Seeing Su Ming so bluntly expose the fact that the Tang Sect Hidden Weapons had long since fallen behind Soul Tools, the light in Tang Ya's eyes instantly dimmed. Her whole body seemed to wilt, and her heart was filled with an inexpressible sense of loss.
She didn't blame Su Ming in the slightest. After all, everything he'd said was irrefutable truth. But that very truth
made her feel the enormous, cruel gulf between traditional Hidden Weapons and Soul Tools all the more clearly. Her hopes for the Tang Sect's revival felt as though someone had doused them with a bucket of cold water.
Standing nearby, Bei Bei watched Tang Ya's dejected state, his heart aching for her. He opened his mouth to comfort her, but couldn't find the right words.
He'd originally wanted to step forward and argue with Su Ming, defending the Tang Sect's dignity. But after thinking carefully about what Su Ming had just said, he realized every point had been sound.
Every word had struck at the Tang Sect's sore spots, leaving him with no way to refute them. All he could do was stand there helplessly, unsure what to do.
Jiang Nannan gently slipped an arm around Tang Ya's shoulders, soothing her in a soft voice as she tried to dispel the loss and despondency in her heart. Her quiet companionship was full of concern.
The atmosphere instantly sank into an awkward, heavy silence. Everyone had their own thoughts, and no one spoke first.
Seeing how oppressive the mood had become, Xu Sanshi hurriedly scratched his head and broke the silence. Looking at Su Ming with a mix of impatience and irreverence, he said:
"Uh, Su Ming, since you've said all that, you can't just point out the problem without showing us a way forward, right? You see things so clearly, so hurry up and give us some practical advice!"
Hearing Xu Sanshi's blunt, somewhat reckless words, Su Ming was momentarily speechless. He couldn't help feeling exasperated. He'd analyzed the situation so clearly, yet the other man still hadn't grasped the key point.
But when he saw Bei Bei, Tang Ya, and the others all turn to look at him, their eyes full of hope and longing, he understood that he had to give them a clear solution today.
Su Ming cleared his throat twice, gathered his thoughts, and spoke slowly:
"Ahem. What else can you do? Put aside your stubborn attachment to traditional Hidden Weapons and take the initiative to learn about Soul Tools. Then perfectly combine the essence of the Tang Sect's thousand-year Hidden Weapon legacy with Soul Tool technology, and forge a new path."
"First, you need to set aside your pride and recruit or seek out people skilled in making Soul Tools, bringing them into the Tang Sect. Then, gradually train a team of Soul Engineers of your own and lay the technical groundwork.
"Second, the Tang Sect has little renown these days. If you want to revive it, you need to build up enough prestige across the continent and make more people aware of its existence."
"The upcoming Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament would be the perfect stage.
"Bei Bei will be representing the academy in the competition. Have him represent the Tang Sect as well and use the tournament to showcase and promote it. It would be the perfect chance to make the Tang Sect's name known."
"Of course, I understand that reviving a sect is never something you can accomplish in one fell swoop, or in a short time. You have to take it slowly, one step at a time.
"You and Bei Bei can start with what's in front of you and build a solid foundation, step by step. If this generation can't achieve every goal, you can pass the hope of revival down to the next. And if all else fails, just have a son or daughter.
"Let the next generation keep trying. And if they can't do it, there's always the grandchildren. Your descendants will stretch on without end. As long as the legacy continues, the Tang Sect will have its day of revival. Don't you agree?"
The joke immediately dispelled the heavy atmosphere, leaving Tang Ya and Bei Bei frozen in place.
Then, their cheeks flushed visibly red. Both of them were at a loss, their eyes darting away. They'd completely forgotten their earlier composure and dejection, flustered by the unexpected teasing.
Xu Sanshi was only too happy to watch the commotion. He immediately piled on:
"Exactly! Reviving a sect is a long-term business. There's no rushing it. If you two can't manage it in this generation, then let your descendants carry on!"
Embarrassed and annoyed, Bei Bei lightly punched Xu Sanshi. He'd pulled his strength so far that it was merely a token scolding. Then he hurriedly interrupted him:
"Stop, stop! Don't say any more! Xiao Ya and I haven't even gotten started. How can you already be talking about all that?"
After hurriedly cutting off their teasing, Bei Bei composed himself and looked at Su Ming. "In your opinion, if we start learning about Soul Tools now, is it too late?"
Su Ming raised a hand and cut him off, speaking with certainty:
"You don't necessarily need to learn about Soul Tools yourselves. As the Tang Sect's sect master and deputy sect master, your job is to grow stronger and serve as its public face, while setting its direction and recruiting talent.
"As for the actual Soul Tool research and production, you can leave that entirely to people you train for the job."
When he finished speaking, Su Ming turned to Huo Yuhao, who had been quietly listening all along. His expression softened a little as he smiled and asked:
"Yuhao, you're close with Bei Bei and Tang Ya, and by now you're practically a member of the Tang Sect, right? I've been talking about combining Soul Tools and Hidden Weapons. So, what do you think? Would you be interested in learning about Soul Tools?"
Huo Yuhao was taken aback when Su Ming suddenly brought him into the conversation. He could clearly sense Teacher Tang Ya's resentment toward Soul Tools. Even though Su Ming's comparison between the two had somewhat changed her view...
He'd never even seen a Soul Tool before, so he genuinely didn't know what to do. He looked to Bei Bei as well. Seeing Huo Yuhao turn to him for help,
Bei Bei shook his head. "Yuhao, this is your own choice. You don't need to worry about what we think."
Seeing Huo Yuhao hesitate, Su Ming took out the machine gun he'd made.
The heavy machine gun was forged entirely from dark-gold Thunder-Shock Gold Iron. Its lines were rigid and hefty, as though its receiver had been pieced together from the shoulder and chest plates of Snow Mastiff Armor.
The whole weapon was covered in the scale-like armor patterns unique to the Snow Mastiff. Its edges were sharply defined, and its metallic sheen was cold and fierce. The stock and handguard echoed the armor's interlocking construction, their angles as sharp as a mastiff's bones.
Its barrel was thick and straight, with a ferocious Snow Mastiff crest engraved at the muzzle. A faint gold-and-white sheen flowed across the body of the weapon. It was steady and murderous, radiating the imposing aura of indestructible heavy armor.
At a glance, everyone was stunned by its domineering, icy appearance and its weighty, intimidating presence. The whole gathering fell noticeably quieter.
The heavy machine gun stood motionless, its dark-gold surface gleaming and its armor patterns grim. Its hard, hefty lines looked like a ferocious beast lying in wait. Even standing perfectly still,
it radiated the crushing pressure of indestructible heavy armor. Everyone stared at it in astonishment, and for a moment no one said a word.
Xu Sanshi's eyes lit up. He hurried over and circled the heavy machine gun, inspecting it closely.
He lightly brushed his hand over the weapon's cold, hard metal plates, his eyes full of amazement and curiosity as he examined every last detail.
Only after a long while did he draw back his hand. He couldn't help clicking his tongue in wonder, and looked at Su Ming with admiration as he exclaimed:
"Su Ming, this Soul Tool you put together yourself is way too imposing! The appearance alone is enough to amaze everyone. That gold-plated armor pattern is cold and murderous.
"It's far more impressive than those ordinary Soul Tools at the academy. Forget its combat power—even just from its looks, you could take it to market and sell it for a hundred times more than those ordinary Hidden Weapons. Who wouldn't want one!"