Boiling Wine to Discuss Heroes

"It is my utmost honor." Huangfu Ruiyao accepted the wine, took a light sip, set it down, praised it as good wine, then rested her chin in both hands and listened attentively.

"My real name is Zhuang Xingyu. I'm ten and a half years old, from the Pure Yang Sacred Leopard Clan. Our clan's martial soul is the Pure Yang Sacred Leopard, while mine is a mutated martial soul, the Extreme Yin Yang Leopard. You can call me Xingyu."

"My ancestors cannot compare with yours. Our clan was founded only a little over five hundred years ago, and only three Titled Douluo have ever emerged from it. At present, the clan has one Level 96 Titled Douluo."

"Among the openly known forces on the continent today, we could rank sixth or seventh."

Zhuang Xingyu had always acknowledged the strength of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect. Yu Yuanzhen's strength was not to be underestimated. In the original timeline, Spirit Hall had launched a sneak attack, and four Titled Douluo had joined forces. Even then, they had only taken down Yu Yuanzhen at the cost of one death and three injuries.

After a pause, he drank a cup of wine and continued, "At present, the strongest force on the continent is Spirit Hall. Your family must have records on this organization. It is the inheritance of the Angel God."

"It is now divided into the Worship Hall and the Papal Palace, though they only maintain a superficial harmony. The Worship Hall keeps a low profile, and the common people of the continent know nothing about it. Its leader is Qian Daoliu, a Level 99 Ultimate Douluo. Besides him, there are six Super Douluo..."

(Everyone already knows this part, so it will be skipped for a better reading experience.)

"The Papal Palace is controlled by Bibi Dong. She has Innate Full Soul Power and Twin Martial Souls, and beneath her are the two great generals, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo..."

"Besides that, there is also a bloody melodrama between Bibi Dong and Qian Xunji..." Other than Qian Renxue's undercover operation, Zhuang Xingyu told her all about the complicated relationships between Bibi Dong, Yu Xiaogang, Qian Xunji, Liu Erlong, and Flender.

Naturally, Zhuang Xingyu revealed this dirty business of Spirit Hall. In any case, it would be at least ten years before the Huangfu Family sent anyone out again. By then, the Pure Yang Sacred Leopard Clan would have grown strong, and since Spirit Hall intended to unify Douluo Continent, the two sides were bound to become enemies.

When the time came, Zhuang Xingyu would make the matter known to the entire world, turn it into a stage play, and have it passed down through the generations. He would let everyone on the continent see what kind of person that seemingly radiant and noble pope truly was! Let future generations judge Bibi Dong for themselves—whether she had been right or wrong, and whether she deserved punishment.

Zhuang Xingyu then went on to describe, in detail, the basic information and some secrets concerning Sea God Island, the City of Slaughter, the Star Luo Empire, the Heaven Dou Empire, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, the Clear Sky Sect, the Lower Four Sects, the Four Elements Academy, and more.

He especially emphasized that the Heaven Dou Imperial Family was not as weakened as it appeared. A powerful foundation stood behind it, and the reason it had not yet revealed itself was likely because the conditions to activate that foundation had not been met.

When Huangfu Ruiyao heard the information about the Clear Sky Sect, a trace of killing intent flashed through her eyes. After all, it was because of Tang Hao that the people the Huangfu Family had sent out ten years ago to search for divine objects had been hammered to death. They had all been blood relatives within three generations of Huangfu Ruiyao!

It might have been accidental, but Tang Hao had hammered them to death. That was a fact. As for whether revenge would be taken, that depended on the strength of both sides and their relationship of interests.

If the Huangfu Family was stronger than the Clear Sky Sect and they shared few mutual interests, then Tang Hao had acted deliberately, and blood debts had to be repaid in blood.

If the Huangfu Family was weaker than the Clear Sky Sect and they shared many mutual interests; or if the Huangfu Family was stronger and they shared many mutual interests; or if the Huangfu Family was weaker and they shared few mutual interests—under any of those three circumstances, Tang Hao had merely been careless, what happened back then had been a misunderstanding, and it would be treated as though it had never happened.

Huangfu Ruiyao weighed it in her heart. Tang Hao has already been expelled from the Clear Sky Sect and is on his own. And according to what Zhuang Xingyu said, the Clear Sky Sect currently has only four Titled Douluo. If the family develops for a few more years, there is still great hope for revenge.

The Clear Sky Sect had now sealed itself away for ten years. In the original timeline, Tang San went to the Clear Sky Sect when he was around twenty, and by then all seven elders were Titled Douluo. At present, these were all the Clear Sky Sect's Titled Douluo.

"Just now, Xingyu, you mentioned boiling wine to discuss heroes. Then among these people, who deserves the title of 'hero'? Do Ultimate Douluo like Qian Daoliu, Bo Saixi, and Tang Chen qualify?"

Zhuang Xingyu explained, "In my view, a hero is one who harbors great ambitions and profound schemes, who possesses the means to contain the universe and the aspiration to swallow heaven and earth. Before enemies, one should uproot them completely and kill decisively. Before family and friends, one should show abundant care. One must have the ability to protect one's family and friends, while also benefiting the continent and its people. One's vision should not be confined to a mere Douluo Continent, nor limited to a single clan or city."

"I once read a story about a continent where feudal lords fought for supremacy, and wars between nations never ceased for hundreds of years. Then an emperor named Ying Zheng appeared. In just over a decade, he used killing to end killing, annihilated millions of enemies, destroyed the remaining feudal states, and unified the continent. Only then did he end centuries of war and bring peace to the common people."

"Some called him a tyrant and said his killing intent was too heavy, but did they ever consider how many more years the feudal lords would have continued their wars if Ying Zheng had not ended that chaotic age? In the end, it would still have been the common people who suffered. That is a true hero—not those people who constantly speak of benevolence, righteousness, and morality."

"Therefore, I believe Qian Daoliu is nothing but a hypocrite! And he is not very intelligent either. Back then, he fought Tang Chen and insisted on competing with him on land. What an idiot! Everyone else knows to play to their strengths and avoid their weaknesses, yet he insisted on exposing his weaknesses while neglecting his strengths. The Six-winged Seraph martial soul is clearly a flying-type martial soul, following a balanced path. Combat Power is not its specialty. He only needed to drag things out with Tang Chen, and he could have easily worn Tang Chen down. Yet he insisted on clashing head-on with Tang Chen on land, where Tang Chen followed the extreme path. Using his own weakness against another's strength—of course he lost."

"He is strong on the outside but weak within, nothing more than a paper tiger. When faced with the murderers of his son—Bibi Dong and Tang Hao—he did nothing but compromise and retreat, watching helplessly as his enemies grew stronger. In summary, he does not qualify as a hero." (Chapter Four also contained some evaluation of Qian Daoliu.)

As for Qian Daoliu's false benevolence in refusing to let the other worshippers participate in the Angel God's God Trial, unlike Bo Saixi, Zhuang Xingyu did not mention it.

The reason was still unclear. Perhaps the Angel God had already fallen and lacked sufficient divine power. Of course, claiming that Qian Daoliu had no selfish motives whatsoever would be unrealistic.

"Bo Saixi is unremarkable. She relied on the God Trial and had a smooth journey all the way through. She achieved neither merit nor fault, merely preserving what had already been established. Furthermore, she is shackled by love and romance, so she cannot be called a hero."

"Tang Chen has some of a hero's spirit, but he falls far short of deserving the word 'hero.' He cultivated to become an Ultimate Douluo without relying on a God Trial and even perfected his family's Self-Created Soul Skill. His achievements far surpass Qian Daoliu's and Bo Saixi's, but his potential is ultimately limited, and his will is not firm enough. He cannot accomplish great things."

"Tang Chen did not understand how to govern a family, nor did he cultivate a suitable heir for the clan. While he was in power, he could still suppress every conflict within the clan through force. But after he left, the Clear Sky Sect declined continuously. The clan leader and elders became divided, their conflicts difficult to reconcile, until they ended up sealing the sect as they had today."

"In summary, Tang Chen can be considered a formidable figure of his generation, but he cannot bear the title of hero. None of these three can be called heroes."