Within the Heaven Dou Empire, at the headquarters of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
On the plaza before the sect's main hall, Ning Fengzhi's usually composed face had flushed slightly with excitement.
He gripped the scepter in his hand tightly, his gaze fixed on the Golden Ranking that occupied half the sky.
Eighth place.
Tang San.
Sea God Trident.
Those words were like a shot of adrenaline, surging through the veins of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the entire Heaven Dou Empire alliance.
"Good! Good! Good!"
Ning Fengzhi said "good" three times, his voice trembling slightly.
"Fengzhi, it seems we made the right bet this time."
Sword Douluo Chen Xin stood beside him. Even his usually impassive old face bore a few more smiles of relief.
He was usually a man of few words, but at this moment, he couldn't help saying a little more.
"Spirit Hall took the top two spots on the ranking. What arrogance."
"Bibi Dong came in tenth and Qian Renxue ninth. They may seem to have all the glory, but they've already reached the end of the road."
"And Little San's eighth-place finish has directly put him above that mother and daughter!"
"This isn't merely a higher ranking. It's a reversal of fortune!"
Bone Douluo Gu Rong chuckled, then smacked Ning Fengzhi hard on the shoulder with his withered hand, nearly knocking him off balance.
"The old sword geezer is right."
"Even if it's only one place higher, higher is higher!"
"Bibi Dong was just mocking the world, saying there was no one who could match her. Now Little San has slapped her right across the face. I bet that one stung!"
Ning Fengzhi took a deep breath, calming his turbulent emotions.
A sharp gleam flickered in his eyes—the shrewd calculation and political acumen unique to a sect master.
"It's not just a matter of pride."
"Tang San's eighth-place ranking proves that the Sea God Trident in his hands is absolutely superior in quality to the Angel Holy Sword and the Rakshasa Demon Scythe."
"And with the Sea God Soul bestowed by the Sky Curtain..."
"Our odds at Jialing Pass have increased by at least thirty percent!"
As he spoke, Ning Fengzhi turned to face the sect disciples behind him, all of them equally elated.
"Pass down my orders."
"Prepare a generous gift!"
"Make sure it's a truly first-rate gift!"
"Choose the most precious medicinal herbs and Soul Bones from the sect's treasury, and send them to the Tang Sect's headquarters at Jialing Pass immediately."
"Tell them the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect congratulates Sect Master Tang on reaching eighth place in the Rare Treasure Ranking and bringing honor to our nation!"
Ning Fengzhi understood this clearly.
It was easy to add flowers to brocade, but hard to send charcoal in a snowstorm.
This wasn't quite a case of sending charcoal in a snowstorm, but by expressing their support immediately after Tang San had gained this honor, they could still draw closer to him.
The future of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was now completely tied to Tang San's chariot.
The stronger Tang San grew, the safer they would be.
Elsewhere, deep in an unknown mountain forest.
This was the secluded domain of the Clear Sky Sect.
Inside a simple yet imposing stone house, a burly, one-armed man with a face full of stubble sat carelessly on a boulder, legs spread wide.
He was none other than Clear Sky Douluo, Tang Hao.
He held a jar of strong liquor and tipped back a long swig. The liquor ran down his beard, soaking his tattered gray robe.
"Hahaha!"
"Good!"
"That's my boy!"
Tang Hao laughed aloud, his laughter shaking the leaves from the surrounding trees.
He looked at the dark, heavy Sea God Trident on the Sky Curtain, and his eyes reddened slightly.
"Little San... you've made something of yourself."
"You've had a hard road getting here."
"Eighth place isn't bad at all."
Back then, for Ah Yin's sake, he'd been hunted by Spirit Hall until there was nowhere to flee, whether in heaven or on earth.
He'd even had to leave the newborn Tang San in Holy Soul Village, while he himself drifted through life like a useless wreck.
He'd thought that was how his life would end.
But who could have imagined that the child, so considerate it hurt to see, would make it this far, step by step?
Twin Martial Souls, Tang Sect Hidden Weapons—and now he wielded a Super Divine Artifact, overpowering two god-level powerhouses from Spirit Hall!
"Big Brother, did you see that?"
Tang Hao turned to the resolute-looking middle-aged man beside him. It was none other than Tang Xiao, sect master of the Clear Sky Sect.
"Little San ranked eighth!"
"He stomped that crazy old hag Bibi Dong underfoot!"
"Damn, that feels good!"
Looking at his younger brother shamelessly and wildly showing off, Tang Xiao could only shake his head helplessly.
Yet smiles he couldn't hide tugged at the corners of his eyes too.
"All right, all right. We know he's your son."
"Look at you, acting like you're the one who did it."
Though Tang Xiao said that, he was deeply shaken inside.
The Sea God Trident.
It was the weapon of the legendary Sea God.
Tang San had earned its recognition—and had even surpassed the Angel Holy Sword in the Sky Curtain's assessment. That was enough to show that Tang San's potential might be greater than Qian Renxue's.
"The Clear Sky Sect may finally have a chance to return to the world."
Tang Xiao sighed.
Tang Hao smashed the liquor jar on the ground, sending shards flying.
He rose to his feet and clenched his one remaining hand into a fist. A domineering, unrivaled will of the Clear Sky surged into the heavens.
"What do you mean, a chance to return?"
"We're going to make Spirit Hall pay its blood debt!"
"Now that Little San is holding the line out front, I can't just stand by and watch."
"Big Brother, I'm going to Jialing Pass."
"Even if these old bones of mine break, I'll still hold up a patch of sky for Little San, so he can fight without a care!"
As the various major powers discussed Tang San's ranking,
the scene in the heavens changed once again.
The azure sea that had filled the entire sky began to recede rapidly, like the ebbing tide.
In its place appeared a clear, translucent shade of blue-green.
Whoosh—whoosh—
The wind rose.
But this wind was neither wild nor destructive. It had no power to lay waste to everything.
It was light and free, like a mischievous sprite leaping among the clouds and darting through the woods.
Yet within that seemingly gentle wind lay a lofty sharpness that made the heart tremble.
It was Azure Wind—the wind high in the heavens, the Ultimate Wind, powerful enough to slice through metal and stone and rend space apart!
At the center of the scene, light gathered.
No longsword, scythe, or trident appeared.
Instead, the people saw a collection of sparkling, translucent gemstones.
More precisely, they were ornaments about the size of glass marbles.
They were a deep blue-green, like the finest jade, yet more translucent, with what seemed to be a ceaseless storm sealed inside each one.
Each ornament was shaped a little differently.
Some were set in golden frames shaped like wings, some were wrapped in silver vines, and others were plain, attached only to a thin cord.
But they all shared one feature.
At their very center was a glowing windmill-shaped rune.
[Seventh place on the Rare Treasure Ranking: Vision (Wind)!]
The moment this name appeared, Soul Masters across the continent were stunned.
A Vision?
What was that?
It sounded impressive, but judging by its size and appearance, it looked like nothing more than an ornament.