Holy Soul Village, Fasinuo Province, in the southwest of the Heaven Dou Empire.
It was a small village of just over three hundred households, named for a Soul Master of Soul Saint rank who had emerged there a century ago.
Dawn was just breaking, and a faint streak of fish-belly white rose in the eastern sky.
Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan left Spirit City and arrived at Holy Soul Village. His first stop was the village chief, Old Jack, whom he questioned about Tang San's background.
Old Jack held nothing back, telling everything he knew to the man who claimed to be a Soul Master from Spirit Hall.
"Lord Soul Master, what's wrong? Is there a problem? Tang Hao is nothing but our village blacksmith. All he does all day is drink or sleep-a complete good-for-nothing." Seeing Chrysanthemum Douluo's expression change at the mention of Tang Hao, Old Jack spoke with considerable disdain.
"Village chief, may... may I ask whether Tang Hao is... still in your village?" Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan asked apprehensively. As he spoke, his eyes darted left and right, afraid Tang Hao might suddenly appear nearby.
"Hmph, that drunkard Tang Hao slipped out of Holy Soul Village sometime after his two sons went to Nuoding City to attend school. I have no idea where he went." Old Jack shook his head and sighed.
"After all the care I gave his family over the years, he left without so much as a word. Ah, those two poor children."
"By the way, Lord Soul Master, are you a friend of Tang Hao's? Should I tell him you came looking for him when he returns?" Old Jack asked casually.
"No need." Upon hearing that Tang Hao was no longer in Holy Soul Village, the stone hanging over Chrysanthemum Douluo's heart finally settled, and he waved his hands repeatedly.
"By the way, village chief, could you tell me about Tang Hao and Tang San? Has their family lived in Holy Soul Village for generations?" Chrysanthemum Douluo took a pouch of Gold Soul Coins from inside his robe and placed it in Old Jack's hands.
"Uh... all right." Old Jack hefted the pouch and nodded.
After accepting the Gold Soul Coins, Old Jack gave it little further thought and began recounting the story of Tang Hao and his sons. He said the three had settled in Holy Soul Village six years ago. Tang Hao had been badly injured at the time and claimed they had encountered mounted bandits on the road, who had killed his wife.
Taking pity on the father and his two sons, Old Jack had allowed them to stay in Holy Soul Village.
His voice was full of frustration at Tang Hao's failure to make anything of himself, as well as affection for Tang San and Xiao Yan.
"M-mounted bandits?" Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan froze, recalling that earth-shaking battle six years ago. A dignified Titled Douluo and elder of Spirit Hall like me, called a mounted bandit? Then he thought to himself, They came to Holy Soul Village six years ago. Doesn't the timing fit perfectly? Tang Hao and that Soul Beast did indeed have a child back then.
That Soul Beast was a hundred-thousand-year blue silver emperor that had taken human form, and Tang San's Martial Soul happens to be blue silver grass. He even has the rare innate full soul power.
Piecing all this information together, Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan had begun to suspect that this Tang Hao was the Clear Sky Douluo of years past.
With a flash of golden light, Chrysanthemum Douluo vanished on the spot.
He had to report this news to Bibi Dong immediately.
Nuoding City, the junior Soul Master Academy.
"After all these years, I still can't break through to rank thirty Soul Power. It seems I really can only rely on Little San to prove I'm not useless." After finishing his cross-legged meditation, Grandmaster discovered that his cultivation had not advanced an inch, and spoke with some dejection.
"Since I can't achieve a breakthrough in Soul Power, I'll put my efforts into theory instead."
Just as Grandmaster was imagining a future day when he would become an acclaimed master of theory on the Douluo Continent, a knock suddenly sounded at the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
"The door isn't locked. Come in," Grandmaster said calmly, looking up at the door.
Could Little San need something from me?
The door creaked.
The door opened from outside, and an exceptionally tall, burly middle-aged man walked in. He wore a tattered black robe, his unkempt black hair hanging loosely over his shoulders. Deep furrows covered his aged face.
Yet his eyes were like those of an ancient demon god, radiating imposing might.
For some reason, when Grandmaster met the middle-aged man's gaze, his entire body involuntarily tensed, and goosebumps rose all over him.
"Hello, Grandmaster. Come to think of it, it's been over twenty years since we last met, hasn't it?" A somewhat deep voice came from the middle-aged man's mouth.
"You are?" Grandmaster slowly rose, confusion showing in his eyes. He did not understand why this middle-aged man, who looked like a beggar, knew him.
Had he not sensed the fluctuations of Soul Power coming from the man and realized that the visitor was far stronger than himself, Grandmaster, who had been born a nobleman's son, would probably have thrown this man in ragged robes out of the room at once.
"Heh... ah..." The middle-aged man sighed and removed his hood. "With the way I look now, it's no wonder you don't recognize me," he said flatly.
"I am Tang Hao!"
"What? You're Tang... Tang Hao?" At that name, Grandmaster's usually still-as-an-ancient-well gaze shifted slightly. His somewhat stiff face twitched, and he said in a trembling voice, "I guessed long ago that you were Little San's father. The Clear Sky Sect has sealed its gates for years, and no direct-line disciples other than you remain outside. What brings you here?"
"I know you've taken Little San as your disciple. I should have come to see you sooner. There are some things I need to do next, and I'd like to ask you to help look after him," Tang Hao said in a low voice, turning his imposing gaze toward Grandmaster.
"You're leaving? Where are you going?" Grandmaster asked in confusion, his brows drawing together slightly.
"Leaving? No. I've merely decided to return. There are things I must do." Tang Hao shook his head, his expression still cold.
"Little San is your son, and he's only six. Can you truly be so heartless as to leave him alone? Isn't that too cruel to him?" Grandmaster stared hard at Tang Hao, a sharp edge in his eyes.
"By the way, there's something else I don't understand. Little San told me that the child named Xiao Yan is also your son. Why is his Martial Soul a mass of flame, rather than blue silver grass like Little San's, or the Clear Sky Hammer?" Grandmaster seized the opportunity to ask.
"Heh." Tang Hao sneered and took a deep breath. "That child truly was born with rebellion in his bones. He even secretly changed his surname after leaving Holy Soul Village. Utterly beyond saving. Without the clear sky hammer martial soul, he certainly doesn't deserve the surname Tang. Let him do as he likes."
"He is my son as well, but as for why his Martial Soul is a strange mass of flame, I don't know either."
Tang Hao kept feeling that he had been cuckolded, and it left him deeply vexed.
"The only one on my mind now is Little San. I hope you remember that while Little San is my son, he is also your disciple. A teacher for a day is a father for life. You are his father too, and looking after Little San is also your responsibility."
"No matter when, please remember that he is the son of Tang Hao."
With that single line about a teacher for a day being a father for life, Tang Hao directly morally blackmailed Yu Xiaogang.
After saying this, Tang Hao gave a light wave of his hand. A jet-black token engraved with six Martial Soul emblems traced an arc through the air and landed on the desk before Grandmaster.
"Is this a Pope Token?" Grandmaster paused, startled, and asked in surprise.
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