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Tang San had locked himself in his room and hadn't come out for days, desperately cultivating the Xuan Tian Skill, using rigorous training to numb his emotions.
He looked completely out of sorts—his complexion sallow and his body gaunt, cheeks sunken, eye sockets hollow, and his gaze dull. He was a picture of numb despair.
Strangely enough, his relentless effort was not without results. After all that time, his soul power successfully broke through to level 42.
Outside Tang San's room, Xiao Wu paced anxiously, her face full of worry as she stared at the worn wooden door, as if she could see through it to the broken figure inside.
Ordinarily, this would have been the time for Dugu Bo to step in and counsel Tang San—but the current Dugu Bo had no idea who Tang San was.
However, Tang San still had a "Schrödinger's father"—one who usually lurked in the shadows, hiding like a rat on the run, silently observing him from afar.
And when Tang San needed help the most, that was when he would finally appear. Clearly, this was one of those moments.
Whoosh—
Suddenly, like a phantom, a man in ragged, tattered clothes appeared out of nowhere in Tang San's room. The arrival was so silent and swift that even Xiao Wu, just outside the door, failed to notice his presence.
It was Tang Hao.
He wore a torn hemp robe that barely concealed his well-built frame and sun-bronzed skin. Despite years of apparent neglect, his body remained as muscular and powerful as ever.
Staring at the despondent Tang San, Tang Hao couldn't help but frown. His son didn't even react to his arrival—this lifeless shell hardly resembled the boy he knew.
With an icy tone, he called out, "Xiao San."
Upon hearing the familiar voice, Tang San's bloodshot eyes flew open. He stared wide-eyed at the man who looked exactly like the image seared into his memory. In an instant, he dropped to his knees with a thud.
"Father!"
To appear before him in the blink of an eye—this was a technique only a Titled Douluo could possess! There was no doubt about it. His father really was a Titled Douluo! He was the son of a Titled Douluo!
He had always been envious, especially after learning that Dai Mubai's father was a Titled Douluo.
Though Titan had once told him that his own father, Tang Hao, was a Titled Douluo, it had always been hard to connect that title with the drunken, disheveled man he had grown up with.
But now, after witnessing this, Tang San believed it.
He believed it!
He truly believed it!
His father really was a Titled Douluo—one of the strongest beings on the entire continent!
"Father, so it was all true… what Senior Titan told me… But why…?"
Tang San desperately wanted to ask why his father had hidden the truth. Perhaps because Tang Hao was furious seeing his son so broken, he didn't tell him to rise. Instead, he sat comfortably in a chair nearby, letting Tang San remain kneeling.
"I didn't tell you for one reason only—you're still too weak. Knowing the truth would have only brought you harm."
You're too weak!
Those four words were like daggers plunging deep into Tang San's heart. Already disheartened, Tang San couldn't understand how such ice-cold words could come from his father's warm, living breath, and it made him feel even more worthless.
"I'm sorry, Father. I've disappointed you. In the battle against Elephant Armored Academy, I used everything I had just to barely defeat Huyan Li... But Father!"
Suddenly, Tang San raised his head, his tone shifting dramatically. Releasing both his Blue Silver Grass and Clear Sky Hammer martial souls, he looked at Tang Hao in confusion.
"Why did you and Grandmaster both insist I train with the Blue Silver Grass first? It's clearly a useless martial soul—brittle, weak, and with no real value for cultivation. The Clear Sky Hammer is entirely different! If I had cultivated the Clear Sky Hammer from the start, I'd be so much stronger now! When I fought Elephant Armored Academy, I probably wouldn't have had to struggle like that, right? Why wouldn't either of you let me train with it?"
"Because you're not yet strong enough to absorb a ten-thousand-year soul ring," Tang Hao said flatly. "Grandmaster and I made you start with the Blue Silver Grass precisely because it's seen as a 'trash' martial soul. You can use it to cultivate safely up to the Soul King—or even Soul Emperor—level."
After a pause, he added, "Once you become a Soul King, you can attach a ten-thousand-year soul ring to your Blue Silver Grass. At that point, your Clear Sky Hammer's first soul ring can start at ten thousand years. If you reach Soul Emperor with Blue Silver Grass, then the first ring on your Clear Sky Hammer could be twenty thousand years. By that logic, if you manage to become a Titled Douluo with the Blue Silver Grass, then your Clear Sky Hammer could absorb ten hundred-thousand-year soul rings without any problem.
Think about it. If you really did that—if your Clear Sky Hammer had ten hundred-thousand-year rings—how powerful would you be? Compared to that kind of potential, what's a little hardship now?"
"Ah…" Tang San was incredibly smart. In a flash, he understood. His eyes lit up with renewed brilliance, and the dark cloud over his heart was instantly swept away.
"Besides… do you really think your Blue Silver Grass is weak?"
Tang Hao's sudden question caught Tang San off guard. "What? But even Grandmaster said the Blue Silver Grass was a useless martial soul!"
"Other people's Blue Silver Grass might be useless. But not yours," Tang Hao said, shaking his head. His Ah Yin could never be a weakling.
"I'm going to take you away from Shrek Academy and train you myself. Once you meet my standards, I'll bring you to a place where your Blue Silver Grass will evolve. When that happens, your Blue Silver Grass won't be any weaker than the Clear Sky Hammer."
"Martial soul evolution?!"
Tang San's eyes lit up. He was familiar with the concept—he'd seen it with Dai Weisi and Ning Rongrong. Dai Weisi's martial soul had evolved, and Ning Rongrong's had transformed into the Eight Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda after consuming the Prism Grass.
He had felt a deep envy ever since. Now, the same opportunity was before him—he wouldn't let it slip away.
"Really, Father? My Blue Silver Grass can evolve too?"
Tang Hao replied coldly, "Of course. But only if you can pass my tests. If you can't, then your martial soul will remain as it is."
"Alright, Father! I will pass your tests!"
"Good. Then we leave Shrek now." With that, Tang Hao opened the door. With his strength, he had long since sensed Xiao Wu standing outside.
"Y-you are…"
Xiao Wu's face turned pale as she stared at the burly man before her, her delicate features frozen in terror. She could instantly sense it—the man before her was a Titled Douluo!
Realizing this, she collapsed onto the floor, trembling uncontrollably, nearly wetting herself from fright.
Tang Hao didn't attack. Instead, he said calmly, "Don't be afraid. I'm Xiao San's father. I know everything about you and him. I won't hurt you."
These words shocked Xiao Wu to her core. How could this be? Xiao San's father is a Titled Douluo?!
(End of Chapter)