The Great Beast's Abode.
At that moment, Yu Xiaogang was flipping through a record on soul bones in front of a bookshelf.
Besides the Heaven Dou Empire's laws and the Soul Master Ten Great Rules he had put together while sparring with Tang San, he was, in essence, only an expert in theory.
He had long since exhausted the useful knowledge he had absorbed.
Now that they had confirmed what soul bones could do, naturally, he needed to make arrangements for himself and Xiao San.
However, as for why soul bones could raise his level, he still couldn't understand the reason. That was why he had started consulting various ancient texts. If he could grasp the principle, perhaps one day he could publish another kind of theory.
Suddenly, Yu Xiaogang heard a knock at the door.
He turned to look and saw a man in black appear in the doorway.
Beneath the hood was a weathered face, wrinkled and lined, with long, disheveled hair. He looked like an old man who had endured a great deal.
"You are..."
Seeing the familiar face, Yu Xiaogang felt a surge of emotion. The man's appearance had changed so much that he hardly dared believe it.
"Great Master, long time no see."
The man in black gave a hoarse chuckle. "It's been twenty years since we last met. I was there when you were born, so I'd recognize you anywhere."
Yu Xiaogang was speechless. He quietly sighed, then hurriedly bowed.
"Senior, you flatter me."
The man took a step forward, and Yu Xiaogang could finally see his face clearly. But he knew he would meet him again sooner or later, so the man had left a deep impression on him. Even now, he could force himself to recognize the familiar features.
Tang Chen clasped his hands behind his back and said coldly, "Let's put the past aside for now."
"I know you took Xiao San as your disciple. I hadn't planned on coming to see you so soon, but two things brought me here. First, you were careless and let Xiao San absorb a Soul Ring that wasn't suitable for him. Since you're his teacher, I have to give you a lesson."
Yu Xiaogang opened his mouth to explain, but couldn't find the words. In the end, all he managed was a sigh. "This matter really was my responsibility..."
Smack! Smack! Smack!
"Ow! Ow! Ow..."
Tang Chen had heard enough of Yu Xiaogang's excuses. Today, he was going to give him a good thrashing.
Still, he kept his strength under control.
He wouldn't kill him, but he'd hit him hard enough to leave his nose bruised and his face swollen.
"Just because you've become a Great Master doesn't mean you're Xiao San's father!"
"What a gall!"
"The first time you saw my grandson, you let him suffer. So now I'm going to give you a beating!"
At the Imperial Academy's dormitory, Luo Mo and Tian Dou were sitting on a bed, listening to Tang Chen's heartfelt lecture. Luo Mo's lips twitched slightly.
"Xiao San's dad sure knows how to talk."
"Doesn't he? His nephew's eyes are like a ruler. I bet before he even got here, he'd already decided what to say. He just needed a good excuse to beat up the Great Master."
"Exactly. Which father wouldn't be upset to see his own son mistreated?"
Luo Mo smiled and glanced out the window.
"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing. I'll naturally be sure to guide Xiao San properly." Yu Xiaogang forced out a smile, looking as if he'd just swallowed something bitter.
Seeing how miserable he looked, Tang Chen finally waved his hand.
"Second, I want to know what happened with your Clear Sky Hammer."
Yu Xiaogang: "..."
This was over.
It felt like he was about to get another beating.
In the end, he still hesitated before saying, "The Clear Sky Hammer I revealed that day wasn't mine. It was Xiao San's."
"Oh?" Tang Chen's expression softened a little.
"I don't know why, but when Xiao San worshipped the hammer that day, my martial soul and his resonated. At first, I thought it was a martial soul fusion, but then I realized my martial soul had changed."
Crash!
Tang Chen suddenly gave off a murderous aura, knocking Yu Xiaogang off his feet.
"So... your Clear Sky Hammer is actually my grandson's, while Xiao San's current second martial soul has become your third leg?"
"Y-yes." Yu Xiaogang answered nervously.
Bang!
Tang Chen suppressed the anger welling up inside him and kicked Yu Xiaogang in the stomach. He flew through the air and smashed into the bookshelf. The instant he hit it, the wood shattered, and books scattered everywhere.
"Cough, cough..."
Yu Xiaogang lay sprawled among the debris, his whole body aching. He was sure he had several broken bones, and he fought back the pain as he swallowed a mouthful of blood.
"Tell me! Was this your doing?"
Tang Chen was furious. His eyes burned as he glared at him.
He suspected the Great Master had tampered with things. After all, he was the one who had passed down the Clear Sky Hammer's secrets—or perhaps he had some method of changing martial souls.
"Cough, cough..." Yu Xiaogang gave a bitter smile.
"Changing a martial soul is beyond ordinary people. Even the upper ranks of the Spirit Hall can't do it, so it's even more impossible for me. I do have a theory that hasn't been fully worked out yet. Xiao San may have encountered some kind of godly trial..."
"What kind of godly trial could change someone's martial soul?"
Tang Chen remained skeptical. That line about even the upper ranks of the Spirit Hall being unable to do it was enough to convince him that Yu Xiaogang was just trying to fool him.
There were countless strange things in the world.
Besides, even the Great Beast didn't have that kind of power.
"I don't know what kind of godly trial it was, either."
Yu Xiaogang gave a helpless smile. "Besides, I was the one who benefited from this. Why would I change Tang Chen's Clear Sky Hammer? If I really had that ability, I'd have gone home to find the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan, or asked my clan to help me get a powerful martial soul. Those would've been far better choices."
Tang Chen felt that his explanation made sense. He also believed the Great Master hadn't done it.
"Since your martial soul resonated with Xiao San's, and you helped his Clear Sky Hammer break through to the thirtieth rank, you do have a responsibility—and the right—to find a way to change it back."
"Xiao San is my disciple. I'll naturally help him however I can," Yu Xiaogang quickly replied.
"Don't worry. I'll also send someone to look into it."
As he spoke, Tang Chen handed the Great Master a black token.
Clang!
The token fell onto Yu Xiaogang's leg, striking the already-injured bone and making his injury even worse.
Yu Xiaogang: "..."
Tang Chen: "..."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to." Tang Chen's face showed a hint of embarrassment. He turned to leave, but paused in the doorway and added, "Take good care of my grandson."
Yu Xiaogang's leg hurt so badly that tears welled up in his eyes.
"Of course I'll take good care of Xiao San. But the way things are now, I may have to ask you to look after him for a while."
Clang!
He was right. It really did hurt!
Who would've thought the Great Master couldn't move around easily and would need his own grandson to look after him? Tang Chen felt another pang of guilt and immediately hurried out.
He was afraid he couldn't stop himself from killing the Great Master with another hammer blow.
Before he left, he tossed out a line. "I'll find you a good doctor and some medicine."
As Tang Chen hurried out the door, Yu Xiaogang, still lying in the wreckage, suddenly felt dazed.
"I never thought that one day I'd be the one getting beaten..."
Imperial Academy dormitory.
Luo Mo and Tian Dou had watched the whole thing. They couldn't help feeling a little sorry for the Great Master.
"Xiao San's dad is really ruthless!"
"Good thing he's Tang San's father. If he'd taken that swing at someone else, they'd be dead by now. But I like it. Ha ha ha..." Luo Mo felt sorry for him for a moment, then started grinning again.
"Ah, if only we could watch Xiao San beat up the Great Master every day."
Tian Dou suddenly had an idea.
"What are you thinking about?"
Luo Mo rolled his eyes at Tian Dou and said, "From now on, you're going to live a normal life, eat Tang San's Mysterious Heaven Skill, and combine it with my control over the wood element to create a similar soul bone."
"Huh? What does that have to do with anything?" Tian Dou looked confused.
"You're living in my house and using my Wi-Fi. Now you want to stop paying rent and food expenses?"
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