The Clear Sky Hammer Appears
The next morning, the central arena of Spirit City was once again filled with spectators.
In the VIP stands, March 7th, sporting prominent dark circles under her eyes, leaned back in her chair, holding a hot drink in her hand, yawning every now and then. She had barely slept last night, only managing to doze off for a short while just before dawn, and now she looked rather listless.
When Lin Yuan and Qian Renxue walked up from behind, March 7th immediately looked up, her eyes, which had been almost closed, instantly becoming much brighter. She stared at Lin Yuan for two seconds, then glared at him fiercely, her resentment almost undisguised.
Lin Yuan naturally saw it, but he sat down next to Qian Renxue as if nothing had happened.
Xing was examining the pastries on the table when she noticed March 7th's reaction and scratched her head, somewhat puzzled. She looked at Lin Yuan, then at March 7th's resentful face, and finally couldn't help but ask, "March 7th, what did Lin Yuan do to you?"
"Go away, get out of here!"
March 7th's cheeks flushed instantly. She reached out and pushed Xing's head away, picked up her cup, and took a big gulp, clearly not intending to continue the topic.
Xing was even more puzzled, but she quickly gave up thinking about it and turned her attention back to the snacks on the table.
The arena below was also ready at this time.
Standing on the floating platform, the host announced loudly, "Next up is today's next match! Please welcome the students from the Star Luo Royal Academy and Shrek Academy to the stage!"
Both passageways opened simultaneously.
Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun led the Star Luo Royal Academy into the arena, while Dai Mubai, Tang San, and the rest of Shrek stood on the other side. The two teams already had a long history of rivalry, so the atmosphere on the field quickly became intense as soon as the match began.
Not long after the two sides clashed, Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun took the lead in activating their Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
A massive Hell White Tiger appeared in the center of the arena, its powerful aura instantly overwhelming the other Soul Master on the field. Shrek's formation was disrupted, and Dai Mubai and the others could only temporarily avoid its attack. At this moment, Tang San withdrew his Blue Silver Grass, and a heavy black light surged from his left hand.
A jet-black heavy hammer appeared in his hand.
Clear Sky Hammer.
The moment the Martial Soul appeared, many veteran Soul Master in the audience changed their expressions.
"Clear Sky Hammer?"
"It really is the Clear Sky Sect Clear Sky Hammer from the Clear Sky Sect!"
"The Clear Sky Sect has been closed off for many years, how could such a young Clear Sky Hammer Soul Master suddenly appear?"
"Is the Clear Sky Sect preparing to re-enter the world?"
The discussion quickly spread.
Compared to ordinary viewers, people from various factions are much clearer about what the Clear Sky Hammer represents.
Once the number one sect in the world.
The Clear Sky Clear Sky Hammer is hailed as the number one Tool Martial Soul in the world.
Even though the Clear Sky Sect has not been openly active on the mainland for many years, these two names still carry considerable weight.
After listening for a while, March 7th, who was in the VIP section, finally couldn't help but turn to look at Lin Yuan: "What's wrong with this Martial Soul? Why is everyone so shocked after seeing it?"
Lin Yuan looked down at Tang San, who was holding the Clear Sky Hammer, and casually explained, "The Clear Sky Hammer is known as the number one Tool Martial Soul in the Douluo Continent, with immense power and explosive force. The Clear Sky Sect behind it was also once known as the number one sect in the world, so of course they would react to the sudden appearance of such a young Clear Sky Hammer Soul Master."
March 7th blinked.
"Number one in the world? That sounds impressive."
Lin Yuan chuckled softly.
"They were indeed very strong before, but now they're just a bunch of closed-minded fools. The Clear Sky Sect has kept its gates closed and cut off from the outside world for years, but its vigilance against the Spirit Hall has never lessened."
March 7th asked, somewhat puzzled, "Why?"
Lin Yuan leaned back in his chair, his gaze still fixed on the competition field.
"It's not just the Clear Sky Sect; many sects across the continent believe that the Spirit Hall controls too many Soul Master and has established branch halls in various places, which will threaten them sooner or later. In their eyes, the Spirit Hall seems to have ulterior motives in everything it does."
"The Spirit Hall provides free Martial Soul Awakening services to a large number of civilians every year, distributes subsidies to low-level Soul Master, cleans up Evil Soul Master in various regions, and handles Soul Master incidents that ordinary people are simply unable to deal with. The manpower, resources, and Gold Soul Coin required for these tasks have never been lacking."
Lin Yuan said calmly, "They only focus on what the Spirit Hall gained, but few are willing to look at what the Spirit Hall actually sacrificed. In the end, they're just a bunch of paranoid fools."
Qian Renxue didn't speak, but simply reached out and gently grasped Lin Yuan's hand.
Lin Yuan glanced at her sideways, a slight smile playing on his lips.
The passengers on the other side of the Astral Express also heard these words.
March 7th was originally just curious about the Clear Sky Hammer, but now her expression has become much more serious. Although she hasn't been in the Douluo Continent for long, she has already seen many of the institutions in Spirit City responsible for security, rescue, and the management of Soul Master. At least from what she has seen with her own eyes, the Spirit Hall is not just a simple force for expanding its power, as some people have claimed.
Himeko, holding her coffee, didn't immediately offer her opinion. She merely glanced at the young Soul Master competing below and said softly, "A large organization covering an entire continent can't simply be categorized as good or bad. The more power it possesses, the more responsibility it bears. At least for now, the Spirit Hall does indeed shoulder public affairs that many other forces haven't."
Welt nodded slightly.
"What's truly worth observing is never how much power an organization possesses, but rather how it intends to use that power."
From the location of the Xianzhou Luofu, Fu Xuan could also clearly hear the conversation of the group.
She glanced at Lin Yuan, then swept her gaze across the entire Spirit City, a thoughtful look in her eyes. The Xianzhou itself was a large civilization spanning the starry sea, so she naturally understood the immense cost of maintaining Order.
"If this is indeed the case, then the responsibilities that the Spirit Hall bears in this world far exceed those of ordinary sects."
Fu Xuan spoke calmly.
"It's not surprising that those sects see the Spirit Hall as a threat. The greater the power, the more likely it is to arouse suspicion. But suspicion is one thing, whether or not they are truly guilty is another."
On the side of the Interastral Peace Corporation, Aventurine twirled the chips in his hand, and smiled slightly after listening.
"That's normal."
He leaned back in his chair, looking down at the thousands of spectators below.
"Resources, population, organizational capabilities, and grassroots networks—with all these things concentrated in the hands of one power, others will naturally feel uneasy. However, from the company's perspective, I actually think the Spirit Hall's current system is very valuable."
The chip on Aventurine's fingertip was gently flipped around.
"At least one cooperative entity capable of truly implementing decisions and covering the entire continent is far more convenient than dozens of sects that are constantly bickering with each other."
Bibi Dong was not far away, naturally heard these words as well.
She didn't participate in the discussion, but only glanced at Lin Yuan before turning her gaze back to the arena below, a faint smile playing on her lips.
The match was nearing its end.
Tang San, relying on his newly acquired Clear Soul Ring Clear Sky Hammer, blocked the Hell White Tiger's attack head-on, buying Shrek a chance to counterattack. After their Martial Soul Fusion Skill was broken, Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun were greatly exhausted, Shrek quickly seized the opportunity to end the battle.
The host announced Shrek Academy as the winner, and the audience erupted in cheers once again.
Tang San stood in the center of the arena, his chest heaving, but he never retracted the Clear Sky Hammer in his hand.
He looked down at the heavy, black hammer.
The power he unleashed when directly confronting the Martial Soul Fusion Skill far exceeded what Blue Silver Grass could provide.
No complex controls are required.
No prior planning is needed.
With enough power, one can defeat an opponent head-on.
This victory quickly dispelled the gloom that Tang San had felt from his previous two defeats, and even gave him a newfound confidence.
He slowly raised his head.
My gaze swept across the vast audience seats and finally settled on the VIP area at the very top.
The next moment, Tang San raised the Clear Sky Hammer in his hand.
The jet-black hammer, though separated by a great distance, pointed directly at Lin Yuan's location.
A murmur immediately rippled through the audience.
March 7th naturally witnessed this scene as well.
She glanced at Tang San, then turned to Lin Yuan, and couldn't help but remind him, "Lin Yuan, he seems to be provoking you."
Lin Yuan leaned back in his chair, looking down at the young man who had regained his confidence because of the Clear Sky Hammer, without a trace of anger on his face.
He even smiled.
"Just a clown."
Lin Yuan quickly withdrew his gaze.
"He probably felt that I embarrassed his teacher a few days ago, and now that he's won a match with the Clear Sky Hammer, he feels he finally has some confidence and wants to regain face for his teacher."
On March 7th, he glanced down again.
Tang San still held the Clear Sky Hammer.
But Lin Yuan was too lazy to even look at him anymore.