The moment he said that, Tang Ya's eyes reddened. She couldn't help cutting in, her voice filled with unconcealed sorrow and indignation:
"But the harm Soul Tools have done to the Tang Sect is real and impossible to erase! If Soul Tools hadn't burst onto the scene and completely replaced the Tang Sect Hidden Weapons, how would our sect have declined step by step to this day, fallen into such dire straits?"
Seeing Tang Ya so agitated, her face etched with grief, Bei Bei immediately stepped forward and took her cool hand in his.
His fingertips gently brushed the back of her hand. With a tender yet firm gesture, he silently comforted her, as if telling her: Don't be sad. Whatever happens, I'm here. I'll always be by your side.
Caught completely off guard and force-fed a mouthful of lovey-dovey sweetness, Su Ming broke out in goosebumps and couldn't help shivering. He hurriedly picked up the juice on the table and took a big gulp, suppressing the awkward feeling rising in his chest.
After setting down his glass, Su Ming simply rolled up his sleeves and stood, planting one foot brazenly on the stool beside him.
In his other hand, he still clutched a glossy chicken leg he'd only eaten halfway. He looked ready to argue the matter through, and his presence instantly filled the room.
"First of all, you've got your priorities completely backward!"
Su Ming took a bite of the chicken leg and spoke loudly as he chewed, his voice firm and forceful.
"To say the emergence of Soul Tools directly caused the Tang Sect's decline? That's putting the cart before the horse!"
He paused, glancing over at the unconvinced faces around him, then continued:
"The reason the Tang Sect Hidden Weapons were left behind by the times and gradually fell into decline was never the emergence of Soul Tools.
"The real problem was that the Tang Sect clung to the past and refused to progress! Generation after generation of disciples guarded the old Hidden Weapon techniques and manuals handed down by their ancestors, treating them as untouchable treasures.
"Not once did they think to adapt them to the times, innovate, or keep pace with the progress of the Soul Master world!"
At that point, Su Ming quickly softened his tone, afraid of making Bei Bei and the others angry, and added:
"Of course, I'm not saying this to deliberately disparage the Tang Sect. The Hidden Weapon techniques passed down through the sect's tens of thousands of years of history are by no means useless trash. Quite the opposite."
"The Tang Sect Hidden Weapons once flourished across the entire continent. Their legacy has endured for so long, which alone is proof of their strength and value. No one can deny that."
The fact that the Sun Moon Empire's Soul Tools spread to the former Three Kingdoms and ultimately led to the Tang Sect's decline was only a secondary cause.
The true root of the problem had never been some single external shock. The Tang Sect itself had long since shut itself off from the world and fallen behind the changing times.
Look, Bei Bei, and all of you: if you still don't believe me, I'll calmly lay out the facts and settle the score once and for all.
We can start with the most basic categories. The difference is already like night and day.
To begin with, the Soul Tools of the Sun Moon Empire alone came in countless varieties, covering every aspect of Soul Masters' cultivation, combat, and daily lives.
When facing enemies on the battlefield, there were offensive Soul Tools designed for killing: they could bombard foes from afar or strike at close range, with power increasing by degrees.
To withstand attacks, there were defensive Soul Tools as sturdy as an iron fortress. They could protect individuals or teams, and even build defensive positions, shutting out danger from every direction.
For anyone looking to travel quickly and seize the initiative, there were agile, convenient Flying Soul Tools that freed them from terrain and let them come and go as they pleased.
There was also an enormous variety of auxiliary Soul Tools to aid cultivation and enhance combat strength, providing Soul Power, amplifying it, and detecting mental power.
Beyond those, there were many specialized Soul Tools for daily life and the finer points of combat, such as Soul Guidance Lamps for illumination, long-range detection devices, and soundproof barriers. There was no field you could imagine that Soul Tools didn't cover.
Now look at the Tang Sect Hidden Weapons you treasure so dearly. Just in terms of their range of use and diversity of functions, they were already inferior—utterly outclassed by Soul Tools.
Of course, I know the Tang Sect has a legacy stretching back a thousand years, and its foundations must be far deeper than they seem.
In the past, it must have possessed peerless Hidden Weapons powerful enough to shake heaven and earth, rivaling top-tier Soul Tools. I've never denied that.
But ask yourselves honestly: how many of those sect-defending treasures and peerless Hidden Weapons still exist today?
I'm afraid most of them were swept away by the long river of history and lost forever, weren't they?
The Tang Sect had experienced rises and falls, and its lineage had been broken. Even if you still had incomplete manuals and diagrams, none of you had managed to work out the complete methods of forging them over all these years.
No one could recreate those peerless Hidden Weapons. In the end, they could only remain in memories and legends, impossible to use in real combat or to revive the Tang Sect.
By contrast, the Sun Moon Empire had countless top-tier Soul Tools far more powerful than the Tang Sect's lost Hidden Weapons.
From low to high ranks, they had a complete system of inheritance, and there were many Soul Engineers skilled in crafting Soul Tools.
Their craft was passed down and refined from one generation to the next. New Soul Tools were constantly being developed, and the whole field was flourishing.
At that, Su Ming slowly raised his head and looked at Tang Ya, whose expression had grown increasingly serious. His words had struck a sore spot for the Tang Sect.
Her heart aching, she still had no choice but to acknowledge the truth. She could only nod lightly.
"You're right. The Tang Sect really did once possess peerless Hidden Weapons of earth-shaking power, but after all these years of change..."
"Now almost all of them have indeed been lost. The sect can't even find complete forging methods, so we're powerless to restore them."
Tang Ya's voice carried an unmistakable sense of dejection. Yet, as the Tang Sect's leader, she was ultimately unwilling to admit defeat. Clenching her fists, she argued back once more.
"Even if we've lost the vast majority of our powerful peerless Hidden Weapons, even if those sect-defending treasures can never return to the world—
"The Tang Sect still has the Godly Zhuge Crossbow, Silent Sleeve Arrow, and Sand-Shooting Shadow. These basic Hidden Weapons are easier to make and can be mass-produced.
"They can still be useful in real combat. They can still shine and keep the Tang Sect's last remaining legacy alive!"
Looking at Tang Ya's stubborn, unyielding expression, Su Ming sighed softly. His face was full of helplessness, but his tone remained objective and blunt, without the slightest attempt to spare her feelings.
"I admit that the basic Hidden Weapons you mentioned were indeed quite useful in the past, and could even work against weaker Soul Masters.
"But you've overlooked the most crucial problem: these weapons are far too limited, and their functions are too narrow. They simply can't keep up with the pace of modern Soul Master combat."
"The Godly Zhuge Crossbow has limited range, and its penetrating power is practically useless against high-ranked Soul Masters. Sleeve Arrows and Sand-Shooting Shadow are only good for close-range ambushes; once the enemy notices them, they're useless. And beyond attacking, they serve no other purpose.
"But what about Soul Tools? Offensive Soul Tools work at both long and short range, with adjustable power. Defensive Soul Tools can protect you at any moment, Flying Soul Tools let you maneuver freely, and auxiliary Soul Tools can replenish and enhance your strength.
"A single Soul Tool can often serve several purposes and suit all kinds of combat situations. Put the two side by side, and honestly, the Tang Sect Hidden Weapons have fallen behind across the board. They're completely outclassed by Soul Tools."