Above the firmament, after the scenes concerning Tang San stopped, a vast, emotionless voice rang out from within.
"I am the Sky Screen. I see through the past and know the future.
Today, I reveal Xue Hen and Tang San's potential. In the days to come, I will reveal other people and other events.
Now that the future is known, it can be changed.
Everything is in your hands..."
As the voice fell silent, a humming sound rang out. The firmament darkened once more, then the sky gradually returned to its original, cloudless blue.
The Sky Screen vanished, and everything in the world seemed to return to how it had been. Nothing had changed, except... the scenes of Xue Hen and Tang San that had appeared earlier were firmly imprinted in everyone's minds.
Shrek Academy.
Dai Mubai, Ning Rongrong, and the others all rushed over to find Tang San and surrounded him.
"Xiao San, I never would've guessed you were the son of the legendary Clear Sky Douluo!" There had been few scenes on the Sky Screen showing Tang San's father, but Dai Mubai hadn't forgotten how the village chief named Old Jack had addressed him. Tang Hao!
His father was called Tang Hao, and his son possessed the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul. It was obvious who that Tang Hao was.
The Clear Sky Douluo, Tang Hao!
At that moment, Dai Mubai felt fantastic. His good brother's father was a super-strong expert who dared to beat up even the Pope. He and the man's son were good friends, so if he ever needed help and asked Tang San, would Tang San refuse?
Of course not.
With the Clear Sky Douluo backing him, what did he, Dai Mubai, have to fear from Dai Weisi?
So what if they were brothers fighting to the death? Bring it on! Whoever backed down was a coward!
"Third Brother, I'm a disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and you're a disciple of the Clear Sky Sect. Both our sects are among the Upper Three Sects. My father always says the Upper Three Sects stand together as one. And now we're sworn siblings, too. It must be fate!" Ning Rongrong said to Tang San with a smile.
"Xiao San, never mind anything else. You'll have your dad look out for me from now on, right?" Oscar said, slinging an arm around Tang San's shoulders.
Tang San had been furious that the Sky Screen had exposed him. But when he heard his companions' words, he froze.
My father?
What's wrong with my father? He's just an ordinary blacksmith. How did he become some Clear Sky Douluo?
Everyone else who had seen the Sky Screen's earlier scenes knew Tang Hao's true identity, but Tang San, his own son, still didn't.
"Whoosh!" Just then, a black figure leaped down from a nearby tree and called out, "Xiao San."
Hearing that familiar voice, Tang San immediately turned around. Just then, the rugged man in a black cloak lowered his hood, revealing his face.
"Dad!" The moment he saw Tang Hao, Tang San grew excited. He slipped out from under Oscar's arm and ran toward him.
After exchanging glances for a moment, Dai Mubai and the others, left behind, all put on friendly or ingratiating smiles and walked toward the father and son. Only... Xiao Wu remained rooted to the spot, trembling.
She had already learned from Dai Mubai, Ning Rongrong, and the others that Xiao San's father was a Titled Douluo-level Soul Master. An expert like that could see through her true form. So what should she do now? Play dumb and deny being a Soul Beast, or run?
But even if she ran now, it would probably be too late. How could she possibly outrun a Titled Douluo?
Fortunately, what she feared didn't happen. Tang Hao didn't publicly point out that she was a Soul Beast or try to capture her. He didn't even pay her any special attention.
"Phew..." She had no idea why, but Xiao Wu was still relieved. She patted her chest and let out a long breath.
The sun rose and set, and a month passed.
Many factions sent Soul Masters to wait around the Balaque Royal Palace for Xue Hen to appear.
Although the Sky Screen had shown that Xue Hen wouldn't arrive until a month later, it had also said that the future could be changed now that it was known. What if he showed up early?
They couldn't go wrong by waiting here ahead of time.
Some of these factions wanted to recruit Xue Hen, a Titled Douluo with no allegiance, or make friends with him. Others wanted to observe his combat strength up close and judge how they should eliminate him.
Yes, that meant Spirit Hall and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!
Xue Hen carried the bloodline of the Xue Family. Although Kundera had expelled him from the Balak Kingdom's royal family, he could never change that bloodline. In Bibi Dong's view, if she made a move against the Heaven Dou Empire in the future, Xue Hen would surely stand up to help it resist her. So she had to find a way to eliminate him as soon as possible.
As for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Fengzhi had initially wanted to recruit Xue Hen, a prodigy. But after seeing on the Sky Screen that Xue Hen had already become a Titled Douluo, he immediately changed his mind.
With the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's wealth and his own abilities, he'd had some confidence in recruiting a young Soul Saint, even though the two sides had a grudge. But a Titled Douluo... he had no confidence at all!
He truly hated that distant cousin of his. How had she managed to bring such a huge problem down on him?
He was afraid. He feared that because of the things Ning Pianpian had done, Xue Hen would hold the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect responsible as well, and might even retaliate against it.
Although the Xue Hen on the Sky Screen had seemed fair-minded and hadn't killed his own father, Kundera, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had done him no favors. What if he took his anger out on them?
So Ning Fengzhi decided to act in advance. He sent people to observe Xue Hen; if they got the chance, they would eliminate him. If not, they could at least learn more about his strength and Soul Skills.
Who did he send?
He went himself, together with Sword Douluo Chen Xin.
Spirit Hall, meanwhile, sent Ghost Douluo Gui Mei and Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan.
Star Dou Great Forest.
Xue Hen, whom many people were waiting to ambush, had already left Nuoding City. But he hadn't gone to the Balak Kingdom. Instead, he had come here to hone his vastly increased Soul Power and familiarize himself further with his new Soul Skills through real combat.
"Rumble!" As he swung the Imperial Power Sword in his hand, countless streaks of sword energy burst out in an instant, shooting in every direction across the full three-hundred-and-sixty-degree area around him. More than a dozen enormous figures were blasted backward.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang! Bang! Bang!..."
They were all Soul Beasts with cultivation of over ten thousand years. Under the impact of that surging sword energy, they were swept away like trash, smashing through numerous trees and snapping them in half before crashing to the ground. They had been utterly powerless to fight back.
Imperial Power Sword Martial Soul, fourth Soul Skill: Demon Sweeper!
Effect: Unleashes a wide-area barrage of sword energy with no blind spots, dealing double damage to Evil Soul Masters, Soul Beasts, and targets harboring malice, with a chance to dispel their beneficial status effects.
Xue Hen had deliberately controlled the force of his attack. Otherwise, those dozen-odd ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts would already have been reduced to clouds of blood, lifeless.
"Hum~" Xue Hen raised his arm. The Imperial Power Sword in his hand dissolved into specks of golden light. Then the phantom of a turquoise swan appeared behind him. It was his Emerald Swan Martial Soul.
At the same time, three red Soul Rings, each a 100,000-Year Soul Ring, rose from beneath his feet.
That was right. After a month of the Sky Screen's influence, the authenticity of the character Xue Hen, the Super Douluo, had reached 95%. Xue Hen now possessed level 97 Soul Power, Twin Martial Souls, twelve Soul Rings, one Soul Bone, and one domain.
Compared with his counterpart on the Sky Screen, he was now only one level of Soul Power and a few Soul Bones—or, rather, a few 100,000-year Soul Beast corpses—short.
"Hum~" After activating the Emerald Swan Martial Soul, the first Soul Ring beneath Xue Hen's feet glowed with dazzling red light. His first Soul Skill, Emerald Recovery, activated. The vast Soul Power within him condensed into emerald-green points of light that fell over the injured Soul Beasts like spring rain. In an instant, their wounds began healing rapidly.
After the battle, he healed them. After cultivating his First Martial Soul, he cultivated his Second Martial Soul. Neither task interfered with the other.
As a side note, Emerald Recovery had originally been a single-target healing Soul Skill. It surged into one target's body in the form of a spring. But while using it in practice, Xue Hen discovered that he could alter it, changing it into rainwater and extending its healing effect to multiple targets.
Of course, this weakened the healing effect, since the healing meant for one target was spread across several.
Before you continue