The downfall of the Martial Soul Hall granted noble soul masters absolute dominance over commoner soul masters. Indeed, this era was truly the springtime of the nobles!
Clans and sects sprang up like bamboo shoots after rain. The damaged Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School was recovering, and the Tang Sect, under its leader Tang San, proudly stood firm on this side of Douluo Continent!
The "Two Instruments of Ice and Fire" — once a naturally blessed treasure — now had an owner: the Tang Sect. Tang San sealed off the Two Instruments of Ice and Fire, making it the foundation of his sect. It was like lifting the lid of a pot, eating two bites of meat, then putting the lid back on so no one else could eat.
But he was the Sea God—who could say otherwise?
The main theme of this era was the glorification of the Seven Devils of Shrek and the disparagement of the Martial Soul Hall. Works such as:
The Legend of the Seven Devils of Shrek
The Legend of Sea God Tang San
No Useless Martial Souls, Only Useless Soul Masters — The Biography of Yu Xiaogang
White Tiger Douluo Dai Mubai Teaches What a Real Man Is
The Secret History of Yu Xiaogang: How He Made the Martial Soul Hall's Pope Devoted to Him
Late Bloomer: The Master's Comeback
The Guide of the Soul Master World, The Great Sea God's Mentor — Yu Xiaogang
Phoenix Rising from a Chicken Coop: The Biography of Ma Hongjun
What Was Created in Despair and Hardship — Yu Xiaogang's Autobiography
Founder of Shrek Academy — Flandre's Biography
My Father, a Hero Who Stands Tall — Tang San's Account of His Father Tang Hao
How the Vile Martial Soul Hall Enslaved Soul Masters with Free Will
"Victory makes the king, defeat the dust." Before her final defeat, Bibi Dong begged Tang San to spare her daughter and disciples. Tang San reluctantly agreed, but the victor's judgment on the defeated was thorough and merciless.
As a man of the Tang Sect, Tang San deeply understood the principle: "If you don't eliminate the weeds, they'll grow again with the spring wind."
He was confident that Qian Renxue would never break through to the title Douluo level for life, but the suppression of Hu Liena by Tang San and all factions on the continent was absolute!
The victors judged the elders left in the Martial Soul Hall, including Hu Liena's brother and Yan!
These two had participated in the Martial Soul Hall's hunt for Xiao Wu. Yan even forced Xiao Wu to the brink of sacrifice. Though Xiao Wu was revived, Tang San had sworn that anyone involved in this would die!
Yan and Xie Yue were sentenced to death and executed on the gallows amid public scorn.
Hu Liena witnessed the death of her brother and friend before her eyes. Because she had taken part in this action, she bore the full weight of hatred and blame. The poor girl finally emerged from her romantic delusions—this was no tale of love but a life-and-death struggle.
Teacher, brother, friend, respected elder…
Hu Liena lost all her loved ones in an instant and died despondent. Before passing, she grasped the hand of the only person she could rely on, Qian Renxue, filled with regret, shame, resentment, and a sense of release. Weakly, she said:
"Snow Sister, it's me. I failed the teacher. I loved someone I shouldn't have loved. Teacher, it's Nana who wronged you. If not for me, that despicable rabbit, the Titan Giant Ape, and the Sky Blue Bull Python's soul rings should have belonged to you long ago. Tang San, I hate you. You used my feelings and took everything from me. I will curse you in hell to never have peace."
Hu Liena, once the Martial Soul Hall's most promising genius, died depressed without ever reaching the title Douluo level, crushed by rejection and suppression from the top three sects and the two great empires.
Qian Renxue looked at the pale beauty before her—lifeless but expressionless.
"What use is it for you to understand this now? It's already too late."
Qian Renxue bitterly smiled. Though still alive, she felt like a walking corpse.
Hu Liena lost everything and died depressed, but at least she had her mother's love in the first half of her life. As for Qian Renxue—she could still survive, partly because her resilience was stronger than Hu Liena's—but she no longer desired to live.
Now, she barely clung on to life to answer two questions that haunted her, so she wouldn't die without understanding:
Why did she lose to Tang San?
Why did she fall in love with Tang San?
For the rest of her life, Snow tirelessly studied her opponent. She found him like a favored child of the heavens—blessed with a one-in-a-million chance of external soul bones, opportunities wherever he went, at every stage of his cultivation.
All the world's benefits seemed to cluster around this hypocritical, shameless, and cunning man.
The concept of a "child of fate" was foreign to Qian Renxue; she only knew that from birth to godhood, Tang San's life was smoother and luckier than anyone else's. It seemed all the world's blessings surrounded him.
As for why she loved Tang San, Qian Renxue was utterly confused. Losing repeatedly to him could only lead to obsession, not love. But after investigation, she found the cause might be—
Her Angel God Trial.
Her Angel God Trial made her fall for the one she shouldn't love. Worse, the Angel God shared her most shameful memories with Tang San's Sea God Trial, exposing her most humiliating side to the world!
When she realized this impossible truth, Qian Renxue broke down. Raised with great respect for the Angel God ancestor, she felt utterly betrayed.
"Ancestor, why have you done this to me?"
Had she not fallen for Tang San, she would have had countless chances to kill him, to reduce him to dust, and the Martial Soul Hall would have still won in the end. The Martial Soul Hall's thousand-year legacy would have continued. Why did it fail?
Despairing, Qian Renxue's health worsened. Sensing death approaching, she came before the graves of her mother, grandfather, and Hu Liena, shedding a single tear, remorsefully saying:
"Mother, grandfather, Nana—we were all wrong!"
"By paying the price of the Martial Soul Hall's destruction, I finally realized the simplest truth: being merciful to one's enemies is cruelty to oneself."
"When we face the top three sects and the two great empires, once we break relations, it's a fight to the death. Personal feelings must never override loyalty!"
She looked at the tombstone of Qian Daoliu, saying, "Grandfather, I have let you down. You put everything on me. You gave your life to help me become a god, but in the end, you chose the wrong person. I failed to hold the Angel God's position. The Angel God's glory only briefly flickered in my hands. Whether my love for Tang San was influenced by the Ancestor's will or not, this is my fault alone!"
(End of Chapter)
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