Chapter 69: The Tang Sect's Decline Is Tang San's Doing (Probably)
At the outskirts of the Great Star Dou Forest, the midday sun filtered through layer upon layer of overlapping leaves, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow across the forest clearing. The campfire still crackled and popped, but the atmosphere in the air had shifted entirely from before, now steeped in an almost palpable, wordless gravity.
Tang Ya clutched the Mysterious Heaven Technique scroll tightly in her hands, her knuckles whitening from the pressure. A violent storm raged within her heart. The existence of this complete Mysterious Heaven Technique had already shaken the very foundation of everything she knew about the Tang Sect's legacy.
Just as she sank deep into her spiraling thoughts, Furina's crisp, clear voice broke the silence. "I've already said—there's no need to rush your decision. This Mysterious Heaven Technique is merely the first gift I've prepared."
"There's more?!" Tang Ya's head snapped up, her eyes brimming with disbelief.
Bei Bei nodded thoughtfully. He did recall Furina's earlier wording—she had said "one of." It was just that he'd been too stunned at the time to dwell on it.
With effortless elegance, Furina produced an exquisitely crafted jade vial from her storage ring and pressed it firmly into Tang Ya's hands before she could protest. "One Soul Ascension Pill and two Profound Water Pills. Consider this a welcoming gift." Her tone was as casual as if she were handing over ordinary sweets. "Even if you ultimately decide against joining the Church of the Water God, please accept these. If you feel indebted, you may repay their equivalent value in the future—gold soul coins or other items will do."
Bei Bei privately clicked his tongue in amazement. Profound Water Pills and Soul Ascension Pills were both exceedingly precious elixirs. Even with his standing at Shrek Academy, obtaining them would require considerable effort and maneuvering. Yet Furina had produced so many with such careless ease. Just how deep did the reserves of this Church of the Water God run?
"This is far too valuable. I can't possibly accept..." Tang Ya hurriedly tried to push the jade vial back, her voice thick with flustered panic.
Furina gently shook her head, her silver hair gleaming with a soft luster in the sunlight. "These elixirs are, in the end, only external aids. They can provide a measure of support in the early stages of cultivation—nothing more. What truly determines a person's achievements is, and always will be, their own effort and talent."
She paused, her gaze sweeping thoughtfully over Tang Ya's somewhat pallid face. "Should you be willing to join the Church of the Water God, what I can provide extends far beyond this."
Just then, Furina's tone shifted abruptly. "By the way, Sect Master Tang Ya—have you ever truly contemplated why the Tang Sect has fallen to its current, wretched state?"
Tang Ya started, then answered without a second thought. "It's because of the rise of soul tools..."
"That answer is only half correct," Furina gently cut her off. "In my view, soul tools account for, at most, fifty percent of the reason. The other fifty percent—lies precisely within the Tang Sect itself."
"The Tang Sect itself?" Tang Ya repeated in bewilderment, her brow unconsciously furrowing.
Huo Yuhao, off to the side, quietly continued turning the food on the grill. Though he had heard scattered mentions of the Tang Sect's history, he didn't know the specifics in any detail. For now, he could only serve as a silent listener.
Bei Bei, too, was turning the matter over rapidly in his mind. By conventional logic, the Tang Sect's decline was indeed inextricably linked to the rise of soul tools. After all, traditional hidden weapons had undeniably lost their former edge in the face of soul tool technology.
Furina began her analysis with unhurried deliberation. "First—the Tang Sect's own complacency and refusal to evolve. For ten thousand years, the Tang Sect has clung stubbornly to its hidden weapons and those inherited techniques, never once achieving true innovation. And after the rise of soul tools, it made no effort to actively study them or absorb their advantages. This is the primary cause of the Tang Sect's decline."
Her gaze turned deep and penetrating as she looked at Tang Ya. "If the Tang Sect of that time had been willing to broaden its horizons even slightly—to learn just the rudiments of soul tool technology—it likely would never have fallen to such a state."
Tang Ya sank into silence. Despite the instinctive aversion toward soul tools rooted deep in her heart, she had to admit that Furina's words struck true. If the Tang Sect of old had been capable of adapting to the changing times, perhaps it really wouldn't have been reduced to its present circumstances.
"Second—and this is the even more fundamental issue—lies in the Tang Sect's very organizational structure."
"Structure?" Tang Ya and Bei Bei echoed the word in near-unison, their faces blank with incomprehension.
Even Huo Yuhao couldn't help perking up his ears, his interest in the topic now thoroughly piqued.
"Correct. Structure." Furina's voice took on a serious edge. "Your Tang Sect mandates that every generation's Sect Master must possess the Bluesilver Grass martial soul. I understand that you take pride in Bluesilver Grass—because the founder of the Tang Sect, the revered ancestor you worship, had Bluesilver Grass as his martial soul."
She shifted tone sharply, her gaze turning razor-keen as it fixed upon Bei Bei. "But think carefully—was his martial soul truly just ordinary Bluesilver Grass?"
Bei Bei answered in a low voice. "It was the Bluesilver Emperor..."
"Exactly! The Bluesilver Emperor—a top-tier martial soul of the same caliber as the Clear Sky Hammer." A note of unmistakable irony crept into Furina's voice. "Yet what you have inherited and passed down is the genuine, unadorned, ordinary Bluesilver Grass. I would wager that in all these ten thousand years, not a single Bluesilver King has ever emerged from the Tang Sect."
She continued her dissection. "Bluesilver Grass cultivates at a painfully slow pace, and the martial soul itself is exceedingly fragile. Even as a control-type soul master, it's difficult to achieve anything noteworthy with it. More importantly—you have never grasped the true, profound essence of plant-type martial souls."
"The true essence of plant-type martial souls lies in regeneration, accelerated growth, and the absorption of life energy. They can even grow thorns and brambles—far more practical than simply lacing them with toxins. If you truly wished to use Bluesilver Grass as a hidden weapon, you could have chosen soul beasts capable of launching their own leaves as projectiles for your soul rings, obtaining skills like 'Razor Leaf' or similar. Would that not be far more practical than mere 'Bluesilver Entanglement'?"
Furina grew increasingly impassioned as she spoke, a light of keen intellect blazing in her eyes. "In my knowledge, there exists a grass-type martial soul known as 'Meow Meow.' It requires only two core skills to unleash devastating power: one is 'Sleep Powder,' which forces opponents into a deep slumber; the other is 'Parasitic Seed,' which drains the opponent's life force to heal the user. Alternating between these two skills is sufficient to handle most situations. Add one powerful offensive skill, and it becomes near-perfect."
Her gaze returned to Tang Ya, and her voice softened with a trace of genuine pity. "As for the rule that your founding ancestor laid down—I truly cannot fathom his intent. Did he genuinely wish for you to carry on the legacy of Bluesilver Grass and bring it to glory? Or did he want the Tang Sect to slowly, quietly wither away?"
"If he truly hoped for you to inherit the bloodline of the Bluesilver Emperor, why did he never leave behind a method for awakening it? Couple that with your failure to grasp the true essence of plant-type martial souls—this has all but guaranteed that the Tang Sect Master has always been, and will always be, the weakest among all sect leaders."
Furina paused to let her words sink deep into Tang Ya's heart before pressing on. "Finally, there is one more point. Though not the primary cause, it has nonetheless contributed significantly to the Tang Sect's decline."
"Many of your Tang Sect's hidden weapons simply cannot be manufactured anymore. Some require incredibly rare metals. Others demand specific toxic herbs. And you possess none of these resources."
As if suddenly recalling something, she added, "I remember that ten thousand years ago, Poison Douluo Dugu Bo had a treasure ground—the Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire—which later fell into Tang San's hands. May I ask—does your Tang Sect know the current whereabouts of this treasure ground?"
Her question was met with nothing but silence.
Tang Ya's heart had been utterly thrown into chaos. If what Furina claimed was true—then the decline of the Tang Sect was, to a very large extent, attributable to the very founding ancestor they had revered as a god: the Sea God Tang San.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows across Tang Ya's pale face. The jade vial in her hands seemed to weigh a thousand jin. That scroll containing the complete Mysterious Heaven Technique was like a branding iron, searing the skin of her palm.
Bei Bei looked at Tang Ya with deep concern and gently took her hand. He could feel the icy coldness of her fingertips, their faint, unsteady trembling.
Huo Yuhao, with perfect timing, offered freshly grilled fish, breaking the suffocating silence. "Let's eat something first. These matters can be pondered slowly."
Furina accepted a grilled fish and took a small, elegant bite. Her tone returned to its former lightness. "I didn't say all this to negate the Tang Sect's legacy. I merely hope you can see clearly to the root of the problem. Only by truly understanding the past can we better walk toward the future."
She looked at Tang Ya, and a sincere, earnest light shone in her eyes. "Whatever decision you ultimately make—I will respect your choice. After all, this is your Tang Sect. Your legacy. Not that of some Tang San from a bygone age."
The forest breeze swept through, carrying the mingled fragrance of fresh grass and grilled fish. But everyone present knew—this seemingly tranquil midday had already stirred up a colossal storm within Tang Ya's heart. A faith that had endured for ten thousand years was now being tested as never before.