Training alongside the Great Master gave everyone the feeling of achieving twice the results with half the effort.
"Xiao San, come out here for a moment." The Great Master waved his hand, signaling the others to sit, and called Tang San aside alone.
Tang San quickly rose to his feet and followed the Great Master outside. The Great Master led him all the way to his own quarters and shut the door, then gestured for Tang San to sit on the sofa.
The Great Master's room was obviously far beyond what any student dormitory could compare to. Liu Erlong had directly handed over the headmaster's office from the faculty quarters to him.
The entire room was not only vast in area, but the nostalgic decor and the expansive, bright windows gave it an exceedingly comfortable feel.
"Master, you already know?" Tang San sat on the sofa, his eyes a bit unfocused.
Over these past few days, although no one had come to disturb him, the question of his origins continued to weigh on his mind, to the point where his cultivation was no longer as focused as before.
He hadn't dared to push himself too hard either — if he went astray, the consequences would be far worse than any benefit.
The Great Master nodded. "I know now. Or rather, I've known for a long time."
"What?" Tang San's head shot up as he looked at his teacher in shock.
The Great Master walked over and sat down across from Tang San. "Don't be surprised. Let me finish. Do you remember back at Nuoding Academy? After you first arrived there, I took you on as my disciple. That was because I recognized your Twin Martial Soul potential. But at the time, I hadn't yet identified your other martial soul as the Clear Sky Hammer. It wasn't until one day that your father came to find me personally. And he gave me this."
As he spoke, a flash of light appeared in the Great Master's hand, and he produced a token from his personal Soul Guide. Carved upon it were six lifelike designs. Though the colors were not particularly eye-catching, Tang San — who had long since heard the Great Master describe them — recognized it immediately as the highest badge of Spirit Hall.
Only those of elder rank or above within Spirit Hall could possess one, second in authority only to the Pontiff himself.
The Great Master said, "Only then did I recognize your father's identity. He is none other than the most renowned figure on the continent, and my personal idol — the youngest Titled Douluo, Tang Hao. Your father's title is none other than: Clear Sky."
"Clear Sky? Clear Sky Douluo." Others might deceive him, but Tang San knew the Great Master never would.
In this moment, he could at least confirm that his father was truly no ordinary man, but rather one of the absolute pinnacle existences in the Soul Master world.
The Great Master continued, "Your father and I are not close. He simply entrusted me to take good care of you. On this token, there are six designs in total. I told you before that they each represent six individuals who made extraordinary contributions to Spirit Hall, or who hold elder rank within it. Did you know — only six such tokens exist? The six designs are actually divided into two groups. One group represents the three Titled Douluo belonging to Spirit Hall itself. The other represents the three Titled Douluo of the Upper Three Clans among the current Seven Great Clans. These three Titled Douluo have also been granted honorary elder status by Spirit Hall."
Tang San's gaze fixed itself upon the token. The six designs carved upon it were: a sword, a hammer, a crown, an incomplete humanoid figure, a dragon, and a chrysanthemum.
"This token carries another name that symbolizes its status — the Heavenly Dou Six Emperor Token. The sword represents Sword Douluo Chen Xin of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, but this particular token actually belongs to the clan and is held by the clan master Ning Fengzhi, whom you met a few days ago. The dragon represents the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan from which I originate, held by my father. The hammer represents the Clear Sky Hammer of the Clear Sky Sect. And the one who holds it is your father, not the current Clear Sky Sect master, Tang Tian."
"The Clear Sky Sect once boasted two Douluo at once — the brothers Tang Tian and Tang Hao — and they made the entire Soul Master world tremble. Tang Tian is your uncle. He is a full fifteen years older than your father, and at the age of sixty, he successfully broke through to level ninety, ascending to the Titled Douluo realm. But your father achieved Titled Douluo thirteen years ago, when he was only forty-four years old. That is why I say he is the youngest Titled Douluo in the world today, and my personal idol."
A thought struck Tang San. "Thirteen years ago — wasn't that the year I was born?"
The Great Master paused briefly. "Yes, it should have been the year you were born that your father ascended to the pinnacle of the Soul Master world. Moreover, according to rumor, he relied on his freshly attained level-ninety strength to defeat two of Spirit Hall's Titled Douluo in succession — the very figures represented by the chrysanthemum and the humanoid shape on this token. They are Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo. Bear in mind, both had been famous for many years, and their strength had long since surpassed level ninety-five. Yet even they could not withstand the power of your father's Clear Sky Hammer. Though I was unable to witness it with my own eyes, I can imagine what a soul-stirring battle it must have been."