Seeing Tang Hao waiting for him at the sect's entrance early, Tang San nodded and said, "Everything went smoothly, Dad. I can't talk much now—I have some things to attend to. Oh, and about Slaughter City, wait for me a few more days. I need to handle some matters first."
Without another word, Tang San quickened his pace and dashed toward the black tower where he forged Hidden Weapons. At this moment, he wished he could fly.
Watching his son sprint past him, Tang Hao thought to himself: Well, my son's grown up—doesn't even listen to his father anymore.
A mischievous grin crept onto Tang Hao's face as he watched Tang San's retreating figure. He chuckled to himself, "Heh heh heh, that brat. Judging by his Soul Power aura, he's broken through to the twentieth rank. Since he's reached it, he should get some proper training. Otherwise, when he gets to a place like Slaughter City..."
Rubbing his chin, Tang Hao already had an idea in mind. Then, he turned and headed toward Clear Sky City.
Naturally, Tang San had no idea about his father's little schemes. Right now, he was itching to dismantle the Soul Guidance Device he had discovered in the Mountain Moving Goblin's cave and figure out exactly what it was. Perhaps it could even unravel the mysteries of Soul Guidance Devices.
Carefully, Tang San retrieved all the pieces from his storage ring. The broken Soul Guidance Device resembled a pot, though it was different from the usual cooking pots—its hollow center was rather small.
The pot-shaped Soul Guidance Device was only about the size of a human head, yet it was astonishingly heavy. Its surface was pockmarked, and intricate patterns along with metal components were engraved on its inner walls—so complex that their meaning was completely indecipherable.
Of course, the entire device could only roughly resemble its original shape, as it was far too shattered. Even after piecing together all the fragments Tang San had gathered from the cave floor, he couldn't assemble a complete version.
"Wait, this Soul Guidance Device isn't the Tang Sect's Wrath of Buddha Tang Lotus. I was too hasty—this clearly isn't it." Tang San laughed bitterly at himself. How had he ever mistaken this pot-like object for the Wrath of Buddha Tang Lotus? Their shapes and sizes were completely unrelated.
"The materials used in this Soul Guidance Device are quite precious, though." His Profound Jade Hand's tactile feedback revealed something unusual—the internal components were forged from Deep Sea Sinking Silver and Star-Patterned Steel.
Activating his Purple Demon Eyes, Tang San scrutinized the device in meticulous detail. The more he examined it, the more astonished he became.
"The inlaying technique of this Soul Guidance Device bears some resemblance to the Tang Sect Hidden Weapons' assembly methods. Could this device actually be related to the Tang Sect? Or is it just a coincidence?" Tang San quickly dismissed the idea of coincidence.
While names could be coincidental, the mechanical lock on the stone box couldn't possibly be.
After a long period of contemplation, Tang San could only shrug helplessly and mutter to himself, "Well, this is a world where gods exist—I guess nothing's truly impossible."
Even though Tang San had obtained some ancient Tang Sect inheritance through the Lotus Soul Guidance Device, it was still from a bygone era. Moreover, so-called Hidden Weapons and Soul Guidance Devices were vastly different. After several days of research, Tang San's final conclusion was: This Soul Guidance Device is incomplete—a mere prototype.
As for its origins or why it was connected to the Tang Sect, those mysteries remained unsolved.
A few days later, with a creaking sound, Tang San finally emerged from the black tower without having made any significant discoveries. Tang Hao had already been waiting for him.
Seeing his father waiting, Tang San straightened his clothes and said, "Father, after I freshen up, we can head to Slaughter City today."
Tang San assumed Tang Hao was waiting to take him to Slaughter City to awaken his Martial Soul. However, Tang Hao shook his head with a smile and said, "You know Slaughter City is a place dominated by slaughter. There, you can only release your Martial Soul but cannot use Soul Skills. Moreover, due to the special rules of Slaughter City, I can't accompany you inside. That means the method to awaken your second Martial Soul will have to be discovered by you alone."
Tang San nodded. Of course, he knew this. He had heard about some of Slaughter City's rules. Once he awakened his second Martial Soul, Tang Hao would storm into Slaughter City and forcibly bring him out, bypassing the need for Tang San to challenge the Hell Slaughter Arena or traverse the so-called Road to Hell.
As for how to awaken the second Martial Soul, he would likely only find out after entering Slaughter City.
Tang Hao continued, "The fact that you hunted your second Soul Ring alone proves you have both strength and courage. But Slaughter City is unpredictable. Your Hidden Weapons might not be usable there. So, before I take you to Slaughter City, you must prove your strength in the Clear Sky Soul Arena."
!!!?
Although Tang San had been granted management rights over the Clear Sky Soul Arena by the sect when he awakened his Martial Soul, he had rarely visited in the past few years. The reason was simple: the Soul Duel Arena required participants to be at least a two-ringed Great Soul Master. One-ringed Soul Masters were practically children playing games.
Registering for the arena was straightforward. One only needed to fill out a form with details like name, age, birthplace, and Martial Soul to receive the initial Iron Battle Soul Badge. Registration also required a fee of ten gold soul coins per person, though disciples of the Clear Sky Sect were exempt.
Moreover, the Clear Sky Soul Arena was founded by the Clear Sky Sect, meaning sect disciples also participated there. As one of the top-tier arenas on the continent, it was teeming with formidable experts.
The arena matches came in three formats: one-on-one, two-on-two, and group battles. For group battles, the number of participants was negotiated, typically limited to seven to ten people per side, following the arena's general rules.
The arena badges were divided into eight ranks: Iron Battle Soul Badge, Bronze Battle Soul Badge, Silver Battle Soul Badge, Gold Battle Soul Badge, Amethyst Gold Battle Soul Badge, Sapphire Battle Soul Badge, Ruby Battle Soul Badge, and Diamond Battle Soul Badge.
Disciples of the Clear Sky Sect had an additional rank—the ninth badge: the Clear Sky Battle Soul. Only those who defeated all Diamond Battle Soul Badge holders in the Clear Sky Soul Arena could obtain it!
This badge was unique to the Clear Sky Soul Arena, as it was a rule established by the Clear Sky Sect itself. The reward for earning the Clear Sky Battle Soul Badge was singular: inheriting the title of Clear Sky Douluo.
To put it plainly, within the Clear Sky Sect, the Clear Sky Soul Arena served as a ladder for its disciples—a ranking system for sect members!
"Xiao San, you're already at the twentieth rank with two Soul Rings. If you can't even defeat opponents of the same level, how will you obtain the Clear Sky Battle Soul badge and inherit the title of Clear Sky Douluo in the future?" Tang Hao's gaze turned sharp. As the current Clear Sky Douluo, he had once been the undisputed king of the Clear Sky Soul Arena—no one dared challenge him!
(End of Chapter)