Oscar was unwilling, so Tianlin turned his gaze to the others, but none of them caught his interest.
Even if Tang San joined, it wouldn't make a difference. This guy's heart was solely focused on the Tang Sect. Even if he joined a sect, he would eventually betray it and establish his own Tang Sect.
Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing were from the Star Luo Empire, which was essentially antagonistic to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect since the latter supported the Heaven Dou Empire. However, having read the original story, Tianlin knew that the Heaven Dou royal family wasn't exactly righteous either.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had supported the empire for years, but in the original plot, Emperor Xue Ye was poisoned by Qian Renxue and fell into a prolonged coma. To prevent the situation from deteriorating, Ning Fengzhi used a special method to stimulate Xue Ye's life potential, forcing him to awaken early and take control of the situation. However, this also significantly shortened Xue Ye's already dwindling lifespan, leaving a thorn between the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Heaven Dou royal family.
Ning Fengzhi took responsibility for reducing Xue Ye's lifespan. After Xue Beng ascended the throne, the position of National Advisor was handed over to Yu Xiaogang, and Xue Beng fully supported Tang San's Tang Sect. This worsened the already weakened state of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. If not for Ning Rongrong's connections, the sect would have been destroyed.
Tianlin had long resolved that his sect must one day become strong enough to avoid relying on any other power. Be it Heaven Dou or Star Luo, he would not actively antagonize them, but he would never support either side in the future.
Anyone who dared to touch the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would face death without mercy. He didn't want his sect to one day become someone else's pawn, only to be discarded.
The solo battle for tonight's Soul Arena had ended, and next up was the two-on-two battle. First to compete were Tang San and Xiao Wu. With their synergy and strength, it was nearly impossible to find opponents of the same level who could match them.
As expected, they won easily. However, a small accident occurred during the fight. Their opponents, known as the Iron-Blood Duo, wielded twin hammers as their martial souls.
During the match, Tang San, due to a moment of carelessness, got hit by one of the hammers and sustained minor injuries. This enraged Xiao Wu, triggering the killer instinct of the soul beast within her. She even fired the silent sleeve dart, a gift from Tang San, at their opponents. Fortunately, Tang San reacted quickly, using another hidden weapon to knock the dart away. Otherwise, the Iron-Blood Duo would have become corpses.
After the match, Xiao Wu helped Tang San out of the arena. Seeing this, Tianlin seized the opportunity to approach them. He intended to take this chance to reveal his intentions to Tang San and, along the way, try to persuade him.
"Congratulations, Brother Tang, on your victory. I originally wanted to invite you to join my sect, but now it seems that won't be possible."
"Hmph, you didn't even invite us, so how would you know it's impossible?" Xiao Wu, hands on her hips, said indignantly. She was already upset that Tianlin had invited others but ignored her and Tang San, feeling he looked down on them.
"Well, that's because Brother Tang already has a sect. Although that sect is not visible on the Douluo Continent, your silent sleeve dart just now, along with the technique Tang San used to knock it aside, and even his footwork during the match, make it very clear. There's no doubt about it." Tianlin smiled.
Tang San and Flender were both visibly shocked.
Flender was puzzled. He thought Tianlin had figured out that Tang San was from the Clear Sky Sect. The Clear Sky Sect had gone into seclusion and was hardly seen on the continent anymore. But he had never heard of the Clear Sky Sect teaching any silent sleeve dart techniques. How had Tianlin deduced this?
Tang San, on the other hand, was utterly stunned. Someone who knew about something, not from the Douluo Continent, and could recognize his hidden weapon techniques and footwork—did this person know about the Tang Sect?
Just as Tang San was about to ask, the announcement system blared, "Gold Combatant Jing Tian and Iron Combatant Liuli, please proceed to Arena 4 for your match."
Jing Tian was the alias Tianlin used in the Soul Arena, borrowed from the character in the Paladin game, the true master of the Demon Sword. Meanwhile, Liuli was the alias he had chosen for Ning Rongrong. Both wore masks as they made their way to the arena.
Concealing their identities was necessary. Talented individuals could easily be targeted and eliminated by those with ill intentions. This was something Ning Fengzhi had taught them.
As they walked past Tang San, Tianlin suddenly patted him on the shoulder. "Brother Tang, I'll come to find you later for a proper chat. If you have the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus, no matter the price, I'm willing to buy it!"
Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus!
Hearing this name, Tang San's doubts vanished entirely. Tianlin knew about the Tang Sect. Could he possibly be from the same place as Tang San?
By this point, Tianlin and Ning Rongrong had already reached the arena. Seeing that the two of them were too young, the spectators erupted into an uproar. One being an Iron Combatant seemed reasonable, but the other—a Gold Combatant? That was monstrous!
Their opponents were equally stunned. However, the more shocking it was, the more cautious they became. For someone so young to achieve a Gold Combatant badge, their combat ability must be terrifying.
"Qian Lin, martial soul: Golden Shield, Level 46 Defense-Type Soul Elder!"
"Li Zong, martial soul: Spear, Level 45 Assault-Type Soul Elder!"
Both were around thirty years old. Reaching this level at their age was decent, though not exceptional. However, they were still significantly stronger than Tianlin and Ning Rongrong.
Their soul rings weren't particularly impressive either. Qian Lin had the optimal two yellow and two purple configurations, but Li Zong's first ring was white. It was clear that Qian Lin was the core of the duo.
"Jing Tian, martial soul: Longsword, Level 45 Assault-Type Soul Ancestor."
"Liuli, martial soul: Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, Level 29 Support-Type Soul Grandmaster."
After introducing themselves, Tianlin and Ning Rongrong released their martial souls. Ning Rongrong's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was impossible to hide, so as long as she concealed her real name and appearance, there was no need for further secrecy. Two yellow spirit rings gleamed around her pagoda.
As for Tianlin's martial soul, it appeared to be an ancient longsword, unremarkable in appearance. Dai Mubai was shocked. "Strange. Tianlin's martial soul is different from the one he used against me earlier. Could he be a twin martial soul user? And he's not even releasing his soul rings against Soul Ancestor and Soul Elder? That's too arrogant!"
"No, Boss Dai. This is the same martial soul he used against you earlier. It's just that its true form seems to be concealed by some special method." Tang San's eyes glowed purple as he used his Purple Demon Eye technique to see through the disguise.
In reality, this was a new technique Tianlin had learned from the Shu Mountain Treasure Record. After obtaining his fourth soul ring, the treasure had turned a new page, revealing the method of creating talismans.
He had first learned simple, low-level concealment and transformation talismans, applying them to his martial soul and soul rings. This allowed him to completely hide his identity during battles.
Currently, Tianlin is on Spirit Hall's kill list. To ensure he had more time to grow, playing it safe was necessary.
Unfortunately, Tianlin hadn't yet mastered the Five Spirit Immortal Techniques and couldn't create powerful offensive talismans. The only offensive talisman he could make, the Demon Flame Flash Slash Talisman, was too difficult to produce and couldn't be made in bulk. Otherwise, Tang San's hidden weapons wouldn't seem so important.