Tang Ya couldn't help being swayed by Bei Bei's words, and her eyes flickered slightly.
"Come with me!" A faint smile crossed Bei Bei's face. He had achieved his aim.
He slowly rose to his feet and led Tang Ya away from Sea God Island. They crossed Sea God Lake and arrived at Shrek Academy's Outer Court.
When they reached the Soul Tool Department in the Outer Court, the place was still brightly lit. Soul Guidance Lamps cast a gentle white glow, driving away the darkness.
Bei Bei took out a Level 2 Soul Engineer badge and pinned it to his chest. Over the past few years, he had occasionally gone to Fan Yu to learn about Soul Tools, and he was now capable of independently making a Level 2 Soul Tool.
Along the way, Tang Ya saw that many places in the Soul Tool Department were still lit. She narrowed her eyes slightly and asked in confusion, "Why are the Soul Tool Department students still in class so late?"
Bei Bei patiently explained, "The teachers and students in the Soul Tool Department are fanatical about researching Soul Tools. They often work late into the night, and when inspiration strikes, they can even go several days without sleep."
"That's absolutely crazy," Tang Ya said in disbelief.
"Although the Soul Tool Department at Shrek Academy ranks among the best on Douluo Continent when it comes to developing Soul Tools, we still lag far behind the Sun Moon Empire."
Bei Bei spoke softly. "Whether it's basic research, technical applications, or practical combat performance, we're behind by at least several hundred years."
Tang Ya didn't understand the extent of the gap Bei Bei described, but the level of mechanization in just the Outer Court's Soul Tool Department had already opened her eyes.
She had lived in Heaven Dou City since childhood, but she had never seen so many novel things. It was as if a door to a new world had opened before her.
Bei Bei brought Tang Ya to the Soul Tool Experimental Zone and showed her Soul Tools of various levels.
Close-combat Soul Tools, long-range Soul Tools, Defensive Soul Tools, auxiliary Soul Tools, fixed-installation Soul Tools...
As Tang Ya watched, the look of wonder on her face gradually gave way to paleness. Her lips trembled faintly.
Before, she had only heard about Soul Tools from others. Under her father's influence, she had even believed they were nothing but flashy gimmicks.
But after seeing them with her own eyes, the cruel reality and truth tore her father's ridiculous lies to shreds.
"How does it feel?" Bei Bei asked softly, looking at her.
"The strongest Soul Tools on the continent are Level 9 Soul Tools. Their power is enough to reach the level of a Titled Douluo. Even Shrek Academy doesn't have one." Bei Bei couldn't help letting out a soft sigh.
"The Hidden Weapons of my Tang Sect can be activated without Soul Power. Back then, our ancestor Tang San even wounded a god with some technique-based Hidden Weapons!" Tang Ya retorted stubbornly, still refusing to believe Hidden Weapons were inferior to Soul Tools.
"And who after him? Which member of the Tang Sect in all the generations since has been able to use them?" Bei Bei pressed on.
"And who can make those Hidden Weapons now? I'm afraid you can't even make a single Godly Zhuge Crossbow anymore!"
His words were sharp. He wanted Tang Ya to face reality.
He wanted her to break free from her father's influence, to escape the shackles of the Tang Sect's former glory, and to understand for herself that the Tang Sect had fallen into complete decline.
"No... That's not..." Tang Ya could no longer find any reason to argue. Her pupils widened slightly as she could only object incoherently.
"Hmph. Then let's settle this with facts." Bei Bei led Tang Ya to a testing area.
He said to her, "I'll use a Soul Tool, and you use Hidden Weapons. Let's see who wins!"
"Fine." Tang Ya nodded, her gaze firming once more.
"I won't take advantage of you. I won't use any Soul Skills; I'll only use this Level 3 Defensive Soul Tool and this Level 3 Soul Ray." Bei Bei took two Soul Tools from his Storage Soul Tool.
He strapped the Defensive Soul Tool to his chest and secured the Soul Ray to his arm.
Tang Ya revealed the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges at her waist. Her hands swept over it, and in an instant, her fingertips were loaded with all kinds of Hidden Weapons.
Once they had taken their positions, Bei Bei activated the Soul Tool on his chest. A thin Soul Power barrier enveloped his body.
"Let's begin!" Bei Bei signaled for her to attack.
Tang Ya didn't hold back. A flash of violet light passed through her eyes: the Tang Sect's eye-training technique, the Purple Demon Eye.
She suddenly flung out both hands, sending Hidden Weapons flying toward him.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!..."
The Hidden Weapons shot out at all sorts of tricky angles. Some even curved around behind Bei Bei.
Yet Bei Bei didn't move at all. He let the Hidden Weapons strike the Soul Guidance Barrier. A dense clatter of metal rang out, but not a single attack could break through the thin layer of Soul Power.
Unwilling to give up, Tang Ya raised her right hand. A speck of golden light shot straight toward Bei Bei.
Bei Bei recognized it at once: the Tang Sect's Dragon Whisker Needle, designed specifically to counter Soul Power defenses.
He raised the Soul Ray on his arm and gathered Soul Power. A finger-thick beam of light shot out and knocked the Dragon Whisker Needle down.
Then Bei Bei launched his own attack. Several beams of Soul Power shot toward Tang Ya.
Tang Ya shifted her steps and used the Tang Sect's footwork, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, to evade the beams.
For the attacks she couldn't dodge, Tang Ya's hands turned the color of white jade, and she forcibly endured them.
Before long, Tang Ya was panting for breath, while Bei Bei remained composed and unruffled. He hadn't even moved his feet.
Seeing that Tang Ya had no strength left, Bei Bei finally put away his Soul Tools and came over to her. "You should understand now why the Tang Sect's Hidden Weapons fell into decline."
Tang Ya's cheeks were covered in sweat. The light had gone from her eyes, and she nodded dejectedly.
Her entire worldview had collapsed, and at last she had faced reality.
"Is it too late for me to start learning about Soul Tools now?" Tang Ya asked in a low voice.
"Unless you're a Soul Tool genius, if you truly want to revive the Tang Sect, you'll need to become at least a Level 8 Soul Engineer."
Bei Bei didn't soften the truth. "With your talent and Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, unless you have some extraordinary encounter, a Soul King is the furthest you'll reach in this lifetime."
Tang Ya's Blue Silver Grass might have been somewhat special. After all, her cultivation speed wasn't particularly slow. But the nature of Blue Silver Grass determined its potential.
Unless Tang Ya was willing to fall into depravity and become an Evil Soul Master, or awaken into a Blue Silver Emperor, her talent and achievements as a Soul Master would be limited.
"Is there really no hope?" Tang Ya knelt on the ground, head bowed, as tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes.
"For a faction to grow, it needs money, technology, resources, and talent. Not one of them can be missing."
Bei Bei continued coaxing her, "Unless you can find a new path and innovatively combine Soul Tools with Hidden Weapons. The collision between the two might let you overtake everyone on the bend."