Elsewhere.
After crossing the iron chains and leaving the Clear Sky Sect, Tang Hao immediately headed toward the Heaven Dou Empire without stopping!
Tang San was always on his mind.
Back then, while he had stayed in the village outside Suotuo City to watch over Shrek Academy, he had clearly sensed many powerful presences sneaking into Suotuo City.
Now, he had received definite information that high-ranking Spirit Hall consecrates had personally participated in the battle of Suotuo City.
That night, Suotuo City must have been shaken by a world-upending battle!
Although he had arrived in time to take Dai Mubai away, Tang San was still at Shrek Academy. He could not rest easy.
Tang Hao once again donned that tattered black robe and traveled through the night.
Meanwhile.
Heaven Dou Empire, Shrek Academy.
The night was deep, and the academy was silent.
Inside the dean's office, a dim oil lamp was lit. Flender sat behind a shabby desk, rubbing his temples with both hands, his face full of worry.
Zhao Wuji sat on a wooden chair beside him, his chest tightly wrapped in bandages and his face still somewhat pale.
Tang San stood before them, his posture straight.
"Little San."
Flender sighed and finally broke the silence.
He adjusted the crystal glasses on his nose and looked at Tang San, his tone more serious than ever before.
"You're a smart child. You must already have some guesses about what happened during the day, right?"
Tang San nodded.
Flender did not continue playing dumb and said directly, "Little San, take out that hammer in your left hand and let us see it."
The moment those words were spoken, Tang San's pupils shrank.
How could this be?!
After his father had warned him never to tell anyone that he possessed the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul, he had buried the secret of his Twin Martial Souls deep inside himself!
Aside from his father and Yu Xiaogang, no third person knew!
How did the dean know?
Seeing Tang San's reaction, Flender did not hide it any longer. "When you and Grandmaster went hunting for your first Soul Ring, Grandmaster told me."
"Don't worry. Only a few of us know about this, and we will keep it absolutely confidential."
"After all, we are your teachers. We would never harm you."
Hearing that, Tang San hesitated for a moment before raising his left hand.
Black light surged in his palm, and a small yet extraordinarily heavy black hammer appeared.
A trace of reverence flashed through Flender's eyes as he looked at the hammer.
"The number one Tool Martial Soul in the world, the Clear Sky Hammer."
Flender spoke in a low voice. "The person who saved us during the day and took Dai Mubai away was the youngest Title Douluo on the continent today, the Clear Sky Douluo."
"His real name is Tang Hao."
"He is your father."
Though he had long had a premonition, Tang San's heart still trembled when he truly heard the answer from Flender's mouth.
His father, who spent every day forging iron in Holy Soul Village while drunk out of his mind, truly was an expert standing at the pinnacle of this world!
A Title Douluo!
And a Title Douluo with a 100,000-Year Soul Ring at that!
Flender stood and walked to the window, gazing into the night outside.
"Back then, your father did something that shook the entire continent. With the strength he had just gained after breaking through to Title Douluo, he forcibly smashed Spirit Hall's former pope, Qian Xunji, to death."
"From then on, Spirit Hall hunted him across the world."
Flender turned around and stared into Tang San's eyes, his voice carrying a stern warning.
"Little San, remember this: until you possess enough strength to protect yourself, you must keep this hammer buried deep inside you. Never reveal even the slightest trace of it before outsiders!"
"Once Spirit Hall learns that you are Tang Hao's son, forget you—even our entire Shrek Academy will be reduced to ashes overnight."
"Spirit Hall has always exterminated its enemies root and branch. Especially since your father smashed their previous pope to death—this is a blood feud that will not end until one side is dead."
Tang San clenched his fists and silently withdrew the Clear Sky Hammer into his body.
"I understand, Dean. I won't cause trouble for the academy."
Flender froze.
He had never expected Tang San to give that answer.
What did he mean, he would not cause trouble for the academy? Was that the point of what he had said? How could Tang San, so young, think with such maturity?
With a soft sigh, Flender stopped dwelling on Tang San's unusual way of thinking. He merely assumed that Tang San had been independent and self-reliant since childhood, which was why he had developed such a mature mind.
"I've told you all the answers you wanted. Is there anything else you wish to ask?"
"No, Dean."
"Then go back."
"Mm."
After saying farewell, Tang San left the office with a heavy heart and returned alone to his dormitory.
He pushed open the wooden door.
No lamp was lit in the room. It was pitch-black.
But the instant Tang San stepped over the threshold, he keenly noticed the sound of another person's breathing in the room.
With a flick of his wrist, the Silent Sleeve Arrow instantly cocked. He warily looked toward the corner by the window. At the same time, the Purple Demon Eye activated instantly, allowing him to see through the darkness.
In Tang San's eyes, a tall figure clad in black robes sat in that corner.
"It's me."
A low, hoarse voice, full of exhaustion, rang out in the darkness.
The loose black robe, the messy hair, and that familiar scent of cheap ale.
"Dad."
Tang San instantly let out a breath of relief. He lowered his arm, fastened the sleeve arrow mechanism back into place, and quickly walked to Tang Hao's side.
Tang Hao raised his head and looked at the son before him, who had already grown taller than his shoulder. His eyes were filled with complicated emotions.
"Flender should have already told you, right?"
Tang San nodded. "He told me everything. Back then, you..."
Tang Hao waved his hand, cutting Tang San off.
Originally, he had planned to wait until Tang San was older and stronger before making him bear such heavy hatred.
But over the past half year, the appearance of the Sky Screen had completely disrupted his plans.
The appearance of that other world had caused the entire landscape of Douluo Continent to undergo earth-shaking changes.
Ordinary people who had once lacked power began to gain it, challenging the Soul Master community. Although Soul Masters still held the advantage in cultivation and numbers, and could firmly rule over those who cultivated the Martial Path,
that might not remain the case forever.
Tang Hao firmly believed this.
If ordinary people who received the legacy of that other world could begin to contend with Soul Masters, then just how powerful would Spirit Hall, which had gained Explorers from that other world, become?
Tang Hao could not estimate it.
But Tang Hao knew that Spirit Hall had already been powerful enough to seize the initiative in the Sky Screen's explorations, allowing it to grow even stronger.
It was a positive cycle.
If that cycle was not broken, Spirit Hall would only grow stronger and stronger, until it could flatten the entire continent through its own power alone!
This gave Tang Hao an intense sense of crisis. The upheaval was right before them. He could no longer allow Tang San to live ignorantly within a greenhouse.
He sighed and recounted everything: how he had met Ah Yin back then, how Spirit Hall had relentlessly driven them into a corner, and how Ah Yin had sacrificed her life to protect both father and son.
Although this confession came far earlier than Tang Hao had intended, he still concealed nothing.
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