"Company secret, no comment."
After Lin Yuan finished speaking, the Second Elder knew that he wouldn't get any more information from the Martial Soul Testing Center.
The Seventh Elder wanted to argue, but he grabbed his arm.
"Walk!"
Once outside the testing center, the Seventh Elder finally couldn't hold back any longer.
"Second Brother, are we just going to let this go? A guy surnamed Yu dares to parade around with my Tang Clan's Clear Sky Hammer!"
"Otherwise what?" The Second Elder stopped in his tracks. "Wasn't the embarrassment at the martial arts arena yesterday enough? Yu Yuanzhen is right there. You want to arrest Yu Xiaogang right in front of him?"
The Seventh Elder opened his mouth, but remembering Welt's terrifying black hole, he ultimately remained silent.
The Second Elder did not leave the city immediately. He sent his disciples to investigate the company's Martial Soul research project, while he himself went to the technology exhibition hall in the city.
Originally, I just wanted to try my luck, but I didn't expect there to be a light screen in the lobby that specifically introduced Artificial Martial Soul. The company didn't seem to be worried at all about anyone knowing what they were doing, and even some of the project progress was put out in the open.
As the Second Elder approached, he saw rows of transparent culture devices on the screen. In each device, a small, black hammer was suspended, with tiny blue-purple arcs of electricity Entanglement its body.
He suddenly stopped in his tracks.
One, two, three...
Dozens of Clear Sky Hammer were neatly arranged in front of me.
There is also a line of text at the bottom of the image:
" The Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul has been successfully cultivated in batches and is now in the multi-object compatibility testing phase."
The Seventh Elder followed, but froze on the spot after just one glance.
"Second brother, these... are all Clear Sky Hammer?"
The Second Elder did not answer, but stared at the line of text for a long time before instructing his disciple to record the entire image.
The fact that Yu Xiaogang was able to successfully fuse the weapons is already astonishing enough. Now it seems that the company's goal was not to create a Clear Sky Hammer at all.
"Return to the sect," the Second Elder said in a deep voice, "Go back immediately."
A few days later, in the council hall of the Clear Sky Sect.
Tang Xiao sat in the sect leader's seat, and after listening to the Second Elder's report on the trip to Spirit City, his expression grew increasingly grim.
"He impersonated a member of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, caused trouble, was arrested at the gate of Spirit City, and even forced the sect to pay compensation?"
He looked at the disciples standing to the side.
"Who gave you permission to do this?"
The men lowered their heads, none of them daring to answer.
Tang Xiao then looked at the Seventh Elder.
"And you! Knowing it was a public sparring match, you still resorted to sneak attacks from behind after losing! Seventh Uncle, you've completely disgraced the Clear Sky Sect!"
The Seventh Elder's right arm was still wrapped in bandages. His lips moved, but he could only manage to utter, "Sect Master, I know I was wrong."
"Good to know! Go back and take good care of your injury, and don't cause me any more trouble."
Just as Tang Xiao was about to finish his reprimand, the Second Elder stepped forward.
"Sect Master, none of this is the most important thing. We witnessed the Artificial Clear Sky Hammer with our own eyes."
"What?"
" Yu Yuanzhen's son, Yu Xiaogang, has successfully fused with the Tang family bloodline. He has no trace of the Tang Clan blood, yet he can wield the Clear Sky Hammer with the same ease as an ordinary Soul Master."
Tang Xiao suddenly stood up.
" Yu Xiaogang? That Yu Xiaogang whose Innate Soul Power is only half a level?"
"It is this person."
The Second Elder took out the video footage he had brought back from Spirit City and projected the image into the center of the main hall.
The scene first shows the small black hammer in Yu Xiaogang's palm, then it changes to rows of cultivation devices.
Tang Xiao stared intently at the black hammer shadows.
"These... are all Clear Sky Hammer?"
"Indeed," the Second Elder said in a deep voice, "They are already capable of mass-producing the Clear Sky Hammer, and are currently testing its fusion with different Soul Master. Yu Xiaogang is one such successful example."
Tang Xiao remained silent for a long time, then immediately ordered someone to summon the sect elders.
The news spread, and the main hall immediately erupted into chaos.
"This is outrageous! The Spirit Hall forced us to close our mountain back then, and now they won't even let go of the Clear Sky Hammer!"
"Sect Master, we can't tolerate this any longer! Take the disciples and march on Spirit City, demanding they hand over the research data!"
"Charge into Spirit City?" The Second Elder sneered. "Even Seventh Brother, who had already Ring Detonation, was still pinned to the ground by a bespectacled man. How many people do you plan to take?"
The elder fell silent immediately.
Tang Xiao raised his hand to stop the argument.
"Quiet down!"
He walked up to the image, looked at the rows of Clear Sky Hammer, and slowly spoke.
"You think they just created a few Martial Soul similar to the Clear Sky Hammer?"
"If they can truly train them in batches and then successfully fuse them one by one, how many Soul Master with the Clear Sky Hammer will the Spirit Hall have in ten or twenty years?"
No one could answer that.
"In the past Clear Sky Sect was able to be called the number one sect in the world because of the prestige established by its predecessors and the Clear Sky Hammer passed down through generations of the Tang Clan. Now, they can even create that legacy."
Tang Xiao clenched his fist, his voice lowering slightly.
"This is an attempt to uproot my Clear Sky Sect!"
The Seventh Elder gritted his teeth and said, "Sect Master, what should we do? We can't just sit here and wait to die!"
Tang Xiao turned around, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the elders.
"This matter concerns the very survival of the Clear Sky Sect; we can no longer remain hidden in the mountains awaiting news. I have decided to descend the mountain personally!"
The Second Elder was startled. "Sect Master, are you going to Spirit City?"
"No," Tang Xiao his head, "With our current strength, going directly to the Spirit Hall to settle accounts would just be walking into a trap. Relying solely on the Clear Sky Sect is far from enough to keep them in check."
"I'm going to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and also to meet the royal families of the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empire Empires!"
Discussions arose again in the main hall.
The Second Elder hesitated, saying, "Sect Master, Ning Fengzhi is always shrewd and won't easily choose sides. As for Yu Yuanzhen, he just turned against us for Yu Xiaogang's sake."
"I know," Tang Xiao said, "But if the Spirit Hall can build the Clear Sky Hammer today, what if it can build the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda or the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon in the future? Ning Fengzhi and Yu Yuanzhen should think about that."
He paused, then continued, "As for the two great empires, they would be even less willing to see the Spirit Hall grow indefinitely. If the Spirit Hall continues to expand, sooner or later, their imperial power will also be threatened."
An elder asked, "Sect Master, do you mean to unite with them to fight against the Spirit Hall?"
"Good!"
Tang Xiao said in a deep voice, " The Spirit Hall is now far stronger than before, and the Clear Sky Sect alone can no longer contend with it. In that case, let's unite with all possible forces!"
"However, we can't rush this matter. Whether we can persuade them or not, we'll only know after meeting them in person."
The elders exchanged glances, and none of them advocated for a direct attack on Spirit City.
Tang Xiao made arrangements on the spot.
"Third and Fifth Elders will accompany me, along with a few Soul Douluo. Second and Fourth Elders will remain at the sect, and all disciples will be on high alert. Seventh Elder, whose injuries have not yet healed, will remain on the mountain to recuperate and is not allowed to leave without permission."
The Seventh Elder was unwilling to give up. "Sect Master, I can still fight!"
Tang Xiao gave him a cold glance.
"You should focus on getting your arm healed first!"
The Seventh Elder had no choice but to lower his head.
The Second Elder still had concerns. "Sect Master, you've taken so many high-level combatants with you. What if the Spirit Hall takes advantage of the situation..."
"That's why the sect was entrusted to you and the Fourth Elder."
Tang Xiao interrupted him, looking out at the rolling mountains outside the hall.
"For so many years, we've been retreating. If we keep retreating, we'll have no way out."
That afternoon, Tang Xiao left the mountain gate with the Third Elder and several sect experts.
A mountain breeze blew by, and he glanced back at the sect's buildings high above.
The once renowned number one sect in the continent is now being forced to rely on its leader, who is personally traveling to various places to seek support from external forces.
This feeling is truly unpleasant.
But Tang Xiao knew in his heart that the Clear Sky Sect had reached a point where it had to change.
He withdrew his gaze and led his men to continue down the mountain.
As they passed the unassuming village at the foot of the mountain, the villagers who were working stopped what they were doing and bowed to them.
Tang Xiao nodded slightly, and without delay, led the team away from the mountain path leading to the outside world.
Not far from the village, a dense forest was eerily quiet.
The dense foliage blocked the sunlight, and deep within the shadows, several pairs of scarlet eyes had lit up without anyone noticing.
They watched silently from behind the trees as Tang Xiao and the others walked away.
Only when the last person disappeared at the end of the mountain path did those crimson lights slowly fade into the darkness.
There were no footsteps in the woods, nor did the branches rustle.
It was as if nothing had ever existed there.