"Father, why—"
"You've gone too far!" Tang Xiao interrupted Tang San before he could finish speaking, immediately suppressing him with his aura. Then, turning around, he bowed respectfully to Ye Renxin while holding Xiao Wu in his arms.
"Senior Ye, I apologize. This junior has acted recklessly…"
"I don't think it's just the junior being reckless. It seems your Clear Sky Sect has always been unreasonable. First, Tang Hao, and now Tang San. I don't understand what irreconcilable hatred exists between my Nine-Hearted Begonia Clan and your Clear Sky Sect."
"In the past, I saved your sect. The fact that you've forgotten that kindness is one thing, but I don't know when I became the target of your enmity."
Even though Tang Xiao was a Rank 97 Titled Douluo, Ye Renxin, protected by Dugu Bo standing beside him, couldn't even be bothered to show him a polite expression. He coldly replied and left without looking back.
At that moment, Tang Xiao felt as though everyone in the arena—be they ordinary people, soul masters, or even those of high status—was looking at him with eyes that turned icy cold in an instant.
Although no one openly cursed the Clear Sky Sect or them directly, Tang Xiao could sense the hostility everyone held toward both him and Tang San.
The controversy surrounding Tang Hao's unprovoked attack on the Nine-Hearted Begonia Clan had not yet subsided. It had only been temporarily suppressed because Tang Chen had returned. However, people on the continent still remembered it vividly.
Ye Renxin's actions in saving the Elephant Armored Sect were universally accepted as reasonable—after all, the Nine-Hearted Begonia Clan had always acted in such a manner.
When it came to Tang San's attempt to assist, Ye Renxin chose to turn a blind eye. Everyone present understood this decision; Ye Renxin still bore a grudge, having been attacked not long ago.
But Tang San's sudden and reckless move to take out some strange object and seemingly prepare to attack Ye Renxin was something no one—not ordinary people, soul masters, or even Tang Xiao—could comprehend.
Tang San's appalling actions, carried out in full view of the public, made Tang Xiao feel as though he had been struck hard by his own Clear Sky Hammer.
Yes, with Tang Chen's return, the Clear Sky Sect had regained its position as the number one sect in the world. But even the number one sect couldn't afford to act without any sense of propriety or consideration for its reputation.
Tang Xiao bowed deeply to Ye Renxin's retreating figure, then immediately grabbed Tang San, hauling him up with one hand while holding Xiao Wu with the other. Without hesitation, he disappeared to find a place to hide.
...
No one knew how Tang Xiao dealt with Tang San afterward. However, when Tang San reappeared a week later, his eyes carried a clear gloom, and the once-close relationship between him and Tang Xiao now showed obvious cracks.
Even in front of others, Tang San no longer referred to Tang Xiao as "Father." Instead, he addressed him coldly as "Sect Master," his defiant attitude so apparent that Tang Xiao eventually returned to the Clear Sky Sect and casually assigned a Soul Douluo to take over as team leader.
According to the regulations of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, any team responsible for causing casualties must not only provide compensation but also withdraw from the competition.
However, upon learning of the incident, Tang Chen, waiting for news within the Clear Sky Sect, was forced to personally travel to the Heaven Dou Empire. It took significant effort for him to prevent the Blue Tyrant Academy team from being disqualified.
As a result, in the following matches, Tang San's opponents either forfeited before the match began or chose to concede once they were at a slight disadvantage. No one wanted to face this ruthless competitor with such a powerful background.
Despite this, Tang San faced repeated defeats in subsequent matches:
Against Huo Wu, the flames of her Fire Shadow Martial Soul burned his Blue Silver Grass to ashes.
Against Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er, their Martial Soul Fusion Skill froze him into an ice block.
Against Feng Xiaotian, he was exhausted by the Thirty-Six Successive Slashes of the Gale Demon Wolf.
Even so, relying on his notorious reputation and strength, the Blue Tyrant Academy team barely made it past the first round.
By this point, no one believed Tang San had any chance of winning the championship in this Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament. Even Tang San himself, repeatedly battered, had given up hope.
When Tang Chen heard the news, the Asura God's divine sense within him became agitated, insisting on using extreme methods to rapidly increase Tang San's strength to win the tournament and claim the associated fortune.
During the brief interval between the preliminaries and the finals, Tang Chen returned to Slaughter City. In a daze, he obtained several soul bones refined by Asura God's divine power from the hands of the Killing God. Following his memory, he found a blood-red vine in the underground of the Slaughter City.
This was the Blood-Depleting Vine, a sinister and forbidden plant. Consuming it would greatly enhance all basic attributes, including cultivation speed, but at a terrifying cost: the user's life energy would rapidly deplete. Initially, it would only consume an extra second of lifespan per minute, but over time, the rate of depletion would accelerate, eventually costing the user several years in a single day.
Even soul beasts that consumed it would be drained of their life force and die quickly. Only those whose physical bodies had reached the level of a demigod could resist its side effects.
Although this Blood-Depleting Vine had been modified by the Asura God, reducing its side effects somewhat, it merely slowed the rate of life force depletion—it did not eliminate it. If not for the critical importance of winning this tournament in Tang Chen's plans, the Asura God would never have allowed Tang Chen to make Tang San consume such a dangerous substance.
Tang Chen forced Tang San to absorb a pair of 10,000-year-old leg bones he had brought back from the Slaughter City, then made him consume the Blood-Depleting Vine, forcibly raising his soul power to Rank 50.
Afterward, Tang Chen immediately took Tang San to the Star Dou Forest to hunt for soul beasts.
He first obtained a Hell Vine for the Evil Blue Silver Grass as Tang San's fifth soul ring.
Then, he added four top-tier strength-enhancing soul rings to the Clear Sky Hammer, sacrificing the potential of his twin martial souls to forcibly increase Tang San's power.
After absorbing the soul bones, the Blood-Depleting Vine, five soul rings, and consuming the flesh and blood essence of many high-age soul beasts using the Demon Spider Devour skill, Tang San's strength was forcibly boosted to Rank 58.
However, the rapid increase in power, entirely reliant on external forces, caused Tang San's mental state to deteriorate further. Black spider-like hairs grew on his arms, his gaze remained bloodthirsty, and his soul power constantly leaked uncontrollably. Even his meridians throbbed with pain.