On the side, Lei Dong and the others complained, "We were against it back then. So what if Tang San has the Clear Sky Hammer as a second martial spirit? He was too arrogant, thinking Blazing Academy wouldn't have any trump cards. Now, look where we are—if we encounter them in the advancement rounds, we have to forfeit. How humiliating!"
Flander adjusted his glasses and said coldly, "Enough! Tang San did this for our academy's victory. Do you think we could have won against Blazing Academy five against seven? The advancement rounds are just for rankings; even if we forfeit to Blazing Academy, our rank won't be low, and it won't impact the finals."
"Tang San's already severely injured and unconscious for the sake of winning, yet you're here making sarcastic remarks. Don't you have any sense of teamwork?"
Lei Dong and the others fell silent, feeling reprimanded. Tang San had only been with them for half a month, so there wasn't much team loyalty. Additionally, Lei Dong had previously been vice-captain, but now that position was given to Tang San!
He'd had reservations about this all along, and now, Tang San's repeated missteps gave him even more reason to complain.
Elsewhere in the audience, a tall, muscular middle-aged man was stunned upon seeing Tang San use the Clear Sky Hammer. After the match ended, he quickly left the arena to report this news.
He had to tell his father—after so many years, the Clear Sky Hammer martial spirit had reappeared!
In the audience, Su Ming shook his head and said to those beside him, "Let's go. Tomorrow, Thunder Academy faces Tianshui Academy, and unless they find a skilled healing spirit master, they'll likely have to forfeit. Tang San probably won't be able to compete, and Yu Tianxin and the others aren't much better off."
Xiao Wu sounded slightly disappointed, "That's a break for Tang San and his group. Only Tang San got seriously injured this time; Oscar and Ma Hongjun are fine. I even asked Sister Shui Bing'er to teach them a lesson…what a pity."
Su Ming patted Xiao Wu's head affectionately. "Alright, Tang San probably won't be in the upcoming matches. We'll have to wait until the finals. In the advancement rounds, if Tianshui Academy encounters Tang San with his strange abilities, there's no guarantee they'd win."
There was another thing Su Ming didn't mention—that Tang San might not even be in the advancement rounds, as he'd likely use these days to visit the ancestral land of Blue Silver Grass in the Star Dou Forest to awaken his bloodline.
Ning Fengzhi, seeing the match was over, also prepared to leave, as he hadn't seen his daughter in several days.
"Your Majesty, since the match is over, I'll take my leave. Sword Douluo, let's go."
Su Ming and his group had just reached the arena exit when they ran into the Blazing Academy team.
Huo Wu greeted them, "Su Ming, over here!"
Seeing her, Su Ming led Xiao Wu and the others over.
"Huo Wu, that was quite the match. I didn't expect you to have such a trump card. I was surprised you could fully control that power, though if it's just ring fusion, it's still a bit lacking for me."
Huo Wu snorted, "You don't need to worry about that. You'll see for yourself later. I called you over just to let you know that I fulfilled my promise to you. Shui Bing'er probably won't even need to step in; Tang San's injuries won't heal in just a few days!"
Huo Wushuang was a bit surprised. When had his sister agreed to teach Tang San a lesson for Su Ming? Could it have been yesterday? But they'd only met Su Ming for the first time yesterday; had she agreed just like that?
Suddenly, Huo Wushuang thought of something and nodded to Su Ming. "Thank you for the warning yesterday."
Yes, Huo Wushuang realized that the mysterious person Huo Wu mentioned was likely Su Ming.
Su Ming was briefly puzzled as to why Huo Wushuang was thanking him, but then he quickly understood—it must have been something Huo Wu said. Not a big deal, as he hadn't left any proof.
"Just a casual reminder," Su Ming replied calmly.
It now made sense why the Blazing Academy team had all been ignited in flames at the start of the match.
Huo Wu glanced at her brother, surprised he'd figured it out so quickly. But it did seem obvious.
After saying goodbye to Huo Wu, Su Ming and the others left.
Elsewhere, in the infirmary…
The healer did his best to treat Yu Tianxin, Yu Tianheng, and Tang San before leaving.
Oscar looked troubled and said, "Master, what now? My first spirit ability sausage can heal, but their injuries are too severe. They won't recover in time for tomorrow's match. Will we have to forfeit?"
Yu Xiaogang sighed, "It's not your fault; their injuries are just too severe. The healer from the Heaven Dou Empire can only treat Tang San's external injuries. As for internal injuries, he'll have to recover slowly. If nothing else works, we might have to…"
Before he could finish, Dai Mubai spoke with a grim expression, "Actually, there's someone who could quickly heal their injuries."
"Who is it?" Ma Hongjun asked eagerly.
Oscar thought for a moment and then said uncertainly, "Are you talking about Su Ming?"
Dai Mubai nodded. "Don't you remember? Su Ming's fourth spirit ability is a very powerful healing technique. Back when we were at Shrek Academy, I was severely injured by Xiao Wu's Eight Stage Drop. Su Ming used his spirit ability, and I recovered in no time!"
Oscar hesitated. "Even if Su Ming has the ability to heal Tang San and the others, our relationship with him isn't good. Why would he help us?"
"Ahem…"
Yu Xiaogang wanted to say something, but then he noticed Yu Tianheng stirring and waking up.
Yu Xiaogang hurried over, asking with concern, "Tianheng, how do you feel?"
Yu Tianheng struggled to speak, "Everything hurts. If only Lingling were here; her Nine Heart Begonia would heal me in no time."
At his words, everyone's eyes lit up. Right! There was someone else!
The Nine Heart Begonia martial spirit—Ning Rongrong had mentioned before that it could bring someone back from the brink of death, the best healing spirit in the world!
Yu Xiaogang furrowed his brow. "But Ye Lingling and Su Ming are both part of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Now that Tianheng has withdrawn from the academy, after what happened before, your former teammates likely bear a grudge against you. Why would they help with treatment unless…"
"Unless we manage to secretly capture Ye Lingling!" Dai Mubai said with a grim expression.
"We can't ask Su Ming for help, nor could we forcibly take him. But Ye Lingling is just a healing-type spirit master with no self-defense abilities. If we could bypass Su Ming and the academy's teachers' awareness, maybe…"
On the side, Flender shook his head. "Even though Ye Lingling is a healing spirit master, capturing her isn't realistic. Not only is this during the Spirit Master Tournament, but as a key team member, she's likely under constant observation from the academy's high-ups."
"Especially those three board members, all of whom are Spirit Douluo-level experts. Even I couldn't sneak in undetected. And don't forget, Su Ming's team leader is Dugu Bo!"
"Though known as the weakest Title Douluo on the continent, he's still a Title Douluo, someone we can't compete with."
Clearly, Flender didn't yet know that, with Su Ming's help, Dugu Bo's strength had undergone a qualitative leap, especially his unmatched expertise in poison. Apart from Bibi Dong, there was likely no one who could surpass him in using poison.
Additionally, with the "Heavenly Poison Scripture" aiding him, it was only a matter of time before Dugu Bo surpassed even Bibi Dong in skill.
"Leave this to me. I'll go to Heaven Dou Royal Academy myself."
Just then, a cloaked middle-aged man stepped into the room and looked at the unconscious Tang San.
Yu Xiaogang was overjoyed upon seeing him. How could he have forgotten about Tang Hao? With Tang Hao's abilities, discreetly bringing Ye Lingling over wouldn't be difficult.
Tang Hao approached Tang San and used his spirit power to check his condition. His brow furrowed slightly; the injuries were indeed serious.
He hadn't expected anyone outside of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan to know ring fusion, let alone control it perfectly.
What a fiasco—the Clear Sky Hammer reappearing after so many years, only to end up in such an embarrassing state!
However, now that it had happened, he would have to find a way to resolve it.
He remembered Tang San mentioning Ye Lingling, who possessed the Nine Heart Begonia, the best healing spirit in the world. Capturing her could not only heal Tang San's injuries but also allow him to examine her abilities up close.
As he prepared to leave, he noticed a tall, elderly man with a head of white hair standing at the door.
Seeing this man, Tang Hao's expression shifted slightly. What was he doing here?
Yu Xiaogang and the others also noticed the imposing elder. The infirmary was only treating Tang San and two others, so who was he here to see?
The elder quickly walked over to Tang Hao, dropped to one knee, and, with tears streaming down his face, said, "Titan, the loyal servant, pays respects to the Master! It's been so long, Master!"
Upon hearing the name Titan, Yu Xiaogang's mind immediately turned to a theory. Could this man belong to the Power Clan, one of the four single-attribute clans that had once served the Clear Sky Clan? Had they settled in Heaven Dou City?
Otherwise, how could he have found Tang Hao so quickly after the Clear Sky Hammer reappeared?
Standing beside him, Tang Hao spoke in a slightly hoarse voice, "Stand up, Titan. I'm no longer part of the Clear Sky Clan, so you don't need to call me 'Master.'"
Titan rose, his expression filled with sorrow. "Master, where have you been all these years? And this young man must be the Young Master, I presume? No wonder he's a twin spirit wielder. He truly is the Master's son."
Tang Hao shook his head. "There's no point in discussing the past. I am the Clear Sky Clan's disgrace, not your Master anymore. Why are you here in Heaven Dou City?"
Titan sighed. "Master, after what happened, the Spirit Hall persecuted the Clear Sky Clan, forcing them into seclusion and abandoning the four affiliated clans. Now, the Power Clan has taken up residence here in Heaven Dou City."
Tang Hao already knew this and had only asked as a formality.
Because of his actions, the Clear Sky Clan had gone into hiding. He knew full well the impact he'd had, especially since his choices had ultimately led to his father's death. He felt deep remorse for that.
Seeing Tang Hao's guilty expression, Titan assumed it was due to remorse over abandoning the four affiliated clans, and quickly said, "Master, what happened back then wasn't your fault; it was the Spirit Hall's doing. Now that you've returned, isn't it time to reunite the four single-attribute clans? I believe Old Rhinoceros and the others would be thrilled to know you've come back."
Titan's first statement was heartfelt, but his last was more reluctant.
Among the four clans, the Power Clan harbored the least resentment. Titan felt much of his anger dissipate now that he'd seen Tang Hao again, especially upon learning that his young master was a twin spirit wielder.
Though, as Tai Nuo had mentioned earlier, their young master had been severely injured while wielding the Clear Sky Hammer, Titan wasn't too bothered by it. The Clear Sky Hammer didn't even have spirit rings yet, and the fact that he could achieve a "close match" using only the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Technique was already impressive.
However, though Titan's resentment was gone, the other three clans were more complicated. They were indeed resentful toward the Spirit Hall, but their grudge against the Clear Sky Clan was even stronger.
The Clear Sky Clan had abandoned them!
Though they had contributed much to the clan, they weren't direct descendants of the Clear Sky Clan, so the clan had cast them aside under the Spirit Hall's threat. That was unacceptable.
"We can discuss this later. Right now, I need to head out and find a suitable healing spirit master to treat them, or they won't be able to participate in tomorrow's match," Tang Hao said calmly.
As for the idea of reuniting the four single-attribute clans, he had little interest. To him, they were merely tools for the Clear Sky Clan.
In terms of combat strength, the four clans weren't exceptionally powerful, save for Yang Wudi, the Breaking Clan's chief. But even he wasn't a match for Tang Hao.
Tang Hao's primary concern was when his son would be strong enough. Once Tang San was ready, they would return to the Clear Sky Clan and eventually take down the Spirit Hall together.
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