Why Use Your Face to Catch a Sledgehammer? To See Whether Your Head Hurts More, or the Hammer?

Spirit City, Pope Hall.

The lights blazed brightly.

The seven who had originally been about to head back to bathe and rest had barely stepped out of the cafeteria when they were intercepted by someone Qian Xunji had sent. They were led all the way to a side hall of the Pope Hall.

A parchment scroll lay spread across the long table, densely marked with intelligence Spirit Hall had urgently gathered over the past few days.

Every name was accompanied by a brief record of their rank, martial soul, and past achievements. The ink had not even dried yet, clearly having been prepared overnight.

Qian Xunji stood at the end of the long table, both hands braced against its edge. His gaze swept across the seven children standing in a row before him, and his expression was unusually serious.

"Quite a few people from the Clear Sky Sect will be coming tomorrow."

"The most gifted among them will undoubtedly be Tang Chen's two grandsons, Tang Xiao and Tang Hao."

He reached out and tapped Tang Xiao's name on the parchment.

"Tang Xiao went out to gain experience a few years ago. His publicly known rank had already reached the Soul King level then.

"Now, he is thirty-four years old. With his talent and the Clear Sky Sect's resources, he has most likely reached level sixty-two to sixty-five, a Soul Emperor."

At that, Bibi Dong's hand, which had been tugging at Qian Renxue's sleeve, froze. She raised her head, her face plainly saying, Are you kidding me?

"Huh? Thirty-four years old? A level sixty-two to sixty-five Soul Emperor? Teacher, you call that the younger generation?"

She counted on her fingers, then added indignantly:

"He's even older than my dad! He's clearly an old man."

Qian Renxue snorted with laughter beside her, her shoulders shaking.

Ye Guyi also turned her head away, unable to suppress the curve of her lips.

Qian Xunji's mouth twitched. Pretending not to hear, he moved his finger to another name.

"As for Tang Hao..."

He paused, his brows creasing almost imperceptibly.

For some reason, every time he mentioned that name, an inexplicable irritation rose in his heart, as though something unseen was bothering him.

"Spirit Hall has little intelligence on him. We only know that he was already a level thirty-four Soul Elder at the age of twelve. After that, he cultivated in seclusion for many years and rarely appeared outside. He is nineteen now, and his strength absolutely cannot be underestimated. He is estimated to be at the High-Level Soul Ancestor stage."

He raised his eyes and swept them over the disciples before him. "This Tang Hao is Tang Chen's greatest reliance this time."

Bibi Dong blinked and tilted her head as she thought.

"Level thirty-four at twelve... wasn't that the same as Second Senior Sister?"

Qian Renxue glared at her. "You're comparing me to him?"

"Mm... there really doesn't seem to be anything to compare." Bibi Dong nodded seriously. "Second Senior Sister was only six. That guy is an uncle already."

Qian Renxue gave a light snort, but the corners of her lips still curled up unconsciously.

"Besides those two brothers, the Clear Sky Sect also brought people from the Four Single-Attribute Clans."

Qian Xunji continued, "Yang Wudi, Tai Tan, Niu Gao, and Bai He. They are around Tang Hao's age."

"Yang Wudi is said to have the strongest offensive power among the four clans and has already broken through to the Soul Ancestor level. The other three are around the peak Soul Elder level."

After saying that, he looked at the seven faces before him, waiting for them to digest the information.

Bibi Dong put her hands on her hips, lifted her chin, and spoke first.

"That's it? Then Tang Xiao belongs to the older generation, so he doesn't count. Among the rest, the strongest is Tang Hao, a High-Level Soul Ancestor?"

She counted on her fingers.

"But Little Junior Brother is already a level forty-nine Soul Ancestor. Even if they all came at him together..."

She tilted her head, seriously did the math, then came to a perfectly natural conclusion.

"It seems they still couldn't take even one move from Little Junior Brother, right?"

Qian Renxue nodded beside her and took over. "Little Junior Brother's soul skills are indeed absurd. All attributes increased tenfold, and damage against bleeding targets doubled...

"And that doesn't even include his several soul bone skills. No matter how you look at it, the advantage is on our side."

"That's right, the advantage is ours!"

Bibi Dong stood with her hands on her hips, head held high, her face full of excitement.

Na'er looked at Luo Jiuyou with sparkling eyes.

"Senior Brother is amazing."

Zi JI and Bi Ji both fixed their gazes on Luo Jiuyou, their eyes trembling.

All attributes multiplied by ten, and damage against bleeding targets doubled.

Were this human child's soul skills really that ridiculous??

Even Di Tian was not that ridiculous, was he?

Qian Xunji watched his disciples grow so confident that they were nearly floating away, feeling both gratified and troubled.

Of course, he knew how outrageous Luo Jiuyou's soul skills were. If they truly fought, let alone the younger generation, even if Tang Xiao, that thirty-four-year-old "old man," were thrown in, he would still be finished in one move.

But after serving as Pope for so many years, he knew well that arrogant armies were bound to lose.

He raised a hand, and Bibi Dong took a blow to the forehead.

"Ow! Teacher, what was that for?!"

Qian Renxue had just been about to laugh when she took a blow to the forehead as well. Her sapphire-blue eyes instantly became watery as she looked at Qian Xunji, her face full of grievance.

"The fight has not even begun. Don't speak so absolutely."

Qian Xunji withdrew his hand, his expression turning more serious. "The world of soul masters is filled with hidden talents, and soul skill combinations can vary endlessly. Some soul skills may seem insignificant, but they become extremely strange in practice. Even if you are stronger than your opponent, one moment of carelessness can lead to a heavy loss."

The seven children fell quiet, looking at one another as the smiles on their faces faded somewhat.

Seeing that they had taken his words to heart, Qian Xunji softened his tone slightly and added:

"Besides, tomorrow's match may not necessarily be an individual soul battle. It is more likely to be a team soul battle."

"A team soul battle?"

Bibi Dong blinked.

"Yes."

Qian Xunji nodded. "Since it is a team battle, they will certainly pair soul masters of different types together.

"The younger generation of the Four Single-Attribute Clans each excels in different areas.

"Yang Wudi's Soul-Breaking Spear possesses immense offensive power and serves as the main attacker. Tai Tan's Mighty Gorilla excels in strength. Niu Gao's Armored Giant Rhino is extremely powerful in both defense and strength. Bai He's Sharp-Tailed Swift is exceptionally fast."

He paused, his tone growing more solemn.

"This is what I need to remind you about. Even if none of them are particularly outstanding individually, once combined, cooperating and making up for each other's weaknesses, the combat strength they can display is far from as simple as one plus one."

After hearing this, everyone's expressions grew a little more serious. Clearly, they had taken the words to heart.

Qian Xunji returned to the long table and tapped Tang Hao's name on the parchment.

"Tang Hao's martial soul is the Clear Sky Hammer. He is a power-type, assault-type soul master. Combined with the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer and the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes of the Clear Sky Sect, every blow is immensely powerful."

Bibi Dong's eyes lit up. "Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer? What's that?"

Qian Xunji explained:

"It is the core of the Clear Sky Hammer. By continuously accumulating power without stopping, one hammer strike after another, the force stacks layer upon layer. Once all eighty-one strikes are stacked, a single blow is enough to split mountains and shatter rocks."

He paused, emphasizing his next words.

"Even your Grandpa Qian once lost a move to Tang Chen, the Supreme Elder of the Clear Sky Sect."

The hall suddenly fell silent.

Bibi Dong's eyes widened.

"Grandpa Qian lost? But isn't Grandpa Qian a level ninety-nine Peerless Douluo?"

"The Ring Detonation Secret Technique of the Clear Sky Hammer shatters soul rings in exchange for an explosive burst of power. Combined with the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer and the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes, once the power is stacked high enough, even your Grandpa Qian could not withstand it."

Qian Xunji shook his head.

The room fell quiet for a moment. The six girls looked at one another, as though they had only just realized how terrifying the old man carrying that hammer had been.

"Teacher."

Luo Jiuyou spoke.

Seven gazes turned toward him at once.

"The Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer needs to stack all eighty-one strikes to reach its strongest point. Then why wait for it to finish stacking?"

The hall went silent for a beat.

Qian Xunji froze. "What?"

"I mean..."

Luo Jiuyou looked at Qian Xunji.

"Since it needs time to accumulate power, interrupt it before it finishes."

"Directly attack the user, or disrupt his rhythm. Do not give him the chance to continue stacking power. Why wait for him to stack it to the limit?"

"Also, the Clear Sky Hammer is a power-type martial soul. The Clear Sky Nine Absolutes, Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer, and Ring Detonation Secret Technique are all methods of stacking power."

"The Grand Worshiper possesses the Six-Winged Angel and is invincible in the sky. He can fly, has a speed advantage, and possesses suppression through holy power. Why would he descend to the ground and clash head-on with a purely power-type opponent?"

"Isn't that giving up his own strengths and using his weaknesses to collide with the opponent's strengths?"

"That's right!"

Bibi Dong's eyes were full of excitement as she blurted out:

"Grandpa Qian can clearly fly, so why go down there and compete with someone in brute strength? Isn't that stupid?"

Qian Renxue nodded along. "Exactly, Father. Didn't you say that we should fight by making use of our martial souls' strengths?

"If he clearly has a speed advantage, why give it up? Use speed to keep the opponent off balance and wear him down, then find a chance to launch a surprise attack. That is the correct way to fight, isn't it?

"Why would an agility attack type compete in strength with a power type?? Is Grandpa really that stupid??"

Ye Guyi spoke seriously.

"Teacher, you taught us before to use our strengths against the enemy's weaknesses. But Grandpa Qian... why did he do the opposite?"

Na'er blinked her crimson eyes and added curiously:

"Teacher, does someone really want to use their own head to see whether it hurts when the other person's hammer comes down?"

Zi JI and Bi Ji did not speak, but both stared brightly at Qian Xunji, their eyes filled with curiosity.

Could there really be such foolish humans??

Seven gazes fell on Qian Xunji at once, some bright, some curious, some earnest.

Qian Xunji: "..."

Why did it feel like all of them were calling the old man an idiot?