Bashu was also known by the beautiful name of the Land of Abundance, and within it, the most famous was the Tang Sect.
The Tang Sect was a mysterious place. Most people only knew it was situated halfway up a mountain, but the peak where the Tang Sect was located bore a name that struck terror into the hearts of men—Guijianshou.
If a stone were thrown from the peak of Guijianshou, it would take a full nineteen seconds before the sound of its impact at the foot of the mountain could be heard. From this, one could see just how high the mountain was. It was precisely because of these nineteen seconds, which exceeded the eighteen levels of hell by one, that it earned this name.
A grey-robed young man stood atop the peak of Guijianshou. The fierce mountain wind could not budge his body in the slightest. From the large character "Tang" embroidered on his chest, one could tell he belonged to the Tang Sect; the grey robe signified that he was an outer sect disciple.
He was twenty-nine years old this year. Having entered the Tang Sect not long after his birth, he ranked third among the outer sect, which was why the other outer sect disciples called him Third Young Master. Of course, when it came to the mouths of the inner sect disciples, this address became simply "Tang San."
Since its founding, the Tang Sect had been divided into the inner and outer sects. Outer sect disciples were either of other surnames or had been bestowed the Tang surname, while the inner sect was composed of the direct descendants of the Tang family.
At this moment, Tang San's expression was incredibly rich—at times smiling, at times weeping—but no matter what, he could not conceal the excitement radiating from the depths of his heart.
Twenty-nine years. Twenty-nine years ago, while still in swaddling clothes, he had been taken in by the outer sect elder, Elder Tang Lan. The Tang Sect was his home, and the Tang Sect's hidden weapons were his everything.
Suddenly, Tang San's expression shifted, but it quickly returned to normal as he muttered to himself with a trace of bitterness, "What must come will eventually come."
Seventeen figures, seventeen white-robed figures, shot up from the mountainside toward the peak like shooting stars. The youngest among them was already over fifty years old, and each bore a solemn expression. The white robes they wore signified the inner sect, and the golden character "Tang" on their chests was the symbol of a Tang Sect elder.
The Tang Sect's Inner Sect Elder Council, including the Sect Master, Tang Da, consisted of seventeen elders in total, and at this moment, all seventeen were ascending the mountain. Even a grand assembly of the martial world could not have prompted all the Tang Sect elders to mobilize at once. One must know that among these elders, the eldest had already surpassed one hundred and twenty years of age.
The cultivation of these Tang Sect elders had all reached the pinnacle. In the blink of an eye, they had already arrived at the summit.
Normally, when an outer sect disciple saw the inner sect elders, they could only kneel in greeting. But at this moment, Tang San remained motionless. He only watched quietly as the solemn-faced elders approached and blocked all paths of retreat. Behind him lay Guijianshou.
Setting down three Buddha's Fury Tang Lotuses, Tang San cast one last lingering look at them, a gratified smile appearing on his lips. After all, he had succeeded. Through twenty years of effort, he had finally completed the creation of the pinnacle of the Tang Sect's outer sect hidden weapons. That sense of achievement was something that could not be described in words.
At this very moment, Tang San felt that nothing else mattered to him anymore. Whether it was violating the sect rules or his own life and death, everything seemed to reach its conclusion with the three blooming Tang Lotuses before his eyes. The Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus, the most domineering hidden weapon in the world, had been born by his own hands. What could make Tang San more excited than this aphrodisiac-infused hidden weapon?
"I know that sneaking into the inner sect and stealing the sect's secret teachings is an unforgivable crime. The sect rules cannot tolerate this, but I, Tang San, can swear to the heavens that I have never and will never reveal even a single shred of the secret teachings I stole to the outside world. I say this not in the hope of seeking leniency from the elders, but only to tell you that Tang San has never forgotten his roots. Not in the past, and not in the future."
Tang San's mind was incredibly clear right now; perhaps this was the clearest moment of his entire life. Looking at the ancient Tang Sect estate on the mountainside and feeling the air that belonged to the Tang Sect, Tang San's eyes grew moist. Ever since he was old enough to understand things, it could be said that he was born for the Tang Sect. And now, it was time for him to depart for the sake of the Tang Sect, leaving behind the pursuit of his entire life.
The elders remained silent, still unable to snap out of their shock after witnessing the appearance of the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus. Two hundred years—for a whole two hundred years, the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus had actually appeared in the hands of an outer sect disciple. What did this mean? This peerless hidden weapon, unmatched under heaven, which even the Tang Sect's own people could not withstand, absolutely signified that the peak era of the Tang Sect had arrived.
Seeing the elders bow their heads in silence, Tang San smiled faintly. "Everything Tang San has was given by the Tang Sect. Whether it is my life or my abilities, they were all bestowed by the Tang Sect. No matter the time, in life I am a Tang Sect member, and in death I am a Tang Sect ghost. I know the elders will not allow the corpse of an outer sect disciple who violated the sect rules to remain in the Tang Sect. Since that is the case, let my bones dissolve into the nature of Bashu."
Tang San's calm, even slightly excited voice finally jolted the elders back to reality. When they raised their heads to look at him, they saw a layer of cream-white airflow instantly erupting from his body.
"The Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record! You have even learned the sect's highest inner strength technique, the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record?!" Elder Tang blurted out in shock.
Boom! A loud explosion rang out. As the elders retreated simultaneously to guard against any danger, they also saw that Tang San was completely naked.
Tang San smiled, his grin exceptionally brilliant. "Naked I came, naked I go. The Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus shall be the final gift Tang San leaves for the sect. Now, apart from my own body, I am not taking anything from the Tang Sect. The secret manuals are all located under the first brick beneath my room's doorway. Tang San has now returned everything to the Tang Sect."
"Hahaha..." Tang San threw his head back and laughed wildly, taking rapid steps backward. At this moment, the Tang Sect elders suddenly realized his intention, but none of them could stop him in time. Shrouded in white light, his tall figure shot forward like lightning toward Ghost's Sorrow, soaring high and leaping into the mountain mist.
"Wait!" Elder Tang finally reacted, but whatever he said now was already too late.
The dense mist, carrying waves of moisture, swept away the sunlight, and also swept away Tang San—the man who had dedicated his entire life to the Tang Sect and its hidden weapons.
Time seemed to stand still. Master Tang Da's hands trembled as he held up the three Tang Lotuses before him, his eyes already welling with tears. "Tang San, oh Tang San, why did you have to go to such lengths? You have truly given us too many surprises, far too many..."
"Big Brother," the Second Elder took a step forward, "why waste your pity on this traitor?"
Master Tang Da's gaze instantly turned cold, a powerful chill radiating from his entire body as he glared at the Second Elder. "Who are you calling a traitor? Have you ever seen a traitor who didn't flee after obtaining our sect's highest secret manual? Have you ever seen a traitor who used his own death to prove his innocence? Have you ever seen someone who possessed an unparalleled hidden weapon capable of destroying all the Tang Sect's masters, yet chose to leave it behind as a final gift to the Tang Sect? Tang San is no traitor. He is the most outstanding genius our sect has seen in two hundred years."
The Second Elder was stunned. "But, he stole our sect's..."
Master Tang Da abruptly cut him off. "If you could also create the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus, I wouldn't care what you stole. You were wrong, and I was wrong too. Just a moment ago, we actually watched the opportunity to restore the Tang Sect to its former glory slip right through our fingers."
The elders gathered around, their expressions incredibly complex. Some showed doubt, some sorrow, some sighed, but most of all, there was regret.
"None of you need to say anything. Hear my command: order all sect disciples to mobilize and search for Tang San at the bottom of Ghost's Sorrow. If he is alive, I want to see him; if he is dead, I want to see his corpse. Furthermore, from this moment on, Tang San is promoted to an inner sect disciple. If he is still alive, he shall be the sole successor to my position as Sect Master."
"Yes, Sect Master." The elders bowed in unison to accept the command.
If Tang San were still on the cliff at this moment and could hear Master Tang Da's words, he would surely be deeply gratified even in death; his efforts had not been in vain after all. But, it was all just a bit too late.
Ghost's Sorrow, where even a falling stone took over nineteen seconds to hit the bottom—an abyss that seemed to surpass the eighteen levels of hell—how could it allow a person swallowed by its clouds and mists to return alive? Tang San was gone, leaving this world forever, but his destiny was about to begin anew in another.
Douluo Continent, southwest of the Heaven Dou Empire, Fasinuo Province.
Holy Soul Village. If one only heard its name, it would certainly sound astonishing. In reality, however, this was merely a small village of just over three hundred households, located south of Nuoding City in Fasinuo Province. The reason it was named Holy Soul was because of a legend that, a hundred years ago, a Spirit Master who reached the rank of Spirit Saint had been born here, bringing fame to the village. This was also the eternal pride of Holy Soul Village.
Outside Holy Soul Village lay a vast expanse of farmland. The grain and food produced here were all supplied to Nuoding City. Although Nuoding City was not considered a major city within Fasinuo Province, its close proximity to the border of another empire made it one of the primary trading hubs for merchants from both empires. Consequently, Nuoding City flourished, which in turn made the lives of the commoners in the surrounding villages much better than those in other regions.
Dawn was just breaking, and a faint white glow was rising in the distant east. Atop a small hill just over a hundred meters high outside Holy Soul Village, a small, thin figure had already appeared.
He was a child of only five or six years old. Clearly, he spent plenty of time basking in the warmth of the sun; his healthy, wheat-colored skin and short black hair gave him a spirited look, and though his clothes were simple, they were clean.
For a young child like him, climbing this hundred-meter-high mountain was no easy feat. Yet strangely, upon reaching the summit, he was neither flushed nor out of breath, looking completely at ease.
The boy sat down on the mountaintop, his eyes fixed intently on the eastern horizon as it gradually brightened with the morning light. He inhaled slowly through his nose and exhaled gently through his mouth, creating a continuous, smooth cycle of breath.
At that moment, his eyes suddenly went wide. Far off on the horizon, amidst the brightening white light, a faint trace of purple energy seemed to flicker. Without extraordinary eyesight and absolute focus, it would have been impossible to detect its existence.
The appearance of this purple energy brought the boy to a state of absolute concentration. He stopped exhaling entirely, only drawing in slow, gentle breaths while keeping his eyes locked onto the flickering purple mist.
The purple energy did not last long. As the rising sun began to drape the eastern sky in light, the purple mist vanished completely.
Only then did the boy slowly close his eyes, exhaling a long breath of turbid air from deep within. A stream of white mist seemed to shoot from his mouth before gradually dispersing.
After sitting quietly for a long time, the boy opened his eyes once more. Perhaps touched by the purple energy, a faint purple hue flickered in his eyes. Although this purple light did not last long before quietly receding, it was remarkably clear while it remained.
Sighing dejectedly, the boy wore an expression of helplessness that was entirely unsuited to his age. He shook his head and muttered, "Still nothing. My Mysterious Heaven Skill still can't break through the bottleneck of the first tier. It's been three whole months—why? Even the Purple Demon Eye, which relies on the 'purple qi from the east' and can only be practiced at dawn, is making progress. If the Mysterious Heaven Skill can't break through its bottleneck, the Mysterious Jade Hand can't improve either. Back when I first cultivated it, from the first tier to the second, I didn't seem to run into this kind of problem. The Mysterious Heaven Skill has nine tiers in total; why is this first tier so troublesome? Could it be because this world is fundamentally different from my old one?"
Having been in this world for over five years, the child before us was indeed Tang San, who had once leaped off the cliff at the Tang Sect to prove his resolve. When he first woke from his unconscious state, he found that he could do nothing except feel a sensation of warmth. But the death he had anticipated never came, and soon enough, he arrived in this world through a suffocating, squeezing process.
It took a long time for Tang San to understand what had happened. He had not died, but he was no longer the Tang San of the past.
After his birth, it took Tang San nearly a year to learn the language of this world. He still remembered that when he was born, although he could not yet open his eyes to see, he heard a man's deep voice crying out in heart-wrenching agony. Once he had learned the language and recalled the memory with his extraordinary mind, he could only remember the man crying out, "San-mei, don't leave me!" That man was his father, Tang Hao. His mother in this world had died during childbirth.
Whether it was by divine providence or a twist of fate, to commemorate his deceased wife, Tang Hao gave him a name that, miraculously, was still Tang San.
The other children in the village often teased him about it, but Tang San was secretly very pleased. After all, he had used this name for nearly thirty years in his previous life. The sheer familiarity of it had long made him fond of these two characters.
Coming to this world, going from initial shock and fear to excitement, and finally to his current state of calm, Tang San had completely accepted his reality. In his eyes, Heaven had given him another chance. Perhaps the greatest wish of his past life could be fulfilled in this lifetime.
Though he had entered this world stark naked, Tang San possessed his greatest wealth: his memories. As the most outstanding genius of the Tang Sect's Outer Sect, the manufacturing methods for all kinds of mechanical hidden weapons were etched into his mind. Furthermore, the secret manual of the Inner Sect he had stolen—the ultimate Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record that he had yearned for and studied for years—was likewise engraved in his heart. Tang San hoped to recreate the glory of the Tang Sect in this world.
"It's time to go back." Tang San looked at the sky. His thin body leaped up, and he ran down the mountain. If anyone had seen him at this moment, their eyes would surely have widened in astonishment. With every step he took, he covered nearly ten feet. The uneven ground and potholes had absolutely no effect on him as he easily avoided them, moving at a rapid pace that was much faster than an adult's.
What was the essence of the Tang Sect? Hidden weapons, poisons, and qinggong. The greatest difference between the Tang Sect's Inner and Outer Sects lay in the method of using hidden weapons. The Outer Sect relied primarily on mechanical devices, whereas the Inner Sect focused on true hand techniques. Poison was generally used only by the Outer Sect; the direct disciples of the Inner Sect rarely used poison on their hidden weapons, because they simply had no need for it.