"You guys are just selling me out again?" Oslo protested.
"No helping it—capable people do more work," Tian Lin patted his shoulder. "Anyway, you don't like hiding out, and Zhuqing doesn't want you around. Better to work in the shadows and help Tianheng. With your current strength, even if you run into Tang Hao again I'm not worried—you might not win, but you can run."
"Oslo, please—we don't want my husband ending up like you did," Dugu Yan pleaded. "You're our true number two now—strong, handsome, and Tianheng can't match you anymore. If you add in some heroic deeds, you'll be a heartthrob for thousands of girls."
Dugu Yan knew Oslo well—just flatter him enough and he'd be over the moon.
Sure enough, Oslo lit up. "Heartthrob for thousands of girls! That's it! Yan, you've got great taste. Who else but me could take this big responsibility? Hahaha!"
Watching Oslo laugh wildly, Tian Lin shook his head. "This guy's so simple. Someday if Yan sells him out, he'll probably help her count the money."
Qin Ming sighed. "He's still the same, all power, no brains. Make him number two and Emperor Battle will be finished."
…
They split up near Heavn Dou City. The Shi brothers went home, Oslo left with Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan for the Blue Lightning clan, and the rest returned to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
When they arrived at Seven Treasure City, they saw a strange sight. Not long ago, the sect had been deserted due to pressure from the Heaven Dou Empire, but now it was bustling.
At the gate, a line of hundreds—men and women, young and old.
They were all here to join the sect.
"Where is boss? I'm swamped!" At the city gate, Oscar was grumbling. He'd been assigned to greet newcomers by Ning Fengzhi.
Tian Lin was about to ask what was going on, then heard Oscar's complaints and quickly ducked back. No way was he getting roped in to help, so he led the group in through a side gate.
Of course, this didn't escape the notice of the keen-sensed Bai Chenxiang, now in charge of security. She quickly came over.
"Senior Brother, you're back."
"Yeah, Junior Sister. What's going on—why so many people joining? Did the sect start actively recruiting?" Tian Lin asked.
Bai Chenxiang shook her head. "No, it's because of you and Master. Before, because of the Xue Qinghe incident, the sect was suspected of colluding with a fake prince, and under imperial manipulation, our reputation suffered, so no one joined.
"But recently, what you and Master did in the Heaven Dou palace has spread across the empire. You fought Clear Sky Douluo to avenge your brother, and Master intimidated the entire royal family for you. People admire your bonds and strength, while resenting Tang Hao's baseless killing and the royal family's protection of him. Many who would have joined Clear Sky Sect or the royal family switched to us instead."
"So the imperial smear campaign was accidentally broken?" Gu Ran exclaimed.
Celebrity effect!
Tian Lin realized he'd been stupid, forgetting the simplest method. In this world, there were no celebrities—just Title Douluo.
Like Bibi Dong, her strength and beauty attracted many soul masters to Spirit Hall.
Especially the Ultimate Douluo—the true peak. Spirit Hall and Clear Sky Sect grew so powerful because of Qian Daoliu and Tang Chen, each attracting countless followers.
Now, Tang Chen had been missing for decades, Qian Daoliu had lost to Chen Xin, and as for Bo Saixi, few even knew she existed.
Among humans, Chen Xin was now considered the world's number one, and Tian Lin the strongest of the young generation. With both being fiercely protective, it was no wonder they attracted so many admirers.
People sensed the undercurrents; they knew war between Spirit Hall and the empires was inevitable. When that happened, neutrals wouldn't survive—they'd need protection. Those unwilling to join Spirit Hall could only choose the empire or a sect.
But after recent events, many were disillusioned with both Clear Sky Sect and the royal family. If they wouldn't even protect their own officials' sons, but shielded a murderer instead, how could they be trusted?
Besides, when faced with Chen Xin's pressure, both the royal family and Clear Sky Sect cowered. What use was joining them?
To this day, Tang Hao and the Heaven Dou Empire still hadn't provided hard evidence of Oslo's treason—just vague accusations.
Such excuses convinced neither the public nor their hearts.
Ning Fengzhi often sighed—he'd outsmarted himself. If he'd known that simply showing strength could shatter the imperial blockade, he wouldn't have been so cautious.
Turns out, sometimes Chen Xin's brute force worked better than his cleverness.
"Junior Sister, how many soul masters has the sect recruited so far?" Tian Lin asked.
"About 800. Uncle Ning said our sect always values quality over quantity, so while we don't accept just anyone, most people have been admitted as long as they have no moral stains. Those with talent join the inner sect and one of the five main halls, while those of average talent become outer disciples," Bai Chenxiang replied.
Tian Lin nodded. "Good. Pass on my order: outer disciples may cultivate the sect's advanced meditation method; inner disciples, the Mysterious Heaven Skills. If anyone proves themselves core disciple material, I'll personally adapt my inner technique for them. It's a pity now—I kind of regret killing Tang San. If he were around, I could have had disciples trained in Tang Sect skills hang around the imperial palace every day just to annoy him to death."
At this, everyone broke into a cold sweat. Tian Lin's grudge against the Tang family was deep—Oslo's resurrection didn't lessen it one bit.
When it came to his brothers, Tian Lin could be more petty than an ant.