Doulou Dalu 8

Tang Hao's eyes showed a rare glimmer of surprise. He quickly withdrew the Clear Sky Hammer and inspected it. To his shock, faint marks remained where it had clashed with the Shadow Battle Axe. However, as he injected a trace of his soul power into the hammer, the marks swiftly disappeared.

Lin Fan observed the slight dent on the edge of the Shadow Battle Axe, but it, too, vanished just as quickly.

"The Dark Night Battle Axe's passive armor-piercing ability actually left a mark on the Clear Sky Hammer... but it also damaged itself. Is this truly the strongest weapon spirit in the world?" Lin Fan mused, admiration evident in his eyes. The Clear Sky Hammer was indeed worthy of its reputation.

Tang Hao pondered before speaking. "Your martial soul is as tough and resilient as my Clear Sky Hammer, and its attack power is nearly on par with it. More importantly, it possesses a unique cutting ability—one capable of leaving marks on the world's number one martial soul." He looked at Lin Fan with a curious gaze. "Child, which family do you belong to?"

Lin Fan hesitated for a moment before replying, "I was born in the Tiandou Empire, in Jiuyang City's Lin family. My family's martial spirit is actually an ordinary beast spirit—the Fiery White Tiger."

Tang Hao frowned slightly. "Fiery White Tiger?"

Lin Fan nodded. "Yes. Although it may sound powerful, it's far inferior to the Evil-Eyed White Tiger of the Dai Clan, let alone a super beast martial spirit like the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex."

Tang Hao seemed to be deep in thought. "I've heard of it before. It's a rather common beast spirit. So, you have twin martial souls?"

Lin Fan gave a wry smile. "I suppose so. I never revealed it before, but this time, I had no choice."

Tang Hao nodded solemnly. "Twin martial souls… In the past few hundred years, only two people have been born with them. The first couldn't control the power and perished. The second... is the Spirit Hall's Pope, Bibi Dong." He let out a sigh before focusing his gaze on Lin Fan. "You've offended the Pope and can no longer stay in the Spirit Hall. Are you willing to join the Haotian Sect?"

Lin Fan hesitated. "The Haotian Sect?" He pondered for a moment. "But I didn't inherit the Clear Sky Hammer, and I don't want to abandon my family."

Tang Hao considered this for a moment before nodding. "That is indeed a pity. However, no matter how talented a soul master is, he should never forget his roots. If you don't wish to leave your family, then how about this—you can join the Haotian Sect as a disciple while still remaining a member of your clan. With our protection, even the Spirit Hall will think twice before coming after you. The continent is in turmoil, and the imperial court is weak. Without the backing of a powerful sect, surviving in these times will be difficult."

Lin Fan took a deep breath. He knew Tang Hao was right.

"Alright… Thank you, Senior. I am willing to become a disciple of the Haotian Sect," Lin Fan said, bowing deeply.

Tang Hao's eyes softened. "Good. Get up, child." He helped Lin Fan to his feet and added, "I, Tang Hao, value my freedom and have never taken a disciple. However, your talent is exceptional. Consider me half your teacher. For now, come back to the sect with me. Train there for a while, and when the time comes, you can return to your family. Meanwhile, I will handle negotiations with the Spirit Hall to ensure they won't move against you again."

Lin Fan bowed once more. "Thank you, Teacher."

---

The Haotian Sect was situated in a vast and scenic mountain range. The sprawling sect grounds resembled those of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, with multiple grand halls and training courtyards. Unlike in later years, when the sect chose to hide, the Haotian Sect was currently thriving, with many disciples actively cultivating.

As Tang Hao led Lin Fan inside, many disciples bowed in greeting. From their murmurs, Lin Fan deduced that the current sect master should be Tang Hao's father, while his grandfather, the legendary Extreme Douluo Tang Chen, was missing.

Instead of heading to the sect master's hall, Tang Hao brought Lin Fan to a training courtyard. A woman in a red robe stood there, seemingly waiting.

"Tang Yiran," Tang Hao addressed her. "This boy's name is Lin Fan. I brought him back from the outside world. He will be joining our sect. Train him well. Also… he has twin martial souls."

The woman's eyes widened in shock. "Twin martial souls?"

Tang Hao nodded. "Yes. But keep this information secret. His second martial soul should be trained in private."

Tang Yiran placed a hand on her hip and smirked. "Got it. Leave him to me."

Tang Hao turned to Lin Fan. "Stay in the sect for now. Once Tang Yiran believes you're ready, you may leave."

"Understood, Teacher."

With that, Tang Hao left, and Lin Fan heard a familiar voice in his head.

"Master, 24 hours have passed. The anti-stab armor has been retrieved by the system. Would you like to start the next lottery draw?"

Lin Fan felt a pang of regret at losing the armor. Hopefully, I can get something permanent this time.

"Draw the lottery."

"Ding! Congratulations, Master! You have obtained the skill: Divine Stroke (Enhanced Version). Usage time: Unlimited."

Lin Fan's eyes lit up. Li Bai's second skill from Honor of Kings?

A system prompt appeared before him.

Skill: Divine Stroke (Enhanced Version)

Summons a Green Lotus Sword Formation, dealing massive damage and inflicting paralysis.

Enemies touching the sword formation take additional damage and suffer a defense reduction of 600 points for 8 seconds.

Cooldown: 5 minutes. Consumes soul power.

Grants the user an untargetable and invulnerable state for 3 seconds upon activation.

The skill can be upgraded through absorbing soul rings:

10,000-year soul beast → First upgrade

100,000-year soul beast → Second upgrade

1,000,000-year soul beast → Final upgrade

Lin Fan's heart raced. So I can level up skills by attaching them to soul rings?

Just as he was processing the information, Tang Yiran flicked his forehead.

"Hey, kid. Are you ignoring me?" she teased.

Lin Fan snapped back to reality and quickly bowed. "Sorry, Teacher Yiran. I'll be in your care."

"That's more like it," she said with a grin before summoning her martial soul—a massive black hammer. Six glowing soul rings floated around her.

"My name is Tang Yiran. I'm 27 years old and a rank 63 Soul Emperor. That's more than enough qualification to teach you, don't you think?"

Lin Fan's jaw nearly dropped. A Clear Sky Hammer Soul Emperor at 27?

She was an absolute genius.

Tang Yiran smirked at his reaction. "Alright, kid. Show me your martial souls."

Lin Fan nodded, summoning his Fiery White Tiger. The four-clawed beast roared behind him.

Tang Yiran studied it closely. "A White Tiger martial soul, huh? It doesn't seem as strong as the Evil-Eyed White Tiger, but it's still decent. Now, let's see the second one."

Lin Fan extended his hand, and a sharp black axe materialized in his grip.

"This is my second martial soul. I call it the Shadow Battle Axe."

Tang Yiran's playful demeanor faded as she stepped closer, releasing a wisp of soul power toward the axe. The moment her energy touched it, the axe trembled slightly.

"Even among weapon spirits, this is extraordinary," she muttered. "In terms of attack power, it's second only to the Clear Sky Hammer… and yet, no one has seen it before?"

She looked at Lin Fan, her expression serious. "Kid, are you absolutely sure your family has never produced a martial soul like this?"

Lin Fan hesitated before answering. "Yes, Teacher. As far as I know, this has never appeared in my bloodline."

Tang Yiran let out a slow breath. "Interesting… Very interesting."