A New Soul Master Cultivation System

The sect leader of the Clear Sky Sect surveyed the crowd and continued, "Among my Clear Sky Sect disciples, how could I, as the sect leader, not recognize any with even a modicum of talent? This person's surname is Tang, but he is not a member of my sect, and his skills are not purely those of the Clear Sky Hammer style. As for his specific background..."

He paused, his brow furrowed, "I'm afraid... we need to summon Tang Yuehua immediately and ask her directly!"

The sect leader's statement, though seemingly fair, subtly and precisely shifted all the pressure and responsibility onto Tang Yuehua alone.

He was essentially telling everyone present that the person was introduced by Tang Yuehua, an undeniable fact that the Clear Sky Sect would not cover it up.

However, this person has nothing to do with the Clear Sky Sect, and we do not know his background. His actions were not instigated by the sect, and the sect is also one of the "victims".

This move essentially put Tang Yuehua in the eye of the storm, leaving her to face Star Luo Empire's wrath alone, while the sect could step back and at most bear a joint responsibility for "oversight failure."

This responsibility is much lighter than protecting a "spy".

As for Tang Yuehua herself...

If necessary, Tang Yuehua can be cut off and discarded.

After all, it was her own fault for misjudging people, which led to the arrival of this "Tang Yin" of unknown origin and with malicious intentions. Now that a disaster has occurred, she should naturally bear the consequences.

Tang Yuehua herself did not possess the Clear Sky Hammer as her Martial Soul, which put her in an awkward position and lacked a solid foundation within the Clear Sky Sect, which revered strength.

Moreover, the members of Tang Yuehua's lineage in the Clear Sky Sect have all died for various reasons, which has also implicated the Clear Sky Sect.

Tang Yuehua was kept in the Clear Sky Sect solely because of that slight blood relation.

Do you really expect the sect leader and the sect to protect her out of some pitifully thin blood ties?

Absolutely impossible.

····································

A moment later, Tang Yuehua was led by the guards to the outside of the council hall.

The crisp sound of high heels approached from afar, unhurried and composed, just like her usual elegance and ease. When that graceful figure appeared in the doorway, everyone's eyes turned to her.

On the way here, Tang Yuehua already had a guess in her mind.

Today is the deadline for Tang San's pledge, so this summons is most likely related to this matter. Unfortunately, due to her status, she was unable to participate in the core meeting and is unaware of what exactly happened, making her quite unsure of how to proceed.

She stepped into the hall, her gaze quickly and subtly sweeping around. Her innate sensitivity allowed her to instantly capture the tense atmosphere in the air, as well as the complex and scrutinizing looks directed at her by the crowd.

When her gaze met that of the Clear Sky Sect Master, the undisguised coldness in his eyes sent a chill down her spine.

She maintained her composure and elegance, slightly curtsied, performing an impeccable gesture, and asked in her gentle voice, "May I ask why you have summoned Yuehua here so urgently?"

However, Pei Qinhu, who sat at the head of the table, was not one to beat around the bush.

He was straightforward by nature, and seeing that Tang Yuehua was asking a question she already knew the answer to, he didn't bother with pretense and went straight to the point. "Tang Yuehua, that Tang Yin, you were the one who recommended him to join the army, right?"

His fiery, golden-red eyes looked at Tang Yuehua, and Tang Yuehua felt they were somewhat dazzling, even unable to look directly at them.

"Yes, Tang Yin was indeed recommended by me." Due to the pursuit by the Spirit Hall Empire, Star Luo Empire's investigation was extremely strict. She had gone to great lengths to get Tang San in and left behind many clues that she couldn't deny. Tang Yuehua had no choice but to admit it.

"Now, tell me, who exactly is he?"

Faced with Pei Qinhu's relentless questioning, Tang Yuehua's alarm bells rang, but she could only grit her teeth and continue to lie about the identity she had fabricated for Tang San.

She maintained her composure, but her voice trembled slightly. "Tang Yin... is indeed the son of an old friend of mine. That boy is ambitious and eager to make a name for himself. Out of consideration for our past relationship, and seeing that he does indeed have some talent, I... that's why I dared to recommend him."

"An old friend?" Pei Qinhu continued to press for details, "Which old friend?"

A bead of cold sweat silently slid down Tang Yuehua's forehead. She felt her throat tighten, but she had no choice but to continue weaving a lie, "It's... it's a friend who helped me in a time of crisis when I was traveling in my early years. He has passed away, leaving behind this only son entrusted to me..."

One lie requires countless more to cover it up.

Tang Yuehua understood this principle very deeply at this moment.

Moreover, due to the war, her network of connections in the Heaven Dou Empire suffered heavy losses and she was severely short-handed. The fabrication of the identity of "Tang Yin" was hasty and crude, and could not withstand rigorous scrutiny.

Under the sharp scrutiny of Pei Qinhu and the many powerful figures from the Star Luo Empire Sect present, as the questioning deepened, contradictions began to emerge in Tang Yuehua's logic, details became blurred, and flaws gradually became apparent.

finally...

Her words came to an abrupt halt, her face paling as she stopped, no longer attempting to defend herself. Even her forced elegance and composure began to crack.

Without needing to produce any concrete evidence, everyone present could see that Tang Yuehua was hiding something!

"Speak! Who exactly is Tang Yin?!" Pei Qinhu lost his patience, and a terrifying Soul Power pressure at the Titled Douluo level crashed down on Tang Yuehua!

"Well...!"

Tang Yuehua let out a muffled groan. Under that immense pressure, she felt the air around her freeze, her bones groaned as if they couldn't bear the weight, her body trembled violently, her face turned ashen, and she swayed precariously.

What she has always relied on is her social skills, which allow her to navigate the noble circles of the Heaven Dou Empire with ease, and the looming background of the Clear Sky Sect behind her.

However, in the Star Luo Empire, especially in its militaristic system where the strong are respected and everything revolves around war, her logic simply doesn't work.

Here, without strength, there is no right to engage in equal dialogue!

Under the ever-increasing pressure of the Soul Power, Tang Yuehua, who had always been pampered and frail, quickly lost her mental defenses.

She was not, after all, a warrior forged in iron and blood, and could not withstand this dual pressure that directly affected both her soul and body for long.

"He... he is..." Her lips trembled, her voice barely a whisper, "He is Tang San... the son of Clear Sky Douluo!"

··········································

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent for a moment.

"Clear Sky Douluo?" Many people looked puzzled, unable to immediately connect this title with a specific person.

After all, Tang Hao's reputation was ruined after he became Titled Douluo because he had an affair with Soul Beast and had a child. He was hunted down, and his official title was not widely recognized or circulated.

The sect master of the Clear Sky Sect, who had been sitting calmly to the side, turned extremely ugly. He suddenly looked at Tang Yuehua, his voice filled with suppressed anger and disbelief. "Clear Sky Douluo? Tang Hao?!"

The title "Haotian" carries extraordinary weight and significance within the Clear Sky Sect. It is not bestowed arbitrarily; traditionally, this title, symbolizing the sect's highest honor and power, has always been passed down through the lineage of the sect leader, namely the direct descendants to whom Tang Yuehua belongs.

When Tang Hao betrayed the sect, his brother Tang Xiao succeeded him as sect leader and was promoted to Titled Douluo, but did not use the title "Haotian". This made some insiders in the sect feel a little strange in private.

At this moment, upon hearing Tang Yuehua personally admit that Tang Yin was Tang San, and that Tang San's father was Tang Hao, who inherited the title of "Haotian," many previously vague clues instantly connected, pointing to a truth that infuriated the current sect leader—

It turns out that the title "Haotian" was reserved specifically for Tang Hao!

What a deep brotherhood! The current sect leader was consumed by a mixture of jealousy and resentment.

Tang Hao has brought such harm to the sect, ruining its reputation and forcing it to close down. Yet, the old sect leader's lineage secretly left the most important symbol to that traitor!

Did their branch ever harbor even a trace of remorse? Did they ever truly prioritize the interests of the sect?

Suppressed whispers rose in the hall.

"So he's Tang Hao's son..."

"Wouldn't that mean... a human-beast hybrid!?"

"Is he Tang San, the one wanted by the Spirit Hall... no, now the Spirit Hall Empire?"

"No wonder he looked so familiar, like I'd seen him on some wanted poster before..."

"I never expected that Lady Yuehua of the Clear Sky Sect would still be in contact with this person, and even bring him into our army!"

The various discussions made Tang Yuehua's face grow paler and paler, while the sect leader of the Clear Sky Sect was so angry that his eyes turned red, his chest heaved violently, and his fingers gripping the armrest of the chair turned white from the force. He wished he could summon Clear Sky Hammer immediately and beat this traitorous woman who had once again mixed the sect with that traitor's descendant to death on the spot!

However, the occasion was inappropriate.

Pei Qinhu, seated at the top, tapped the table lightly with an expressionless face. The crisp sound gradually quieted the noisy discussion.

His gaze fell on Tang Yuehua, who was slumped on the ground, without the slightest pity.

"In that case..." Pei Qinhu gave the order, "Imprison them all and keep them under strict guard."

At the order, two tall, armored guards immediately stepped forward and, without any mercy, dragged the distraught Tang Yuehua, who could barely stand, from the ground, as if she were a broken object, toward the door.

As the sect leader of the Clear Sky Sect watched Tang Yuehua being dragged away, and felt the scrutinizing and suspicious gazes cast upon him, he knew that the small foothold and meager trust that Clear Sky Sect had painstakingly gained in the Star Luo Empire would likely be completely shaken, or even... vanished, because of today's events.

After all, these contradictory statements were tantamount to slapping the Clear Sky Sect Master across the face in public!

He had just sworn that "Tang Yin" had nothing to do with the Clear Sky Sect, trying to extricate the sect from this person's troubles, when Tang Yuehua, a direct descendant of his own sect, confessed that this person was not only a member of the Tang family, but also the biological son of Tang Hao, the one who dragged the sect into the quagmire!

This instantly put the Clear Sky Sect in an extremely passive and awkward position.

Everyone wondered, what was really going on within the Clear Sky Sect? Was the sect leader openly lying and covering it up? Or was it that even the sect leader couldn't control the sect internally, allowing his direct descendants to secretly collude with the descendants of sect traitors?

More importantly, the identity of being Tang Hao's son is far too special and too sensitive!

Unless they prioritize righteousness over family ties, as long as this blood relationship exists, it will be difficult for the Clear Sky Sect to completely sever its ties.

····································

In the dark, damp, and shabby cell, Tang San sat against the wall, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing, trying to recover some of his Soul Power.

Not long after he was imprisoned, footsteps and dragging sounds came again from outside the iron bars.

He opened his eyes and saw two cold-faced guards dragging a familiar figure without any pity and roughly throwing him into the cell next door.

The figure staggered and fell to the ground, her elegant dress covered in dust, her hair disheveled, looking utterly wretched—it was his aunt, Tang Yuehua.

Seeing Tang Yuehua's appearance, Tang San's heart sank. He immediately realized that his identity had been exposed.

Otherwise, given Tang Yuehua's position within the Star Luo Empire Army, built upon her connections with the Clear Sky Sect, she would never have ended up in such a state.

An overwhelming surge of anger welled up within him. He was furious at the Star Luo Empire's heartless betrayal, and even more furious at their "poverty"!

A mighty empire like yours can't even afford the Hidden Weapon of my Tang Sect?

Why won't they be like the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, readily paying enough Gold Soul Coin to purchase the Hidden Weapon I provide in bulk? Instead, they turn around and bite me, the one who can help them!

They can't even compare to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School!

He was filled with resentment, completely ignoring the fact that it was the exposure of his identity that caused a crisis of trust, rather than a simple transaction issue.

At this moment, Tang Yuehua, in the next cell, also struggled to her feet. She immediately saw Tang San in the next cell, rushed to the bars, and gripped the cold iron bars tightly with both hands. Her once elegant voice now trembled with urgency and even a hint of barely perceptible resentment. "Tang San! What... what have you done?!"

"Why... why did the higher-ups suddenly question your identity today and bring me here for questioning?!"

Chapter 283 New Soul Master Cultivation System

Faced with Tang Yuehua's repeated questions, which were tinged with tears and fear, Tang San frowned slightly, a hint of impatience and unfamiliarity flashing through his mind.

In his memories of his past life, this aunt was always the jewel of the Clear Sky Sect, the mistress of the Moonlight Pavilion, elegant, composed, and noble. When had she ever been so out of sorts?

He forgot that in this life, Tang Yuehua was no longer the noblewoman who had the backing of the Clear Sky Sect and whose elder brother was the Clear Sky Douluo.

With Tang Xiao, Tang Hao, and Xue Ye all encountering misfortune and losing their pillars one after another, she had already fallen from grace. Her so-called elegance and composure naturally vanished in the face of the pressure and fear of survival.

While her decision to help Tang San was partly due to her sibling-like bond with Tang Hao, her primary motivation was her recognition of Tang San's astonishing talent.