Chapter 164: with translation of chapter title

At sunset, the clouds glowed, sunlight gilding them with a thin layer of pale gold, and light burst from between the clouds like golden threads.

Li Teng first tidied his clothes, then led Tang San along a small path toward the courtyard, which appeared to cover an area of only a few hundred square meters.

The whole courtyard was in disarray; the originally elegant house had turned into a pool of dark green toxic water, continuously emitting a "sizzle" corrosive sound.

Their gazes were quickly drawn to the hooded woman lounging with her legs crossed on the stone table; they could not see her face clearly, only her smooth chin and the gold-silver moon earrings dangling from her hood, with ten star‑shaped platinum patterns on the silver moon of her right ear.

Her delicate feet swayed lazily, a faint pink tinged the heels and foreparts, the veins on her snow‑white soles more pronounced; despite having just endured a fierce battle, her soft, lovely feet remained spotless, like a clear, gentle stream that soothes the body and lets one forget all worldly worries.

Following the elegant curve of her feet upward, her plump, round ankles resembled lustrous pearls; her two slender lower legs were straight and fine, as if never touched by dust, and her waist was equally slender, so delicate it could barely be encircled by one hand.

She exuded no aura at all; at a glance she seemed merely a naturally beautiful woman devoid of any soul power.

But in Li Teng and Tang San's eyes, this woman was undoubtedly like an abyss, unfathomably deep.

Gazing at the woman before him, Tang San instinctively recalled a famous verse from his past life: "Her steps are light and delicate, her grace unmatched in the world."

Li Teng's eyes instantly turned fiery red; a strand of scarlet fire thorns slowly coiled around his body, and four soul rings—two yellow, two purple—appeared beneath his feet, undulating around his body up and down.

Li Teng quickened his pace, took a few steps forward, and when he stopped, his hands were already crossed on his shoulders, he slightly bowed and said respectfully, "President Li Teng of Noding Academy, martial soul Scarlet Fire Thorns, a forty‑second‑rank Control System Soul Ancestor, I pay my respects, Your Majesty."

In the world of soul masters, such a gesture is the proper etiquette for a junior greeting a senior; although this Titled Douluo appears young and lovely, she might actually be an old monster who has reverted to youth through cultivation, so even though Li Teng is not young, performing the junior salute will never be wrong.

"No need for excessive courtesy, please rise."

Qian Renxue responded indifferently, shifting her gaze to the honest Tang San following behind him. Because he daily trained his Purple‑level Magic Eyes while climbing mountains, Tang San's skin had taken on a healthy wheat tone, his black short hair looked neat, and though his attire was plain, it was clean and presentable.

"Are you Tang San?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Tang San acknowledged, stepped out from behind Li Teng, and respectfully saluted Qian Renxue; for some reason he felt he had heard her voice before, and his eyes showed a hint of excitement, for seated before him and Li Teng was a Titled Douluo‑level powerhouse.

Yu Xiaogang had previously told him on the high tower that Titled Douluo is the highest realm attainable by human soul masters, and only a Titled Douluo can contend with a hundred‑thousand‑year soul beast.

Throughout the soul master world, those who cultivate to this level are exceedingly rare, and without exception they possess tremendous power—able to command myriad troops with ease and even unleash attacks capable of destroying heaven and earth.

Moreover, this one is a Titled Douluo who has defeated a hundred‑thousand‑year soul beast.

A flicker of strange emotion crossed Qian Renxue's eyes hidden beneath her hood, making Tang San—her future arch‑rival—pay her respects; this was truly a path she had never imagined, and she did not know whether this Tang San was the true San Brother from the manga or the Tang God King from the novel.

She casually pointed at the cloaked man leaning against the opposite wall and said, "Look, is that dying man your father?"

"Ah?"

Tang San stared, then hastily turned to look behind him; at that instant he felt as if frozen, and there by the wall stood a middle‑aged man appearing close to fifty, yet his build was extremely tall and burly, though his attire was rather unsightly.

He wore a tattered gray robe with no patches, revealing the bronzed skin beneath; his once‑decent features were shrouded in a waxen yellow, his hair was a disheveled bird's nest, his untrimmed beard smeared with blood trickling from his mouth, and five deep claw marks of the dark‑gold dreadclaw bear marred his chest, blood continuously flowing.

Could it not be the Heavenly Douluo Tang Hao himself?

"Dad?!"

Tang San suddenly cried out; the excitement he had felt upon seeing a Titled Douluo instantly turned into helpless fear.

Perhaps because he was an orphan in his previous life, in this life Tang San cherishes this familial bond all the more.

Dad is injured—how did he end up here? Was it that hundred‑thousand‑year dark‑gold dreadclaw bear? Seeing the claw marks before his father, Tang San's eyes instantly reddened; he kicked the ground hard, flashed forward, and with trembling hands lunged at Tang Hao.

"Dad! How are you?! I'll bandage you right away!" Tang San immediately took off the new uniform he had just received, pressed it against Tang Hao's wound to staunch the bleeding.

But Tang Hao made no move, as if he didn't even care about his injuries; he merely trembled his lips, his gaze dull and yellowish as he looked at Qian Renxue, his face bearing a hint of pain and regret.

In the battle where A Yin sacrificed herself, Tang Hao did not detonate his soul rings, so his body remained intact; however, earlier he had been ambushed by that human‑shaped dark‑gold dreadclaw bear and suffered a dark‑gold dreadclaw strike—had he not promptly used the soul bone skill Heavenly Guard, he would likely have been torn in half; even if healed now, his body would certainly retain hidden injuries.

Just now Tang Hao awoke from his coma and personally saw Qian Renxue's soul rings; he now truly believes that A Yin will definitely return.

Tang Hao suddenly seized Tang San's trembling wrist, stared at Qian Renxue with burning eyes, and said, "Xiao San, do you still remember what I once told you? From now on you will follow her! She is the one I spoke of—you are a one‑in‑a‑million twin martial soul, and the only person in this world capable of keeping pace with her."

Looking at his father's frail state, Tang San's tears poured out uncontrollably.

"I remember, Dad, I've always remembered—please don't speak for now, okay? With Her Majesty here, she's a Titled Douluo! You'll surely be fine!"

Tang Hao's pupils grew more yellowish, and he chuckled, "A Titled Douluo? Heh, Xiao San also knows what a Titled Douluo is."

Under the astonished gazes of Tang San and Li Teng, two yellow, two purple, and five black—nine soul rings—slowly appeared around Tang Hao, and in his hand materialized an overbearing black‑gold great hammer.

Li Teng looked somewhat sorrowfully at those nine soul rings; in his Noding Academy a Titled Douluo had actually fallen!

"Dad?! You!!"

So that's why—no wonder the teacher said a Titled Douluo could not defeat a hundred‑thousand‑year dark‑gold dreadclaw bear; it turns out the fight at Noding Academy wasn't just Her Majesty alone, but also his father!!! Tang San now feels both pride and sorrow: proud that his father is actually a heaven‑standing Titled Douluo, and pained that his father was gravely wounded by that hundred‑thousand‑year soul beast.

Perhaps sensing his impending death, Tang Hao's voice softened considerably; he glanced at Qian Renxue, then said, "Titled Douluo are not omnipotent; I know my own injuries well. I will transmit to you a secret technique of the Clear Sky Sect—you must not pass it on to others casually, for it belongs to the sect. Do you remember?"

"Yes!" Tang San replied through tear‑filled eyes.

The Clear Sky Sect's Meru Hammer has traditionally been cultivable only by successive Heavenly Douluo; after Tang Zhen's death, in this generation only Tang Hao knows this method, and if it is not passed on, the Meru Hammer will be lost.

Tang Hao drew a breath, his voice tightening into a line: "Our Clear Sky Sect's special cultivation method can be transmitted to only one person per generation; it is not mere selfish hoarding, but this art demands extraordinarily high aptitude—without a heaven‑gifted genius one cannot succeed, and attempting it risks one's life. This cultivation technique is called the Meru Hammer." Tang San paused, knowing that Meru and mustard seed are opposites: Meru signifies boundless vastness, while mustard seed signifies boundless smallness. Just as the third stage of his Purple‑level Magic Eyes, the mustard‑seed level, refers to perceiving infinitesimal objects through those eyes, the Meru Hammer method of the Heavenly Hammer obviously means a special hammer technique that unleashes the Heavenly Hammer's power to boundless magnitude.

"The Meru Hammer, theoretically, consists of condensing all one's soul rings into a single entity, pouring them entirely into the Heavenly Hammer to become the purest force and attack power, multiplying one's strength geometrically, forcibly breaking all restraints, and unleashing a might surpassing one's own soul power. It follows the line of one force overcoming ten benefits; no matter how many opponent soul skills or techniques they have, they cannot contend with the Heavenly Hammer's purest force and attack power."

Tang Hao, relying on his overbearing soul power, deliberately transmitted the Clear Sky Sect's divine technique's oral formula to Tang San in a strained voice under Qian Renxue's gaze.

Tang San had just embarked on the soul master's path of cultivation; he did not understand that the Clear Sky Sect's Meru Hammer was a secret technique learnable only by the sect master, so he could only rely on the mental strength he had gained from years of cultivating his Purple‑level Magic Eyes to forcibly memorize these formulae.

Having done that, Tang Hao retracted his martial soul, slowly closed his eyes as if awaiting death, and spoke in a weary voice:

"Xiao San, after I die, bury me in Holy Spirit Village."

"Mm!!"

Gradually, his breathing ceased. Tang San was now sobbing uncontrollably.

Qian Renxue coldly watched Tang Hao act before her; this old man's breath and blood had vanished, yet his life‑fire continued to smolder secretly, like an indestructible cockroach—since she hadn't seen A Yin resurrected, how could he willingly close his eyes? Is this some sort of tortoise‑breath technique? And yet he imparted the Clear Sky Sect's ultimate learning right before her face—hmph! There must be something fishy!

Why feign death? Isn't he afraid I'll finish him off or dismember him? Take his soul bones? Make him a useless cripple? Have Tang San follow me? On what grounds should I bring his son? Does his good talent mean she won't kill him? Did he deliberately teach the Clear Sky Sect's ultimate art before her to save Tang San's life? If so, then don't blame me for using his son—this is you delivering him right to my doorstep.

Qian Renxue stepped down from the stone table, approached slowly, and said coldly, "Stop crying; I have a way to save his life." Her feet were a foot above the ground, actually walking in mid‑air.

Tang San's body suddenly stiffened; he thumped to his knees before Qian Renxue with a "plop" and pleaded, "Your Majesty! Please! Save my father! He is my only kin; Tang San is willing to serve you as an ox or horse!"

A powerful surge of soul power directly shoved Tang San aside; Qian Renxue, well‑versed in CPU tactics, offered no gentle comfort, instead scoffing contemptuously, "What can a petty Soul Scholar like you do for me? Get lost, don't get in my way."

"Whatever you saw today, you'd better keep it buried in your stomach!"

Four pairs of angelic wings unfurled behind her again—red, red, red, red, red, red, platinum, orange, red! Nine soul rings slowly undulated around her.

Li Teng ren had already been scared silly; even Tang San, this newbie who just started learning soul master knowledge, understood what a red soul ring actually meant, because that suddenly appearing Darkgold Fearclaw Bear—Yu Xiaogang had previously given him a complete rundown of all soul rings' ages and colors.

Red is the soul ring of a ten-thousand-year soul beast; only the orange and white-gold soul ring colors, the Grandmaster never taught him these. Qian Renxue's eyes gradually turned gold—not the brilliant gold of the Angel Martial Soul itself, but a white-gold filled with divine aura—strands of white-gold soul power wrapped Tang Hao's body, forming a white-gold coffin engraved with angelic patterns.

Tang Hao's body has been completely sealed by Qian Renxue's divine power—you aren't one who likes to play dead? I'll let you experience the feeling of a vegetative state for free; I don't even know if Tang Hao is conscious now. From now on, Tang Hao, don't come out—just be a Sleeping Beauty.

"Cough cough. Mm."

It seems because of the previous battle, Qian Renxue's injuries flared up again; the white-gold light on her body suddenly dimmed, and she couldn't stop coughing.

Facing Tang San's expectant yet slightly worried gaze, Qian Renxue lowered her hand covering her mouth and coldly said, "How? Are you looking down on me?"

Tang San, eyes red, shook his head and said, "Your Excellency's great kindness and virtue, Tang San will never forget!" Having just gone through a great battle, how could he be unscathed? Your Excellency, to save his father, is clearly overexerting yourself! Qian Renxue gave a cold snort: "Your father's injuries are too severe; my divine power can only keep his body in a sealed state. The condition won't worsen, but the seal cannot be lifted later, or else he will surely die."

Tang San hurriedly asked, "Your Excellency, do you have any way to cure him?"

Qian Renxue fell silent for a moment, seeming somewhat embarrassed, then continued to coax: "His injury wasn't from an ordinary ten-thousand-year soul beast attack; that was a ferocious beast—only soul beasts over ten thousand years old qualify as ferocious beasts, and that Darkgold Fearclaw Bear's cultivation is completely over four hundred thousand years; do you understand this concept?"

"Besides a Healing System Title Douluo, there is no other way to heal—but on the Douluo Continent there is simply no Healing System Title Douluo."

"The Ye Family's Healing System soul master's soul power is only at the Soul Douluo level; moreover, the Nine Heart Sea Cherry Martial Soul is too heaven-defying, only able to be passed down a single line, that Soul Douluo has long passed away, with no chance to break through to Title Douluo."

Listening to Qian Renxue's words, Tang San absentmindedly stroked the white-gold coffin; he had wanted to carry his father all the way to seek help, but he never expected that on the Douluo Continent there is simply no Healing System Title Douluo. A dead end? "This"

He fell silent for a long time, then finally raised his head, his gaze firm as he looked at Qian Renxue.

"Your Excellency, even so, I will never give up! I will find a Healing System Title Douluo! If that fails, I will become one myself!"

Qian Renxue stared, "This won't do—if your Blue Silver Emperor goes the Healing System route, isn't that the right path? Unsuitable, unsuitable—how could she lure you onto the right path?"

The Radiant Holy Title Douluo, Your Excellency, seemed angered by Tang San's defiant words; she snapped: "Nonsense!!! How can you joke about your own future? Even if you have Twin Martial Souls, it's no excuse!"

"Although there is no Healing System Title Douluo, I have a disciple who could become one in the future, perhaps able to help you; her martial soul is the Jade Emerald Swan, a Life Attribute Soul Master."

"Remember! You are the son of a Title Douluo! The future force to stand against ferocious beasts! How could you tarnish Tang Hao's prestige? For cultivation matters, ask your teacher—I will not allow you to act recklessly!"

Tang San only felt warmth in his heart; even by Tang Hao's side he had never felt this sense of being cared for, being looked after—he was a little envious of Your Excellency's relatives; they must be the happiest family in this world?

Tang San stepped back, widening the distance between himself and Qian Renxue; then he dropped to his knees and kowtowed three times respectfully to Qian Renxue.

"Thank you; Tang San knows saying this is futile, Your Excellency's great kindness! Tang San has nothing to repay—does Your Excellency have children? My parents are gone; if you don't mind, little three wishes to support you in your old age."

This left Qian Renxue dumbfounded—damn, I used too much force and brought Tang Hao's son over; I already took his wife, now I won't even let his son go—is this a bit too bestial? Qian Renxue wore a look of regret, as if lamenting her lonely life; she said softly: "I have spent my life protecting humanity, fighting ferocious beasts, never married, never had time to adopt children; if you wish, from now on just call me godmother."

Hearing this, Tang San's heart warmed, his eyes moistened, a feeling of pity arose; his wheat-colored face showed a pure, clear smile.

"Mom!"

"Mm, good son."

Li Teng: "Your Excellency, I also want to give you."

Qian Renxue: "Shut up."

Li Teng: "Okay!"

5000, Tang San also got talked into limpness, next is to push the progress,

(End of chapter)