On the streets of Heaven Dou City, a man in a black cloak walked aimlessly. It was Tang Hao.
He had just returned from Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. It was he who had been observing Tang San from outside the window earlier.
The order from Emperor Xue Ye to keep an eye on Tang San had affected Tang Hao to some extent, making it difficult for him to visit his son freely—though, in a way, it was also to protect Tang San.
Thinking about today's match, and recalling the expression on his son's face, Tang Hao felt both angry and helpless.
Today's match—no, any match that Tang San participated in—Tang Hao had hidden in the crowd and watched every single one without fail.
As for Zhu Zhuqing, from the moment she first appeared, Tang Hao had wanted to cause her trouble. But considering the Spirit Hall's backing of Skywater Academy, he chose to bide his time.
It wasn't the right moment for him to reveal himself, and Xiao San couldn't handle any more disturbances.
However, after seeing Zhu Zhuqing display her true power today, Tang Hao could no longer sit still.
He had secretly observed Han Li and the others and found it impossible to gauge their true strength. But when he considered the time Zhu Zhuqing had been missing—just over half a year—she had managed to increase her level by twenty.
Although he understood this was likely an extreme exception, it was still enough to make his heart race.
First, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan was hiding something, and now the Spirit Hall had shown its hand with a secret capable of rapidly boosting someone's strength. This made Tang Hao worry about the state of the Clear Sky Clan.
Who knew whether the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was secretly hiding something as well?
Thinking about the Bone Replacement secret method he had mastered, combined with the fact that Tang San was revealing more and more during the matches, Tang Hao was almost certain that today, Tang San had nearly summoned the Clear Sky Hammer.
Should he reveal himself now and convince Tang San to give up on the tournament so they could leave together with Xiao Wu?
If things continued this way, leaving aside whether Tang San would be exposed, he couldn't guarantee that Xiao Wu's identity wouldn't be revealed.
Xiao Wu had only remained undiscovered until now because of the spirit ability attached to the 100,000-year soul ring Ah Yin had sacrificed for him.
But since it was a spirit ability, he didn't have absolute confidence in it.
Earlier, due to a momentary oversight, he had miscalculated the duration the ability could last under scrutiny. This led to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan discovering Xiao Wu's true identity, forcing him to offer hidden weapons in exchange for their silence.
But once they reached Wuhun City, it would be difficult to continually reinforce the spirit ability on Xiao Wu to prevent her identity from being detected.
The number of soul masters and powerful individuals in Wuhun City far surpassed those in Heaven Dou City. Unless he stayed by their side constantly, there was no telling when Xiao Wu might slip up.
At this thought, Tang Hao felt a headache coming on. If the Clear Sky Clan were still around, he wouldn't be in this mess at all.
Just then, he looked up and saw a woman staring at him in a daze, her eyes filled with tears.
Tang Hao's body stiffened. He looked above her head and saw the two extremely familiar characters "Moon Pavilion." Unknowingly, he had walked here without thinking.
"Brother Hao, you've finally shown yourself. Did you come to see me?"
Tang Hao was about to turn and leave, but the woman's words caused him to stop.
Tang Hao looked at the emotional woman with a complex expression and slowly spoke: "Yuehua, long time no see."
"Brother Hao..."
Hearing his response, Tang Yuehua could no longer hold back. She threw herself into his arms, crying.
Tang Hao sighed. Before anyone around could take notice, he flashed away with Tang Yuehua, disappearing from the entrance.
On the third floor of Moon Pavilion, in Tang Yuehua's room.
She had stopped crying and now looked somewhat embarrassed as she brought a cup of tea to Tang Hao, who was sitting at the table.
"Alright, Yuehua, I've already told you, I didn't come here to see you. Running into you today was purely an accident."
Tang Hao didn't accept the tea, letting Tang Yuehua place the cup on the table in front of him.
Hearing his words, Tang Yuehua's expression dimmed, but she quickly perked up again.
"It doesn't matter if you didn't come to see me. Brother Hao, how have you been all these years?"
Tang Yuehua looked at Tang Hao with concern, noticing how different he was from the man in her memories.
"Heh, do I look like someone who's been doing well?"
Tang Hao tugged at his worn clothes, responding with a touch of self-mockery.
Tang Yuehua was momentarily at a loss for words, unsure of how to respond. The usual grace and composure she displayed among nobles vanished in front of Tang Hao.
The atmosphere grew heavy. After a long while, Tang Yuehua cautiously looked at Tang Hao and asked, "Just now, you seemed troubled. Have you encountered a problem? Do you need my help?"
Tang Hao was about to refuse outright, but the words caught in his throat.
Although he hadn't made up his mind yet and was still hesitating, there was no doubt he wanted to re-establish contact with the Clear Sky Clan.
Otherwise, as a titled Douluo, he wouldn't have wandered near Moon Pavilion for no reason. Subconsciously, he had already leaned toward this choice.
Seeing his silence, Tang Yuehua felt a glimmer of hope. She knew Tang Hao's character well. If he didn't outright refuse, it meant he was considering it.
She carefully observed the changes in his expression and tentatively suggested, "How about I secretly contact Big Brother first? We won't inform the rest of the clan for now. Once you two have discussed things, then we can plan the next steps."
Tang Hao glanced at her. This younger sister had always liked following him around, trying to guess his thoughts. He hadn't expected this trait to come in handy now.
Tang Hao's reaction gave Tang Yuehua more confidence, and her emotions surged with excitement.
She quickly reviewed recent events in her mind, trying to find a breakthrough, and after careful consideration, she locked onto the Soul Master Tournament.
The Soul Master Tournament, the students—could it be? Thinking of the rumors at the time, and how her older brother always avoided certain topics, she had a sudden realization.
She had met Ah Yin once. Back then, she and Brother Hao had been like a couple of immortals. A flash of sadness passed through Tang Yuehua's eyes, but she hid it well.
"It's because of the Soul Master Tournament, right? Brother Hao, you're in Heaven Dou City this time because of that, aren't you?"
Hiding her disappointment, Tang Yuehua demonstrated her insight to Tang Hao.
"Yes."
This time, Tang Hao didn't stay silent. Since Tang Yuehua had already figured this much out, there was no point in avoiding it.
"So, when can I meet my nephew or niece?"
Although Tang Yuehua felt a twinge of sadness, she genuinely wanted to meet Tang Hao's child. Neither she nor her older brother had married, so they had no children of their own.
"It's a son, but there's no rush. It's not the right time for you to meet him yet."
Tang Hao shook his head. Tang San was currently under tight protection at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, and if Tang Yuehua made an abrupt attempt to contact him, it would only cause problems.
"A son? Could my nephew be Tang San?"
Accurately gathering and consolidating valuable information had always been the purpose behind Tang Yuehua establishing the Moon Pavilion in Heaven Dou City. From Tang Hao's words, she quickly deduced that her nephew was none other than the now-famous Tang San.
"Yes."
Tang Hao awkwardly tugged at the corner of his mouth and gave a muffled response.
Tang San had just lost his match today, in a one-against-seven battle. With Tang Yuehua's access to information, there was no way she didn't already know. This made him feel a bit embarrassed to face his sister.
However, Tang Yuehua didn't seem to mind his reaction. Instead, she quickly reviewed all the information she had on Tang San in her mind.
Her focus was different from Tang Hao's. She understood the true essence of the Soul Master Tournament—it was a showcase, a stage for major powers to scout talent. Winning or losing wasn't everything.
A 15-year-old, level-43 Soul Master with innate full soul power, wielding Blue Silver Grass as a martial soul, and possessing significant combat ability—this was the profile she had on him.
"As expected of Brother Hao's child. His cultivation speed must be even faster than yours, right?"
Tang Yuehua smiled, then added with a hint of regret, "It would have been even better if his martial soul had been the Clear Sky Hammer."
Tang Yuehua did feel some regret. In her mind, Tang San, like her, would always carry the burden of having a less-than-ideal martial soul. But unlike her, her nephew could still cultivate.
When Tang Yuehua brought this up, Tang Hao immediately perked up.
He glanced at his sister, who seemed to be trying to comfort him, and calmly said, "I forgot to tell you—Xiao San inherited the Clear Sky Hammer as well. He has a twin martial soul. I've just been having him conceal it, for now, only showing the Blue Silver Grass publicly."
"What? Twin martial soul?!"
Tang Yuehua's eyes widened, and she shot to her feet, not even noticing when her arm knocked against the edge of the table.
"Yes, you didn't hear wrong—twin martial soul. That's also why I'm here."
Tang Hao was pleased with her reaction. This was the information he intended to share with their elder brother.
"Oh, and when you send word to our brother, you can also tell him that Xiao San and I have discovered a way for the whole clan to improve their strength."
Before Tang Yuehua could ask, Tang Hao continued, "This method might even help you—it could break the curse that's been preventing you from cultivating."
He thought of how Yu Xiaogang had broken through to Soul Elder after undergoing the Bone Replacement process. Maybe Yuehua could benefit from it as well.
Tang Yuehua covered her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes again.
Whether or not she could cultivate didn't matter to her anymore. What touched her was seeing this version of Tang Hao, who could speak so confidently again—just like the proud, ambitious Clear Sky Twin Stars from back then.
For the next while, perhaps because he had opened up, Tang Hao was no longer as reticent. He slowly began to share his plans and thoughts with his sister.
Tang Yuehua listened with a smile, her bright eyes fixed on her long-absent brother, her heart full of joy. Being able to help him like this made her incredibly happy.