Come to Heaven Dou City

"46, 47, 48..."

"Vice Hall Master, a total of 49 Fixed Soul Guidance Cannonball have been intercepted."

"It doesn't match the official information; there's a significant discrepancy."

Zang Xin nodded. "Okay... I understand."

He turned to look at Tang Wulin, "Wulin, we owe you all a lot this time."

When Zang Xin said this, his voice deepened, carrying a serious and unadorned weight.

He held the list of the Fixed Soul Guidance Cannonball that he had just finished counting in his hand. The paper rustled softly in the night wind, but his gaze went past the paper and landed on Tang Wulin.

"Forty-nine. And that's just the number we intercepted on the bridge and around the broken bridge."

"If we include those destroyed in the battle, those that fell into the sea and could not be retrieved, and those that Leng Yulai may have been carrying, the total number of Fixed Soul Guidance Cannonball that the Holy Spirit Cult dropped on Eastsea City this time is at least in the hundreds."

He paused for a moment, then folded the list and tucked it into his sleeve.

"With three-digit Fixed Soul Guidance Cannonball and the blood sacrifice anchor point, if the ritual is completed, it won't just destroy a cross-sea bridge."

His gaze swept over everyone present, each word carefully chosen before he spoke, "They will open a permanent spatial teleportation node on the ruins of the bridge."

"At that time, the main force of the Holy Spirit Cult can pour into Eastsea City from any location on the East Sea within half an hour."

"This city, along with seven surrounding towns, three naval ports, and two strategic supply lines, will all be exposed to the Holy Spirit Cult's military might."

He paused, then his tone became more serious. "You made the most correct judgment in the shortest amount of time, without waiting for the academy's instructions, without waiting for the rescue to arrive, without any hesitation."

"From the hotel room to the bridge, from discovering the anomaly to engaging in battle, you, with the strength of seven people, interrupted the Holy Spirit Cult's offensive, which had been planned for who knows how long."

"This was not an ordinary skirmish; it was a battle nipped in the bud."

He turned around to face Tang Wulin, his gaze earnest and sincere. "As the Vice Hall Master of the Tang Sect 'Douluo Hall, and as an old fellow who has spent most of his life in the Tang Sect, I must say something—"

Thank you.

He spoke those four words slowly and solemnly, without a trace of condescension from an elder to a younger person.

That was a heartfelt tribute from someone who had experienced countless battles and knew what tonight's victory meant.

Tang Wulin stood opposite him, the night wind making his coat flutter, his hair still stained with dust and tiny sparks from the bridge.

His Blue Silver Grass had already retracted into his body, and his Golden Dragon Claw had long since faded away. Standing there, he looked no different from any other ordinary teenager.

But his eyes were calm, so calm that they didn't seem like someone who had just come down from a battlefield at the Titled Douluo level.

He did not answer immediately after hearing Zang Xin's words.

He first glanced at his companions beside him— Xie Xie was leaning against the hood of an SUV, with a shallow cut on his left arm from a fire feather, which he was bandaging himself.

Yuanen Yehui sat by the back door of the car, his eyes closed as he regulated his breathing, with several fine scratches on his face from the gravel.

Ye Xinglan stood at the front of the car, holding the Stargod Sword. Her clothes were covered in dust, but her hair was still perfectly styled.

Xu Xiaoyan was squatting on the ground, wiping her hands with a damp towel she had found somewhere. As she was wiping, she suddenly yawned and then covered her mouth in embarrassment.

Then he turned back to look at Zang Xin and said earnestly, "Senior Zang Xin, you flatter me. If you hadn't arrived in time tonight, we wouldn't have made it this far."

"The combined offensive of the Dark Phoenix and the Dark Bell is already difficult for us to handle, let alone a direct confrontation, as Jing Heng is already struggling to cope with the aftershocks."

"It was you who blocked Leng Yulai, restrained the two Heavenly Kings, gave Jing Heng the opportunity to launch a mental attack, and also gave us time to seize the vehicles and prepare an escape route."

His tone was calm, not like he was being deliberately modest, but more like he was stating a fact he considered self-evident. "We just did the part we could do."

"You were the one who assessed the situation, you were the one who bore the greatest pressure, and you were also the one who ultimately forced the two Holy Spirit Cult leaders to retreat."

"As for us, we simply completed our assigned tasks in this process, nothing more."

Zang Xin looked at him but did not interrupt.

Tang Wulin continued, "And to be honest, there are many things we didn't do well enough tonight."

"We could have located those Evil Soul Master on the bridge who were in charge of setting up the ceremony much earlier, but because we weren't familiar with the terrain of the bridge section, we took a detour."

"Later, when we were rendezvous in the warehouse area, the three off-road vehicles didn't assemble quickly enough. If the Dark Phoenix hadn't been hit by your Soul Skill at that moment, and she had simply swept a single fire feather at us, some of us might have been injured or even killed."

He paused, as if recalling every moment and every choice of the evening, then concluded earnestly, "So we dare not accept what you've said."

"Tonight's victory was achieved through your combined efforts with Jing Heng. The six of us simply prepared the escape route and defended the flanks; any well-trained Soul Master team could have done that."

"It was your tactical arrangements that allowed everyone's position to play its maximum role, not our inherent strength."

After he finished speaking, he lowered his head slightly, not in a deliberate act of humility, but in a heartfelt and clear-headed recognition of himself.

He knew the strength of this team and how much of tonight's result was due to Zang Xin's tactical arrangements and Yun Jingheng's extraordinary performance.

Because he was clearly aware of these things, he didn't feel he should accept excessive praise.

After listening, Zang Xin remained silent for two seconds.

Then he laughed.

A very genuine smile, tinged with a hint of unexpected delight.

He looked at Tang Wulin as if he saw a quality he hadn't seen in young people for a long time.

The ability to calmly and objectively assess the limits of one's own and the team's capabilities even in the face of a tremendous victory.

"You know, when I said those things just now, my biggest worry was that you would take all the credit for yourself."

Zang Xin spoke up, his tone filled with undisguised admiration, "But you, on the contrary, completely shirked all the credit, even describing the most crucial task on the battlefield, 'paving the way out,' as 'anyone could have done it.'"

He shook his head, his smile deepening, "Not everyone can pave a way out."

"Traversing directly beneath a battlefield dominated by Titled Douluo- level warriors, passing through the wreckage of broken bridges, through explosion zones, and through open areas that could be affected by the aftershocks at any moment, while also finding usable vehicles, completing the regrouping, and being ready to provide support at any time."

"This requires the team leader to have an extremely accurate judgment of the battlefield situation, unconditional trust and tacit understanding among team members, and, most importantly, the ability of everyone to remain calm, execute orders, and not make any wrong moves in the most tense moments."

"If we used a different, well-trained Soul Master team, we might find the car but lose the people, or we might still have the people but the car wouldn't be able to be brought back."

He took a step forward and patted Tang Wulin on the shoulder. "You're not 'unworthy' of the honor, you're just setting your standards too high. Setting high standards is a good thing, but you should also acknowledge the credit that you deserve."

Then he withdrew his hand, his tone becoming more formal. "Come to the Tang Sect headquarters in Heaven Dou City in three days."

Tang Wulin was slightly taken aback.

Zang Xin took out a small token from his sleeve. It was dark blue all over, with an ancient "Tang" character engraved on the front and a blooming Buddha Fury Tang Lotus on the back.

He handed the token to Tang Wulin.

"Some rewards are deserved, even if..."

Zang Xin looked towards Yun Ming Yun Jingheng and Gu Yue, who were chatting with Yun Ming and Leng Yaozhu the distance.

"... Not all of you are disciples of the Tang Sect."