Protecting the Right Hand's Grass with the Left Hand's Hammer?

"Control-type soul masters may seem ill-suited for direct assault, but in a one-on-one duel between peers, they are invincible!

Once ensnared by Blue Silver Entanglement and combined with its inherent toxicity, any opponent will be left without a defense, forced to await their fate!"

Relying on the low presence of Blue Silver Grass, he would initiate with his mother—no, with Blue Silver Entanglement—and before the opponent could even struggle free, the toxins applied to the vines would quickly secure the victory.

Every time he recalled his combat designs, a wave of fervor would ignite within Gangzi's heart.

One must know, these were all his own contributions!

However...

Are control-type soul masters truly strong?

It cannot be called weak; at the very least, in the early stages—that is, below the level of a Soul Saint—they are indeed, as Gangzi claimed, invincible in single combat.

On this point, Gangzi was certainly not wrong.

But what about afterward?

With the activation of the Martial Soul Avatar, as a soul master's combat power begins to soar and even basic attacks can cause large-scale devastation, the battlefield dominance of a control-type soul master begins to plummet rapidly.

Especially in the later stages, for true powerhouses, one's own raw combat strength is the fundamental basis!

If this were not the case, after Tang San's Blue Silver Grass martial soul evolved into the Blue Silver Emperor, he would not have specifically developed the Blue Silver Overlord Spear as a power-attack soul skill!

In fact, once he began adding soul rings to his Clear Sky Hammer in the later stages and obtained the Sea God Trident, the Blue Silver Emperor—which Gangzi had wasted so much effort on—could only end up gathering dust in a warehouse.

Therefore, some of Gangzi's theories are, at best, only applicable up to the Soul Saint level.

They are fine for students to use in competitions or for ganging up on others.

To a true powerhouse, they are pure nonsense.

However, it is understandable why Gangzi would fall into such a misconception.

After all, he is merely a level 29 Soul Grand Master; he has never experienced the power of a true expert himself, so how could he possibly instruct one?

"Furthermore, Little San possesses Innate Full Soul Power, and his cultivation speed is exceptional.

Your Excellency Clear Sky, as long as you follow my method of cultivation, Little San will surely become the continent's top control-type soul master in the future!

Even reaching the rank of Titled Douluo is not out of the question!"

Yu Xiaogang spoke with earnest sincerity, every word and sentence dripping with absolute confidence, attempting to persuade the Clear Sky Douluo before him with his own theories.

Yet, what Gangzi did not know was that Tang Hao had never cared about Tang San's Blue Silver Grass from the very beginning.

What he truly valued was the Clear Sky Hammer hidden within Tang San's body, inherited from the Clear Sky Sect.

Protecting the grass in the right hand with the hammer in the left?

That was just talk—you actually believed it!

The reason he wasted breath on Gangzi was primarily twofold.

Firstly, because of the incident with Qian Xunji, Tang Hao had offended Martial Soul Hall to the point of no return, even forcing the Clear Sky Sect to seal its mountain gates.

In such an awkward time, unless the ancestor Tang Chen returned, or the Clear Sky Sect regained enough strength to reopen its gates, the Clear Sky Hammer martial soul on Tang San must never be exposed.

During the early stages of cultivation, using Blue Silver Grass to mask his identity was naturally the best course of action.

Secondly, unlike the era of Douluo II where twin martial souls were rampant, in the era of Douluo I, facing such a once-in-a-century genius, Tang Hao also harbored the idea of "borrowing a chicken to lay an egg"!

Once the Blue Silver Grass reached a certain realm—at the very least a Soul Emperor, or preferably a Soul Saint capable of bearing a ten-thousand-year soul ring—he would begin to transition to the Clear Sky Hammer!

The number one tool martial soul in the world!

With the strength of the Clear Sky Hammer, if it were paired with nine ten-thousand-year soul rings, or even hundred-thousand-year soul rings, one must ask: what kind of existence would that be?

Such a powerhouse could not only help the Clear Sky Sect reopen its gates but also allow him to return to his roots!

As a fellow servant of the sect, the obsession with returning to his roots burned as deeply in Tang Hao's heart as Tang San's desire to make the Tang Sect great again!

Therefore, no matter how well the Blue Silver Grass developed, to Tang Hao, it was merely an insignificant side branch.

Seeing that Yu Xiaogang's plan was clear and his heart was entirely focused on Tang San's cultivation and growth, with no malicious intent, Tang Hao could not be bothered to say anything more.

He had only come to confirm one thing: as long as this person taught Tang San sincerely and did not ruin his foundation, that was enough.

Tang Hao said no more. With a flick of his wrist, a pitch-black token engraved with patterns of a sword, a hammer, and a dragon-beast appeared out of thin air in his hand, which he tossed casually to Yu Xiaogang.

Yu Xiaogang hurriedly reached out to catch it. The moment his fingertips touched the token and he saw the patterns upon it, Gangzi's entire body shuddered again, and he nearly dropped it.

The Pope Token!

The exclusive token of the Martial Soul Hall Pope. Whoever holds this token enjoys the same privileges as the Pope within the territory of Martial Soul Hall; no one dares to stop them, and no one dares to offend them!

Tang Hao's voice sounded low once more, carrying his final instructions.

"Take it. From now on, no one on this continent will dare to trouble you easily.

You only need to remember: take good care of Tang San, protect his safe cultivation, and do not let him get involved in disputes too early."

As his words fell, he did not wait for Yu Xiaogang to say another word.

Tang Hao's figure slowly dissipated on the spot like mist, silent and traceless, as if he had never appeared at all.

Inside the room, only Yu Xiaogang remained, standing dazed in place, clutching the Pope Token in one hand, his mind replaying everything that had just occurred, unable to recover for a long time.

However, immediately afterward, Gangzi could no longer suppress the excitement in his heart; he gripped the Pope Token tightly and began to laugh wildly right there in the dormitory.

"Hahaha!"

"Qin Yun, what use is it that you defeated me? His father has already agreed; surely you, an outsider, cannot stop Tang San from taking me as his master!"

"Little San, you are mine!"

Meanwhile, after Tang Hao departed from Yu Xiaogang's faculty dormitory, the majestic pressure belonging to a Titled Douluo that had surrounded him retracted completely, transforming him into an obscure, indistinguishable black shadow.

Avoiding the students and instructors coming and going within the academy, his figure drifted like the wind, slipping silently over the walls of Nuoding Academy.

With Tang Ritian's strength, the actions of Qin Yun and the others were as clear as lines on a palm, already fully within his grasp.

He knew that because Qin Yun found the academy dormitory too crowded and unsuitable for cultivation, he had specifically rented a quiet and elegant small courtyard for Tang San and the others near the academy.

From this perspective, Qin Yun could certainly be considered good to Tang San.

"It is a pity, though; commoners are commoners after all, and you two will always be people from different worlds!"

Shrouded by the night, Tang Hao's slovenly figure crept along the base of the wall, the decadent scent of alcohol radiating from his body blending into the surrounding darkness, unnoticed by anyone.

Before long, Tang Hao arrived at the rented courtyard.

The courtyard gate was left slightly ajar, and the warm yellow candlelight from inside cast the silhouette of a slender youth against the window paper.

Tang Hao lifted his feet lightly, making not a sound, and pushed the door open like a ghost, stepping directly into the room.

Inside, Tang San was bowing his head, organizing his luggage, tucking the clothing and outdoor gear Qin Yun had purchased for him into that significant Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges.

At the mere thought of Qin Yun, Tang San's heart was filled with warmth and gratitude.

Since stepping into Nuoding City, it was Qin Yun who had resolved the trouble with the gatekeeper for him, Qin Yun who had generously gifted him the precious Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges, Qin Yun who had taken him into the inner sect of the Tang Sect to teach him the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record, and even more, it was Qin Yun who had painstakingly analyzed the future path of his martial soul and planned out the suitable direction for his spirit rings.

Not to mention that his favorability was already locked at this point; even if it weren't, in Tang San's heart, Qin Yun was both mentor and friend, the person he trusted and relied upon most in this strange new world.