Tang San forced a bitter smile. "Facing the possible retaliation of a Titled Douluo, how could I not be nervous?"
The Seventh Elder snapped angrily, "With my status, would I seek revenge on you? That… that thing I just said about you being some kind of—I take it back. A bet is a bet. I shouldn't have cursed at you. And I agree to let you reclaim your ancestral lineage."
Hearing these words, Tang San was actually stunned, and couldn't help but take a closer look at the Seventh Elder.
"What are you looking at? A bet is a bet—can't you understand that!" After saying this, the Seventh Elder had no face left to stay. He turned and left, disappearing in just a few leaps.
In that moment, Tang San realized that this elder didn't seem so contemptible after all. His straightforward temperament of loving and hating openly actually made him easier to accept.
His gaze shifted to Tang Xiao and the other elders. The Second Elder nodded at Tang San. "We keep our word. You won that contest just now. We permit you to reclaim your ancestral lineage."
Tang San asked with some agitation, "Then does that mean I can also pay respects to Grandfather?"
Hearing these words, the elders' expressions all turned somewhat gloomy—clearly remembering the old Sect Master's unwillingness at the time of his death. But the Second Elder still nodded. "No. Because of your father's transgression, you do not yet have the right to pay respects to the old Sect Master. You said before that you would repay the wrongs your father committed—that you would serve the sect to atonement. Is that correct?"
Tang San's heart tightened, but he also felt a measure of relief. After all, this was already the first step in atoning for his father's sins. "Yes, I said so. Then what must I do to pay respects to Grandfather?"
The Second Elder replied, "Since that is the case, we require you to accomplish three things for the sect. As long as you complete these three tasks, your father's debts will be considered repaid. Not only will you reclaim your ancestral lineage, but we will also allow your father to return to the sect and pay respects to the old Sect Master alongside you."
"What?" Tang San was greatly shocked, and the rims of his eyes reddened at once. Although his father had never spoken of such a wish, Tang San knew that exile from the sect was an eternal wound in his father's heart. If his father could return to the sect and pay respects to Grandfather, it would be an incomparably joyous occasion for him.
Of course, with his intelligence, Tang San understood that if the Second Elder was offering such generous terms, the three tasks must be extraordinarily difficult. But he had absolutely no room to choose.
For his father, and for the Clear Sky Sect, it was a duty he could not refuse.
"I agree." Tang San took a deep breath and reined in his emotions. He needed to analyze this more calmly. He glanced at Tang Xiao, who stood nearby with an expressionless face, but Tang Xiao gave no indication of anything—clearly endorsing the Second Elder's approach.
The Second Elder smiled faintly. "These three tasks are impossible for you to complete in your current state. We are giving you a generous deadline. The first task: you must break through to level eighty in Soul Power within ten years."
Rising twenty levels in ten years—for a low-level Soul Master, that might not be difficult with enough effort. But the Second Elder's requirement was from level sixty to level eighty, and that span of twenty levels was simply too vast.
Many Soul Masters could never reach such heights in their entire lifetimes, let alone within a mere ten years. Tang San was twenty years old this year. In ten years, he would be thirty. Breaking through to level eighty by the age of thirty—throughout the entire Soul Master world, that would be absolutely unheard of.
"Fine. I believe I can do it." Tang San agreed without hesitation. He had already accomplished far too many things that were thought impossible to matter one more.
The Second Elder nodded with satisfaction. The unwavering conviction that shone in Tang San's eyes was something he greatly admired.
"The second task: within ten years, I want you to bring back the head of a Titled Douluo from Spirit Hall. Use whatever methods you wish—we only care about the result."
Tang San's pupils contracted sharply. Kill a Titled Douluo? He drew a deep breath and nodded firmly once more.
The Second Elder's gaze at this moment grew sharp and focused. He spoke in a solemn tone, "The third task: I require you to obtain a hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring for your eighth soul ring."
"What?" If the first two tasks were still possibly achievable, then this third task from the Second Elder felt like something out of a fantasy.
A hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring was not something easily obtained. Among all the Titled Douluos Tang San knew of, only his father and Spirit Hall's Pope Bibi Dong each possessed one hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring. And his father's hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring had come from his mother.
Leaving aside the sheer difficulty of hunting a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast, merely locating one was already extraordinarily difficult. And this was for his eighth soul ring.
The Second Elder said gravely, "Your fourth soul ring was already at the ten-thousand-year level, and your fifth exceeded thirty thousand years at minimum. By the time you reach your eighth soul ring, with your physical constitution, absorbing a hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring should pose no problem. During the process of obtaining this ring, the sect will not assist you in any way—you may call upon any outside help. We only want the result. You have ten years. In ten years, we hope to see you here, having completed all three tasks. If you can accomplish them, the two pieces of soul bone your father must return to the sect will become yours as well. You said you wanted to restore the Clear Sky Sect to its former glory, didn't you? I can promise you right now—if you complete these three tasks, you will be the next Sect Master. Only by sitting in that position can you truly lead the Clear Sky Sect back to the splendor it once knew."