Awakening

By the time Tang Hao saw what the silver flash was, it had stopped three inches from the space between his brows.

A sword.

The fright had made Tang Hao instinctively unleash all his power, even using Divine Slaughter's Domain.

If this hadn't been a spar, he really might have killed me, Tang Hao thought.

Although Tang Hao had deliberately suppressed his strength below the Soul Grandmaster level, he had never intended to hold back or let his guard down.

His opponent was an unfathomably mysterious immortal cultivator, one who very likely possessed power far beyond that of a Soul Master at the same level. Naturally, Tang Hao would not underestimate him.

To Tang Hao, an immortal cultivator was an enigma.

In fact, Tang Hao had long had a premonition that he would lose.

Even so, his dignity as a Soul Master had compelled him to fight. A Soul Master could lose, but he could not lack even the courage to face defeat.

But losing in such a near-instant defeat was a considerable blow, even though Tang Hao had prepared himself for it.

Are immortal cultivators really this strong?

Or are Soul Masters truly too weak?

At that speed, anyone below the Soul Saint level would probably be beheaded before they even had time to react.

No wonder he wanted me to fight him with the strength of a Soul Saint or even a Soul Douluo.

Because anyone below the Soul Saint level isn't qualified to fight him. They'd be killed in an instant. Even if their eyes saw it and their brains registered it, they'd already be dead.

Seeing how shaken and dispirited Tang Hao looked, Chen Mo couldn't help saying, "How about another round?"

Tang Hao licked his lips. "No need. I can afford to lose."

Chen Mo said nothing more and simply nodded.

Tang Hao said, "This Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast is yours."

Chen Mo smiled. "Then many thanks for letting me have it, Your Excellency Haotian."

Tang Hao said, "There is one more thing I hope you will agree to."

Chen Mo asked, "What is it?"

Tang Hao said, "Please don't reveal that my son and I are here, especially not to Spirit Hall. You should know that I have a grudge against Spirit Hall."

Tang Hao regretted it a little as soon as he finished speaking. He seemed to have said something unnecessary.

How could someone like Chen Mo have any connection to Spirit Hall? Nor would he casually reveal Tang Hao's whereabouts for no reason. More precisely, he would probably consider such things beneath him.

Chen Mo blinked and smiled. "To be honest, meeting you and your son was a complete accident. I only came here because I sensed the presence of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, and then I happened to discover Your Excellency."

Tang Hao nodded. "I see. I thought my son and I had been exposed so soon.

"Even so, the power of an immortal cultivator really is terrifying. You discovered me even though I didn't reveal the slightest trace of Soul Power.

"Immortal cultivators! As expected of those who seek longevity and freedom."

Chen Mo shook his head. "No, no. I only deduced Tang San's identity. As for whether Your Excellency Haotian was here, how could I possibly have known? How could immortal cultivators be that terrifying?

"You're overthinking it, Your Excellency.

"It was only because I kept feeling a trace of killing intent and the sensation of being watched after leaving Nuoding City that I concluded it must be you."

Tang Hao was a little surprised. "I see. So you also guessed that Little San has Twin Martial Souls?"

Chen Mo blinked, then feigned surprise. "Your son Tang San actually has Twin Martial Souls, Your Excellency? I hadn't noticed that."

Tang Hao was puzzled. "Then how did you guess Little San's identity?"

Chen Mo said, "As everyone knows, Blue Silver Grass doesn't awaken with Innate Soul Power. But although Tang San's Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass, his Soul Power is by no means low.

"First-year students at a junior Soul Master Academy have generally only just awakened their Martial Souls. Unless their Innate Soul Power is at least level eight or nine, or even Innate Full Soul Power, they can't obtain a Soul Ring in such a short time."

Chen Mo continued, "And Tang San is one such case. Under normal circumstances, that would be impossible.

"But then I remembered that six years ago, Your Excellency hammered Spirit Hall's Pope to death over the Blue Silver Emperor. The Blue Silver Emperor seemed to have been about to give birth at the time, and Tang San's surname is Tang, so I guessed that he must be your son."

Tang Hao could hardly believe it. "That's all? You deduced that Tang San was my son from that?

"Besides, even among Spirit Hall's elders, few know the details of how I killed the Pope back then. How did you learn of them?"

Chen Mo said, "As for where I learned about the Blue Silver Emperor, that involves certain people and matters, so it's inconvenient for me to say.

"As for Tang San, he awakened Blue Silver Grass with Innate Soul Power of at least level eight or nine. Isn't that reason enough?"

Chen Mo asked again, "Your Excellency doesn't think the Blue Silver Emperor's child would have ordinary Blue Silver Grass, does he?"

Tang Hao instinctively retorted, "Of course not."

Tang Hao's heart raced for a while, because he, too, believed that Blue Silver Grass could not awaken with Soul Power.

Tang San's Innate Full Soul Power was entirely thanks to the Clear Sky Hammer.

Chen Mo smiled. "May I ask, Your Excellency Haotian, what level was Tang San's Innate Soul Power when he awakened?"

Tang Hao answered with a hint of pride, "Innate Full Soul Power!"

Chen Mo said, "Though I had my suspicions, I'm still a little surprised.

"But that makes Tang San's identity even clearer.

"May I ask, Your Excellency Haotian, has a genius with Innate Full Soul Power ever appeared in the Clear Sky Sect's history without a Martial Soul Mutation?"

Tang Hao thought for a moment, then answered with certainty, "That? It seems not. No, there definitely hasn't."

Chen Mo said with certainty, "It's impossible. Innate Full Soul Power can only arise in two circumstances: either a Martial Soul Mutation or the possession of a super Martial Soul.

"Only then is it possible to awaken Innate Full Soul Power.

"The Clear Sky Hammer is only a top-tier Martial Soul. Outstanding as it is, it cannot produce Innate Full Soul Power either."

Tang Hao glanced sideways, somewhat unconvinced. "The Clear Sky Hammer is the number one Tool Martial Soul under heaven!"

Chen Mo said, "The gap between a super Martial Soul and a top-tier Martial Soul is both large and small.

"A domain.

"Only a Martial Soul with a domain can be called a super Martial Soul. Otherwise, no matter how powerful it is, it's only a top-tier Martial Soul.

"Can the Clear Sky Hammer awaken a domain?"

Although Tang Hao refused to concede aloud, he was slowly coming to agree with Chen Mo.

Still unconvinced, Tang Hao said, "No, but the Clear Sky Hammer is the strongest."

Chen Mo shook his head helplessly. "That only means the person using the Martial Soul is formidable, not that the Martial Soul itself is strong."

Tang Hao agreed wholeheartedly with that.

Tang Hao said, "Going by what you say, Little San's Blue Silver Grass is a super Martial Soul? But he doesn't have a domain either."

Chen Mo said, "That's only because Tang San's Martial Soul is currently just a Quasi-Blue Silver Emperor and hasn't fully awakened. Only when his Blue Silver Grass awakens as the Blue Silver Emperor will it undergo a true transformation, becoming the Blue Silver Emperor and awakening a domain."

Tang Hao said, "I see? Then do you know a way to fully awaken his Martial Soul?"