Off to Shrek! Tang Ya Defeated!

After helping Tang Ya obtain her third Soul Ring, the three of them set off for Shrek City.

Only a few days later, a magnificent city came into view.

It was Shrek City, Number One City, standing where three nations met.

"Yay! We're finally here!"

Tang Ya stuck her head out the carriage window and shouted excitedly, drawing looks from passersby.

Huo Yutong could hardly contain her excitement either. Her little face was full of anticipation.

"Carriages are so much more comfortable~ Hehe." Tang Ya settled back into her seat and stretched contentedly, showing off her curves.

"Then why did you say we should walk?" Tang Qi shot her an exasperated look.

"How is that my fault? You're the Tang Sect Master, but you didn't offer to open your purse. Was I supposed to pay out of my own pocket when I'm so short on cash?"

Tang Ya planted her hands on her hips, sounding entirely justified.

Oh?

Tang Qi raised an eyebrow and gave her a smile that was not quite a smile. Was Haki Ya acting up again?

Seeing Tang Ya run her mouth again, Huo Yutong hurriedly covered her mouth and whispered, "Sister Xiaoya, you're no match for Brother Tang Qi. Did you forget? Last time, he beat you so badly your eyes rolled back and you started drooling..."

"Hey! Little Yutong! Don't say things people could take the wrong way!" Tang Ya's face flushed bright red as she protested.

"But that's what happened~" Huo Yutong pouted, looking innocent.

"What do you mean, 'beat me'? I just slipped up and got poisoned by my own poison." Tang Ya grew flustered and rushed to explain.

She would have been better off saying nothing. Now Huo Yutong and Tang Qi both looked at her with disdain.

Getting hit by the backlash of her own Soul Skill—now that took talent. She might as well go sit at the same table as the Jade Phosphor Serpent from ten thousand years ago.

A few days earlier.

After successfully absorbing the Nether Poison Sleep Lotus's Soul Ring, Tang Ya's confidence had soared.

Her third Soul Skill, Nether Lotus Poison Net, really was powerful. When she used it, Blue Silver Grass wove itself into a vast net, with a water-lily bud blooming at every junction.

The net itself was remarkably tough. Once it bound an opponent, the buds released neurotoxin in overlapping waves. Combined with her Blue Silver Grass's unique Devouring Talent, its effects were formidable.

That combination gave Tang Ya the illusion that she was invincible. She immediately wanted to turn the tables and get the upper hand over Tang Qi.

After all, in the Douluo Continent, where spiritual power was generally neglected, most Soul Masters' spiritual power grew only passively alongside their Soul Power. Few trained it deliberately.

Apart from Soul Engineers and Soul Masters with special Martial Souls, no one trained spiritual power specifically. That made Tang Ya's neurotoxin a weapon tailored to exploit their weakness!

Her hopes were full and round; reality was all skin and bones.

Before Tang Qi, Tang Ya's Blue Silver Grass proved feeble. After he used the Blue Silver Emperor to surround himself with a cage sealed tight on every side, she started using her third Soul Skill, Nether Lotus Poison Net.

When she saw she could not break through, she still refused to surrender. Stubborn to a fault, Tang Ya cast her third Soul Skill again and again, releasing neurotoxin outward in hopes it would spread.

In the end, she exhausted her Soul Power and inhaled her own toxin instead. She collapsed on the spot, eyes rolled back and drool pouring from her mouth.

After waking, Tang Ya learned nothing. Instead, she boldly challenged Huo Yutong, even declaring that she would use only her third Soul Skill, as though afraid anyone might think her victory unfair.

The outcome was just as predictable.

With Cheeky Silkworm's support, Huo Yutong used a mental control technique, then a Soul Shock. Tang Ya suffered her second defeat!

"Tang Ya Defeated.jpg"

By the time that recollection ended, the carriage had slowly entered Shrek City.

Tang Ya had not been idle along the way. She had enthusiastically introduced Shrek Academy to the other two, though her voice had noticeably fallen when she mentioned the Soul Tool Department.

"Sister Xiaoya, was it the arrival of Soul Tools that caused the Tang Sect's decline?"

Huo Yutong asked carefully.

A trace of loneliness flashed through Tang Ya's eyes. After a moment of silence, she nodded and gave a rueful smile of acceptance. "I hate to admit it, but Soul Tools really are much stronger than Hidden Weapons."

No sooner had she spoken than Tang Qi's voice rang out.

"Don't blindly worship Soul Tools, and don't blindly dismiss Hidden Weapons." Tang Qi folded his arms and leaned back slightly.

"The Tang Sect Hidden Weapons at the high and low ends are no worse than Soul Tools. What's truly fallen behind is the middle tier and the system as a whole."

Tang Qi explained, "At the low end, there are the Godly Zhuge Crossbow, the Silent Sleeve Arrow, Shadow-Shooting Sand, and others.

"Take the Godly Zhuge Crossbow. It can directly threaten the lives of Soul Kings and even Soul Ancestors. Most importantly, it doesn't require Soul Power to operate. Soul Tools can't match that."

"Remember, ordinary people still make up the vast majority of the Douluo Continent's population. Give an ordinary person a bit of practice, and they can use things like the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow or Shadow-Shooting Sand. Can you say the same of Soul Tools?"

Tang Ya nodded thoughtfully.

"As for high-end Hidden Weapons—"

Tang Qi continued, "The Peacock Plume, Storm Pear Blossom Needles, and Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus are no worse than top-tier Soul Tools, though they can't beat them either."

Besides, if they were Hidden Weapons, why not coat them with poison?

Tang Ya's breathing quickened as she listened. She did not know why the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record handed down by the sect was incomplete.

But the copy Tang Qi had given her, with what she considered a "divinely enhanced" Mysterious Heaven Skill, was exhaustive.

Tang Ya: Could our ancestor have deliberately passed down an incomplete version? Surely not?

Tang Qi: It was obviously Sea God's fault. How could it be the fault of pure and upright Tang Qi?

The more Tang Ya heard, the more excited she became. With the "authentic" Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record behind it, the Tang Sect was bound to rise again.

But her excitement did not last long before she wilted.

"But..."

Tang Ya lowered her head, her voice subdued. "Apart from us, the Tang Sect has no members left."

"The Four Great Single-Attribute Clans left the Tang Sect ten thousand years ago and went their separate ways. Who's going to make these Hidden Weapons now?"

"The Clear Sky Sect," Tang Qi said.

The Clear Sky Sect had lived in seclusion for so many years. Aside from cultivating, its members spent every day slacking off and fooling around. It was time to drag them out and put them to work.

Tang Ya's excitement returned. Soul Masters with Clear Sky Hammers had extraordinary talent for forging. She had grown up hearing about it: over the past ten thousand years, every generation of Divine Blacksmiths had included Clear Sky Hammer Soul Masters.

The carriage slowly entered Shrek City's North District.

The Clear Sky Sect had shops here too. Living in seclusion did not mean they had no expenses. Even the former number-one sect under heaven had to eat.

After Tang Qi identified himself, two figures soon rushed out of the shop.

Both were in their early twenties, with sturdy builds.

They strode up to Tang Qi, stood straight, and struck their chests with one fist. "Tang Long and Tang Hu greet the Young Master!!"

Their voices boomed so loudly that Huo Yutong and Tang Ya both froze.

Tang Qi gave a slight nod, then turned to introduce them to the two girls. "These two are this generation's Clear Sky Twin Stars."

He turned back to them, his expression serious. "Little Long, Little Hu, I'm the Tang Sect Master now. I'd like to invite you both to join the Tang Sect. What do you say?"

Tang Ya's heart leaped into her throat. Given the Tang Sect's sorry state, she could hardly blame them if they refused.

But Tang Long and Tang Hu only exchanged a glance before dropping to one knee together and shouting:

"We greet My Lord! Our loyalty is yours!"

Tang Ya stood rooted to the spot.

Huh? They agreed just like that?

Still dazed, she followed Tang Qi and did not come to her senses until she walked into his back.

Shrek Academy came into view.

"Hey, I'm asking you something."

Tang Qi waved a hand in front of Tang Ya's eyes. "Do you want me to find someone to wipe out the Iron Blood Sect?"

"Huh?"

A complicated look flashed through Tang Ya's beautiful eyes. "Can... can I take revenge myself?" she asked softly.

"Sure. I'll come along when the time comes." Tang Qi nodded.

Huo Yutong chimed in from beside them, smiling until her eyes curved. "I'll go too, Sister Xiaoya~"