He Really Had Become a Brute

"This..."

"How is that possible?"

The battle had ended far too quickly.

Everyone present had yet to react.

From beginning to end, Tang Lieyan hadn't even touched the hem of Bibi Dong's clothes.

Bibi Dong had fought this way deliberately.

She wanted everyone in Spirit Hall—and every Soul Master in the world—to see that facing the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul didn't mean they had to meet force with force.

It had been a textbook battle.

Of course, Bibi Dong wasn't so arrogant as to think that these methods alone could directly counter the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul.

She didn't know about the other wielders of the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul. But just from that book, she could tell that Tang Chen's Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul possessed not only Soul Skills that locked onto and suppressed opponents, but other abilities as well.

Still, those abilities weren't impossible to counter.

There were plenty of ways. All she had done was give Qian Daoliu and Qian Xunji something to think about and point them in a direction.

They shouldn't go head-to-head just because they were too stubborn to yield.

As for how to resist and deal with the Clear Sky Hammer's other methods, they would naturally find their own answers.

There was one more thing Bibi Dong had wanted to demonstrate, but there hadn't been the right conditions, so she couldn't show it.

That was that Clear Sky Hammer wielders had no bottom line.

Put nicely, they had rich combat experience and forced you to take their Clear Sky Hammer head-on.

Put less nicely, they stopped at nothing.

In battle, they would attack other people, or something you cared about, forcing you to block their attacks.

Tang Hao had demonstrated this to the fullest.

The way to counter it was simple: have even less of a bottom line than they did.

Only then could you avoid being dragged along by your opponent.

"Qian Daoliu, how did your grandstudent end up so different from you?"

Looking at the outcome on the arena, Tang Chen asked as if he were quite interested, though his words were laced with mockery.

He had dealt with Qian Daoliu many times and knew his temperament well.

The old fox seemed mild-mannered, but he was actually impulsive and easily roused by his desires. On top of that, he cared a great deal about saving face.

He had spoken that way because he'd realized that if Qian Daoliu used the same tactics against him, he wouldn't be able to do a thing.

That absolutely couldn't be allowed to happen.

This was a preemptive move to prevent it.

"What's wrong with playing to your strengths and avoiding your weaknesses?"

Tang Chen understood Qian Daoliu, but did the elders of Spirit Hall not understand him as well?

Golden Crocodile Douluo immediately grasped Tang Chen's meaning. He spoke in a low voice, cutting off his attempt.

Tang Chen's expression turned grave.

His trip to Spirit Hall had not only failed to achieve what he wanted; at every turn, it had also undermined the dignity of the Clear Sky Sect.

That left him deeply displeased.

After this, no matter what outstanding feats the Clear Sky Sect displayed in battle, it would be difficult to turn things around.

After all, this so-called competition was a sparring exchange among Soul Masters above the Soul King level.

Given what Bibi Dong had shown earlier, it would be difficult for anyone above Soul King to defeat her.

Among Soul Ancestors, Tang Lieyan was already one of the best.

Just as Tang Chen had guessed, Bibi Dong was no match for any of the opponents she faced after that.

Throughout the competition, whether by design or not, Bibi Dong was able to trade blows evenly with the wielders of other Martial Souls.

But whenever she faced someone from the Clear Sky Sect, she made sure they ended up in the most humiliating, pathetic position possible.

Tang Chen could see it now. Bibi Dong was doing it on purpose.

Deliberately.

It infuriated him.

The problem was that given the situation, he really couldn't do anything about her.

There truly was no one among the younger generation of the Clear Sky Sect who could contend with Bibi Dong.

In the end, all they could do was watch as Bibi Dong took first place.

The first-place prize was a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone, a nine-thousand-year-old medicinal herb, a valuable Storage Soul Tool, and one million Gold Soul Coins.

These rewards had been jointly provided by the Clear Sky Sect, Spirit Hall, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Bibi Dong was quite pleased.

Though these things weren't of much use to her, who would turn down good stuff?

Just as the sparring exchange was about to end, Tang Hao grew anxious.

He hadn't forgotten why they had come in the first place.

If he didn't bring it up now, they would have no reason to stay in Spirit City any longer.

They had already been here for so long, and so much had happened. If they stayed any longer, even Spirit Hall wouldn't treat them kindly.

Tang Hao kept glancing at Tang Chen, hoping his grandfather would make a decision or give him a sign.

One look was all it would take for him to step forward.

After everything that had happened, Tang Hao's purpose had changed. It was no longer just about defeating Qian Xunji and scheming for some other goal.

He was driven more by anger now, by the need to prove the might of the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul.

At that moment, Tang Chen was hesitating.

Everything that had happened on this trip had exceeded his expectations.

He wondered if that old fox Qian Daoliu had known his intentions all along, and had made these moves to spare him the embarrassment.

If so, then trying to scheme further or force some plan through would do more harm than good.

"Grandfather, I have an unreasonable request."

"I've heard that Spirit Hall's Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul is peerless in the world. I'd like to test it."

"The younger generation's battles and sparring are over, and watching them has left me itching for a fight. I'd like to challenge the Pope and witness the splendor of the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul."

While Tang Chen was still thinking things over, Tang Hao could no longer hold back and stepped forward.

He put on the appearance of a young man eager for battle.

This is bad. I think I encouraged him too much.

Seeing Tang Hao step forward at that moment, Tang Chen belatedly realized that he had gone too far with his encouragement.

He had encouraged him so much because he wanted Tang Hao to develop an invincible mindset and an indomitable spirit.

He hadn't meant for him to become a brute who couldn't read the room.

But Tang Hao was already heading in that direction.

If everything kept going smoothly for him, that might not be a problem.

But with this mindset, any setback at all would surely leave him utterly dispirited, unable to recover.

He might never surpass Tang Chen in his lifetime.

Tang Chen thought highly of Tang Hao. He wanted him not only to become the next Clear Sky Douluo, but also to catch up to him, even surpass him.

But things had come to this. All he could do was accept it.

They would discuss the rest after they returned.

At that moment, Qian Xunji had already stepped forward.