T/N: Again, no chapters next week cause I'm moving, back to normal after that.
The heavy pat on his shoulder made Tang San curl his lip. He suspected Chu Chengzhou did it on purpose.
He stepped forward, bowed to Tang Xiao and the five elders, swept his gaze across the Haotian disciples, and cupped his fist. "I am Tang San. Please advise."
No one moved.
They were all third-generation disciples, but their ages varied widely. The youngest had not yet awakened a martial soul; the oldest were already past forty. Tang San looked not yet twenty, cleanly in the middle.
If an older third-gen stepped out, victory would look unfair. Unfair might not matter normally, but Tang San had a very capable uncle-in-law. Beating Tang San and slapping that man's face could earn a grudge from a monster. If someone younger went up, they would be asking for a beating. Tang San was the child of Haotian Douluo and a hundred-thousand-year transformed soul beast. His talent would not be poor.
So no one volunteered.
Second Elder Tang Bo frowned, scanned the ranks, and called, "Where is Tang Hu?"
"Second Grand-Uncle."
A burly man in gray, mid-thirties by appearance, stepped from the crowd. This was Tang Tiantian's father, Tang Hu—the current chief of the third generation.
"Tang Hu, rank fifty-eight, assault-type battle Soul King. Please."
Resigned to being named, Tang Hu manifested the Clear Sky Hammer. Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black—five rings rose. He gestured for Tang San to begin.
Thirty-eight? He looks nearly forty and still isn't at six rings. This is the chief of the third generation?
Chu Chengzhou sent a voice transmission to Tang Yuehua.
Nearly forty what? He just looks old. He's thirty, Tang Yuehua shot back.
"…Fair. Just a mature face," Chu thought. "Like a sausage-making uncle who forgot to shave."
"Tang San, Tang Hu is our third-generation chief. If you defeat him, his peers will have nothing to say," Tang Bo said, cutting a glance at Chu.
Tang San nodded. Black light flashed in his left hand as the Clear Sky Hammer appeared. He saluted Tang Hu. "Tang San, rank fifty-six Soul King. Please."
Since this was about acknowledging his lineage, and both sides used the Clear Sky Hammer, Tang San had no intention of showing the Blue Silver Emperor. He would win with the hammer alone. Beating the third-gen chief with a hammer that didn't even have rings would speak louder than any boast.
Rank fifty-six?
Tang Hu raised a brow. The kid was at least ten years younger than he was, yet his soul power was only a shade lower.
"Wait. Tang San, your soul rings…" Second Elder Tang Bo stared. The manifested hammer carried no rings at all. A soul master without rings?
He could also tell the hammer's contours were the original, unaugmented form—no ring-driven changes, only a few odd white lines.
"Second Elder, have you never heard the term 'twin martial souls'?" Tang Yuehua said mildly.
"Twin martial souls? You mean like Spirit Hall's current Pope, Bibi Dong?" Tang Bo's pupils shrank. Even in seclusion, the Haotian Sect tracked news on their greatest enemy. He knew Bibi Dong was a twin-spirit soul master—and one of the strongest alive.
Tang Yuehua nodded. "Yes. Xiao San inherited his father's Clear Sky Hammer and his mother's Blue Silver Emperor. He was born with full innate soul power and has focused on cultivating the Blue Silver Emperor for now.
"Elders, imagine this: when he reaches Titled Douluo, then adds high-year rings to the Clear Sky Hammer—what will his strength be? I daresay that, like Ancestor Tang Chen, achieving the realm of an Ultimate Douluo is not impossible."
An aunt should sell her nephew properly. The more outstanding the nephew, the stronger the hope of revitalizing the sect, and the fewer knots in everyone's heart.
Light flashed in the elders' eyes.
Another Titled Douluo would not change the board much for the Haotian Sect. Another Ultimate Douluo would.
Why had Spirit Hall dared force the Haotian Sect into seclusion back then, yet not finish the job? Not because they didn't know to cut the grass and pull the roots, but because the Haotian Sect still had Ancestor Tang Chen—"Invincible on Land"—an Ultimate Douluo. With him missing, the sect could not contend with Spirit Hall and thus sealed the mountain. But since there was no certain news of his death, Spirit Hall feared him and did not dare slaughter them all. If he returned, the retribution could not be borne.
Tang Chen had been gone for years. Whether he would return was unknown. If the sect could produce another Ultimate Douluo, they might not topple Spirit Hall overnight, but revitalizing the Haotian Sect would be no problem.
A barely perceptible heat kindled in the elders' gazes toward Tang San. If not for the stain of being the sinner Tang Hao's son, they would have enshrined him already.
Geniuses are always favored. Everyone wants a ride when the genius takes off.
Shelter a genius (×). Get carried later (√).
The Way of the Thigh Holding is exactly this.
T/N: For 40 chapters ahead on my translations, become a p@tron at [email protected]/LordHipposApostle