Eight years of time passed in the blink of an eye.
Under the governance of the Federation, the Douluo Continent grew increasingly prosperous, and the soul master world saw a constant emergence of brilliant talents. Among the younger generation, the most dazzling twin stars undoubtedly belonged to Tang Hao of the Clear Sky Sect and Qian Xunji of the Martial Soul Hall (an institution under the Federation's Department of Education).
Clear Sky Sect, Sect Master's main hall.
A young man with a physique as sturdy as a mountain and a resolute face stood with his head held high; it was none other than Tang Hao! At only twenty-seven years old, his soul power had already reached level 92, making him a Titled Douluo. His martial soul had also successfully completed a sublimation after he condensed his soul core upon breaking through level 90, allowing him to wield the Great Sumeru Hammer.
The aura around him was as deep and condensed as an abyss, faintly radiating a heart-palpitating pressure. This was the vast momentum he had achieved after tempering himself through countless trials of blood and fire, and then fully mastering the Clear Sky Slaughter Domain he had comprehended in the City of Slaughter.
What was even more astonishing was that several powerful energy fluctuations of different attributes flowed incessantly within him. Those were a full six spirit bones! And not a single one was less than fifty thousand years old! His head, torso, and four limbs were almost fully equipped with top-tier spirit bones in their optimal positions.
This was the foundation for godhood paved for him by the Clear Sky Sect, which had exhausted its resources, combined with some treasures his grandfather, the God of Destruction Tang Chen, had brought back from the God Realm! Because of his fame and strength, the continental soul master world had already honored him as the Clear Sky Douluo of the new era!
"Father, my mind is made up." Tang Hao's voice was steady as he looked at the Sect Master Tang Wei with burning eyes. "I am going to Martial Soul City to fight Qian Xunji!"
This was not a momentary impulse. Since returning from the City of Slaughter eight years ago and forming his domain, he had regarded Qian Xunji as the target he must surpass. Over these years, he had practiced tirelessly, bringing the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer to the perfection of eighty-one strikes, and his Clear Sky Nine Absolutes had reached a state of pure mastery. He believed that among his peers, his attack power had reached the pinnacle. Now that he had attained the Titled Douluo realm and was equipped with spirit bones, he was confident he could challenge the opponent known as the "Godly Lineage."
Tang Wei looked at his son, whose momentum soared to the heavens, his eyes filled with both pride and a hint of complexity. He knew the terror of Qian Xunji well; it was not just talent, but also the deep meaning behind the ten years of effort his father, Qian Daoliu, had put into honing him.
"Hao'er, that fellow Qian Xunji has been re-cultivating the 'Angel's Path' for the past decade. His understanding of the Martial Soul Origin has likely reached an unfathomable realm. Although he is currently a level 96 Super Douluo, he has already proactively released word that if you challenge him, he is willing to suppress his cultivation to level 92 for a fair fight."
"Suppress his level?" Tang Hao raised an eyebrow. Far from being angered by the perceived slight, his fighting spirit burned even brighter. "Good! That is even better! I want to see whether his Six-winged Angel Martial Soul or my Great Sumeru Hammer is stronger when we are at the same level!"
The news spread, and the continent shook!
Clear Sky Douluo Tang Hao was challenging the son of the Angel God, Qian Xunji! The latter was actually willing to suppress his cultivation for a battle between peers!
This was undoubtedly the most eye-catching event in the soul master world of the Douluo Continent in the last decade! Countless soul masters and various factions flocked to Martial Soul City, eager to witness this peak showdown with their own eyes.
Martial Soul City, central Great Soul Arena.
This magnificent venue, reinforced by soul tool technology to withstand the aftermath of battles between Titled Douluo, was packed to capacity today, filled with the roar of the crowd.
In the VIP seats, high-ranking Federation officials, leaders of major sects, top experts, and deans of various soul master academies gathered together. Even Yu Yuanchen, far away in Purple Blazing Dragon City, had descended a wisp of his divine sense to watch the battle with great interest.
In the center of the arena, Qian Xunji was dressed in white, his golden hair shining. His face was handsome and peaceful, and he radiated a warm yet majestic sacred aura, like a deity descended to the mortal world. He did not deliberately release his pressure, yet he naturally became the focus of the entire arena.
Opposite him, Tang Hao wore a black tight-fitting outfit, holding the pitch-black Great Sumeru Hammer. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, his muscles bulging with explosive power, resembling a primordial fierce beast ready to strike.
"Although in terms of seniority, you should call me uncle, since our ages are not far apart (soul masters have long lifespans, so a dozen years is indeed not much), let us address each other as peers. Brother Tang, please." Qian Xunji smiled, his demeanor elegant.
Before the words had even faded, the aura around him suddenly retracted. From the realm of a level 96 Super Douluo, he steadily suppressed himself to the level of a level 92 Titled Douluo, exactly the same as Tang Hao!
"Since that is the case, I won't be modest. Brother Qian, let's fight!" Tang Hao did not waste any more words. With a roar, his blood-red Clear Sky Slaughter Domain erupted beneath his feet. In an instant, the entire arena seemed to transform into a slaughterhouse of Asura; the air stagnated, filled with a suffocating will of slaughter and destruction.
His figure surged forward, the Great Sumeru Hammer roaring with a sound that tore at the eardrums. He unleashed the simplest "Break" character art, yet it contained the power to collapse mountains and split rocks, aiming straight for Qian Xunji's face!
"Angel Sacred Radiance Domain, open." Qian Xunji's expression remained unchanged as he whispered softly. A pure, warm, yet supremely majestic golden halo expanded from him as the center. This was the Angel Sacred Radiance Domain, which he had enhanced based on his innate Angel Domain by incorporating his own understanding of his martial soul, further increasing its power.
Within the domain, a sacred aura permeated the air, offsetting more than half of Tang Hao's tragic slaughter aura, while a will of purification and judgment enveloped Tang Hao in return.
At the same time, behind Qian Xunji, the phantoms of six huge golden wings unfolded, and sacred light shone down! He did not use his Martial Soul True Body, but the pressure of his God-Tier Martial Soul was already fully revealed.
Facing this earth-shattering strike from Tang Hao, he did not meet it head-on. Instead, he lightly flapped his wings, his figure drifting backward like a ghost. Simultaneously, he pressed his fingers together like a sword, and a highly condensed golden sword aura pointed at the side of the hammer head.
"Clang—!"
The hammer and sword collided, erupting with a piercing clash of metal! A terrifying blast wave exploded in a ring, slamming into the soul tool barrier around the arena and stirring up ripples across the sky!
Tang Hao felt a scorching and sharp force travel up the hammer handle, his arm going slightly numb. He felt a sense of alarm in his heart: Such exquisite use of power! At the same level, the quality of his soul power seems even more condensed than mine! But his fighting spirit burned even hotter. He stepped forward in a series of rapid movements, and the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer was already underway!
One strike, two strikes, three strikes... The hammer momentum was like overlapping waves, each strike heavier than the last, with power and speed accumulating crazily! The dark red power of the slaughter domain continuously merged into the hammer, causing every strike to carry a baleful aura that tore at the soul!
Qian Xunji's expression remained calm as he danced through the sky full of hammer shadows. His movement technique appeared slow, yet he was always able to avoid the most intense points of the hammer strikes at the very last moment.
The Six-winged Angel Martial Soul granted him unparalleled perception and speed, and combined with the Angel Domain's weakening of the opponent's killing intent and the enhancement of his own actions, he appeared at ease under Tang Hao's storm-like offensive.
He used his fingers or palms, or condensed sacred light swords to block. Every collision was precisely aimed at the nodes where Tang Hao's power flowed. Although he did not fight head-on, he effectively interfered with the accumulation of the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
On the arena, golden light and blood-red radiance collided crazily, the loud noises echoing incessantly. Tang Hao's offensive was wild and peerless, each strike capable of splitting mountains and diverting rivers; Qian Xunji's defense was like a vast abyss, deep and bottomless, overcoming hardness with softness. The scene fell into a stalemate.
"Clear Sky Nine Absolutes, Break Character Art!" Unable to break through after a long time, Tang Hao knew he could not let Qian Xunji drag this out, or else variables might arise once he became accustomed to his rhythm.
He suddenly changed his move, abandoning the continued stacking of the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer. The Great Sumeru Hammer transformed into a streak of black light condensed to the extreme, ignoring spatial distance as it thrust straight at Qian Xunji's chest! This strike contained his ultimate understanding of "piercing the surface with a point," concentrating his entire body's power and will of slaughter into a single spot!
Qian Xunji's eyes finally grew a bit more serious. "Angel's Guard!" he shouted in a low voice. Golden light flared around him, and a diamond-shaped light shield condensed from pure sacred power instantly appeared in front of him, with Angel Runes flowing across its surface!
"Crack!"
The black light pierced the light shield, emitting a teeth-grinding sound of shattering! The light shield shattered upon impact, but the speed and power of the black light were also significantly weakened. Taking this opportunity, Qian Xunji flapped his six wings violently, his figure retreating rapidly while his hands formed a seal: "Holy Light, Judgment!"
A thick pillar of golden light descended from the sky, carrying the sacred aura of purifying all things, and roared toward Tang Hao!
"Well done! Slaughter Clear Sky, Break!" Tang Hao did not dodge or evade, blood-red light flaring in his eyes. He condensed his Clear Sky Slaughter Domain onto the hammer head, rising against the heavens to meet the Holy Light Judgment head-on!
"Boom—!"
An unprecedentedly massive explosion echoed throughout the arena! A storm of golden and dark red energy swept across the entire stage, the soul tool barrier fluctuating violently as if it might shatter at any moment! Exclamations erupted from the audience.
The storm gradually subsided, revealing the scene in the arena. Tang Hao was half-kneeling on the ground, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, his Great Sumeru Hammer propped against the ground; he had clearly suffered some shock from the previous collision.
Meanwhile, Qian Xunji hovered in mid-air, his white clothes still clean, though his complexion was slightly pale and his breathing was somewhat rapid.
It appeared to be a draw, but anyone with a discerning eye could see that after dealing with Tang Hao's strongest strike, Qian Xunji still had the strength to hover, clearly holding a slight upper hand.
"The defensive boost of the Godly Lineage, at the Titled Douluo level, has indeed weakened a lot; it can at most offset about twenty percent of my power." Tang Hao wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and stood up slowly, the fire of battle in his eyes burning even brighter. "But this is what makes it fun! Qian Xunji, take my final move! Clear Sky True Body, Great Sumeru Hammer Mystery—Explode Ring!"
With a furious roar, the first six of the nine soul rings behind him suddenly erupted with blinding light, and then—they shattered with a boom! A terrifying torrent of energy surged madly into the Great Sumeru Hammer, and the pitch-black hammer body instantly expanded, transforming into a giant phantom hammer that seemed to threaten to tear the heavens and earth apart! This was the ultimate skill of the Clear Sky Sect, sacrificing one's soul rings to exchange for a destructive power capable of leveling the world in a short time! Although he would be left in a state of extreme weakness afterward, at this moment, Tang Hao's aura had already surpassed that of an ordinary Super Douluo!
Qian Xunji felt that terrifying power, enough to threaten his very life, and his expression finally turned completely grave. "Six-winged Angel Martial Soul, true form descend! Glory is my life, judgment is my duty—Angel, descend!"
A dazzling golden light erupted completely, and Qian Xunji's figure vanished into the radiance as a giant angel phantom, ten zhang tall, with six wings on its back and holding a sacred sword, condensed into existence! The sacred pressure swept out like a tsunami, standing toe-to-toe with the destructive momentum of Tang Hao!
"Slash!" The angel phantom swung its sacred sword, and a golden sword beam that spanned the heavens and earth, carrying the will to judge all things, slashed toward the giant hammer!
"Smash!" Tang Hao roared, and the giant hammer, condensed with the power of six soul rings, smashed down ferociously with an unstoppable, resolute will!
This was the ultimate collision of power and sanctity! It was a head-on clash between destruction and order!
"Hum—!"
There was no deafening explosion, only a hum that sounded as if the world were being born anew! The golden and black lights intertwined and annihilated each other, forming a massive energy vortex that madly devoured everything in its vicinity! The soul tool barrier let out a groan of unbearable strain before finally shattering with a bang! A violent shockwave of energy rippled outward!
In the VIP section, several powerful auras erupted, joining forces to set up a barrier that barely managed to block the aftermath and protect the spectators.
After a long while, the light faded away.
In the center of the arena, a massive crater appeared. The angel phantom manifested by Qian Xunji had dissipated; he knelt on one knee, golden-red blood hanging from the corner of his mouth, his white clothes stained with dust, his aura withered, yet his eyes remained bright. As for Tang Hao, he lay at the edge of the crater, the Great Sumeru Hammer shrunk and resting beside him, unconscious, his body covered in charred patches, clearly suffering from even heavier injuries.
The outcome was decided!
Qian Xunji, victory!
Although he had suppressed his cultivation to level ninety-two, and although Tang Hao had unleashed the secret art of Explode Ring, he had ultimately gained the upper hand through a deeper understanding of the Six-winged Angel Martial Soul, more exquisite combat techniques, and the partial suppression of the Killing Domain by his Angel Domain!
The entire arena was silent for a moment before erupting into earth-shattering cheers and exclamations! This duel could be called a classic battle at the Titled Douluo level! Whether it was Tang Hao's overbearing and peerless attacks or Qian Xunji's unfathomable defense and counterattack, everyone was deeply shocked.
"The Clear Sky Douluo is defeated but still glorious!"
"Lord Qian Xunji is too strong! Invincible among his peers!"
"Two stars shining together, a well-deserved reputation!"
Praises rose one after another. Tang Hao was quickly carried away by people from the Clear Sky Sect for treatment, and Qian Xunji also left under the escort of Martial Soul Hall personnel to regulate his breath. This peak duel was destined to be recorded in history.
However, under this sea of boiling glory, in an inconspicuous corner of the spectator stands, one figure stood in stark contrast to the surrounding enthusiasm.
Yu Xiaogang huddled in a cheap seat, his hands gripping the hem of his clothes so tightly that his nails almost dug into his flesh. Through the jostling crowd, he stared at the giant crater in the center of the arena, at Qian Xunji being escorted away by the crowd, and at Tang Hao being carefully carried off, his eyes filled with envy, jealousy, and bottomless resentment that seemed ready to overflow.
"Why... why couldn't the person standing there be me?!" he roared madly in his heart. "I should have been the young master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan! I should have possessed the strongest martial soul! I should have been revered by thousands! It's all them! The sect failed me! This world failed me!"
He, too, had once dreamed of standing on such a stage, enjoying the attention of the masses.
But the reality was that eight years had passed, and he was still a level twenty-nine Soul Grand Master, stuck before the threshold of level thirty, unable to make any progress! Logically speaking, with his aptitude of innate level three soul power after taking the Marrow Cleansing Pill, even with poor talent, it shouldn't have been too difficult to break through to Soul Elder after decades of hard work.
But he was restless and impatient, fearing difficulty and hardship, wasting most of his time on unrealistic theoretical fantasies and blaming heaven and others, so his cultivation naturally stagnated.
After arriving in Martial Soul City, he harbored the dream of becoming a "theory master," only to find the reality incredibly cruel.
While ordinary books in the Martial Soul City library could be viewed for free, truly profound soul master theories and cultivation secret techniques required certain status credentials or high fees to borrow. He attempted to bluff his way through using his background from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, but the administrator demanded he show proof.
He stammered that he could find someone to verify it, but the reply he received was cold: upon verification, Yu Xiaogang had been expelled from the sect in his youth, and having failed to report for duty at the sect's assigned industries after reaching adulthood, his status as a sect disciple had been automatically revoked.
At that moment, Yu Xiaogang felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave. He no longer had even his last shred of reliance.
The soul master subsidies issued by the Federation had long since been exhausted (one ring for three years, 1 Gold Soul Coin per month; two rings for five years, 10 Gold Soul Coins per month), and he could only take on low-paying odd jobs in Martial Soul City or help low-level soul masters process materials to earn a meager income.
His combat power was at the bottom among his peers, and the soul skills of Three-Pound Cannon made him the subject of much discrimination. Most of the money he earned was invested in the paid sections of the library, and over the years, he had indeed memorized quite a bit, self-proclaiming to be "well-read."
He even went so far as to ignorantly summarize a set of so-called "Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul" from this patchwork of shallow knowledge; the content was mostly empty, the logic chaotic, and most importantly, many viewpoints were clearly plagiarized or misinterpreted from the achievements of others without citing the sources.
When he excitedly tried to publish them, the manuscript was rejected directly by the academic review agency, with comments sharply pointing out dozens of fatal flaws and suspicions of plagiarism.
Yet, Yu Xiaogang stubbornly believed that this was the authoritative institution suppressing him, a "folk genius," and that the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was pulling strings behind the scenes. He transferred this unwillingness and resentment into an extreme desire for fame and recognition.
During this period, he accidentally met the genius girl Bibi Dong, who was rising to fame within Martial Soul Hall. Bibi Dong was born with Twin Martial Souls, innate full soul power, peerless talent, and a beauty that could topple cities, making her highly valued by the Federation.
Attracted by her beauty and talent, Yu Xiaogang had the whimsical idea of using his "theories" to attract her.
He intercepted Bibi Dong, boasting that he had discovered the truth of the Soul Master World and compiled invincible theories, only to be unfairly suppressed, hoping that Bibi Dong would "uphold justice" for him.
Bibi Dong initially thought there was some real grievance and listened patiently for a few sentences. As a result, Yu Xiaogang brought out his set of "Ten Core Competencies" full of loopholes, and before he could finish, he was refuted point by point by Bibi Dong's solid theoretical foundation and clear logic.
Yu Xiaogang's face turned red, and wanting to argue but lacking the words, he began to blurt out his "tragic" life story, claiming he was born into the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan but was ruthlessly expelled due to poor talent, attempting to gain sympathy by smearing the sect, and even secretly hoping to pique this heaven-favored girl's interest in "noble family secrets."
He never expected that Bibi Dong had a close friend who was none other than Yu Yunliu, the illegitimate daughter of the third master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Yu Luomian.
From Yu Yunliu, Bibi Dong knew well that the current Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had a strict code of conduct and was quite fair to its disciples; even those born out of wedlock or with mutated martial souls had a chance to be nurtured if they had talent and were willing to work hard, as was the case with her close friend.
Yu Xiaogang's nonsense and black-and-white reversal completely infuriated Bibi Dong.
"Full of lies! It is one thing to lack strength, but your heart is not upright! How dare you slander the descendants of meritorious officials and defame a pillar sect of the Federation here!" Bibi Dong's pretty face frosted over, and she directly summoned the law enforcement soul masters in the city, intending to take Yu Xiaogang away for detention on the grounds of "spreading rumors and disrupting order."
Coincidentally, the captain of the law enforcement squad that came to handle the matter happened to be a disciple from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan who had heard of Yu Xiaogang's "glorious deeds."
Upon learning the ins and outs of the matter, especially hearing that Yu Xiaogang dared to openly smear the sect that gave birth to and raised him, the captain was instantly enraged!
"The sect gave birth to you and raised you, not asking for your repayment, yet you bite the hand that feeds you and turn around to slander them! Yu Xiaogang, are you even human!" The captain roared, and after politely sending Bibi Dong away, he turned off his Law Enforcement Recorder and walked toward Yu Xiaogang, who was locked in soul tool handcuffs, with a gloomy expression.
What happened next was easy to imagine. A "profound education" containing anger at his failure to live up to expectations and sorrow for his misfortune took place in the interrogation room.
Although the captain held back, not causing any fundamental damage, the physical pain and mental humiliation left an indelible mark on Yu Xiaogang.
When the bruised and swollen Yu Xiaogang was dragged out, the law enforcement captain calmed down, thinking that he was, after all, the bloodline of the Sect Master, and although abandoned, it was not appropriate to handle him too harshly in private, so he decided to escort him back to Dragon City to be dealt with by the Sect Master, Yu Yuanzhen.
The prison carriage slowly drove away from the bustling Martial Soul City, the wheels grinding over the stone road, making a monotonous sound. Inside the carriage, Yu Xiaogang huddled in a corner, his whole body in pain, but his heart hurt even more.
Through the bars, he watched the scenery flying backward outside the window, watched the cheers that seemed to still be echoing in the sky in the distance, and those eyes, which were originally only paranoid, were now filled with a venomous light like a viper.
"Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan... Bibi Dong... and those who look down on me... just you wait... I, Yu Xiaogang, will never let this go! One day, I will make all of you pay the price!"
The seeds of hatred, watered by humiliation and jealousy, quietly sprouted in the deepest quagmire of his heart. And the convoy escorting him was heading toward Dragon City, all the way north. It was at this very moment that a voice "changed" his destiny.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: GodKun-Chan