Tang Yuan

When the system's prompt sounded, Jiang Lin froze for a moment, as if he hadn't quite heard it.

How many?!

Level 98?

You've got to be kidding!

Jiang Lin could hardly believe it. After all, the first time, this thing had only given him a Level 92 Titled Douluo.

On the Douluo Continent, anyone whose strength had reached Level 95 or higher was rarer than phoenix feathers and qilin horns.

Even now, among the Titled Douluo he knew of on the Douluo Continent, there were only:

The seven enshrined elders of Spirit Hall, plus Bibi Dong.

Sword Douluo Chen Xin of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

And Tang Chen of Slaughter City.

The Great Enshrined of Sea God Island, Bo Saixi.

These people...

Well, that actually seemed like quite a few.

Still, Level 98 was enough to place him among the top five on the continent.

"System, say that again. What did I draw?"

Jiang Lin asked aloud, unable to contain his excitement.

He truly hadn't expected to be this lucky.

"Ding! Successfully summoned Tang Yuan, a Level 98 Peak Douluo. Martial Soul: Clear Sky Hammer."

The system's second announcement shocked Jiang Lin all over again.

Jiang Lin fell silent.

For a moment, he couldn't process the information.

Level 98, surnamed Tang, with the Clear Sky Hammer...

This... had to be someone from the Clear Sky Sect, right?

"System, do you have a profile for this person?"

"Ding! Generating profile..."

A moment later, as Jiang Lin waited, the system prompt sounded again.

"Ding! Tang Yuan's profile is as follows:"

Name: Tang Yuan

Gender: Male

Age: 122

Martial Soul: Clear Sky Hammer

Soul Power Level: 98

Origin: Clear Sky Sect

Evaluation: A pure "love" warrior.

Looking at the profile before him, Jiang Lin sank into thought.

After checking several times to make sure he hadn't read it wrong, he couldn't help drawing in a sharp breath.

Hiss—

This... was incredible, wasn't it?

A Level 98 Clear Sky Hammer wielder?

How had he never heard of anyone like this coming from the Clear Sky Sect?

There had to be some unknown secret behind it.

Never mind. No matter how high his cultivation was, he would still follow my orders.

Having made up his mind, Jiang Lin didn't hesitate any longer.

"Senior Tang Yuan, come out."

The next second, a flash of white light appeared, and a figure materialized beside Jiang Lin's bed.

As the white light faded, the figure solidified.

His imposing frame seemed to block the daylight streaming through the window, plunging the entire room into shadow.

Tang Yuan stood with his hands behind his back. His thick black hair fell to his waist, and his dark, close-fitting clothes outlined a build still as rugged and unyielding as a boulder.

He slowly lifted his eyes. His gaze, weathered by a hundred and twenty-two years of war and solitude, settled on Jiang Lin. He offered no greeting and showed no unnecessary emotion.

Tang Yuan raised his powerful hands and studied them again and again, but couldn't help asking,

"Kid, who... are you?"

Tang Yuan's hoarse voice rang out, seemingly devoid of emotion.

"I'm Jiang Lin. I came by some good fortune. I hope you'll guide me from now on, Senior."

Jiang Lin's voice was calm, his tone neither servile nor overbearing.

"Ah... it seems this old man has to follow your orders..."

Tang Yuan lowered his hands, seeming to realize something. His tone was hard to read.

"Please rest assured, Senior. I won't ask you to do anything cruel or against your conscience."

"Oh? Why not?"

Tang Yuan was curious. He could sense that he had to obey this frail-looking child before him, yet the other party didn't seem intent on ordering him around at will.

After all, he was a Level 98 Peak Douluo. In the Soul Master World, practically no one could withstand even one of his attacks.

With such a golden opportunity, could he really resist doing whatever he pleased?

"If you insist on a reason, then just consider me someone who isn't that kind of person."

"Heh. Youth."

Tang Yuan said no more and changed the subject.

"Is the Clear Sky Sect... still around?"

His tone was difficult to read as he asked.

Jiang Lin fell silent for a moment, then decided to tell him what had happened to the Clear Sky Sect in this era.

"It is. And... it once reached its peak."

"Oh? Tell me more."

Hearing this, Tang Yuan grew interested. He found a chair and sat down, a faintly amused, unreadable look on his face as he waited for Jiang Lin to continue.

Jiang Lin had no intention of hiding anything. It wasn't as though it mattered much.

It was just... why did Tang Yuan not seem very happy to hear that the Clear Sky Sect had reached its peak?

"In the previous era, the Clear Sky Sect produced a peerless genius—Tang Chen. He reached the realm of a Level 99 Limit Douluo and stood alongside Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi as one of the three peerless powerhouses of his time."

When Jiang Lin mentioned that the Clear Sky Sect had produced a Peerless Douluo, Tang Yuan's expression stiffened. "Then... is he still alive?"

"Don't worry, Senior. Let me explain everything."

"Tang Chen raised the Clear Sky Sect to the position of the greatest sect under heaven. Later, he went in search of godhood and disappeared.

"After Tang Chen left, the Clear Sky Sect remained the foremost inheritor of tool-type Martial Souls, but it no longer had a Limit Douluo to defend it.

"In the generation of Tang Hao, he and his older brother, Tang Xiao, were known as the 'Clear Sky Twin Stars.' They had exceptional talent and were expected to restore the sect to its former glory. But Tang Hao fell in love with Ah Yin, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor, and was hunted by Spirit Hall.

"In the end, Ah Yin sacrificed herself, and Tang Hao, who had only just broken through to Titled Douluo, gravely wounded the Pope, Qian Xunji.

"That incident brought down the full weight of Spirit Hall's oppression on the Clear Sky Sect.

"To protect the sect, the previous sect master—that is, the father of Tang Hao and Tang Xiao—announced that the gates would be closed and expelled Tang Hao from the sect.

"From then on, the Clear Sky Sect withdrew from the world, going from the greatest sect under heaven to a reclusive power."

After hearing all of this, Tang Yuan fell into thought.

Just then, Elder Chen came in carrying a steaming bowl of chicken soup.

"Xiao Lin, the soup's ready. Here, quick—"

He hadn't even finished speaking when he saw the burly man sitting beside Jiang Lin. Elder Chen's pupils instantly contracted.

Jiang Lin came to his senses and hurriedly said,

"Elder Chen, he's one of us. Don't spill the soup."

Elder Chen had instinctively been about to throw the soup and activate Martial Soul Possession, but at those words, he managed to stop himself.

"May I ask who this is...?"

"He's the same as you."

At Jiang Lin's words, the tension left Elder Chen's heart.

It wasn't that he trusted Tang Yuan so much as he trusted Jiang Lin.

After setting the large bowl of chicken soup on the table, Elder Chen ladled some into a smaller bowl for Jiang Lin.

"Here, drink it while it's hot."

Jiang Lin took the bowl and casually said, "Thank you, Elder Chen."

As Jiang Lin drank his soup, Tang Yuan also came out of his reverie.

He glanced at the chicken soup in Jiang Lin's hands, then at Elder Chen, who was studying him just as intently.

"A dignified Titled Douluo, personally cooking chicken soup?"

Jiang Lin froze at that. He looked at Elder Chen, then at Tang Yuan.

He was puzzled. Even if Elder Chen really had made the soup, how could Tang Yuan tell?

"Heh. You have a sharp eye, sir. Though I'm a Titled Douluo, it's not as if I can't handle odd jobs.

"Besides, the flame from my Martial Soul burns much hotter than an ordinary fire. Only by making it myself could I cook chicken soup for Xiao Lin as quickly as possible."