Tang Hao Departs

The setting sun cast a fiery red glow across the horizon.

"Bang, bang!" A sudden knock rose within the quiet campus.

"Who is it?" A middle-aged voice, tinged with weariness, rang out.

As the words fell, a disheveled figure opened the door.

"It's you!?" Seeing the person at his doorstep, Yu Xiaogang's expression turned exceptionally surprised.

However, the figure standing at Yu Xiaogang's door did not answer him, merely gazing at him silently.

Soon, Yu Xiaogang snapped out of it, realizing the doorway was no place for conversation. He quickly stepped aside, gesturing for the figure to enter.

"Why have you come?" Yu Xiaogang asked, his eyes complex as he looked at this figure. Dressed just as slovenly as Yu Xiaogang himself, the man nonetheless exuded a faint, sharp aura.

"I need to go out for a while. During my absence, I entrust Xiao San to your care," the figure finally revealed his true face—Tang San's father, Tang Hao.

"Leave? Hah, haven't you always been absent? In these two years, aside from showing up once after Xiao San enrolled, have you appeared at all? I've been the one taking care of Xiao San all this time, and you're his father! Can you really bear not seeing him for two whole years? He's still just a child." Yu Xiaogang's face flushed with unexpected anger upon hearing Tang Hao's words.

"Don't forget, he is also your disciple," Tang Hao replied, his tone flat.

As if recalling something, he added, "The one who knelt and kowtowed—'A teacher for a day, a father for a lifetime.'"

Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang was momentarily at a loss for words.

"But you should know, Xiao San is about to obtain his second Soul Ring. Given my current relationship with the dean of Notting Academy, I can't get him to help. And you know my situation—I can't handle a seven-hundred-year Soul Beast, and Xiao San certainly can't either." Yu Xiaogang seemed to deflate, even his straight back bending slightly.

"Don't worry, I'll be back soon. Xiao San has just reached Level 18; he still has some time before Level 20. No need to fret," Tang Hao explained briefly.

"Fine. Then we'll wait until you return to get Xiao San his second Soul Ring." Yu Xiaogang nodded.

But then he ventured a question, "Can you tell me what this trip is for?"

As soon as he spoke, Yu Xiaogang seemed to realize his impertinence and waved his hand at Tang Hao.

"I didn't mean—" he began, but before he could finish, Tang Hao cut him off.

"A message has spread across Douluo Continent: in the Star Dou Forest, there is a Supreme Immortal Herb. It can not only evolve one's Martial Soul but also greatly enhance Soul Power." Tang Hao's eyes gleamed as he looked at Yu Xiaogang.

Tang Hao naturally knew Yu Xiaogang's situation. He revealed this information to gauge his reaction.

Sure enough, upon hearing Tang Hao's words, Yu Xiaogang became visibly agitated. His lips trembled, but the moment he met Tang Hao's gaze, his excitement quickly subsided. He knew that the slovenly middle-aged man before him, though long dormant, was still the Clear Sky Douluo of old—a Titled Douluo who had escaped even the pursuit of the previous Pope of the Martial Soul Hall.

"Don't worry, if there are other immortal herbs, I might spare one for you," Tang Hao said, dangling a carrot before Yu Xiaogang, knowing he had already stirred his emotions.

Tang Hao's cunning was no less than Yu Xiaogang's. Faced with a man already losing his composure, he easily had him under control.

As expected, upon hearing this, the nearly frantic Yu Xiaogang stared at Tang Hao with fervent hope, never once considering that Tang Hao could simply claim there was only one herb.

"Mm, I trust your abilities. I'm confident in you teaching Tang San. I hope you'll impart all your knowledge to him." With that, Tang Hao turned and left Yu Xiaogang's room.

But once outside, the calm on Tang Hao's face twisted into disdain. He held Yu Xiaogang in utter contempt. If the man were truly capable, how could he not know that with Twin Martial Souls, the two souls' grades would be similar? A powerful Martial Soul would devour a weak one. To think Tang San's Blue Silver Grass inferior to the Clear Sky Hammer—how could such a man possess real knowledge?

If not for Yu Xiaogang being a member of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Sect and having an ambiguous relationship with Bibi Dong, the current Pope of the Martial Soul Hall, Tang Hao would never have let him be Xiao San's teacher. The moment Tang San performed the kneeling bow, Yu Xiaogang had already become worthless in his eyes.

"A plant-type Martial Soul absorbing a beast-type Soul Ring—what a ridiculous idea. Soul Masters have existed on this continent for countless years. Do you think those who became Titled Douluo, or even gods, wouldn't have known this? Does it take a waste who hasn't even reached Level 30 to 'discover' it? They simply knew that absorbing a Soul Ring of the same attribute greatly enhances a Martial Soul's potential. According to his theory, shouldn't my Clear Sky Hammer absorb other types of Soul Rings?" Tang Hao glanced at his Clear Sky Hammer, growing more convinced that Yu Xiaogang was a fool.

"As for Xiao San, once he awakens Ah Yin's bloodline later, he can recover all the potential wasted now and even become the second emperor of Blue Silver Grass. It seems Blue Silver Grass truly is a blessing for the Tang family—giving me a hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring and awakening my son's Martial Soul bloodline." A mysterious smile curled on Tang Hao's lips.

But Yu Xiaogang knew nothing of Tang Hao's thoughts. He was still basking in the carrot dangled before him and the praise from his idol.

"I will definitely raise Xiao San to become the most powerful Soul Master on Douluo Continent!" Yu Xiaogang clenched his fist, his eyes burning with unwavering determination.

"There are no useless Martial Souls, only useless Soul Masters." Yu Xiaogang uttered his classic motto, utterly oblivious that it plainly labeled himself a failure.

"Although Xiao San's Blue Silver Grass is a plant-type Martial Soul, as long as it absorbs beast-type Soul Rings, it can certainly enhance all its attributes. Then, even Blue Silver Grass won't be inferior to other Martial Souls. Xiao San's first Soul Ring already proves this." Yu Xiaogang stared confidently at the documents in his hands—records of his Ten Core Theories.

"Once Tang San grows up, let's see who dares to question me." A surge of intense confidence welled up in Yu Xiaogang's eyes.