Chapter 44: Are Tang Xiao and Tang Hao About to Become Like Yu Xiaogang?

"Sect Master Yu?"

Tang Hao originally thought it was his eldest brother, Tang Xiao, bringing their younger sister, Tang Yuehua, back.

But to his surprise, when he opened the door, standing outside was none other than the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's sect master, Yu Yuanzhen.

Tang Hao was momentarily stunned.

The relationship between their Clear Sky Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan wasn't particularly close.

What was Yu Yuanzhen looking for him for?

Still, despite his doubts, Yu Yuanzhen was, after all, a sect master of the Upper Three Sects and of the same generation as his father, Tang Zhen.

So even though he was puzzled, Tang Hao still invited Yu Yuanzhen into the room.

Inside the spacious room, the two sat across from each other at a round black table.

After pouring a cup of hot tea for Yu Yuanzhen, Tang Hao asked, "Sect Master Yu, what brings you here?"

"It's nothing much, really. I just want to propose a trade with your sect."

Yu Yuanzhen stroked his golden beard with a smile, his expression both imposing and warm.

"A trade?"

Tang Hao was puzzled.

Yu Yuanzhen then repeated the same sales pitch he had given Ning Fengzhi earlier.

"For just one hundred million gold soul coins, plus a few businesses in Heaven Dou City with an annual net income of at least ten million gold soul coins, this innate full soul power, top-tier twin martial soul, evil soul master, Ghost Spider, can be yours."

"With this offer, does your sect have any interest?"

Yu Yuanzhen spoke as if he were giving away an incredible bargain, his tone sincere yet tinged with a hint of reluctance.

Hearing this, Tang Hao couldn't help but be tempted.

A female soul master with innate full soul power, twin top-tier martial souls, just over twenty years old, and still a virgin.

Even if her cultivation was crippled, her talent alone was undeniable.

And now, she could be bought for just one hundred million gold soul coins, plus a few high-income businesses in Heaven Dou City?

That was an absolute steal!

As the personally chosen successor of his grandfather, Tang Chen, and the future Clear Sky Douluo, Tang Hao had always seen it as his duty to restore the Clear Sky Sect to its former glory—the way it was during his grandfather's prime.

Although this Ghost Spider had an evil attribute in her martial soul, that attribute only conflicted with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul.

It had no issues at all with their Clear Sky Sect's Clear Sky Hammer martial soul!

If he personally stepped in—or if his eldest brother did—and had this evil soul master bear a child, then...

If that child inherited innate full soul power, twin martial souls, and possessed both the Clear Sky Hammer and the beast martial soul from this female evil soul master...

As long as they nurtured this child well and ensured they survived, their potential might even surpass his and their grandfather Tang Chen's!

After all, twin martial souls were theoretically superior to single martial souls in potential.

And if one of them was the strongest tool martial soul, the Clear Sky Hammer, while the other was the Death Spider Emperor or the Soul Devouring Spider Emperor...

The probability of a twin martial soul inheritance wasn't low!

Although he was extremely excited inside and wanted to agree immediately, Tang Hao forced himself to stay calm.

He knew he had to discuss this matter with his elder brother, Tang Xiao, first.

"Sect Master Yu, I need to discuss this with my elder brother."

"I'll give you an answer before tonight."

After sending Yu Yuanzhen off, Tang Xiao and Tang Yuehua finally returned.

When Tang Hao explained the trade Yu Yuanzhen had proposed, Tang Xiao was also tempted.

But Tang Yuehua sensed something off.

Unlike Tang Xiao and Tang Hao, who had spent their entire lives focused on cultivation, neglecting worldly matters to the point of being somewhat dense, Tang Yuehua was different.

Due to her martial soul mutation, her soul power had remained at only rank nine.

In the Clear Sky Sect, she had always been subtly ostracized and discriminated against.

Because of this, she left the Clear Sky Sect early on and fought hard to establish herself in Heaven Dou City.

Using the domain ability of her mutated martial soul, the Noble Ring, she built Moon Pavilion from scratch and turned it into a business empire.

She had turned it into a place where countless noble children came to learn etiquette, bringing in massive profits daily.

Although her Clear Sky Sect background helped, her own intelligence and abilities played a crucial role.

At the very least, she was far sharper than her two older brothers, Tang Xiao and Tang Hao!

"Big Brother, Second Brother, I think something about this doesn't feel right."

Under Tang Yuehua's persuasion and analysis, Tang Xiao and Tang Hao ultimately decided not to immediately agree to Yu Yuanzhen's offer or pay a deposit to prevent the evil soul master Ghost Spider from being sold to another faction.

Instead, they planned to return to their sect and consult their father, Tang Zhen, first.

…

Meanwhile, inside the Pope's Palace...

In a grand and luxurious hall, Qian Xunji sat on a golden throne.

Beside him was another throne, occupied by Ling Yuan.

After becoming the Pope's wife, Ling Yuan's appearance had changed significantly.

She no longer wore her old outfit and had instead donned an elegant, form-fitting dress of dazzling silk, highlighting her tall and fiery figure.

Her long black hair was intricately coiled atop her head, adorned with exquisite hairpins and various ornaments, making her look both refined and noble.

She was stunningly beautiful, exuding an air of elegance and grace.

"Reporting to His Holiness the Pope, after you left, Yu Yuanzhen visited both Sect Master Ning of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and Tang Hao of the Clear Sky Sect."

"From their conversation, it seemed like he was trying to make a deal."

"But he didn't succeed with either."

Inside the hall, a Spirit Hall soul master respectfully reported.

"Yu Yuanzhen, that old fox, went to negotiate with Ning Fengzhi and Tang Hao?"

"This guy is in a hurry to get rid of what's in his hands!"

Qian Xunji sat casually on his golden throne, dressed in a luxurious papal robe. His eyes narrowed slightly as he chuckled and stroked his chin.

After dismissing the reporting soul master, he turned to Ling Yuan with a thoughtful expression.

"A'Yuan, it seems I was right about what I told you before."

"That Yu Yuanzhen has probably imprisoned Bibi Dong, treating her as spoils of war to compensate for the losses of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."

"So after I warned him, he now wants to get rid of her as soon as possible—selling her to Ning Fengzhi or the Clear Sky Sect to make up for his losses."

"What?!"

Ling Yuan's delicate face was full of shock and disbelief. She couldn't help but exclaim, "How could they do such a thing?"

"Why wouldn't they?"

Qian Xunji shook his head, his tone slightly cold with a hint of self-mockery.

"In this world, forces like our Spirit Hall, which have a conscience and a bottom line, are ultimately in the minority."

"In the eyes of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Bibi Dong is nothing more than a bringer of disaster, someone who caused them great losses."

"If she hadn't been crippled, it might have been a different story."

"But since I abolished her cultivation, her only remaining value is her innate full soul power and top-tier twin martial souls."

"She's the ideal mother for producing powerful offspring. Naturally, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan wants to exploit that to the fullest!"

His voice carried a ruthless edge.

"But Yu Yuanzhen… he thinks he's the only smart one, trying to sell Bibi Dong to both the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Clear Sky Sect."

"He might be ruthless enough to do it, but in terms of intelligence, strategy, and tactics, he's far behind Ning Fengzhi—there's no way he could fool him."

"What surprises me, though, is that Tang Hao didn't take the bait."

A flicker of intrigue passed through Qian Xunji's eyes as he found this unexpected.

"Husband, are you saying that Sect Master Ning saw through the problem?"

"Isn't that uncertain?"

Ling Yuan had a different perspective and voiced her thoughts.

"Back in Heaven Dou City, I heard that Sect Master Ning is a very kind and compassionate person who despises the slave trade."

"Every time the Heaven Dou Auction House sells slaves, he attends the auctions just to buy them and set them free."

"Yu Yuanzhen trying to sell Bibi Dong to him… well, this kind of human trafficking is no different from the slave trade. It's not surprising that Sect Master Ning wouldn't accept it."

"Haha! You think Ning Fengzhi is kind and compassionate?"

Qian Xunji couldn't help but laugh out loud. He shook his head and said,

"A'Yuan, you're too focused on appearances."

"In the past, you were just a red-clothed archbishop of Spirit Hall. Your main concern was cultivating and improving your strength—everything else was secondary."

"But now, you are my wife, the Pope's consort."

"You need to learn to see the essence of things, to analyze situations and people."

He pulled Ling Yuan into his embrace and began his analysis of Ning Fengzhi.

"Ning Fengzhi appears to be kind and benevolent, but that's just an act."

"This is a man who took a support-type soul master sect and elevated it to the Upper Three Sects."

"A man who, despite being a support-type soul master, managed to recruit two geniuses—both older than him, both exceptionally talented, both with the potential to become Titled Douluo."

"Someone like that must have extraordinary vision, an unmatched ability to read people, and first-class tactics."

"He is absolutely not a naive good guy driven by kindness and compassion."

"No—he's a scheming, ruthless strategist who hides his true nature behind a benevolent facade."

"The words I'm using aren't meant as insults."

"What I mean is, don't be fooled by Ning Fengzhi's outward appearance. He is far from simple."

Qian Xunji spoke with great seriousness.

"You might not fully understand yet, but let me give you an example."

"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was always wealthy, but it was never called the richest sect on the continent."

"That only changed after Ning Fengzhi led them into the Upper Three Sects, and within less than ten years, he made it happen!"

"Yes, the treasure-appraising abilities of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda played a role in this."

"But the total wealth of the Douluo Continent is limited."

"For Ning Fengzhi to take such a large share of that wealth—without affecting Spirit Hall or the other two Upper Three Sects—you have to ask yourself... whose wealth was he taking?"

Qian Xunji sneered.

"The rise of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was built upon the corpses of countless small soul master clans, sects, and commoners."

"Maybe he didn't outright kill them, maybe he didn't use brute force to seize their wealth—but the number of underhanded dealings and dirty tactics involved must be staggering. And the end result is the same."

"Now he puts on this show of kindness, but all it does is hide the countless bodies buried beneath the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

____

Author's Note (The fanfic author's, not mine):

The protagonist definitely wouldn't tell Ling Yuan everything.

For example, his plan to deliberately manipulate Bibi Dong into becoming an evil soul master, leading other evil soul masters to cause chaos across the continent and create an opportunity for Spirit Hall's future expansion—this is something he can only do, not say.