Tang Sect's Former Site

When Lin Yan's figure vanished into the blizzard of the Extreme North, Yang Jun stood before the Dao Guardian Court and looked toward the eastern horizon. Dawn was just breaking, golden light spilling over the summit of the Dao Rain Stele and illuminating the paths of countless flowing Dao patterns. In that instant, the Dao Seed in his chest suddenly trembled, as though it had resonated across time and space with something ancient. A faint yet clear message came from the distant edge of the Star Dou Great Forest—it was the location of the Tang Sect, the birthplace of Douluo Continent's soul master civilization, the starting point of Tang San's path to godhood, and a symbol that the spirit of the Peerless Tang Sect would never die.

"Tang Sect..." Yang Jun murmured. Golden marks flickered in his eyes as the power of his Dao Seed quietly circulated. "The starting point of Douluo Continent's soul master civilization, the place where Patriarch Tang San defied heaven and changed his fate with a mortal body, and the inheritance ground of the 'Peerless Tang Sect.' Since the Dao is to spread across all lands, this place cannot be overlooked. If the Dao flame does not shine upon the Tang Sect, then the inheritance of countless generations will ultimately remain incomplete."

He knew full well that although the Tang Sect had long declined, with few disciples remaining and its ancestral hall in ruins, its spirit had not perished. In this age when Soul Tools were everywhere and most soul masters relied on external objects, a small number still upheld the ancient method of uniting Soul Tools and soul skills. Using hidden weapons as their medium, they pursued ultimate control over Soul Power. They did not seek the number of soul rings, nor did they value Soul Power Level; instead, they valued the extremes of "will" and "Soul Control." This unexpectedly shared the same essence as the Dao he taught—Soul Power returning to the heart, techniques serving the Dao, the heart commanding the soul, and the Dao carrying techniques.

Several days later, Yang Jun arrived at the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. Soul beasts were scarce here, yet the vegetation was unusually lush. Soul Power faintly circulated among the branches and leaves, as though they had been nourished by some ancient soul formation for a thousand years. Deep in a valley, a ruined mountain gate stood amid the mist. Though the two words "Tang Sect" on its plaque had faded and the paint had peeled away, they still carried an unyielding soul intent, like an unrusted sword blade quietly awaiting its renewed brilliance.

Guarding the gate was an old man with snow-white hair. His right arm was missing, and he supported himself with only a Soul Tool cane. He sat upon the stone steps with his eyes closed, resting his mind. Before him lay a battered Godly Zhuge Crossbow. Its body was covered in rust, yet it had been maintained with great care. When he saw Yang Jun approach, his gaze sharpened like torches. "Who goes there? The Tang Sect accepts no outsiders, much less those who seek fame and reputation."

Yang Jun cupped his hands, his expression humble. "I have not come to force my way into the sect. I have come in search of the Dao. The Tang Sect's soul does not lie in its walls, but in people's hearts. If the word 'Tang' still remains in your heart, then you will know my words are true. My name is Yang Jun. I am one who spreads the Dao, and I wish to let Heart Imprints Heart and continue the Tang Sect's aspirations together."

The old man opened his eyes, his gaze like lightning as he stared directly into Yang Jun's. "You carry the aura of a Dao Seed, yet none of its oppression. Interesting... For a thousand years, countless people have worn down this mountain gate seeking Patriarch Tang San's secret treasures or fragments of the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record. You are the first to speak of 'seeking the Dao.'"

He slowly rose to his feet and lightly tapped his cane against the ground. "If you truly came to spread the Dao, then pass my Three Trials. Pass, and you may enter the sect. Fail, and please leave."

First Trial: Hidden Weapons Without Eyes

The old man said coldly, "The foundation of the Tang Sect lies in hidden weapons. But the true mastery of hidden weapons does not lie in mechanisms—it lies in 'Soul Control.' I will fire a crossbow with my crippled body. If you can catch it, you pass the first trial."

With that, he flicked his left hand. The battered Godly Zhuge Crossbow instantly fired, and three iron arrows without any Soul Power enhancement shot through the air. Their paths were strange, forming a triangular pattern that sealed off every angle of evasion.

Yang Jun neither dodged nor retreated. He half-closed his eyes as the power of his Dao Seed quietly spread. Using his will, he sensed every minute movement of the arrows. It was as though time had slowed, and their trajectories became clear lines within his mind. He reached out and grabbed them. The three iron arrows were caught firmly between his fingers in midair, without the slightest error.

"The essence of hidden weapons lies not in strength, but in intent." Yang Jun opened his eyes and spoke calmly. "You control the crossbow with a crippled body, relying not on Soul Power but on the ultimate concentration of your will. This is fundamentally the same as my Dao Guide Technique, Mind Condensing Ring—they are both Mind and Soul as One, using will to control objects."

The old man was moved, and a trace of respect flashed through his eyes. "You... understand the Tang Sect."

The old man led Yang Jun to the Back Mountain, where a deep ravine stretched across their path. There had once been a Soul Tool Bridge over it, but it had now broken apart, leaving only two fragments hanging from the cliff edges. He said, "In the past, Tang Sect disciples had to use Soul Tools to fly across. Now you have no tool. How will you cross?"

Yang Jun closed his eyes. The power of his Dao Seed emerged from his heart, Soul Power blending with Dao intent. Beneath his feet, a Golden Light Bridge condensed, formed from pure Soul Power and Dao intent. Its surface resembled glazed crystal, reflecting the light of the sky. He walked across it slowly. The bridge did not tremble; he walked as if on level ground, his robes fluttering without wind.

"Soul Tools are external objects. Soul Power is the foundation." He spoke softly. "When Patriarch Tang San founded the Tang Sect, it was not to make soul masters depend on external objects, but to let them control their own power and defy heaven with mortal bodies. Yet people today worship Soul Tools as gods and have forgotten their original purpose. True soul guidance is the union of soul and technique, not the piling together of machinery."

The old man gazed at the Golden Light Bridge and remained silent for a long time. At last, he fell to his knees, tears streaming down his aged face. "For a thousand years, no one has ever exposed this truth... You truly understand the Tang Sect."

For the final trial, the old man took out an ancient mirror. Its surface was like water, rippling with a faint blue glow. He said, "This is the Heart Mirror. Whoever looks into it will see the deepest obsession within their heart. If there are stray thoughts in the heart, the mirror will shatter and the person will die. If the will is pure, the mirror will resonate."

Yang Jun stared into the mirror. What appeared within was not power, nor strength, but a vast continent where countless youths held the Dao Heart Art in their hands, light blazing in their eyes. He saw Lin Yan swearing an oath amid wind and snow. He saw commoner soul masters crafting Soul Tools in workshops. He saw children using their will to condense their first soul ring... He spoke softly, "What I seek is not godhood, nor supremacy. I seek for every soul master to stand tall and live with dignity. The Dao is not in lofty places—it is among the people."

The mirror did not shatter. Instead, it bloomed with a faint golden light, as though responding to his heart. Tang San's phantom unexpectedly appeared within it, nodding slightly as if in approval.

"You may enter the Tang Sect." The old man's voice trembled. "You are the person the Tang Sect has awaited for a thousand years."

After entering the sect, Yang Jun did not treat himself as a savior. Instead, he ate and lived alongside the seven remaining Tang Sect disciples, studying ancient texts and cultivating their Dao hearts together. He discovered that what the Tang Sect had lost was not its techniques, but the fusion of Soul Tools and the Dao heart. They were obsessed with the ingenuity of hidden weapons, yet had overlooked that will was the source of Soul Power. Many disciples could fire the Godly Zhuge Crossbow, but they could not use their will to control their souls, resulting in severe waste of Soul Power.

Thus, in the Tang Sect ancestral hall, he established new rules known as the Tang Sect New Regulations:

1. "Tang Heart Incantation": Combining the Dao Heart Art with the Tang Sect's ancient teachings, it emphasized "will controls the soul, Soul Tools serve as tools." It was to be recited every morning to nurture the heart with the Dao;

2. "Dao Guided Hidden Weapons": Hidden weapons driven by will, requiring no Soul Tool energy source and activated solely through Soul Power and Dao intent, such as Mind Crossbows, Soul Needles, and Dao Darts;

3. "Tang Sect Dao Altar": An altar would be established in every city, jointly managed by Tang Sect disciples and Dao Guide Guards, to teach commoners Dao Guide Techniques and continue the aspiration that everyone could cultivate the Dao.

Even more astonishingly, when Yang Jun infused the Dao Seed's power into the Sea God Stele within the Tang Sect Ancestral Shrine, new words appeared upon the inscription by themselves. Golden light flowed across it, as though a heavenly revelation had descended:

As soon as these eight words appeared, Soul Power shook throughout the entire Tang Sect Ancestral Shrine. The soul formation that had lain dormant for a thousand years activated on its own, and a phantom rose from the stele—it was Tang San's residual soul will. He gazed at Yang Jun. After a moment, he said softly, "The younger generation is formidable... You have continued the Tang Sect's soul."

Half a month later, Huo Yuhao also sensed the disturbance within the Tang Sect and descended in the Sea God's Light. He found the Tang Sect completely renewed: disciples controlled Godly Zhuge Crossbows with their will, Soul Tools moved as naturally as their limbs, and Dao patterns flowed over the mountain gate, faintly echoing the runes of the Sea God Palace.

"You have actually fused the Dao perfectly with the Tang Sect's soul." Huo Yuhao sighed in amazement. "This is not merely revival. It is ascension."

Yang Jun smiled. "Patriarch Tang San opened a new path for soul masters with soul-guided hidden weapons. I continue his spirit with Dao Guide Techniques. We are both inheritors. He defied heaven with a mortal body; I illuminate the world with the Dao flame. Different paths, same destination."

Huo Yuhao nodded. "The Soul Supervision Department now needs a Dao Soul Inheritance Ground to study the fusion of soul guidance and the Dao heart, cultivating soul masters who are truly Mind and Soul as One. The Tang Sect is the best possible place. I propose listing it as the 'Soul Supervision Department · Dao Soul Academy,' directly under the headquarters, jointly governed by you and the Tang Sect elders."

Yang Jun gladly agreed. From that day onward, the Tang Sect was no longer a reclusive sect. It became a beacon of Dao soul civilization and the "Fourth Academy" beyond the Soul Supervision Department's three major academies—the Dao Soul Academy, dedicated to researching the fusion of the Dao heart and soul skills and cultivating Dao Guide Warriors.

Several months later, Lin Yan returned from the Extreme North. He had become an official Dao Guide Guard, wearing a Hammer and Sickle Dao Talisman on his chest and a Tang Sect Hidden Weapon Pouch over his shoulder. By order, he went to the Tang Sect Dao Altar to teach the first lesson to its new disciples.

"I was once a 'Lowly Soul,' expelled from the academy. My parents died tragically in a soul beast tide simply because their martial souls were 'Mundane Iron.'" He stood upon the platform, his gaze resolute and his voice ringing like a bell. "But I did not give up. I awakened in the Dao Rain Pavilion. Now, I wield Tang Sect hidden weapons as my tools and the Dao Heart Art as my soul, protecting every soul master unwilling to bow their head."

Below the stage, a little girl timidly raised her hand. "My martial soul is weeds. I can barely even condense a soul ring. Can I cultivate the Dao too?"

Lin Yan crouched down, gently took her hand, and handed her a Dao talisman engraved with the hammer-and-sickle pattern. "You can. Because the Dao has never rejected anyone. Your soul, my soul, and Patriarch Tang San's soul are all the same—they all deserve respect, and they all deserve awakening."

The wind rose. Above the Tang Sect's mountain gate, golden and blue light intertwined like sparks spreading into a blazing prairie fire. The glow of the Dao Rain Stele crossed thousands of miles and resonated with this place. It was as though an ancient chant echoed between heaven and earth—the echo of the Dao, the awakening of souls.

The thousand-year-old Tang Sect had finally welcomed new life.

And the Dao was moving from one mountain gate toward the entire continent.

It no longer belonged to one person, one sect, or one nation—it belonged to every soul master willing to stand tall.

The sparks would never die; the Dao would spread across all lands.