Tang Xiao's eyes instantly lit up when he heard this. "Twin martial souls! Are you sure?!"
Someone with twin martial souls was a genius rarely seen in a century. As long as they did not die young, they would become a Super Douluo at the very least.
"Absolutely."
Tang Tianlin nodded. "I've already had him join the Clear Sky Sect. He should be handling the formalities in the sect's main hall right now."
Tang Xiao's pupils contracted, his expression excited. "Good! Good! Good! Heaven truly hasn't abandoned our Clear Sky Sect!"
A prodigy with heaven-defying combat prowess, and a genius with twin martial souls.
With such an unparalleled pair, it was only a matter of time before the Clear Sky Sect returned to its peak!
Tang Tianlin gave a light cough and continued, "Old man, on this trip down the mountain, I not only found Uncle Hao but also brought a genius with twin martial souls back to the sect. Shouldn't you show your appreciation?"
Perhaps the Golden Dragon King's influence had made him unusually fond of collecting wealth and treasures.
Tang Xiao's expression instantly froze. "Fine. Those things were going to be yours sooner or later anyway."
With that, he took a box out of his Storage Soul Tool and tossed it to Tang Tianlin with a flick of his hand.
Tang Tianlin caught it and immediately sensed an immensely vast surge of blood energy within, far surpassing every natural treasure he had ever encountered.
He opened it and saw a crimson crystal lying quietly inside.
The crystal was hexagonal, its surface wreathed in dark golden patterns that flickered with the rhythm of breathing, like a beating heart.
"The first and second elders obtained this after killing an eighty-thousand-year Sub-Dragon Soul Beast while out gaining experience."
Tang Xiao explained, "According to them, this crystal was embedded in the Sub-Dragon's heart and contains an extremely terrifying amount of blood energy. After some thought, they decided to leave it to you to handle."
The Clear Sky Sect's higher-ups all knew Tang Tianlin possessed a mysterious bloodline and needed treasures containing powerful blood energy to grow stronger.
Thus, whenever they went out, they made a point of keeping an eye out for him.
"An eighty-thousand-year Sub-Dragon, taken from its heart..."
Tang Tianlin murmured to himself, a flicker of surprise passing through his eyes.
If his guess was right, this crimson crystal was most likely the legendary dragon heart fruit!
And dragon heart fruit was precisely a material he needed to break through the subsequent seals.
The only blemish on this otherwise perfect treasure was that this dragon heart fruit had not reached a hundred thousand years.
But for Tang Tianlin, who possessed the Golden Dragon King bloodline, that was hardly a problem.
Every part of a true dragon was a treasure, and dragon blood could even increase the age and power of natural treasures.
Even the residual bloodline power left after the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings' deaths could create a treasure ground like the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. For him, the mighty Golden Dragon King, increasing a dragon heart fruit's age was merely a matter of a few drops of dragon blood.
At that thought, delight welled up in Tang Tianlin's heart, and he quietly put the red box away.
"Since this is a token of the first and second elders' goodwill, accepting it would be more respectful than declining."
Tang Xiao waved a hand casually. "As long as it's useful to you."
It was not his anyway, so giving it away did not hurt.
But before he could enjoy himself for long, Tang Tianlin spoke again. "I've received the elders' token of goodwill. What about yours, old man?"
Tang Xiao: "..."
He could dodge the first day of the month, but not the fifteenth.
Fine, fine. We're family anyway. There's no real difference between it being in Tianlin's hands and mine.
After a bout of brainwashing himself, Tang Xiao saw the light.
A moment later, Tang Tianlin held a bulging pouch in his right hand, hefted it a few times, and smiled knowingly.
"I've received your token of goodwill. I'll be off now."
"Wait!"
Tang Xiao suddenly called him back.
Tang Tianlin turned around in confusion. "Is there something else?"
Tang Xiao rubbed his hands together, his tone somewhat tentative. "Your Uncle Hao... how does he feel about the sect now? Has he ever thought about returning?"
Back then, forced by circumstances, he had had no choice but to publicly announce that he was severing all ties with Tang Hao.
But whatever the reason, as the elder brother, he had still abandoned his younger brother when he needed him most, leaving him burdened with guilt all these years.
Seeing the Howling Sky Douluo, a man who stood tall between heaven and earth, act this way, Tang Tianlin smiled helplessly.
"Old man, it's not that Uncle Hao doesn't want to come back. He's afraid to. He feels he's a sinner against the sect and is afraid of dragging you all down."
"Besides, the elders wouldn't agree to Uncle Hao's return either."
Tang Xiao fell silent for a few seconds. The smile gradually faded from his face, replaced by profound helplessness.
"Forget it. Let things take their course."
Meanwhile, Tang San and Xiao Wu followed the guard all the way to the sect's square.
The instant they entered the square, rhythmic clanging suddenly reached their ears.
Tang San looked toward the sound and saw rows of simple work sheds lining both sides of the square.
Several anvils stood beneath the sheds. A few disciples in coarse cloth tunics were sweating like rain, their Clear Sky Hammers flying up and down as sparks scattered everywhere.
The familiar scene made Tang San pause.
He recalled his father swinging a hammer bare-chested in that shabby smithy in Holy Soul Village.
Back then, he had only thought of it as a trade to make a living. Now, watching these Clear Sky Sect disciples forge, he inexplicably felt a sense of familiarity.
"Senior brother, may I ask... does everyone in the sect have to learn forging?"
Tang San could not help asking the guard beside him.
Hearing how Tang San addressed him, the guard hastily waved his hands. "Please, I wouldn't dare. Just call me Little Zhang. I'm the Young Lord's man. I couldn't possibly accept being called your senior brother."
Tang San froze for a moment, then smiled. "All right, Brother Zhang. Tell me, what's this forging all about?"
Seeing his friendly manner, the guard relaxed and explained as they walked, "Young sir, these are all sect disciples cultivating."
"Cultivating?"
Tang San raised an eyebrow, seemingly having thought of something.
Noticing Tang San's confusion, the guard explained, "Young sir, you should know that cultivating the Clear Sky Hammer emphasizes resonance with hammer techniques, and forging is the best way to hone those techniques and improve control over the Clear Sky Hammer."
Tang San nodded thoughtfully.
He recalled his father once saying that the Clear Sky Hammer was the world's greatest tool Martial Soul, fierce and domineering. Without sufficient strength and skill, one could never bring out its true power.
"So all the disciples in the Clear Sky Sect have mastered forging?"
Tang San asked casually.
"Of course!"
The guard nodded, a hint of pride in his voice. "It's all thanks to Young Lord Tianlin. As you know, the Clear Sky Sect has withdrawn from the world all these years. Spirit Hall gradually devoured almost all our businesses outside, leaving the sect short of funds for a time."
Tang San frowned slightly. "It was that bad?"
This was one of the Upper Three Sects, yet even it had times when it couldn't keep the pot boiling?
"There was no helping it. The stronger a sect is, the more natural resources it needs."
The guard sighed, then changed tack. "But things quickly changed after Young Lord Tianlin took office."
"Back then, Young Lord Tianlin overrode all objections and introduced an initiative called 'Sustain the Sect Through Forging.'"
"He had the disciples practice forging diligently, making weapons and armor, then selling them through special channels to the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires."
"Especially a while ago, when the Young Lord came up with something called a 'standardized assembly-line process,' continuously expanding the sect's equipment business."
"This not only improves the sect disciples' strength but also brings considerable wealth to the sect."
"It's no exaggeration to say that the Clear Sky Sect is now already beginning to show signs of its former peak prosperity."
Before you continue