Su Yuntao Spreads the Word

After bidding a reluctant farewell to Meng Yiran, Gu Tian returned to the familiar Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy with Gu Yue.

Pushing open the door, a faint scent of lilies mixed with fresh air greeted them. This scent of "home" allowed Gu Tian, who had been rushing about in the forest for a week, to instantly relax his taut nerves.

Xiao Wu was currently sitting on the large fabric sofa with Na'er, a beautiful picture book spread out before them. Hearing the door open, both girls looked up almost simultaneously, their eyes instantly bursting with surprise.

"Brother Gu Tian, you're back!" Na'er cried out like a nimble swallow, throwing herself into Gu Tian's arms. Her long silver hair traced an elegant arc in the air, and a faint, clean fragrance drifted into Gu Tian's nostrils.

Xiao Wu also walked over; although her movements weren't as dramatic as Na'er's, she naturally hooked her arm through Gu Tian's other arm. Her soft, pink rabbit ears twitched playfully, and her ruby-like eyes darted around. "Was the Soul Hunting Forest fun? I heard you got tangled up with a great beauty named Meng Yiran!"

Gu Tian rubbed his nose in embarrassment, taking the opportunity to wrap his arm around Xiao Wu's slender waist, and teased, "I was delayed there for a bit to handle some unexpected matters. But I successfully helped Meng Yiran hunt that 422-year-old Mandala Snake, fulfilling a bit of destiny for her. It wasn't as exaggerated as you two think."

Gu Yue followed behind and closed the door. Although her cold, beautiful face remained expressionless, her eyes held a rare softness as she swept them over Xiao Wu and Na'er.

Xiao Wu looked into Gu Tian's eyes; there was no guilt or deception in those clear depths. This put Xiao Wu in a great mood. She had no intention of telling Gu Tian that Tang San had come over that afternoon like a stray dog, trying to sow discord with some pathetic excuse about Gu Tian flirting with Meng Yiran.

In Xiao Wu's eyes, such clownish behavior from Tang San wasn't even worth mentioning; it would only ruin the warmth of this reunion. Rather than bringing it up and annoying Gu Tian, it was better to just treat it like a fart and let it go.

"It's good that you're back. You've worked hard too, Sister Gu Yue. I'll go get you some water." Xiao Wu smiled sweetly at Gu Yue.

The group gathered together, sharing what they had seen and heard over the past few days. Na'er was still complaining about the poor food in the cafeteria, and Gu Tian laughingly promised to take them into Nuoding City for a feast tomorrow. The laughter within the apartment perfectly shut out the chaos of the outside world.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Nuoding City, the streets were already sparse with pedestrians.

Tang San was walking alone on the bluestone path toward the Martial Soul Branch Hall. Looking at the heavy, solid sense of power emanating from his left palm, he couldn't help but feel excellent.

"A 400-year-old Man Faced Demon Spider... my first soul ring." Tang San swore to himself, Once I collect my allowance and buy refined iron, my hidden weapons will truly take shape. By then, even if your soul ring age is higher, Gu Tian, you will undoubtedly die before my hidden weapons!

The Martial Soul Branch Hall in Nuoding City was a magnificent domed building. The white stone appeared solemn and dignified under the moonlight, and the massive Martial Soul Hall emblem engraved in the center radiated an oppressive sense of authority. Tang San took a deep breath, pushed open the heavy oak doors, and walked inside.

It was late at night, and the hall was empty, his footsteps echoing through the vast space.

Behind the reception desk at the far end, a young man wearing the standard white uniform of the Martial Soul Hall with a two-sword badge on his chest was listlessly organizing files. He looked exhausted, with faint dark circles under his eyes.

"Hello, I would like to register as an official Soul Master." Tang San walked up, his voice steady and carrying a coldness that belied his age.

The young man looked up, revealing a slightly decadent but extremely familiar face.

He was the deacon who had awakened Tang San's martial soul at Holy Soul Village—Su Yuntao.

Su Yuntao looked at the six-year-old child before him, with his dark skin and the lingering scent of a blacksmith's shop, and didn't recognize him for a moment. Having stayed in such a remote branch for so long, he had become numb after seeing too many children fail their awakening every day.

"Little friend, what did you say? You want to register as a Soul Master?" Su Yuntao pushed back his bangs with a chuckle. "You haven't even finished your martial soul awakening for long, have you? You can't joke about this; you can't register without soul power."

"I have already obtained my first soul ring." Tang San didn't waste words and directly channeled the soul power within his body.

Tang San kept his right hand hidden behind his back, while a phantom of a small black hammer quietly emerged in his left palm. It was the Clear Sky Hammer; even as a phantom, it exuded an extreme sense of weight.

A solid, deep yellow soul ring, flickering with a faint purple-gold light, rose slowly from beneath Tang San's feet. Although its age wasn't as shocking as Gu Tian's purple ring, it still appeared exceptionally eye-catching in the dim light of the branch hall.

"A century-old soul ring?! The first ring is already century-old?!" Su Yuntao jumped up from his chair, his sleepy eyes widening into circles, his mouth hanging open. He had been in Nuoding City for so many years, and apart from the few monsters he had seen recently, he had never seen anyone whose first ring reached this level of quality.

"Child, what is your name?" Su Yuntao stared fixedly at that yellow halo of light, a bolt of lightning flashing through his mind as countless memory fragments reorganized in an instant.

"I am Tang San, from Holy Soul Village. You came to our village a while ago to help us awaken our martial souls! I wonder if you remember?"

"Wait... you are Tang San? The Tang San from Holy Soul Village with Innate Full Soul Power?!" Su Yuntao exclaimed. He finally remembered; wasn't this the kid he had awakened himself, only to be deeply disappointed—and even mocked—because his martial soul was Blue Silver Grass?

"That's right, it's me." Tang San retracted his soul ring, his tone as cold as ice.

"But I remember your martial soul was Blue Silver Grass, right? How did it become a hammer?" Su Yuntao didn't understand. Logically, he shouldn't have been wrong back then. If Tang San had really been a hammer martial soul, he would have definitely recommended this genius to the Martial Soul Hall.

"Actually, I have Twin Martial Souls. What I hold is my second martial soul—the Clear Sky Hammer."

"Clear Sky Hammer... Twin Martial Souls..."

Cold sweat instantly broke out on Su Yuntao. His hands trembled as he took the identification documents Tang San handed over. While helping him process the tedious registration procedures, he stole desperate glances at the small black hammer that had already vanished.

"Is this... a 400-year-old Man Faced Demon Spider soul ring?" Su Yuntao looked at the soul power intensity feedback from the testing instrument, his heart pounding uncontrollably. A first soul ring of this age was an unimaginable legend for ordinary Soul Masters. "Child, do you have a very powerful helper by your side? Without someone else's help, it is very difficult for a normal person to hunt a century-old soul ring alone!"

"It was my teacher, Yu Xiaogang. My father is just a very ordinary blacksmith in Holy Soul Village." Tang San's tone carried a hint of awe amidst the shock, a feeling Tang San found quite enjoyable.

"Yu Xiaogang... that guy actually came to Nuoding Academy." Su Yuntao muttered, then hurriedly finished the registration for Tang San. He took a heavy cloth bag from under the counter and handed it to Tang San.

"This is your Soul Master subsidy for this month, ten Silver Soul Coins, totaling one Gold Soul Coin." Su Yuntao's voice was still a bit shaky.

"Thank you." Tang San took the money bag, feeling its heavy weight. Without any extra pleasantries, he turned and walked toward the door, his small, thin back soon disappearing into the deep night.

Long after Tang San left, Su Yuntao remained sitting in his original spot. As a deacon who had traveled extensively and even had access to internal core files of the Martial Soul Hall, his mind began to race with instinctive speed after the extreme shock.

"Clear Sky Hammer... six years old... Innate Full Soul Power... father is... a blacksmith."

"The surname Tang... why does it sound so familiar?"

Su Yuntao's breathing suddenly became extremely heavy. He slammed his desk, the force so great that several files were sent flying. His complexion turned from ruddy to pale, his eyes bloodshot with terror.

"I remember! Six years ago... wasn't that when the former Pope, Qian Xunji, was severely wounded and fell while leading men to hunt down that God of Slaughter, Tang Hao? That battle shocked the entire continent! Rumor has it that Tang Hao had a newborn infant with him at the time!"

Su Yuntao's pupils contracted violently.

The Clear Sky Sect had long since gone into seclusion; people in the world capable of possessing the Clear Sky Hammer martial soul were few and far between. And this Tang San—the age matched, the martial soul matched! More importantly, he appeared in a remote place like Holy Soul Village!

So many coincidences overlapping could only mean one thing: this was the truth!

"If he is the son of that remnant... this is a heaven-sent merit! If I report this to the Pope's Palace, my position could even be promoted three levels!"

Su Yuntao dared not show the slightest negligence. With trembling hands, he fished out a piece of top-secret special stationery from the depths of his drawer. Taking a deep breath, he began to write a secret letter to the Pope's Palace using the highest-level encrypted text of the Martial Soul Hall.

[Urgent Report: A Clear Sky Hammer martial soul user has been discovered in Nuoding City. Name: Tang San. Age: six. Possesses Twin Martial Souls; the other is Blue Silver Grass. The first ring of the Clear Sky Hammer is as high as 400 years. His movements are suspected to be highly related to the Pope's assassination case six years ago. Suspected to be the son of the criminal Tang Hao, lurking around Holy Soul Village! Please have the Pope's Palace decide immediately and send experts to investigate strictly!]

He sealed the envelope tightly with hot red wax and stamped it with his unique seal. Su Yuntao immediately summoned the Thunder Falcon, a soul beast unique to the Martial Soul Hall for delivering messages. This soul beast was extremely fast and could cross thousands of mountains and rivers in a very short time.

Watching the Thunder Falcon turn into a silver-blue bolt of lightning and soar into the clouds, Su Yuntao collapsed into his chair as if drained of all strength. He knew that from this moment on, this peaceful Nuoding City would likely face a storm capable of destroying the world.