Tang Xiao and Tang Hao Want to Become Kindred Spirits with Yu Xiao Gang?

"Sector Master Yu?"

Tang Hao had thought his eldest brother Tang Xiao had returned with their Third Sister, Tang Yuehua.

But when he opened the door, the person standing outside was actually Yu Yuanzhen, Sect Master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

Tang Hao froze for a moment.

The relationship between their Clear Sky Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was fairly ordinary!

What did Yu Yuanzhen want with him?

Still, Yu Yuanzhen was one of the Three Upper Sects' leaders, of the same generation as Tang Hao's father, Tang Zhen.

Though puzzled, Tang Hao still invited Yu Yuanzhen into the room.

The two sat facing each other beside a black round table in the spacious room.

After pouring Yu Yuanzhen a cup of hot tea, Tang Hao asked,

"May I ask why Sect Master Yu has honored me with your presence?"

"It's nothing much. I simply wish to make a deal with your sect."

With a smile on his dignified, imposing face, Yu Yuanzhen stroked the golden beard beneath his chin and chuckled.

"A deal?"

Tang Hao was deeply confused.

In response, Yu Yuanzhen repeated to Tang Hao what he had previously told Ning Fengzhi.

"All it will take is One Hundred Million Gold Soul Coins, along with several businesses in Heaven Dou Imperial City that bring in net annual profits of over ten million Gold Soul Coins."

"Our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan will deliver Ghost Spider, that Evil Spirit Master with Innate Full Soul Power and Twin Top Spirits, to your Clear Sky Sect."

"Does your sect have any interest in this deal?"

Looking as though he were offering a huge bargain at rock-bottom prices, Yu Yuanzhen spoke with great earnestness, seemingly tinged with a trace of heartache.

Upon hearing this, Tang Hao was immediately tempted.

A female Spirit Master with Innate Full Soul Power, Twin Top Spirits, barely over twenty years old, and still a virgin.

Though her cultivation had been crippled, with talent like that—

She could actually be bought for just One Hundred Million Gold Soul Coins and several businesses in Heaven Dou Imperial City with net annual profits of over ten million Gold Soul Coins.

This was an absolute steal!

As the successor personally chosen by his grandfather Tang Chen across generations, and the future Clear Sky Douluo, Tang Hao had always regarded it as his duty to restore the Clear Sky Sect to greatness and return it to the status and influence it had enjoyed when Tang Chen was still around.

Although Ghost Spider's Spirits both possessed evil attributes,

Those attributes might conflict somewhat with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Spirit, but they had no conflict whatsoever with the Clear Sky Sect's Clear Sky Hammer Spirit!

If he did it himself,

Or had his elder brother do it, and made this Evil Spirit Master bear a child—

If she could give birth to a child with Innate Full Soul Power and Twin Martial Souls, possessing both the Clear Sky Sect's Clear Sky Hammer and one Beast Spirit belonging to this female Evil Spirit Master,

Then so long as they properly raised the child and prevented an early death,

That child's potential might one day surpass even Tang Hao and his grandfather Tang Chen!

After all, in theory, Spirit Masters with Twin Martial Souls possessed greater potential than those with a single Martial Soul.

And with the strongest Tool Spirit, the Clear Sky Hammer, combined with either the Death Spider Emperor or Soul Devouring Spider Emperor Spirit, neither of which was inferior to the Clear Sky Hammer,

The chance of producing Twin Martial Souls was not low at all!

Yet although he was bursting with excitement and wanted to agree immediately,

Tang Hao restrained himself.

Because he definitely needed to discuss this matter with his elder brother Tang Xiao first.

"Sect Master Yu, I need to discuss this matter with my elder brother."

"I will give you an answer before tonight."

After seeing Yu Yuanzhen off,

Tang Xiao finally returned with Tang Yuehua.

When Tang Hao explained the deal Yu Yuanzhen wished to make,

Tang Xiao was somewhat tempted as well.

However, Tang Yuehua sensed that something was wrong.

Unlike the Tang Xiao and Tang Hao brothers, who had devoted themselves entirely to cultivation from a young age and cast aside worldly matters, leaving them somewhat slow-witted and one-track-minded,

Tang Yuehua's Martial Soul had mutated, leaving her Soul Power Level at only nine even now.

Within the Clear Sky Sect, she had always endured subtle exclusion and discrimination.

Thus, Tang Yuehua had left the Clear Sky Sect at an early age. Relying on the innate domain of her mutated Wishful Ring Spirit, Noble Circle, she struggled tirelessly in Heaven Dou Imperial City.

In the end, she established Moonlight Pavilion, earning vast sums every day.

Being able to establish Moonlight Pavilion in Heaven Dou Imperial City and draw countless noble youths to enroll and learn etiquette,

Though the Clear Sky Sect's backing had certainly helped,

Tang Yuehua's own intelligence and capability were also exceptional.

At the very least, she was far more capable than the Tang Xiao and Tang Hao brothers!

"Big Brother, Second Brother, I think something is off here."

Under Tang Yuehua's persuasion and analysis, Tang Xiao and Tang Hao ultimately gave up on immediately agreeing to Yu Yuanzhen's offer and paying a deposit to prevent Ghost Spider, the Evil Spirit Master, from being sold to another faction.

Instead, they planned to ask their father Tang Zhen after returning.

Meanwhile, in the Pope's Palace,

Within a magnificent hall,

Qian Xunji sat upon a golden throne.

Beside him was another throne, occupied by Ling Yuan.

After becoming the Pope's wife, Ling Yuan no longer dressed as she had before.

Instead, she had changed into a fitted, exquisite gown that accentuated her tall, voluptuous figure.

Her long black hair was coiled atop her head, adorned with exquisite hairpins and all manner of jewelry. She looked refined and breathtakingly beautiful, graceful and noble, yet her temperament remained exceptionally fresh and elegant.

"Reporting to Your Holiness the Pope, after you left, Yu Yuanzhen went to see Sect Master Ning of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and Tang Hao of the Clear Sky Sect in succession."

"From their conversations, it seemed he wanted to conduct some sort of transaction."

"However, neither attempt succeeded."

In the hall, a Spirit Hall Spirit Master reported respectfully.

"That old fellow Yu Yuanzhen went to make deals with Ning Fengzhi and Tang Hao?"

"He must be trying to unload what he has as quickly as possible!"

Dressed in magnificent golden papal robes, Qian Xunji lounged casually upon his throne. His eyes narrowed slightly as he chuckled and rubbed his chin.

After dismissing the Spirit Master who had come to report,

Qian Xunji turned to Ling Yuan and spoke with some feeling.

"A Yuan, it seems I was right about what I told you before."

"Yu Yuanzhen has most likely imprisoned Bibi Dong and treated her as spoils to compensate for the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's losses."

"So after I warned him, he wanted to quickly dispose of her by selling her to Ning Fengzhi and the Clear Sky Sect, thereby making up for his losses."

"What?!"

Ling Yuan's beautiful face was filled with shock and disbelief as she could not help saying,

"How could they do something like that!"

"Why couldn't they?"

Qian Xunji shook his head. His tone was somewhat cold and carried a hint of self-mockery.

"In this world, forces with conscience and principles like our Spirit Hall are ultimately still a minority."

"To the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Bibi Dong is a calamity that caused them tremendous losses."

"If she had not been crippled, it might have been fine."

"But because I crippled her cultivation, her greatest remaining value lies solely in her talent: Innate Full Soul Power and Twin Top Spirits."

"She is the ideal mother for Spirit Masters to produce offspring. Naturally, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan wants to exploit her to the utmost!"

Qian Xunji's tone was somewhat cold and cruel.

"But Yu Yuanzhen thinks he is the only clever one. He even wants to sell Bibi Dong to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Clear Sky Sect."

"Though he passes when it comes to ruthlessness, in terms of wisdom, strategy, and methods, he is far inferior to Ning Fengzhi. He definitely cannot fool Ning Fengzhi."

"But I did not expect Tang Hao not to fall for it."

A trace of strangeness flashed through Qian Xunji's eyes. He found it somewhat unexpected.

"Husband, do you mean Sect Master Ning saw through the problem?"

"Isn't that uncertain?"

At his side, Ling Yuan had a different opinion.

"Back in Heaven Dou Imperial City, I heard that Sect Master Ning was a kind and benevolent man who especially hated the slave trade."

"Whenever the Heaven Dou Auction House auctioned slaves, he would attend, buy the slaves, and set them free."

"Yu Yuanzhen wants to sell Bibi Dong to him. This kind of human trafficking is no different from slave trading, so isn't it normal for Sect Master Ning to refuse?"

"Haha! You say Ning Fengzhi is kind and benevolent?"

Upon hearing this, Qian Xunji could not help laughing. He shook his head.

"A Yuan, you judge things too much by the surface!"

"In the past, you were merely a Red-Clad Archbishop of Spirit Hall. You only needed to cultivate diligently and increase your strength; everything else was secondary."

"But now, you are the wife of Qian Xunji, the Pope's wife of Spirit Hall."

"You need to learn to see the essence of a problem and analyze matters and people."

Qian Xunji pulled Ling Yuan into his embrace and slowly began analyzing Ning Fengzhi.

"Ning Fengzhi appears kind and benevolent on the surface, but that is merely an act."

"A man who could elevate a Support-type Spirit Master sect into the Three Upper Sects, while also subduing two gifted geniuses older than himself who possessed the potential to break through to Titled Douluo despite being a Support-type Spirit Master himself."

"Such a person's insight, ability to read people's hearts, and methods must all be first-rate!"

"He absolutely cannot be some good old man whose nature is rooted in kindness and benevolence."

"He can only be a formidable figure who is outwardly kind but inwardly ruthless!"

"The words I used are not meant as insults."

"I simply mean that you should not trust Ning Fengzhi's outward appearance too much. He is far from simple."

Qian Xunji was extremely serious.

"You may not understand what I mean yet, but you will once I give you an example."

"Although the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was wealthy in the past, it never held the title of the continent's richest sect."

"Ning Fengzhi accomplished that entirely after leading the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect into the Three Upper Sects, in less than ten short years!"

"Of course, the appraisal ability of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Spirit also helped."

"But on Douluo Continent, the total pie of wealth is only so large."

"Without harming the interests of our Spirit Hall and the other two great Three Upper Sects, Ning Fengzhi managed to take a huge bite out of that pie and turn the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect into the richest sect on the continent."

"Whom do you think that bite of wealth originally belonged to?"

Qian Xunji sneered.

"The rise of his Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was likely built upon the bones of countless small Spirit Master families, sects, and ordinary people."

"Perhaps it was not as direct as killing those who refused and openly seizing things by force, but there must have been plenty of filthy methods and schemes in between. The final result was practically the same."

"He is now so eager to display his kindness for no other reason than to decorate the facade, so that no one sees the piles of bones beneath his Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!"

Naturally, the protagonist could not possibly tell Ling Yuan everything.

For example, he deliberately intended to use Bibi Dong, turn her into an Evil Spirit Master, and have her lead Evil Spirit Masters in wreaking havoc across the continent, creating room for Spirit Hall's future expansion.

That could only be done, never spoken.