Tian Yue's martial soul was a golden Golden Crocodile, radiating the aura of an ancient ferocious beast—just like Tian E's. However, Tian Yue had far greater potential for development, as Tian E had already been fully formed, while Tian Yue was only just beginning.
After the martial soul awakenings of the three enshrined children, Qian Renxue gathered all the enshrined elders and declared:
"I have an announcement. I will be forming a team to compete in the Soul Master Tournament eight years from now. This team will be built around Guang Ning(Glowing Feather Duoluo's daughter), Qing Ming, and Tian Yue."
"Xue'er, this is way too biased! My son is great too! He awakened the Lion King martial soul. My martial soul isn't any worse than the Azure Luan Bird or the Divine Lightfeather Bow!" complained the Lion King enshrined elder.
Qian Renxue explained:
"Our enemies will all be six years old now. We want to defeat them, but not just any victory—we want a dignified, overwhelming victory. One that leaves no room for them to even imagine a chance at winning."
"So…" the Lion King muttered bitterly, "...my child was just born too early."
His treasured son was six years older than Tang San, about the same age as Hu Liena. The descendants of Qianjun and Demon Subduing Douluo were also four years older than Tang San. Though they'd still be age-eligible eight years from now, winning through age advantage over Tang San's future team felt… meaningless.
"But don't worry," Qian Renxue continued. "They'll still participate in the tournament as substitutes. It's just that when we face Tang San's team, we will strictly uphold the 14-year age limit!"
After confirming the team's core members, Qian Renxue took Guang Ning, Tian Yue, and Qing Ming to the Angel Temple to undergo the Angel Trials.
Although the Angel God's inheritance was intended for those with the Angel martial soul, the Angel God still bestowed trials upon soul masters without it.
At this point, our future Shura God and Sea God, Tang San, was entirely unaware that the malicious intentions of the world had already begun to converge upon him.
All he cared about now was reuniting with Xiao Wu, a thought that filled his heart with longing.
After awakening his martial soul, Tang San returned home.
Tang Hao, his father, with a face weathered by time, said solemnly:
"Show me your martial soul."
"Yes, Father."
Tang San summoned his Blue Silver Grass.
"Blue Silver Grass... just like hers," Tang Hao murmured, his eyes flashing with a complex mix of pain and emotion as he gazed at the golden pattern on the grass.
He was pained because he thought of A Yin from this lifetime. Even in death, she hadn't sacrificed herself for him, but for his "good brother." Seeing the golden-patterned Blue Silver Grass in Tang San's hand evoked memories of the gentle, loving A Yin from his previous life.
A Yin... why couldn't you have been reborn with me? Why did you fall for Tang Xiao in this life? If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have committed so many sins...
Yet he was also excited—Tang San was their child, inheriting a portion of A Yin's bloodline. With the golden-pattern Blue Silver Grass, he was destined to become the Blue Silver Emperor. Once Tang San inherited the Sea God's position, he could resurrect A Yin and even alter her memories to make her fall in love with him again, just like in their past life.
Moreover, Tang San could revive the innocent souls of the Clear Sky Sect, including Tang Hao's father and uncle, whom he had mistakenly killed—thus cleansing his sins.
Everything… would soon be within reach.
Tang San noticed the complexity in his father's eyes.
He assumed it was because Tang Hao was thinking about his mother.
Damn Spirit Hall… I, Tang San, will never forget what you did to her. You've already set your path to destruction. If I wiped you out once, I'll do it again.
"Dad, I have another martial soul," Tang San said.
"Quick, show me," Tang Hao said eagerly, though he already knew what it would be.
Tang San summoned a small hammer.
"Hahaha! The Clear Sky Hammer—it's the Clear Sky Hammer!" Tang Hao exclaimed in relief. He looked at Tang San with deep earnestness:
"Remember, Little San, remember: Always use the hammer in your left hand to protect the grass in your right hand. Forever."
"Yes, Father," Tang San nodded solemnly.
Tang Hao decided to let Tang San follow the same path as in his previous life and had Old Jack take him to Notting City Soul Master Academy. There, Tang San would need to build crucial connections.
First was Yu Xiaogang.
Tang Hao despised him from the bottom of his heart.
What right does this piece of trash have to be my son's teacher?
In their past life, during the hunt for Tang San's first spirit ring, Yu Xiaogang nearly got the boy killed by a Mandala Snake. Tang Hao had nearly rushed in to save him, but fortunately Tang San pulled through and defeated the beast alone.
A teacher should at least be able to guide a student through obtaining a spirit ring safely. Yu Xiaogang couldn't even handle a century-old spirit beast—what kind of teacher is that? Answer me!
Tang San's second spirit ring was obtained through someone Yu Xiaogang hired. All the subsequent rings had nothing to do with him.
This alone proved: Yu Xiaogang was trash.
Yet when Tang San became the Sea God, this shameless guy claimed,
"I raised a god."
Still, even trash has some value.
Bibi Dong—who knows what went wrong with her brain—was utterly infatuated with Yu Xiaogang. Her love for him was so intense that even Qian Xuanji fell to her hand.
This was exactly why Tang Hao had originally arranged for Tang San to stay close to Yu Xiaogang. The guy was a convenient human shield—why not use him?
Under this protection, Tang San was able to grow up right under the nose of Spirit Hall. (Do you really think a single decree from the Pope could suppress them? Think again. Tang Hao had held that decree before and never used it like that—because Bibi Dong's relationship with Xiaogang was the true reason it worked.)
This was the only real use for Xiaogang.
But it was enough to make him irreplaceable.
Yu Xiaogang poured everything into cultivating Tang San, hoping to make a name for himself. What he didn't know was, had Bibi Dong won the continental war, he could have lived forever.
But she died, and with her death, Xiaogang lost all value. The Tang family then ruthlessly abandoned him on the Douluo Continent.
Of course, Tang San still helped Xiaogang achieve fame and status in the end—repaying him for the final protection he offered.
Then came Xiao Wu, the little bunny.
At Notting Academy, Xiao Wu and Tang San would fall in love, and she'd marry into the Tang family. She would bring with her three soul rings and soul bones as dowry, and eventually offer her body as the scabbard for the Shura God Sword, helping Tang San secure a God King position.
It could be said that Xiao Wu's value far surpassed Xiaogang's.
And so, Tang San packed his luggage and set out together with Old Jack.
In a hotel in Nuoding City.
Every year, there were always deacons from the Spirit Hall who would travel to the countryside to awaken the martial spirits of those uncultured peasants. Afterward, they would sometimes come back to this tavern to have a drink.
After a few rounds of drinks, the deacons from Spirit Hall would talk about the results of their spirit awakenings.
Thus, every year during the routine awakening period, in a shady corner of the tavern, there would always be a flat-headed man who only ordered a bowl of wine and a plate of fennel beans.
He would sit there the entire day, eavesdropping on the deacons' conversations to gather information.
This flat-headed man would calculate that after intercepting first-hand information in the tavern, once a genius was discovered, he would act immediately—seizing the opportunity before the Spirit Hall could and tricking—uh, attracting—the talent to become his disciple, a perfect test subject for his theories and a stepping stone for his fame.
Unfortunately, after so many years, he hadn't found many ideal soul master candidates. Most of the time, the deacons returned from the countryside empty-handed.
Even if they did find someone, they were usually born with soul power at level four or lower—completely unworthy in the flat-head's eyes.
Though his abilities were subpar, he was very picky about his ideal disciple.
"At least innate soul power of level 6 is required to be my theoretical subject. Only those with innate full soul power qualify to become my core disciple."
This day, the flat-head sat as usual in the corner, drinking and munching on fennel beans, listening to the deacons' chatter.
"Su Yuntao, any promising seedlings from the villages you visited today?" one deacon asked.
Su Yuntao, chewing meat and sipping wine, replied, "There was one, but it's kind of a shame."
The flat-head's ears perked up, but he didn't get his hopes up. After all, these low-level soul masters would get excited over trash like someone awakening with innate soul power of level one or two and call it 'promising.' He'd been let down countless times.
"Oh? What happened?"
"It's bizarre. Blue Silver Grass—yes, that martial spirit—had full innate soul power," Su Yuntao said in awe.
In the seedy corner of the tavern, the flat-head slowly turned his head, eyes glowing green as he looked toward Su Yuntao.
"Blue Silver Grass? Innate full soul power? You've got to be kidding," one deacon exclaimed.
Su Yuntao continued drinking and said, "His name is Tang San. He's from Saint Soul Village. If you don't believe me, he'll be coming to Spirit Hall for registration in a few days. You'll see for yourself."
The other deacons were all shocked.
"A Blue Silver Grass with innate full soul power?"
"Doesn't that mean he can become a Soul Master after obtaining just one spirit ring?"
"So what? Blue Silver Grass is just a trash martial spirit." (This line was not said by Su Yuntao, so it doesn't activate the irony buff.)
As the deacons continued discussing the child with innate full soul power and a Blue Silver Grass spirit, none of them noticed that the flat-head had quietly stood up and left the tavern.
Back in his study, the flat-head—who freeloaded at Nuoding City's Soul Master Academy thanks to help from his friend the dean—began to act.
He lived, ate, and did his so-called "spirit research" there.
He opened a book, filled with data he had collected from Spirit Hall on various martial spirits.
"Blue Silver Grass, innate full soul power…" he murmured, flipping to the Blue Silver Grass section.
"There's no record. Doesn't exist!" he exclaimed in shock.
He put down the booklet and began pacing with his hands behind his back.
"According to my theory, a soul master's innate soul power should be proportional to the quality of their martial spirit. Under normal circumstances, a Blue Silver Grass martial spirit might produce someone with innate level one or two soul power at best. Full soul power? Impossible."
Suddenly, the flat-head's eyes lit up. He clapped his hands together and exclaimed:
"So, after eliminating all other possibilities, the truth must be that this Tang San has another martial spirit. It's the quality of the second martial spirit that gave him innate full soul power!"
(This reveals a flaw in Yu Xiaogang's logic: If the second martial spirit is of such high quality, why would Tang San even manifest Blue Silver Grass at all? Dual martial spirits generally appear when the two are of comparable strength. But this time, Yu Xiaogang accidentally stumbled upon the truth.)
"Dual martial spirits! Dual martial spirits! This is heaven's gift to me, Yu Xiaogang!" the flat-head howled, eyes twitching, mouth drooling. "I've waited all these years, and finally, I've found my ideal disciple! I must take him in—I'll use my theoretical knowledge to train him into a Title Douluo—no, someone even stronger than Bibi Dong! Only then can I wash away my 'trash' reputation and make a name for myself!"
Yu Xiaogang walked to a full-length mirror in the room. He was startled by his sunken eyes, haggard face, messy beard, and generally unkempt appearance.
"No way. I can't meet my future prized disciple looking like this. I need to get ready."
He pulled out his black academic robe, a symbol of his identity, shaved his beard, cleaned himself up carefully, and stood in front of the mirror again.
With his hands behind his back and a deep gaze, he had the aura of a melancholic scholar.
"Perfect," Yu Xiaogang said with satisfaction. "Still, I should prepare a bit more."
In a small place like Nuoding City, being a soul master was already a very prestigious identity. Most people were ordinary workers trying to make a living. The gatekeeper at Nuoding Soul Master Academy wasn't even considered a soul master.
He had no innate soul power when his spirit awakened—this was his fate. However, he managed to get a decent job: gatekeeper of the academy.
One day, after finishing his shift and heading home, he found a flat-headed man standing with hands behind his back on the road.
"You are…"
The flat-head slowly turned around, and the gatekeeper immediately recognized him—Yu Xiaogang.
Though Yu Xiaogang was the laughingstock of the academy—living there for free—he was still a soul master, and thus not someone a lowly gatekeeper could mock.
"Honorable Soul Master, may I ask what business you have with me?"