As his words fell, a chorus of agreement immediately rose through the hall.
Ever since Tang Wei had brought the gravely injured Tang Lie back to the sect, the incident had alarmed quite a few people. His severed arm, in particular, had left several elders seething with anger.
But once Tang Lie woke and recounted the battle, their reactions varied.
Some were furious.
Some were shocked.
Others still refused to believe that the man Tang Lie described truly possessed such cultivation.
"Level ninety-nine, with the title Love Sword..." An elder seated on the other side frowned and slowly shook his head.
"When did another expert like that appear on the continent? How have we not heard so much as a whisper about him?"
Someone beside him immediately chimed in:
"Didn't Seventh say that man looked only about twenty? Reaching level ninety-nine at twenty? You actually believe that?"
"Age can be faked, and appearance proves nothing," another elder said gravely. "But surely Seventh's injuries can't be faked?"
"He had already unleashed his Clear Sky True Body, yet he couldn't even withstand two strikes from that man's sword. Isn't that enough to tell us something?"
"All it tells us is that his Soul Skills are strange!" The elder who had spoken earlier snorted coldly.
"Seventh himself said the fluctuations of Soul Power coming from that man had only just reached the Soul Saint level."
"I think he most likely relied on some special method to gravely injure Seventh, then deliberately claimed to be level ninety-nine to frighten everyone else!"
"Frighten everyone else?"
Someone looked at him, his tone growing sharper.
"Seventh only concluded that the man was telling the truth after they fought. You think he took those two sword strikes himself and still couldn't tell whether his opponent had any real ability?"
"His mind had already been injured at the time. It's entirely possible his perceptions were off!"
As the two grew increasingly heated, Tang Wei finally spoke from his seat nearby. "Enough. Both of you, say less."
His brows were tightly furrowed as his gaze swept over them.
"None of us has personally witnessed that man's true cultivation. Seventh's condition hasn't stabilized, either. He can't withstand all of you questioning him in turn."
"Still, there is one thing we cannot afford to overlook."
At those words, the elders all turned toward him.
Tang Wei said slowly:
"The Spiritual Power remaining inside Seventh is absolutely not something an ordinary Soul Saint could possess."
The voices in the hall quieted somewhat.
After all, Tang Wei had personally examined Tang Lie's injuries.
Had he only been wounded by a sword, Tang Lie's physique and Soul Power, combined with the sect's medicines, should at least have kept him from remaining unconscious.
Yet the power that had invaded his mind made Tang Lie cry out in pain from time to time, even while unconscious.
Tang Wei had made several attempts, but in the end, he could only stabilize Tang Lie's injuries for the moment. He dared not recklessly interfere any further.
"I can't say he is definitely level ninety-nine." Tang Wei paused, his expression growing even graver. "But if we treat him as a mere Soul Saint, we may well suffer another loss."
At this, several elders who had looked utterly dismissive gradually began to frown.
"By your reckoning, that man really could be a Titled Douluo concealing his cultivation?"
"But we've truly never heard of the title Love Sword..."
"A sword-wielding Titled Douluo?" Just then, an elder suddenly raised his head, as though something had occurred to him.
"Do you remember the news that came in a little while ago? Apparently, a sword-wielding Titled Douluo recently joined the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!"
At those words, the expressions of several people in the hall immediately shifted.
"Are you saying this might have something to do with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"
"Hard to say." The elder shook his head, but his gaze was somewhat dark. "The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has been recruiting experts all these years. If a sword-specializing Titled Douluo really joined them, and a swordsman just happened to appear at the foot of our mountain..."
"We ought to investigate. We can't rule it out entirely."
Tang Wei glanced at him and said:
"Assuming they're the same person merely because they both use swords is far too hasty."
"I only said it was possible!"
"If we're talking about possibilities, Spirit Hall isn't above suspicion either." Another voice suddenly came from beside them.
The atmosphere in the hall immediately grew heavier.
"Haven't you noticed Spirit Hall's attitude toward us since Eldest Uncle disappeared?"
"Things no one would have obstructed before now have people throwing obstacles in our path. Our disciples traveling outside the sect have reported more than once that Spirit Hall has been making trouble for them."
"And just at this moment, an expert swordsman of unknown origins appears and gravely injures Seventh."
The man said coldly:
"It's entirely possible Spirit Hall sent him to test us!"
Those words immediately set off another wave of discussion in the hall.
"Would Spirit Hall really dare go that far?"
"What wouldn't they dare? Otherwise, why choose to strike right at the foot of our mountain?"
"But if he really belongs to Spirit Hall, why leave behind the title Love Sword Douluo?"
"He could have made up a title on the spot. Can you march straight to Spirit Hall on the strength of that name alone?"
"It's also possible Seventh was simply too hotheaded and ran into an expert unwilling to suffer a loss..."
Several different explanations became tangled together.
Some were convinced the man truly possessed such cultivation, while others believed Tang Lie had been deceived by some special method. Still others had begun arguing over whether another faction had interfered behind the scenes.
For a time, the entire hall grew rather noisy.
At the seat of honor.
Tang Zhen, the sect master of the Clear Sky Sect, had remained silent throughout. His gaze slowly swept across everyone's faces, and only when several elders were about to quarrel again did he finally rise.
"Enough."
His voice was not loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly. The arguing in the hall stopped at once.
Tang Zhen looked at them, his expression steady, and slowly began:
"Because he uses a sword, you suspect the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Then, on the strength of a few recent incidents, you decide Spirit Hall was responsible. But after all this talk, which of you can produce any evidence?"
The elders exchanged glances, but none immediately answered.
Tang Zhen continued:
"It is a fact that the Seventh Elder was injured. It is also a fact that the man called himself the level ninety-nine Love Sword Douluo."
"But his true identity, and whether someone directed him, remain unknown. You could argue here for hours and still reach no conclusion."
He paused, his gaze settling on Tang Wei.
"Let Seventh recover in peace for now. Unless it's necessary, don't disturb him again."
Tang Wei nodded at this.
"As for what happened at the foot of the mountain, I will send people to investigate." Tang Zhen turned back to the others, his tone growing heavier.
"Start with the dispute over buying and selling Soul Beast meat, and establish what happened one step at a time. Surely we can find at least one of the stallholders or customers who were there."
"And we must find out why that Love Sword Douluo came here, who he had with him, and where he went after leaving."
The elder who had slapped the table earlier frowned slightly upon hearing this.
"Whom does the sect master intend to send down the mountain?"
"We absolutely cannot let this matter end here. Since he could gravely injure Seventh, whoever we send mustn't be too weak. Otherwise, if they happen to encounter him again..."
Tang Zhen cut him off directly.
"I have my own arrangements for this."
"This time, we are only investigating what happened and uncovering his background. Before we've even established the facts, you want to show up at his door with the Clear Sky Hammer again? Do you want a repeat of what happened to Seventh?"
The elder's expression stiffened, and he said no more.
Tang Zhen slowly returned to the seat of honor and tapped the armrest lightly twice. After a moment, he continued:
"I had already intended to send Hao'er and Xiao'er down the mountain to gain experience. They've spent too long in the sect. There are things they need to go out and see for themselves."
By this point, several elders had already understood his meaning.
"The sect master means to..."
Tang Zhen nodded.
"This time, let the two brothers go down the mountain."
"Once they've investigated this matter, they needn't hurry back. Let them travel more widely across the continent."
Tang Wei pondered for a moment, then asked:
"What if they encounter that Love Sword Douluo?"
Tang Zhen looked at him, his expression utterly serious.
"First establish what happened. Everything else comes afterward."
"If he truly is a level ninety-nine expert, our Clear Sky Sect has no need to make a mortal enemy of him over a few unverified claims."
"But if someone is using that title while acting on another faction's orders to deliberately attack members of our Clear Sky Sect..."
At this point, his gaze darkened slightly.
"Then we must first uncover who exactly is behind all this. Although Father has been missing for many years, our Clear Sky Sect is not something just anyone can trample on!"
Everyone in the hall gradually fell silent.
Tang Zhen raised his hand and gave a light wave, then instructed the disciple stationed at the door, "Go. Summon Tang Hao and Tang Xiao."
"Yes, sect master!"
The disciple bowed in acknowledgment and quickly withdrew from the hall.
Before you continue