It Was Too Adventurous

That day

Golden rain fell over Spirit Hall for three straight days.

It seemed to be the last lingering warmth a great person had scattered across the mortal world after his fall.

Qian Chongguang, the highest-ranking angel ancestor of Spirit Hall and universally acknowledged as the strongest person on Douluo Continent, had fallen.

When the news spread, the entire continent was shaken.

Many people did not even know that Spirit Hall still had such an old man, let alone that he had lived until now.

Spirit Hall held a funeral for the old enshrined elder with the highest honors. The mourning hall was set up before Angel Temple, while ten miles of white banners covered half the sky above Spirit City.

The royal families of the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires each sent a prince to lead a delegation in paying their respects. From the Upper Three Sects, Ning Fengzhi personally attended with Sword Douluo Chen Jianjun, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan sent an elder of its direct line, and even the Clear Sky Sect—the sect of the culprit—quietly came to partake in the funeral banquet.

No one dared fail to show him this respect.

Even though the various factions were increasingly wary and dissatisfied with Spirit Hall's growing power, no one dared be negligent on this occasion—

The old enshrined elder had fallen while eliminating Soul Beasts mingling among humans and Tang Hao, who had betrayed humanity. On that point alone, he had already occupied the moral high ground of humanity's cause.

For public and private reasons alike, they all had to attend this funeral and complete the rites of condolence.

At the funeral, every faction offered incense and paid their respects according to protocol. They offered every eulogy and expressed every bit of reverence they were supposed to, yet no one dared say a word beyond that.

The Titled Douluo standing solemnly within the hall, along with Bibi Dong—the Adjudicator Elder who presided over the law and whose gaze was icy—made everyone swallow every unnecessary word.

As the grand three-day funeral came to an end, the white banners of Spirit City were slowly taken down. Yet the discussion among the enshrined elders had only just begun.

Spirit Hall's core leadership had gathered in one hall. Their eyes all fell on Bibi Dong in the seat of honor, though their peripheral vision could not help drifting toward the cradle beside her—

A baby still in swaddling clothes lay inside. His features were exquisite and his breathing steady. He was one of the twins Tang Hao had personally abandoned not long ago.

"Adjudicator Elder."

At last, Golden Crocodile Douluo could not hold back. His tone was filled with confusion. "Tang Hao is Spirit Hall's number-one enemy. He consorted with a Soul Beast and even fathered a mongrel born of human and beast. Most unforgivably, he killed the old enshrined elder. This child is his bloodline. The fact that we have kept him alive is already the height of benevolence. What exactly are you..."

Before he could finish, Bibi Dong raised a hand and cut him off.

She lowered her eyes to the baby in the cradle. Her gaze was calm and unruffled, without the slightest trace of hatred—only absolute certainty about the arrangement already made.

"According to the instructions left by our ancestor, give him the name Tang San."

She spoke in a cold voice that carried unquestionable authority.

At the same time, she was curious about the name Tang San. Why had the ancestor chosen it for him?

Qian Chongguang: Of course, it was to distinguish Tang San from Tang San.

That single sentence instantly drew a chorus of sharp gasps from the conference room. The already tense atmosphere exploded into chaos.

"No! Elder! You cannot!" Falling Devil Douluo slammed his palm onto the table, making the Coiling Dragon Staff in his hand buzz against its surface. His face was filled with disbelief. "It would be one thing not to eliminate him, but how can you give him a legitimate name? If word gets out, what will the people of the entire continent think of Spirit Hall?!"

Mighty Lion Douluo furrowed his brows tightly, concern filling his bell-like eyes. "The foundation on which Spirit Hall stands is helping Soul Masters hunt Soul Beasts and obtain Soul Rings. He was born entangled with Soul Beasts. If we keep him, he will sooner or later become a grave threat from within!"

"Our ancestor has fallen. We obeyed every strategy he laid out while alive, but there is no need to take such a huge risk for an enemy's child!" Azure Luan Douluo nodded solemnly, the air around him surging along with his words. "This child is a ticking time bomb. No one knows where he will explode in the future."

"Our ancestor has fallen. There is no need for us to take such a huge risk for an enemy's child!"

One after another, the higher-ups spoke up to dissuade her, their faces filled with incomprehension.

Bibi Dong did not waver in the slightest. She looked across the crowd, her tone sinking a few degrees. "This is not my decision. It is a plan our ancestor established while he was alive."

That brief sentence instantly silenced every clamorous voice.

In all their hearts, Qian Chongguang had long been synonymous with flawless foresight. The glorious Spirit Hall that now stood at the height of its power was the continuation of the strategies he had devised back then.

Every move he had arranged during his lifetime had later been proven to carry far-reaching intent. No one dared question it again.

As the ancestor had most often said: This is all part of the plan.

"The ancestor's will was written clearly. Once this child develops awareness, he is to enroll in Spirit Hall's Soul Master Academy and receive the same quality education as all ordinary students. He is to learn literature and literacy, cultivate his soul power and body, develop his moral character, and hear stories."

Bibi Dong's voice continued, with a trace of imperceptible gentleness in it. "Besides that, he is to receive some education that is different from the others."

"Different education?" Qian Xunji could not help asking.

Bibi Dong lowered her eyes to the defenseless baby in the swaddling clothes and said softly, "Once he has learned almost everything he needs to and reaches the level we require for making judgments, we can tell him the truth."

The secret chamber fell silent once more.

The group of higher-ups exchanged glances, still unable to fathom the ancestor's deeper intentions.

Even Guang Ling Douluo, usually the most childlike in temperament, could not help drawing in a sharp breath.

"This is far too risky."

Mighty Lion Douluo nodded. "Exactly. What happens when we tell him this in the future? What if this child grows up with the same character as his father? Wouldn't we be raising an ungrateful wretch in the heart of Spirit Hall?"

On Douluo Continent, bloodline was as weighty as Mount Tai.

Even if one's clan was utterly wretched and burdened with grave sins, even if one claimed verbally not to recognize one's ancestors or return to the clan, the bond in one's blood could never be severed. Moreover, Tang Hao was his biological father and Blue Silver Emperor was his biological mother. Once he learned the truth—once he learned that Spirit Hall had "forced" his parents to their deaths and destroyed his home—who could guarantee that he would not turn against them and become a second Tang Hao?

"Guang Ling is right."

Mighty Lion Douluo nodded emphatically and agreed in a deep voice. "How can we gamble with something like this? Once he learns the truth, what then? If he causes trouble, are these old bones of ours supposed to fight a second Tang Hao?"

"In my opinion, to prevent any trouble, we should just throw him into a manure pit and drown him. That would settle everything once and for all!" Qianjun Douluo brought his Coiling Dragon Staff down against the ground, making it tremble faintly, and spoke in a rough voice.

Falling Devil Douluo chimed in. "What if, once he learns the truth, he asks why humans can't be slaughtered and eaten for meat?"

The words made everyone draw in an even sharper breath.

What kind of outrageous, anti-human statement was that?

Fortunately, it was only a comparison made among their own kind. If those words really came from Tang San's mouth in the future, wouldn't that be the end of everything?

They truly did not dare gamble on this uncertain factor.

When that time came, would they kill him or not?

Bibi Dong merely smiled. "Rest assured, everyone. The ancestor said that this child is absolutely different. I trust the ancestor. Do you not?"

Did they dare not?

Regardless, they did not dare show the slightest disrespect toward the ancestor.

No matter how anxious they felt or how risky they thought this was, they absolutely did not dare show the slightest disrespect toward the ancestor's decision.

Golden Crocodile Douluo let out a long sigh and cupped his hands toward Bibi Dong. His aged voice was filled with helplessness. "Since this is the ancestor's will, we will naturally obey it with all our strength. However, Adjudicator Elder, this child's upbringing must be flawless. Not the slightest mistake can be allowed. Should even the faintest sign of him straying appear, we must prepare in advance."

Bibi Dong nodded indifferently. "I will."

In the end, Qian Daoliu solemnly confirmed the decision.