Golden Lotus Blooms

Fallen leaves drifted down in abundance; frost was drawing near.

Time passed by unnoticed.

One day.

Deep within the mountains more than a hundred kilometers from Heaven Dou City.

A glittering golden lotus traced an arc through the air before finally colliding with an enormous boulder.

At the instant the golden lotus struck the boulder.

The ruby-like object at the heart of the golden lotus bloomed with an eerie scarlet glow.

"Ding~"

A crisp, pleasant sound rang through the wilderness, like a jade pearl dropping onto a jade plate.

The next instant.

The golden lotus erupted into a Golden-Red Tornado Vortex that swept across more than half the mountaintop.

The Golden-Red Tornado Vortex appeared for only an instant before vanishing, making the people watching from another peak wonder if they had imagined it.

"Hmph!" Yang Wudi sneered. Just as he was about to mock them, the corner of his eye caught something amiss.

It was a large tree that had been swept by the Golden-Red Tornado Vortex. The three little birds on its branches seemed frozen in place, utterly motionless.

A frigid wind howled past them from behind, blowing toward that mountain peak.

On that mountain peak, wherever the Golden-Red Tornado Vortex had reached—trees and shrubs, grass and insects, birds in flight, rock and iron, sand and stone—all of it turned to dust beneath the sweep of the cold wind and scattered away. Even the ground had been left with an incomparably enormous crater.

"..."

A stretch of silent stillness.

Everyone was stunned by the terrifying power of Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus, including Tai Tan and Lou Gao, who had already witnessed the power of Super Concentrated Gunpowder, as well as Tang San, who had successfully crafted Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus in his previous life.

Although Tang San had successfully crafted Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus in his previous life, in order to preserve the last shred of his dignity, he had left those three Buddha's Fury Tang Lotuses to the Tang Sect.

Thus, this was also Tang San's first time witnessing the power of Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus.

A few breaths later.

Tang San was the first to recover. Turning toward the three clan chiefs—Niu Gao, Bai He, and Yang Wudi—he said smugly:

"Well? The hidden weapons of my Tang Sect should be worthy of your esteemed attention, shouldn't they, seniors?"

"With such hidden weapons, my Tang Sect will surely become renowned throughout the world in the future."

"Right now, the Tang Sect is still in its early stages and is sorely lacking capable pillars. If you seniors do not find it beneath you, join my Tang Sect, and in the days to come, you may share in this glory and honor with me."

"Such a heaven-sent opportunity should not be squandered by you seniors."

"After all, once this chance is gone, it is gone. Once the Tang Sect grows, its threshold will not be so easy to cross. When that time comes, do not regret it when it is too late!"

Hearing these words, which carried veiled threats both openly and implicitly, Yang Wudi, who had the fiercest temper, could no longer restrain himself. Just as he was about to teach Tang San a lesson, Bai He swiftly stopped him.

Bai He tugged at Yang Wudi's sleeve, signaling him not to act rashly. Then he turned to Tang San and said:

"Grandnephew, your hidden weapons have limitless potential. Your Granduncle would like to know: if we join the Tang Sect, what responsibilities will we bear? And what benefits will there be?"

Grandnephew? Granduncle?

Tang San sneered inwardly. Now he knew to invoke this relationship? Earlier, this old bastard had hardly been so eager or amiable.

But outwardly, Tang San was still willing to put on an act. With a smile, he answered:

"As I said before, the Tang Sect is short on manpower. Once you seniors join the Tang Sect, you will naturally become elders of the Tang Sect."

"At present, the Tang Sect only has the Strength Hall, established by the Strength Clan, which is mainly responsible for forging the sect's hidden weapons."

"If you seniors are willing to lead your clans into the sect, then the three clans will each establish a new hall. Their primary duties will likewise be related to what each clan excels at."

"For example, Granduncle's Speed Clan excels most at speed and can handle scouting duties such as intelligence gathering, reconnaissance, and information collection."

"As for benefits, the sect's hidden weapons will be directly issued to the direct disciples of each clan. That is the greatest benefit."

As Tang San spoke, he saw that Yang Wudi still wore that defiant expression, and his face immediately became somewhat strained.

Restaurant.

Several Soul Tool lamps passed down from ancient times cast a blazing radiance, dispelling the chill outside and keeping the room at a comfortable temperature.

"When it comes to winter, hot pot really is the best."

Lin Rong picked up a slice of meat, dipped it in the sauce, and put it into his mouth.

At that moment, a servant entered. After bowing, he reported:

"My lord, someone claiming to be the chief of the Breaking Clan has come to visit. He is a Soul Douluo and is currently waiting in the reception hall."

Lin Rong's hands did not stop moving as he continued cooking food in the hot pot, but inwardly he thought:

"Yang Wudi? I only mentioned it casually back then. Why did he actually come here?"

"Could it be that the old bastard hit a wall with Tang San and came here to save face?"

After sorting out his thoughts, Lin Rong instructed the attendant:

"It's mealtime. It wouldn't do to leave our guest hungry. Go invite Chief Yang over. I'll catch up with him."

"Yes." The attendant accepted the order and withdrew.

While waiting, Lin Rong had someone add another set of bowls and chopsticks.

Before long, Lin Rong saw Yang Wudi enter the dining hall with a gloomy old face.

Seeing Yang Wudi's expression, as though someone owed him eight million, Lin Rong knew that Tang San had failed to recruit the Breaking Clan into the Tang Sect.

That was perfectly normal.

To make Yang Wudi submit wholeheartedly, one had to surpass him in personal strength while also producing rare herbs that would captivate him.

Tang San, as he was now, could accomplish neither of those things. Naturally, he could not win Yang Wudi's allegiance.

"Chief Yang, long time no see. Sit down and have something to eat."

In the era of Douluo 1, hotpot had yet to appear as a style of dining.

Therefore, seeing Yang Wudi's somewhat baffled expression, Lin Rong personally demonstrated how to eat hotpot.

Although Yang Wudi was still holding in his anger, Tang San had dragged him out into the wilderness early that morning to witness the power of Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus.

His stomach was completely empty by now, and the aroma of the hotpot stirred his appetite beyond his control.

So Yang Wudi said nothing more and imitated Lin Rong as he began eating the hotpot.

After just one bite, Yang Wudi, who was well versed in medicinal principles, discovered how extraordinary the hotpot broth was.

"Ginger, polygonatum, ginseng... Such medicinal potency, such flavor—the herbs in this broth are of exceptionally high quality!"

As he spoke, Yang Wudi turned to Lin Rong and pressed him:

"Could it be that these supreme-grade herbs all came from the place you mentioned last time?"

Damn! I was careless!

Lin Rong cursed inwardly, then gathered his words before answering:

"Not all of them. Only the ginseng and angelica were dug up from that place. The other herbs are treasures stored in my residence."

Of course, Lin Rong kept one more sentence to himself.

That was because only the Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng King and Ten-Thousand-Year Angelica were worthy of appearing in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye.

The other herbs were not even qualified to grow there.