An old man radiating an intimidating sword aura watched Li Changsheng leave and said, "What exquisite swordsmanship. Now this is true Sword Dao."
The middle-aged man beside him asked in confusion, "Why, Father? You understood his swordsmanship, but I couldn't see anything special. I only felt that he drew his sword quickly."
The old man snorted. "Hmph, what do you know? Did you notice that during the duel, Tang Chen began reinforcing his attacks with Soul Power after the first few moves? He merely concealed it well. As for Mr. Li, aside from that final strand of Soul Power, he didn't use the slightest bit of Soul Power throughout the entire fight. He relied solely on his own attainments in Sword Dao to contend with Tang Chen."
"What? Tang Chen used Soul Power! Mr. Li defeated Tang Chen with only his attainments in Sword Dao?" the middle-aged man exclaimed.
"Mm. Isn't it incredible? But doesn't that also prove how high his attainments in Sword Dao are?"
"Then what are we waiting for? Hurry up and go find him to discuss the sword!" the middle-aged man said excitedly as he headed toward the Forget Worries Pavilion.
Seeing his foolish son's idiotic behavior, the old man smacked him on the back of the head. "You brat, he only just returned today. It would be highly inappropriate to disturb him now. If you're going, go tomorrow. Don't you understand human relationships and social etiquette?"
"Oh," the middle-aged man replied aggrievedly.
"Tomorrow, I'll go discuss the sword with him. You come along too. Perhaps you'll gain some insights." After saying this, the old man left without looking back.
"Hehe, I understand, Father." The man hurried after him.
It was a pitch-black night.
Tang Chen took Tang Hao through the night, constantly weaving between the shadows. At last, they arrived before a small house. Tang Chen kicked open its wooden door.
The Soul Master inside suddenly stood up and shouted at Tang Chen, "Where did you come from? You just kicked the door in! Don't you know any manners? Someone's already staying here. Leave, or don't blame me for being impolite." With that, he was about to sit down.
Tang Chen flew into a rage.
That afternoon, he had fought Li Changsheng, only for his Self-Created Soul Skill—Ring Explosion—to be broken at the end, causing him to lose the duel. He had even fled in front of everyone and humiliated himself. Now, he was being insulted again that night. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He immediately pulled out the Clear Sky Hammer.
When the Soul Master saw the Clear Sky Hammer in Tang Chen's hand, he suddenly remembered Ye Zifeng's warning at the Forget Worries Pavilion earlier that day. He was horrified and had just wanted to say a few kind words to Tang Chen to ease the tension, but the Clear Sky Hammer had already smashed into his face, crushing him into a meat pie.
Seeing that he had killed the Soul Master, Tang Chen showed no expression. He walked to the fire, sat down cross-legged, and began healing his injuries. Then he said to Tang Hao, who was lying nearby, "Stop pretending. I knew you were awake."
Tang Hao, who had been unconscious on the ground, suddenly opened his eyes. He crossed his legs, sat down beside Tang Chen, and quietly stared at the fire before them.
The grandfather and grandson remained silent for a long time. Then Tang Chen suddenly spat out blood. Seeing this, Tang Hao hurriedly said, "Grandfather, how did you get injured too?"
"Hao'er, I'm fine. I only suffered a minor injury." Tang Chen calmly waved his hand.
"You're injured? What happened?" Tang Hao asked in confusion.
"After you passed out, I fought a young man... In the end, he injured me." Tang Chen briefly recounted what had happened.
"A young man? What kind of young man could fight you and even injure you?" Tang Hao asked in astonishment.
"Ah, there's always someone better, and there's always a higher heaven. That saying truly proved itself today. I encountered an otherworldly expert." Tang Chen sighed.
"After we return to the Clear Sky Sect, I'll enter seclusion and think of a way to resolve the flaw in Ring Explosion."
"Use all the sect's intelligence networks to investigate that person and those three siblings. I want their information waiting for me when I come out of seclusion. Also, tell everyone in the sect to behave themselves lately. Don't go out looking for trouble again. It would be troublesome if they provoked those people." Tang Chen spoke to him with extreme sternness.
Seeing Tang Chen speak so seriously, Tang Hao knew that the Clear Sky Sect had truly encountered trouble this time. He said dejectedly, "I understand, Grandfather."
Seeing Tang Hao's dejected appearance, Tang Chen scolded him, "Pull yourself together. That person isn't unbeatable. The two of us were merely sparring, not fighting to the death. If it had been a life-or-death battle, our Clear Sky Hammer, the greatest weapon-type Martial Soul under heaven, might not have lost."
"Besides, from the first moment I saw him, I could tell that he was extraordinary. His bearing was far too perfect—he seemed like someone who shouldn't even exist on the Douluo Continent. So I suspect he possesses a Divine Trial. At his age, to surpass me in strength... Aside from a Divine Trial, I can't think of any other way."
Tang Hao asked in confusion, "A Divine Trial? What is that?"
Seeing Tang Hao's confusion, Tang Chen continued explaining. "From the moment a Soul Master awakens their Martial Soul until they cultivate to become a Level 99 Ultimate Douluo, there is only one way to improve further—to become a god."
"There are two ways to become a god. The first is to create your own Divine Realm. I once examined the Clear Sky Sect's ancient records and discovered that only one person had ever succeeded in creating their own Divine Realm. That person was the ancestor of the Spirit Hall—the Angel God. According to the ancient records, she continuously saved humans and killed Evil Soul Masters, accumulating faith without end. After cultivating to Level 99, she used that faith to create her own Divine Realm. Thus, the Angel Soul became a God-ranked Martial Soul."
Tang Hao was hearing of gods for the first time. He asked in confusion, "Gods? The Spirit Hall was that lucky? Then what's the second method of becoming a god?"
"That method is the Divine Trial. A Divine Trial is a test for a god's successor. Those who can participate in a Divine Trial are all exceptionally talented. Reaching Level 99 only grants one the qualifications to become a god. As for the other knowledge regarding Divine Trials, I don't know either. Of course, if one becomes a god through a Divine Trial, their descendants' Martial Souls won't transform into God-ranked Martial Souls." After explaining the second method, Tang Chen continued speaking to Tang Hao.
"After I finish handling everything, I'll also search for a Divine Trial. Creating my own Divine Realm is too difficult." After saying this, Tang Chen closed his eyes and circulated his Soul Power to continue healing.
After hearing everything Tang Chen had said about gods, Tang Hao stared at the fire before him. The blazing flames reflected in his eyes, and no one knew what he was thinking. The aura around him changed, becoming extremely gloomy.
Tang Chen sensed the change in Tang Hao but didn't think much of it. Instead, he felt that this defeat had given Tang Hao greater motivation in his cultivation.
But Tang Chen never could have imagined that, from that moment onward, Tang Hao would slowly become a selfish, self-serving villain who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. This would ultimately lead to the Clear Sky Sect sealing itself off, all four affiliated sects abandoning it, and Tang Hao scheming to take his wife's Soul Ring. He would even anger his own son to death. By then, he had already become a sacrifice of the Asura Divine Trial and was powerless to stop any of it.
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