Two Family Letters

Having finished this letter.

Bai Tang San's expression turned solemn.

He opened his diary.

On a fresh page, his pen fell like a blade.

He did not send this letter, nor did he intend for anyone to see it.

It was written to himself—and to that man—a challenge letter.

[To the man called Father:]

[I brought ten jars of good wine and five hundred Gold Soul Coins.]

[If you are still drowning in the past because you lost your wife, willing to remain a worthless drunkard buried in wine.]

[These ten jars will be enough for you to drink yourself into oblivion, until the day you die.]

[I will bury you, then walk the path of the strong alone.]

[But...]

[If you still remember that you were once the Clear Sky Douluo renowned throughout the world.]

[If you still remember the blood-deep vengeance you bear.]

[Then these five hundred Gold Soul Coins will be the first capital you need to rebuild your glory.]

[I am your son.]

[But I do not need a coward for a father.]

[The choice is yours.]

Closing the diary.

Bai Tang San rose to his feet and pushed open the door.

Sunlight spilled across his face. Though still youthful, it already radiated sharpness.

With his hands behind his back, he strode toward the academy gates.

His gaze was deep, like a sharp sword about to leave its sheath.

"This trip back."

"Isn't a family visit."

"It's a showdown."

"Tang Hao, let me see whether you're still a man."

[Real World]

In a dark corner somewhere.

Tang Hao, his face covered in stubble and reeking of alcohol, stared fixedly at those words on the Sky Curtain.

His breathing quickened.

His chest rose and fell violently.

His eyes, clouded for six years, were now bloodshot.

Was it rage?

Shame?

Or... long-lost passion?

"Coward..."

"Worthless drunkard..."

Tang Hao's lips trembled as he repeated the words from Bai Tang San's letter.

Every word was like a resounding slap across his face.

They shattered what little self-respect he had left.

They blew away the alcoholic haze he had used to escape reality.

Suddenly.

"Hahahaha!"

Tang Hao threw back his head and laughed. His laughter was desolate, yet it carried an overwhelming might that seemed capable of shaking mountains and rivers.

He smashed the wine jug in his hand.

"Well cursed!"

"Cursed well!"

Tears streamed down his aged face.

They slid down his rough cheeks.

"That's my son!"

"That's a son of the Clear Sky Sect!"

"Compared to that foolish boy who only knew how to buy me hammers, who only knew how to obediently show filial respect..."

"This bastard who dared point at my nose and call me a coward..."

"Is the one worthy of being Tang Hao's son!"

Tang Hao slowly straightened his body.

At that moment.

That dejected blacksmith vanished.

In his place stood a beast that had slept for far too long, finally awakened by the roar of its cub...

A Peerless Fierce Tiger!

Meanwhile, at Shrek Academy.

Hei Tang San watched the Sky Curtain.

He watched Bai Tang San's resolute back, watched that letter whose every word pierced the heart.

He touched the hammer on his back.

Suddenly, he felt.

This hammer was so light.

As light as a feather.

It carried no weight at all.

"So..."

"Filial piety isn't merely obedience."

"Sometimes."

"A blow to the head is the greatest... filial piety."

Hei Tang San lowered his head.

He did not dare imagine what expression his father would wear if he truly handed him that hammer.

Would he be gratified?

Or...

Would he let out a helpless sigh at the sight of a sheep that only knew how to obey?

Thus, the first semester came to an end.

The Sky Curtain did not pause just because the two Tang Sans had gone home.

On the contrary, perhaps to prove Bai Tang San's Medicinal Bath Theory correct, or perhaps to drop a depth charge into the stagnant Soul Master World.

A brand-new video titled <Practical Guide to Turning Whale Rubber into Treasure> began playing before billions of watching eyes.

[Sky Curtain Screen]

The scene showed a crude but clean Medicine Hut.

Bai Tang San had rolled up his sleeves. Before him stood a huge Black Iron Pot.

Beside it lay dozens of chunks of low-quality Whale Rubber, dark red in color and giving off a fishy stench.

In the Soul Master World, such things were generally treated as trash, or as low-class aphrodisiacs.

Yet Bai Tang San's eyes were focused as though he were crafting a work of art.

"Light the fire."

He gave a low command.

The fire rose—not fierce flames, but a gentle, low heat.

He cut the Whale Rubber into chunks the size of fingernails and tossed them into the pot.

Sizzle—

The Whale Rubber began to melt, and its fishy stench grew even stronger, enough to make viewers uncomfortable even through the screen.

But immediately after.

Bai Tang San grabbed a handful of red powder from the shelf beside him.

"Crimson Sun Grass Powder, to remove the odor and dampness."

He scattered it in.

The liquid in the pot instantly gave off a cloud of red smoke. The fishy smell faded, replaced by a faint burnt fragrance.

"Infernal Delicate Apricot Companion Leaf Juice, to stimulate yang energy."

A few drops of red juice fell in.

The originally dark red liquid began to churn violently, its color gradually turning translucent gold.

"Finally, stir-fry over high heat to seal in the medicinal power!"

Bai Tang San abruptly intensified the flames.

The iron ladle in his hand moved swiftly. Every stir contained the unique finesse of the Mysterious Heaven Skill.

The golden liquid leaped in the pot as though it had come alive.

A quarter of an hour later.

"Done."

A bowl of gelatinous substance, crystal-clear like golden jelly, appeared at the center of the screen.

It still trembled slightly, releasing an enticing warmth.

The Sky Curtain's cold, authoritative narration rang out:

[Millennium Whale Rubber is inherently an object of the utmost yang and hardness.]

[The world is ignorant. They know only of its aphrodisiac drawbacks, not its divine effects in tempering the body.]

[Prepared by this method, it removes yin and replenishes yang. Consuming it can widen the Meridians, reshape the muscles and bones, and increase physical resilience by 300%.]

[This is—Foundation-Building Sacred Medicine worth more than ten thousand gold.]

[Black World]

Boom—!

If the earlier comparison of theories had merely shaken the High-Level figures.

Then at this moment, the entire Douluo Continent went completely mad.

"Reshape the muscles and bones? Increase resilience by 300%?!"

"My heavens! How is that an aphrodisiac? It's practically a divine medicine!"

"Quick! Go buy Whale Rubber!"

"If we're late, it'll all be snatched up!"

Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Council Hall.

The teacup in Ning Fengzhi's hand fell to the floor with a crack and shattered into pieces.

His usually refined and composed face was flushed red from overwhelming excitement.

"Quick!"

"Uncle Jian! Uncle Gu!"

Ning Fengzhi's voice trembled with unquestionable urgency.

"Pass on my Sect Master Token!"

"Mobilize all the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's liquid funds!"

"Whether it's medicine shops, the Black Market, or Soul Hunting Groups!"

"Even if you have to scrape the ground three feet deep!"

"Buy up every piece of Whale Rubber on the market!"

"This is the only hope for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's disciples to break through their physical bottlenecks and achieve Martial Soul Evolution!"

Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong exchanged a glance, then instantly turned into two streaks of light and vanished from the hall.

They understood.

This was a war.

A race against time for resources.

However.

When the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's immense wealth truly began to move.

They discovered in despair.

They were late—far too late.