Tang San's Psychological Defenses Began to Crumble

Seeing Tang San's dazed expression and the obvious tremendous blow to his beliefs, Fu Shiyan knew the time was right.

With the immersive experience of the life simulation, Tang San's feelings at that moment were almost synchronized with those of his simulated "self." It was the best possible time to instill new ideas in him.

He struck while the iron was hot and asked in a guiding tone:

"Do you know what Blue Silver Grass's greatest advantage truly is?"

Only after hearing Fu Shiyan's question did Tang San barely pull himself free from his chaotic thoughts of doubting his entire life.

He shook his head. Trying hard to recall Yu Xiaogang's teachings, he hesitated before carefully answering:

"Is it... Blue Silver Grass's adaptability?

Because Blue Silver Grass itself is... low-tier, it can develop in many different directions. And because it is weak by nature, it does not reject Spirit Rings of any attribute?"

He paused, then continued:

"Also, Blue Silver Grass consumes very little Soul Power when used, even less than food-type Martial Souls. That means one can rely on one's own Soul Power to use it in large quantities.

And then... Blue Silver Grass is quite common, so it is far more deceptive than other Martial Souls, especially to Soul Beasts with low intelligence. If one summons their Martial Soul near them, they might not even notice..."

Tang San laid out every one of the "advantages" Yu Xiaogang had once analyzed for him and used to convince him to focus on cultivating Blue Silver Grass.

Those theories had once been the foundation of his understanding of Blue Silver Grass.

Yet Fu Shiyan responded to Tang San's explanation with an undisguised sneer, his tone full of disdain.

"Yu Xiaogang told you all that, didn't he?"

Tang San slowly nodded without denying it.

That was indeed the cultivation theory Yu Xiaogang had "tailored" for him after taking him as a disciple.

Fu Shiyan's tone abruptly turned furious, as if resentment he had suppressed for a long time had finally found an outlet. He snorted angrily and berated him:

"That guy! A rank twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster, and he dares to pass judgment on other Martial Souls!

What does he know? He knows jack shit!"

He fixed Tang San with a sharp gaze and said something astonishing:

"He probably never even mentioned Soul Shock to you—the basic taboo one encounters when absorbing a Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring, something any family in the Soul Master world with even a little heritage knows about, did he?!"

"Soul Shock?"

Tang San's heart tightened. Yu Xiaogang had indeed never mentioned that term to him.

A chill quietly crawled up his spine.

Before he could think further, Fu Shiyan changed the subject and asked:

"Then let me ask you: did you think the Spirit Skill I used just now was weak?"

Tang San recalled the Blue Silver Wood Dragon that had blotted out the sky, as well as the pathetic state Long Gong and She Po had been left in under its attack—even their fear. The corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily, and he hurriedly shook his head, his tone filled with awe.

"Of course not! Senior's Spirit Skill possesses heaven-shaking power!"

He hesitated, but still could not stop himself from struggling to defend Yu Xiaogang—and the conviction in his own heart.

"However... Senior's Martial Soul should not be ordinary Blue Silver Grass, right?"

In his mind, such immense power had to come from a higher-grade Martial Soul.

Yu Xiaogang's six years of teaching had not only given him knowledge, but had also, to some extent, filled the gap left by his lack of familial affection. Deep down, Tang San did not want to deny it all so easily.

"Not ordinary Blue Silver Grass?"

Fu Shiyan shook his head meaningfully at those words. His eyes burned as he looked at Tang San and corrected him word by word:

"No. The origin of my Martial Soul is ordinary Blue Silver Grass!

It is your Martial Soul that is not ordinary Blue Silver Grass!"

"My Martial Soul... isn't ordinary Blue Silver Grass?"

Tang San was completely confused by Fu Shiyan's words. He was utterly baffled. "This junior does not understand what Senior means."

Fu Shiyan stopped being mysterious and directly threw out a truth powerful enough to overturn Tang San's understanding. His voice was not loud, yet it exploded beside Tang San's ears like thunder:

"Do you think ordinary Blue Silver Grass is worthy of forming Twin Martial Souls with the world's number one weapon Martial Soul—the Clear Sky Hammer?!"

Boom—!

It was as though thunder from the ninth heavens had detonated inside his mind!

Tang San's entire body shook violently, and his face instantly turned deathly pale! His eyes widened round, filled with utter shock and disbelief!

The Clear Sky Hammer!

This was the greatest secret he had buried deep within his heart, one he had never told even Xiao Wu, the person closest to him!

Second only to the fact that he was a transmigrator! Yet now, a stranger he had met for the first time had stated it so casually—and so precisely!

Tang San felt a cold current rush from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. His limbs turned icy, his lips trembled, and he instinctively wanted to explain or deny it.

"Senior... I... You..."

Fu Shiyan seemed to see through every one of his thoughts. He cut him off first, his tone carrying the calmness of someone who understood everything.

"Are you wondering how I know? Or... are you still trying to deny the matter of the Clear Sky Hammer?"

Fu Shiyan's gaze seemed able to pierce through his body and look directly upon the sleeping hammer deep within his soul.

"There is no need to deny it, nor do you need to panic.

I can see it because I have my reasons.

Twin Martial Souls are rare, but they do not leave no traces.

Especially... when one of them is the Clear Sky Hammer."

He leaned slightly forward, bringing Tang San an even stronger sense of oppression. His voice was low and enticing.

"Now, do you still insist that the Blue Silver Grass standing alongside the Clear Sky Hammer is merely a... 'useless Martial Soul' that can only survive through 'poison' and 'deception'?"

"The path Yu Xiaogang planned for you might make you seem somewhat exceptional among low-level Soul Masters, but from the very beginning, that path was destined to be unable to uncover your Martial Soul's true potential. That path... was too narrow, and it was the wrong path!"

Fu Shiyan's words were like heavy hammers, blow after blow smashing fiercely against Tang San's mental defenses, shaking the understanding he had built over the past six years to its foundations.

The secret of his Twin Martial Souls had been exposed, the classification of Blue Silver Grass as a "useless Martial Soul" had been completely overturned, and his trust in Yu Xiaogang's theories was hanging by a thread...

The massive flood of information and the sensation of his beliefs collapsing left Tang San standing there in a daze, his mind in complete chaos.

Seeing Tang San look as though he had been struck by lightning, with his mind nearly defenseless, Fu Shiyan knew the final dose of harsh medicine had hit the right spot.

He no longer pressed him so aggressively. Instead, he softened his tone, carrying a trace of nearly imperceptible... pity?

"It seems," he sighed softly, his gaze appearing to pierce through time and space and see certain hidden events of the past,

"your father never told you about your mother."

Those words were like another heavy blow, making Tang San's ears ring.

Mother... this was another vague realm deep in his heart that he longed to touch.

His father had always remained tight-lipped about it. It was a mystery Tang San had been unable to solve throughout his childhood and even now.

Fu Shiyan's voice carried an unquestionable certainty as he slowly revealed the truth that would overturn Tang San's understanding of his own bloodline:

"Otherwise, how could you possibly believe that the Martial Soul inherited by the descendant of the 'emperor of the Blue Silver Grass Clan'... would be an ordinary Blue Silver Grass, trampled beneath everyone's feet?"

The emperor of the Blue Silver Grass Clan...?!

Tang San's breathing abruptly stopped, and his mind went completely blank.