related to him—had offended Ye Cheng somewhere without knowing it.

However, even though he understood the reason, Tang Hao's body remained tense, and he was still deeply wary of the man before him. When facing someone who could take his life at any moment, no amount of vigilance was excessive.

Watching Tang Hao clutch his hammer tightly and remain extremely guarded against him, Ye Cheng began considering whether he should give this fellow a warning. Just seeing this pathetic man annoyed him.

Back when he had read the novel in his previous life, he had never liked this guy, who had fallen into despair after his wife "died," spent every day drinking, and even left his son to fend for himself.

No matter how domineering he was portrayed to be in the latter half of the original work, how formidable his hammer was, how incredible Ring Burst was, or how outstanding his talent was... Ye Cheng simply could not bring himself to like him.

In Ye Cheng's eyes, Tang Hao had simply never endured hardship. His temperament was weak, and one sudden blow had completely crushed him. He no longer even had the resolve to risk his life for revenge.

Your wife sacrificed herself; she wasn't dead.

Didn't she leave behind a blade of grass?

Couldn't you look for a way to make her grow faster?

Fine, even if that never occurred to you. Even if you believed she was already dead.

Then were you not going to avenge your wife's murder?

So many people from your sect died, and it was forced to seal itself away.

Your father's old injuries even relapsed from anger, and he died.

Were you not going to avenge that either?

What? Spirit Hall was powerful and numerous, and there was even a Limit Douluo backing them, so you were no match for Spirit Hall.

Then couldn't you keep a low profile and train hard? Couldn't you strive to become stronger than Qian Daoliu? You just gave up like that? Spent every day drinking and became a washed-up drunkard in some little village?

A genius hailed as the youngest Titled Douluo, yet this was the extent of your mental fortitude? You couldn't withstand even this much of a blow? You had so little confidence in yourself?

It was only after you learned that your son possessed Twin Martial Souls that you regained the confidence to oppose Spirit Hall.

Just how inferior did you have to feel? How little faith did you have in yourself?

Weren't you one of the Clear Sky Twin Stars?

Weren't you the newest generation's Clear Sky Douluo?

Weren't you the youngest Titled Douluo on the continent?

Then why were you acting so timidly? Why did you lack even the unyielding mindset of a true powerhouse who grew braver with every setback?

After Ye Cheng had finished reading Tang Hao's story in his previous life, he had looked down on the character immensely. His actions simply could not support the framework of his Persona. He was a textbook case of starting strong and declining badly, a character whose writing had collapsed, riddled with contradictions.

So now, seeing Tang Hao in person—his messy bird's-nest hair, the gunk at the corners of his eyes, and the stench of someone who had not bathed in who knew how long—Ye Cheng grew angrier the longer he looked. The more he looked, the more displeased he became.

"Let's spar."

He suddenly said, "It's rare to encounter the Clear Sky Douluo here. I happen to want to experience the Clear Sky Sect's ultimate techniques."

"Hmm?!"

Tang Hao felt the ordinary aura around him suddenly turn surging and sharp, spreading outward and sealing off every avenue of retreat. It seemed that today, he would have to fight whether he wanted to or not.

"Fine. I also happen to want to experience the mysteries of Twin Martial Souls." Tang Hao knew he had no right to refuse. Moreover, he sensed no killing intent from the man before him. Then this sparring match was most likely exactly as Ye Cheng had said: upon seeing the current Clear Sky Douluo, he had felt the urge to test his skills.

Tang Hao could not refuse, and he also wanted to personally learn what mysteries Twin Martial Souls held. If he could use this chance to glimpse their secrets, his son's future cultivation of Twin Martial Souls would become far smoother.

Twin Martial Souls were an extremely rare, supreme talent. In the Heaven Dou Empire's recorded history of a thousand years, only one person besides Tang San had ever possessed them. At the time, it had shocked the world.

People generally believed then that the owner of those Twin Martial Souls was destined for limitless achievements in the future! He might even glimpse the realm of gods...

Yet in the end, that owner of Twin Martial Souls had inexplicably exploded and died during later cultivation!

Afterward, investigation revealed that the cause of death was most likely an unexplained conflict between the two Martial Souls, which had caused him to explode and die!

This undoubtedly showed that cultivating Twin Martial Souls had to differ from ordinary Martial Soul cultivation, and there was certainly some crucial trick to it. If one cultivated improperly, there was a risk of dying on the spot.

Thus, after learning that his son possessed Twin Martial Souls, Tang Hao had felt both worry and joy. He was glad that his son possessed two Martial Souls. As long as Tang San first cultivated one Martial Soul to the realm of Titled Douluo, then added Soul Rings to the other, he could begin with Soul Rings of extremely high age from the very first ring. In theory, it was even entirely possible to give that Martial Soul nine Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings.

Like the successful example before him.

Tang Hao looked at Ye Cheng as though he were seeing his own son's future achievements.

Naturally, the prerequisite was that Tang San's Twin Martial Souls could be cultivated successfully. If not, then that unfortunate man who had exploded and died would serve as the example.

The man before him undoubtedly knew the trick to cultivating Twin Martial Souls!

But he certainly would not reveal that trick so easily. Tang Hao understood that well. Such a method was bound to be exceptionally precious. It was like the various ultimate techniques of their sect: even though many clan members could not cultivate them, they would never generously make them public for others to learn.

Therefore, if he wanted to understand the trick behind Twin Martial Souls, this was an opportunity. During their sparring match, he could carefully observe his opponent. Perhaps he might be able to glimpse the secret of Twin Martial Souls.

PS: Sorry, I've hit a bit of writer's block. There'll only be one update today. I'll make it up tomorrow. I need to think about how to develop things next without falling into clichés—something a little more original.