Tang Hao Entrusts His Son

"Guangling!"

Ghost Douluo and Yue Guan could not afford to pursue any further and rushed toward the deep crater.

Guangling Douluo's once-neat silver hair was now a chaotic mess, and the soft armor on her chest was caved in with a massive palm print. Her face was even paler than Yue Guan's powdered complexion. Although her life was not in immediate danger, the internal injuries caused by the Ring Detonation would likely take eight or ten years to heal.

"Damn it, Ring Detonation... he actually dared to risk his life!" Yue Guan gritted his teeth.

"You two take care of Guangling, we'll pursue! There is a strange melody of a Sound System around him; he won't be able to escape!" Thousand Jun and Falling Devil exchanged a glance. Both were nursing non-trivial injuries, though they were in much better shape than Guangling.

The two Title Douluo transformed into streaks of red lightning, tracking the bloody trail Tang Hao left behind by listening for the faint sounds of his movement.

This race against death spanned half of the Fasinuo Province.

Tang Hao vomited blood in great mouthfuls the entire way. His vision began to blur, and every breath felt like swallowing flames. Yet, he knew he could not collapse. He had to find a path of survival for his son before he lost consciousness entirely.

When the rustic silhouette of the Nuoding City walls appeared on the horizon, the sky had already turned dark.

Tang Hao looked at the brightly lit building ahead—Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy—a flash of resolve crossing his eyes.

"Whoosh—!"

Just as Thousand Jun and Falling Devil reached a point a kilometer outside the city, Tang Hao made a move that caught everyone off guard.

He suppressed all his aura and deactivated his second martial soul, the Sound System. His body crashed directly over the academy wall, and he instantly dove into the dense, shaded thicket.

"Bastard! He entered Nuoding Academy!" Falling Devil, who had arrived in pursuit, slammed to a halt, his Coiling Dragon Staff vibrating with rage.

"Big brother, what do we do now? Do we go in?" Falling Devil asked in a low voice.

Thousand Jun remained silent for a long time. He looked at the quiet school buildings and the small students strolling in pairs on the playground.

As top-tier powerhouses of the Martial Soul Hall, they were arrogant, but the Pope's Palace had strict, written orders: when executing missions against Evil Soul Masters or rebels, if large numbers of young civilians or academies were involved, the large-scale use of destructive soul skills was strictly prohibited, or they would be charged with blasphemy against divine authority.

Furthermore, many city guards in Nuoding City had already been alerted by the commotion.

"That dog Tang Hao, using children as a human shield! How shameless!" Thousand Jun hatefully put away his Coiling Dragon Staff. "He suffered such heavy injuries and forced a Ring Detonation; he won't live long. A man's crimes should not extend to his wife and children. If we massacre this academy, the entire Douluo Continent will drown Martial Soul Hall in spit. Let's go, take Guangling back to heal first. Leave this matter to that woman Bibi Dong to infiltrate secretly."

The two streaks of red light departed in resentment, and the oppressive clouds dissipated along with them.

At this moment, in the faculty dormitory of Nuoding Academy, on the top floor.

Yu Xiaogang sat at his desk, frowning as he pored over an ancient text regarding the "Mutation Mechanism of Dragon-Type Martial Souls" by the dim light of a Soul Guidance Lamp. He still hadn't found the origin of Gu Tian's martial soul.

"Crash—!"

The window glass shattered without warning.

A man covered in blood, his hair disheveled, stumbled inside. With every step he took, he left a shocking bloody footprint on the floor.

"Who?!"

Yu Xiaogang jumped up from his chair in terror. Although his Soul Power Level was only twenty-nine, the vigilance he had honed over the years remained. He waved his right hand, and the chubby Luo Sanpao instantly appeared at his feet, letting out an uneasy low growl.

"It's me..."

The man raised his head, revealing a face devoid of color. His messy hair was matted with blood, making him look both desolate and terrifying. Yet, his eyes were locked firmly onto Yu Xiaogang.

When Yu Xiaogang saw the small black hammer in the man's hand—covered in cracks yet still radiating a terrifying pressure—the pen in his hand clattered to the floor.

"Clear Sky Hammer... You are, Your Excellency Clear Sky?!"

Yu Xiaogang's voice trembled. As someone born into the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, even though he had been expelled, his understanding of the Clear Sky Hammer was deeper than anyone else's.

Tang Hao did not speak. He lunged forward, his large hand, trembling from severe injury, gripping Yu Xiaogang's collar. His aura was extremely unstable; due to the strain of the Ring Detonation, every pore on his body seemed to be oozing blood.

"Yu Xiaogang... I know you. You are the man known as the Grandmaster." There was a hint of pleading in Tang Hao's voice—a level of humility unprecedented for a hegemon who had once dominated the world.

"Help me... take good care of Little San. I don't ask for him to become a god; I only ask that he can survive."

Tang Hao spat out another mouthful of blood, the stains splashing onto Yu Xiaogang's white lab coat, looking particularly jarring.

"Martial Soul Hall has set its sights on me. I must leave here and draw their attention away. Do not tell Little San my true identity, and do not tell him where I have gone. Let him... let him grow up safely, like an ordinary child."

"Little San's location has been exposed. I am not sure if the people from Martial Soul Hall will come here to find him." Tang Hao hesitated before speaking again, "I hope you can take Little San to another academy."

Yu Xiaogang hesitated. He had been coasting by at Nuoding Academy, relying on his position as the academy head, but if he were to leave, he doubted any other school would want a level-29 Soul Grand Master as an instructor.

However, a thought occurred to him: didn't he have a good friend, Flender, in Suotuo City? He was the headmaster there and ran a high-level soul master academy—Shrek Academy.

Although it was a high-level soul master academy, that did not mean it didn't recruit younger students.

Soul master academies on the Douluo Continent were divided into Junior Soul Master Academies and high-level soul master academies. Junior academies primarily recruited students who had just awakened their martial souls, and the graduation requirements were low: one only needed to reach level ten before the sixth grade and successfully obtain a first soul ring to become a Soul Master.

The graduation requirements for high-level soul master academies were much stricter, requiring students to break through to level thirty and successfully obtain a third soul ring to advance to a Soul Elder before graduation.

While level thirty might not seem like much, for Yu Xiaogang, it was an unreachable existence.

For low-aged soul masters with talent or those from major clans, in order to receive a better education, they would generally skip the junior academy and enter the junior class of a high-level soul master academy directly.

Therefore, given Tang San's talent and background, entering Shrek Academy would not be a problem.

"Fine! After the next semester starts, I will take Little San to Shrek Academy in Suotuo City. If you are worried, you can go see him at any time." Yu Xiaogang nodded heavily.

"Also, take Xiao Wu, who is by Little San's side, with you. She is a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. If my son grows up in the future, he will surely need her soul ring and soul bone."

If one were to ask why Tang Hao snuck into Nuoding Academy, aside from evading the pursuit of Martial Soul Hall, this was the second most important reason.

As a Title Douluo, he had long since seen through Xiao Wu's identity as a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit. Seeing that she lived quite harmoniously with Tang San, it meant that in the future, he might be able to make Xiao Wu willingly sacrifice herself for Tang San.

As for the procedure? That's simple enough!

All it takes is to win Xiao Wu's affection, bring her near Martial Soul Hall to provoke a pursuit by their Title Douluo, and then have Tang San stage a scene of a hero saving a beauty. Xiao Wu would surely be willing to sacrifice herself then.

Tang Hao had used this trick time and again; after all, the minds of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast are quite simple. That was exactly how he had deceived Ah Yin into his hands back in the day.

Yu Xiaogang had barely had time to be shocked after learning the news that Xiao Wu was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

Tang Hao turned and pulled a primitive token made of a special metal from his robes. Engraved on the token were six symbols: a sword, a hammer, a dragon, a chrysanthemum, a ghost, and a crown.

This was the Sect Master Token of the Clear Sky Sect, and the highest contract representing the status of the Clear Sky Douluo.

"If... if one day he truly becomes strong enough to face those storms, if he can protect himself well, then you give this to him."

After Tang Hao finished speaking, his body swayed violently. He took one last look at the starry night sky outside the window, in the direction where Tang San was.

"Take care."

Two simple yet heavy words fell. Forcing down the meridians in his body that were on the verge of bursting, Tang Hao moved like a fading afterimage under the bright moonlight and broke through the window. His somewhat hunched figure quickly vanished into the vast night and the distant mountains.

Yu Xiaogang stood frozen in place. He looked at the shocking bloodstains on the floor, then looked down at the heavy token in his hand, still warm with body heat and smelling of blood, feeling his mind in complete turmoil.

"What on earth happened to you? How did my idol become like this?"

Yu Xiaogang muttered to himself. As he stared at the token, a hint of ambition flickered in his eyes alongside the fear.

With this token and the trust of the Clear Sky Douluo, could he truly use Tang San and that mysterious Gu Tian to fulfill his so-called dream of being a Master?

Meanwhile, in the high-end apartment next door, Ao Linxi jolted awake from her sleep. She sensed a faint yet incredibly familiar aura of slaughter in the air—the swan song of the Clear Sky Hammer.