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Half a month passed quietly.
With Xue Qinghe's complete support, Blue Silver Emperor plants were discreetly grown at key points across Heaven Dou City—north, south, east, west, and the palace center. Their roots intertwined underground, forming a Blue Silver Network that significantly enhanced the city's ambient energy.
Initially, planting a Blue Silver Emperor in the palace faced opposition from some ministers. However, Xue Qinghe decisively overruled them. Once the energy levels in Tian Dou City visibly improved, objections naturally faded away.
Additionally, Ning Fengzhi persuaded Tang San to plant a Blue Silver Emperor within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's territory, creating a smaller-scale Blue Silver Network there.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan showed interest but hesitated due to concerns. Since the Blue Silver Emperor was Tang San's spirit, they worried it might have hidden implications.
In contrast, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had no such reservations. As a united family, they had already put all their faith in Tang San, confident there would be no problems.
Before returning to Spirit Hall, Tang San made a trip back to Holy Spirit Village.
The village had since been renamed Douluo Village, for a simple and heartfelt reason: it was home to a titled Douluo.
Thanks to Tang San's achievements, the number of work-study quotas for the village increased from one to eighteen. Furthermore, children born in Douluo Village who qualified for entry into primary academies now had their living expenses covered by Spirit Hall until graduation.
Although few children from the village had awakened spirits with innate soul power in recent years, selling unused quotas to nearby villages brought additional income to Douluo Village.
Moreover, Douluo Village collaborated with neighboring villages to establish cooperative farmlands with Su Yuntao's assistance. The farms thrived, yielding abundant harvests each year and making the village even more prosperous.
Old Jack walked with Tang San through the fields and said, "Little San, we owe it all to you. Without you, Holy Spirit Village would never have become so prosperous."
Tang San gazed at the golden fields stretching endlessly before him and felt a rare sense of tranquility. "It's not my achievement," he said. "The credit belongs to Brother Tao and everyone here—I've never even farmed before."
"You might not have tilled the fields, but if you hadn't become a Spirit Master and had instead followed your irresponsible father's wishes to be a blacksmith, Holy Spirit Village wouldn't be called Douluo Village today. We'd still be paying heavy taxes every year. But look at us now—Emperor Qinghe has personally reduced our taxes. We only need to submit ten percent of our harvest annually."
Old Jack, though stooped with age, beamed with energy. "By the way, Little San, why didn't Xiao Wu and the others come back with you?"
"They're busy with their responsibilities in Spirit City," Tang San replied. "Plus, now that I've become a Titled Douluo, they're eager to catch up quickly."
Old Jack chuckled heartily. "That's good. I was afraid they didn't recognize me as their grandfather anymore."
After spending some days in Douluo Village, Tang San bid farewell to Old Jack and also made a trip to Nuoding City. The city was livelier than ever.
There, he visited familiar faces like Su Yuntao, Si Si, Wang Sheng, and other acquaintances from Nuoding Academy. After these reunions, Tang San left Nuoding City. In an instant, he crossed space and returned to the Soul Martial Manor.
However, before he could resume research on the fusion experiments involving the ancient martial spirit with the Twelve Zodiac Guardians, a command from Bibi Dong arrived, summoning him.
"Your Holiness, what's the matter?" Tang San inquired.
"Have you heard about Tang Chen from the Haotian Clan marrying Bo Saixi of Sea God Island?" Bibi Dong asked calmly. "That old coot, who's as ancient as Qian Daoliu, has found 'love' again. He's practically announcing it to the entire continent."
"Not entirely—some remote villages probably haven't heard."
At least in Douluo Village, few villagers even knew of Tang Chen's existence, let alone his wedding. Many weren't familiar with the Haotian Clan itself.
"Don't get smart with me about this," Bibi Dong snapped, giving the increasingly brazen Tang San a sharp look before sighing. "Invitations have been sent to all the major powers across the continent. Spirit Hall, naturally, received one. Qian Daoliu will undoubtedly attend, and it's only proper that we, as another faction of Spirit Hall, send representatives to convey our congratulations."
A wedding of such high-profile figures—especially a hundredth-level powerhouse—deserved the appropriate respect.
However, Bibi Dong would not be going herself.
There were three main reasons:
Firstly, she needed to stay at Spirit Hall to manage various affairs and simply didn't have the time.
Secondly, while Qian Daoliu was away, she planned to "persuade" the other offerings, trying to pull them to her side.
Although they all worshipped angels, her chances of success were slim, but it was still worth trying, as Qian Daoliu rarely left the offering hall.
Finally, she didn't actually know Tang Chen.
However, she couldn't just send anyone in her place. Attending a wedding of a hundred-level god was a matter of great importance—it represented the prestige of Spirit Hall, and she couldn't allow others to think that Spirit Hall was looking down on the event.
That's when Bibi Dong thought of Tang San.
With his peerless strength, it was a fitting choice.
"You want me to go?"
Tang San was somewhat surprised but also found it reasonable. As the Son of Spirit Hall, his identity was sufficient to make a strong impression. And in terms of strength, he could easily deal with any trouble the Haotian Clan might cause.
"Why not let Hu Liena go instead? With the power granted by the Throne of Wisdom and Spiritual Soul, her strength is now second only to the peerless level. Tang Chen wouldn't dare make things difficult for a junior."
Bibi Dong smiled. "As for you, your other identity makes things a little awkward."
From a bloodline perspective, if Tang San's relationship with the Haotian Clan was too strained, the public wouldn't fully accept it. The best course of action for now was to avoid direct confrontation, or at least wait until public attitudes toward bloodline value evolved. Over time, when society's views shifted to a more rational and inclusive understanding—one that saw the "big family" as made up of various "small families"—he could then address the issue of his bloodline and the Haotian Clan.
At this moment, engaging with the Haotian Clan was somewhat awkward.
The reason why the Haotian Clan hadn't come demanding to recognize their ancestor was that Tang Hao had severed their father-son relationship first, leaving them in the wrong. Their pride wouldn't allow them to act otherwise, so they accepted the situation, though they didn't openly discuss it.
The matter wasn't one to be publicly debated either.
After all, public opinion on the continent was controlled by Spirit Hall. As long as Spirit Hall chose to, no matter what the truth was, the fault would lie with the Haotian Clan.
Does the Haotian Clan have a god?
So what?
Xu Huang, who held the Throne of Eternal and Creation, had been pierced through the heart by Tang San's spear and forced to flee to another realm. A mere hundred-level Tang Chen, with no Shura god position, wouldn't be able to stir up any real trouble.
"True strength lies in confronting one's own inner weaknesses," Bibi Dong suddenly turned philosophical, smiling at Tang San. "I heard from Hu Liena that you once said this. Don't just say it—set an example and practice what you preach."
Tang San regretted his earlier idle chatter, especially the "chicken soup for the soul" he'd shared. Now it felt like he had dug a hole for himself.
But it was just the Haotian Clan, wasn't it?
He would go!
(End of chapter)