"How do you want me to prove it?"
Seeing that he couldn't solve the problem himself, Tang San tossed it back to the person who had raised it.
Huo Yuhao thought for a moment, and an idea suddenly came to him.
He didn't know how to wipe out this wisp of Tang San's divine consciousness anyway, so why not play along and see if he could squeeze some benefits out of him? He could sound him out while he was at it.
"I heard the Sea God left the Tang Sect a lot of secret arts. If you say you're the Sea God, then show me. My friend is the current Tang Sect master; I can just ask her," Huo Yuhao bluffed.
A thought occurred to Tang San. This child of destiny hasn't joined my Tang Sect yet. Why not take this chance to trick him into joining?
Tang San bluffed back, "Only Tang Sect disciples may learn the Tang Sect Secret Arts. If you're willing to join, I can teach them to you right now."
Tang San actually dared to try to trick him in return? Huo Yuhao flew into a rage and immediately pulled a long face.
"You really do want to harm me!"
Tang San froze.
"Why do you say that?"
Huo Yuhao rounded on him. "The Tang Sect has only its master left, and she has enemies at her door. If you didn't want to harm me, how could you ask me to join a sect like that?"
Tang San's face darkened.
He knew the Tang Sect had declined, but he hadn't known it had fallen this far! To be looked down on like this by the child of destiny was simply outrageous!
Were the people at Shrek just eating for free? Didn't they know to help?
No wonder the child of destiny still hadn't joined the Tang Sect. In his place, Tang San wouldn't have wanted to either.
Tang San scowled. "Then find another way for me to prove it."
Huo Yuhao thought some more.
What else can I squeeze out of Tang San?
A moment later, his eyes lit up.
"Since you won't hand over the Tang Sect Secret Arts to prove yourself, let's try something else. I heard the Sea God has a lot of divine skills. Teach me a few, and that'll prove it."
Tang San didn't want to teach him, so he found an excuse to refuse. "You haven't become a god, so there's no way you could learn divine skills. If you force yourself to learn them, you'll suffer a backlash. At best, you'll be gravely injured; at worst, you'll die a horrible death."
Huo Yuhao flew into a rage again. "You can't do this, and you can't do that. You really are lying to me! I'll give you one last chance. I heard the Sea God and the first generation of the Shrek Seven Devils all absorbed Immortal Herbs. Just take me to an Immortal Herb, and I'll believe you."
A flash of inspiration struck Tang San.
That's right! I have a contingency in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. I can lead him there!
Tang San feigned hesitation, then sighed. "Very well. Once or twice is enough; there won't be a third time. To protect your safety, I'll agree to take you in search of an Immortal Herb. As it happens, I know of a treasure land in Sunset Forest-"
"Ha!" Before Tang San could finish, Huo Yuhao sneered. "You're still trying to harm me!"
Got him!
Tang San must have something up his sleeve in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well!
Since Tang San dared to take him there, Huo Yuhao became all the more wary of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
After being toyed with again and again, Tang San's anger surged. He said coldly, "What is this about? Are you playing with me?"
Huo Yuhao explained with a cold face, "I've been to Sunset Forest. Poisonous miasma surrounds the entire forest, and the deeper you go, the thicker it gets. With my strength, going there would be a one-way road to death, and you still say you don't want to harm me!"
Tang San was speechless.
He had forgotten that, before ascending all those years ago, his original self had set up the Jade Phosphorus Seven-Absolute Flower Array in Sunset Forest. It had been meant to protect the treasure land, but now it had become an obstacle for him.
My original self has done me in!
Tang San worked to make his voice sound friendly and coaxed him patiently:
"I ascended ten thousand years ago. I truly didn't know what Sunset Forest was like now! How about this? I've thought of another way to prove who I am. Just find a way into the Golden Ancient Tree at Shrek Academy, or go to the Sea Sky Pavilion in the Clear Sky Sect. At either of those places, I have a way to prove my identity!"
I've uncovered two more danger zones!
Huo Yuhao stifled a laugh, keeping it off his face. He merely gave Tang San a sideways glance. "Do you think I own the Douluo Continent, that I can go wherever I please?"
"You must know that the Tang Sect, Shrek, and the Clear Sky Sect have ten thousand years of friendship. But did you know that after the Tang Sect was destroyed, its sole surviving orphan went and begged Shrek and the Clear Sky Sect on her knees to help her take revenge, only to be driven away by both of them? If that's how they treat an old friend, what chance does a little Soul Grandmaster like me have?"
"For me to enter their core areas would be nothing but a daydream."
Tang San hadn't known about any of this. Hearing it now, he was furious.
How dare you?
This is the Tang Sect I worked so hard to establish! How dare Shrek bully it like this!
Only ten thousand years have passed, and Shrek has already forgotten its roots!
Do you even acknowledge me, the Sea God, anymore?
In a few more years, will you claim that my becoming a god in the first place was thanks to Shrek too?
You already have a path to death!
Tang San suppressed the anger in his heart, his voice turning icy. "I didn't know any of this had happened. It seems Shrek really has changed! Back then, Shrek Academy was just a small village. I was the one who made the academy famous and turned it into the number one academy on the continent, and they've already forgotten! Not only have they forgotten, they even dare to bully the Tang Sect I founded!"
"It's becoming clearer and clearer to me. The Tang Sect declined because Shrek Academy forgot its original purpose and the road it took to get here! They've fallen!"
"Very well. Gods cannot interfere too deeply with the lower realm, but I can't stand by and watch Shrek fall like this! Today, I'll make an exception and teach you the Tang Sect Secret Arts to help you grow stronger! But I have one demand: once you've grown stronger, you must set Shrek Academy back on the right path and return it to what it originally was!"
"Huh?"
Huo Yuhao was dumbfounded.
Wait, A San, you're serious?
I was just trying to bluff you, and you're actually going to teach me?
Does that make sense?
And Shrek-you want me to help set Shrek Academy back on the right path? Return it to what it originally was?
But Shrek was originally a rundown village!
Huo Yuhao felt strange.
If I go up against Shrek someday, won't I have a legitimate reason?
Tang San did it too!
He's the one who told me to do it!
Am I the true heir of the Sea God?
Huo Yuhao felt he was about to lose his composure, but he still didn't let down his guard.
"Wait, really no other demands? Like joining the Tang Sect?"
"None!"
Tang San's face darkened.
"Swear it!"
Tang San was furious.
Do you really despise my Tang Sect that much?
Just wait! Once you've learned the Tang Sect Secret Arts, once you've learned my divine skills, once you've married my daughter, once you've eaten an Immortal Herb, and once you've grown stronger and helped me escape, just see how I deal with you!
When that time comes, none of this will be up to you!
I'll kill you ten thousand times!
Then I'll make you kneel and beg to join the Tang Sect!
Tang San raged inwardly, but for now he could only pinch his nose and swear,
"Fine. I swear in the Sea God's name that I have absolutely no other demands!"
"All right, my divine consciousness is suppressed, so I can't transmit them to you. If you want to learn the Tang Sect Secret Arts, I'll recite them to you now. Commit them to memory!"
Tang San began reciting the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record.
Huo Yuhao felt strange as he memorized it.
The Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record was still very useful. In this world without cultivation methods, it was a dimensionality reduction strike.
Of course, he kept his guard up and wouldn't learn it directly. Instead, he planned to give it to Elder Yi to modify.
Before long, Tang San had finished explaining the Tang Sect Secret Arts, including the Mysterious Heaven Skill, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, and Mysterious Jade Hand.
"Did you remember it?" Tang San asked.
"Mm." Huo Yuhao nodded.
As the saying went, whoever gave you milk was your mother. He immediately exclaimed with exaggerated amazement, "So you really are Lord Sea God! I truly admire you!"
The corners of Tang San's mouth curled up. It seemed he still had believers on the Douluo Continent! This child of destiny was quite good; he had only been so rude before because he hadn't known Tang San was the Sea God.
By contrast, Shrek Academy's actions made a mockery of its claim to be the Sea God's true heir. It was simply an insult to him, the Sea God!