Tai Tan

It was still more than three months until the Seven Great Sects were reorganized.

Many sects and factions had yet to make their position clear.

Gu Qingshan decided to visit them all in person and "persuade" those stubborn holdouts.

The Strength Clan's estate stood in the southeastern corner of Heaven Dou City and covered a vast area.

Its main entrance consisted of two vermilion gates, each half a foot thick. Above them hung a plaque bearing a single, enormous character: Strength.

The stone lions flanking the entrance stood taller than a man and were carved with lifelike detail.

At that moment, the estate's main gates were firmly shut.

Gu Qingshan stood before them, glanced up at the plaque, then took out a Blue Silver Leaf and stuffed it into his mouth to chew.

"Elder Ghost, knock."

Ghost Douluo stepped forward and extended his right hand from his sleeve, about to knock.

The gate opened.

A young man walked out.

He was about fifteen or sixteen, powerfully built, with broad shoulders and a sturdy frame. His short hair stood straight up, and his thick brows and large eyes gave him a naturally arrogant air.

Tailong, Tai Tan's grandson.

The young master of the Strength Clan, its strongest member of the younger generation, and a Soul Elder of level thirty-something.

Among the younger generation in Heaven Dou City, he was a notable figure.

Tailong raised his chin slightly and looked over the three of them.

One was a boy of twelve or thirteen, wearing a black robe with gold trim and chewing something.

One looked neither male nor female, wore makeup, and didn't seem like a respectable person.

The last wore a black hood that concealed most of his face, leaving only a small part visible. His complexion was pale.

Not one of the three looked like someone worthy of a personal welcome from Tailong.

"Who are you? The Strength Clan doesn't receive outsiders. Go back where you came from." Tailong's tone was stiff and impatient.

Gu Qingshan stepped forward and stopped in front of Tailong.

He was half a head shorter than Tailong, but when he looked up at him, Tailong inexplicably felt a wave of pressure.

"Move."

Tailong's pupils contracted, a flash of anger crossing his brown eyes.

"What kind of person are you, daring to cause trouble at the gates of the Strength Clan?"

As he spoke, he raised a hand and shoved at Gu Qingshan's shoulder. He didn't use his full strength; in his eyes, a boy of twelve or thirteen would be easy to handle with just thirty percent of his strength.

His right hand pushed against Gu Qingshan's shoulder, but Gu Qingshan didn't budge.

Gu Qingshan stood there without so much as a sway under Tailong's push.

Tailong's eyes widened. This boy, who didn't look particularly strong, was actually an expert.

Then he put all his strength into it. The muscles in his arm bulged, veins stood out one by one, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Yet Gu Qingshan's shoulder remained utterly still.

Gu Qingshan watched Tailong's face turn red with exertion, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

He extended one finger and lightly tapped Tailong's chest. That single tap sent Tailong flying through the vermilion gates.

"You... you..." Tailong lay on the ground, his lips trembling as he spat out a mouthful of blood that splashed across the gray bricks.

Gu Qingshan withdrew his finger and stepped over the threshold into the Strength Clan's estate. Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo followed close behind.

The commotion brought members of the Strength Clan rushing in from all over the front courtyard.

"Who dares cause trouble in the Strength Clan?"

"Master Tailong's been beaten!"

"Surround them! Don't let them escape!"

"Quick, fetch the clan leader!"

The front courtyard erupted in chaos, filled with shouting and clamor.

Gu Qingshan watched the Strength Clan members closing in, intrigued. It had been a long time since he'd fought young people.

"Elder Chrysanthemum, Elder Ghost, don't interfere."

He stepped forward.

The first to charge was a clan member at the Soul Grandmaster level. His Martial Soul was a Great Strength Ape, and the instant he released it, his right arm swelled to twice its size. His muscles bulged, his veins stood out, and his fist came hurtling toward Gu Qingshan's chest with a rush of wind.

Gu Qingshan met his fist with his own.

With a crack, the man's right arm snapped at the elbow. The broken bone pierced through his skin, its pale, jagged end exposed and smeared with blood.

The second, the third...

Before long, more than a dozen members of the Strength Clan were sprawled on the ground.

No one had died, but none of them could stand. They groaned and rolled about, some clutching broken arms, others holding their shattered ribs. Some lay face-down, coughing up blood, while others twitched on the ground.

"Who dares cause trouble in the Strength Clan?"

A thunderous shout rang out, and an old man strode out from inside.

He was powerfully built, a full head taller than Tailong, with broad shoulders and a sturdy frame. His arms hung at his sides like two thick iron pillars.

His hair and beard were white, his brows thick and eyes large, his lips full, and a short beard ringed his chin.

He was Tai Tan, clan leader of the Strength Clan and an eighty-sixth-level Soul Douluo.

Tai Tan's gaze swept over the front courtyard. His people were strewn across the ground, including his grandson, Tailong.

Then he looked at the black-clad youth standing in the middle of it all, and surprise immediately appeared on his face.

He was twelve or thirteen, yet his Soul Power Level was above seventy. Who in the world was he?

"This old man is Tai Tan, clan leader of the Strength Clan. Who might you be, and why have you come to hurt my people?"

Gu Qingshan looked at Tai Tan, still chewing Blue Silver Leaf.

"Gu Qingshan, from Spirit Hall."

Tai Tan's pupils contracted sharply. His fists clenched without his realizing it, his knuckles turning white as his joints cracked.

So this was the Martial Soul Hall Holy Son, the youth who had injured his master, Clear Sky Douluo.

He hadn't expected this legendary youth to appear at the Strength Clan's estate.

"Clan Leader Tai Tan, Spirit Hall is reorganizing the Seven Great Sects and needs the support of every faction. Though the Strength Clan isn't among the Seven Great Sects, it's still part of the Soul Master World. I've come today to ask the Strength Clan to submit to Spirit Hall."

Tai Tan's brows drew together, and anger surged within him.

"Submit?"

"That's right. Submit to Spirit Hall, accept its orders, and serve it." Gu Qingshan's voice was calm.

Tai Tan fought down his rage. Back when the Tang Hao incident had led Spirit Hall to ruthlessly suppress the Four Single-Attribute Clans, he had refused to yield.

And now they thought they could make him submit just by sending a boy? Impossible!

"What if I refuse?"

Gu Qingshan's lips curled in a disdainful smile. "Then the Strength Clan has no reason to exist."

Tai Tan's face darkened completely. There was no need for further talk.

He swept his left hand in a semicircle before him, drew his right fist back to his waist, and gathered Soul Power around his knuckles. A dark-red glow began to shine across them.

His Martial Soul was the Great Strength Ape, a top-tier Power Attack System Martial Soul renowned for its strength.

A full-force strike from an eighty-sixth-level Soul Douluo could reduce a house to rubble.

"You arrogant brat!"

Gu Qingshan looked at Tai Tan's face, flushed with anger, his expression unchanged.

The Strength Clan was an affiliated clan of the Clear Sky Sect, utterly loyal to it. There was no chance they would submit to Spirit Hall.

His purpose had never been to persuade them. He had come to make an example of them.