The siblings are truly ingenious!
Elder Bai Mei's gaze toward Tang San and Tang Sui had changed.
After all, the Clear Sky Sect's spirit bones could be counted on one hand.
It was one thing for the brother to possess the Killing God Domain and spirit bones, but for the sister to also have a spirit bone!
At just twenty years old, this pair of siblings possessed such exceptional advantages.
Elder Seven's eyebrows twitched, and he stated firmly, "No need, thirty percent is enough."
Tang San shook his head, "Then let's make it fifty percent. If you feel that my sister and I are getting the better deal, then we can choose the location of the fight, how about that?"
Elder Seven looked at the persistent Tang San and snorted, "Since you're so confident, then forty percent, and the location is yours to decide."
He wanted to teach these two juniors a lesson, that one couldn't do whatever they pleased just because they had spirit bones, and they needed to consider if they had the ability!
Tang San smiled faintly, "Then let's do it on the iron chain bridge."
The other disciples, aware of the danger of the iron chain bridge suspended thousands of meters above the ground, looked at Tang San in surprise.
Was he not afraid that with three people standing on a single iron chain, it would be too crowded, and one of them might fall accidentally?
Someone scrutinized Tang Sui, only to see that her expression was calm, and she showed no dissatisfaction with the high-risk location her brother Tang San had chosen.
He had thought it through carefully.
Normally, when using spirit skills in such a place, the primary consideration would be one's own safety, not harming the enemy. However, for Tang San, with his past life experiences from the Tang Sect, the iron chain bridge was all too familiar.
Moreover, they had a two-on-one advantage, brother and sister fighting together!
Elder Seven, who was very familiar with the surroundings of the Clear Sky Sect, coldly snorted, "Alright, then the iron chain bridge it is."
Seeing Elder Seven agree, Tang San nodded, then reiterated the terms of the duel: "Elder Seven, if my sister and I lose this match, we will immediately leave the Clear Sky Sect and never return. But if you lose, I hope you will retract your previous insults to my late mother and agree to our request to acknowledge our ancestors and rejoin the sect. What do you say?"
Tang San, adaptable and resourceful, reverted to the respectful address.
Elder Seven looked coldly at this sly young man, "If you lose, not only will you never return to the sect, but you must also return your inherited martial souls to the sect!"
The hidden meaning of this statement was also to cripple their dantian and abolish their spirit power.
Tang San's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, but just as he was about to speak, the Sect Master Tang Xiao, who had remained silent, said in a deep voice, "Elder Seven, they are merely third-generation disciples. Whether to reclaim their martial souls is not something you and they can decide."
Elder Seven cast a cold glance at Tang Xiao, "Sect Master, then how do you suggest we proceed?"
Tang Xiao said in a deep voice, "How about this. If Tang San and Tang Sui win this match, then I ask all the elders not to obstruct their acknowledgment of ancestors and rejoining the sect any further."
"I believe all of you have witnessed some of their siblings' talent. They are only twenty years old this year, with limitless potential, and they are devoted to serving the sect."
"They will undoubtedly play a positive role in the sect's future development. If they lose, then banish them from the sect, and they shall never use the Clear Sky Hammer again. As for reclaiming their martial souls, you all know what that represents. The reason I spoke up to say that neither you nor they can decide is because their martial souls are special."
"What do you mean?" Elder Seven frowned, and the other elders looked at Tang Xiao.
Tang Xiao smiled faintly and said, "If their siblings only had one Clear Sky Hammer, then you and he might have the right to decide. But what if their siblings inherited more than just the Clear Sky Hammer martial soul?"
Elder Seven was stunned, and the next second, his mind raced, then suddenly paused, his face showing disbelief, "Are you saying—"
"They are both twin martial souls?!"
Elder Bai Mei's excited voice drowned out Elder Seven's incredulous words, and the other direct disciples widened their eyes, looking at Tang San and Tang Sui in disbelief.
They had initially thought they had seen all they had to offer, but unexpectedly, there was still more hidden!
Were they truly human?!
Tang Xiao smiled and continued, "Precisely. Elders, such outstanding talent is rarely seen in a century. Even when encountered, how many possess twin martial souls? If stripping away one martial soul were to cause a significant loss of their current strength and cripple their talent, leading to the decline of a generation of prodigies, is this what you elders wish to see?"
Elder Bai Mei fell into contemplation, and the other elders, aside from Elder Seven with his conflicted expression, began to consider other possibilities.
Tang Xiao saw the shift in their expressions and seized the moment to deliver the final blow:
"Furthermore, no matter what, they still carry the blood of our Clear Sky Sect. This is a fact that none of you elders can deny."
Elder Seven's face darkened, but he suppressed his anger and turned to look at Elder Bai Mei, the leader of their Elder Hall and currently the second elder.
After careful consideration, the Second Elder had reached a conclusion and nodded, "Then let it be as the Sect Master says. However, if Tang San and Tang Sui truly manage to defeat Elder Seven, I have three additional requests."
He looked at the siblings standing straight, "Of course, these three requests are to be made after they have acknowledged their ancestors and rejoined the sect, and they will not be excessive. Everything will be for the good of the sect."
Tang Xiao's gaze met the Second Elder's for two seconds. Tang Xiao understood that this was an opportunity offered by the Elder Hall, "Very well, it shall be done. However, before the duel, I have one more matter to announce."
With that, Tang Xiao took out the black long box that Tang San had given him from his soul tool, his expression solemn, and said in a deep voice, "When Tang Hao left the sect, he took two of the sect's spirit bones. This time, he sent Tang San and Tang Sui to acknowledge their ancestors and rejoin the sect, and they have brought back these two spirit bones that were separated from their bodies."
Tang Xiao slowly opened the black long box before him.
A dense fluctuation of spirit power emanated from it, the wild and overbearing aura seemingly still carrying the formidable and terrifying might of its previous owner.
"I believe this is sufficient proof of Tang Hao's remorse. Otherwise, he could have easily kept the two spirit bones, or given them directly to Tang San and Tang Sui without returning them."
The two spirit bones appeared complete before the eyes of all the elders and sect disciples.
Seeing these two spirit bones, and recalling Tang Xiao's words about separating them from the body.
Living body bone separation...
The elders looked at the two spirit bones in silence, their cold gazes slowly changing.
Finally, the Second Elder sighed, "After all, he is the son of the former Sect Master."
With Tang Hao's current cultivation level, to be able to detach spirit bones from a living body meant that Tang Hao had not only permanently damaged his strength but had also become crippled.
Although the trouble Tang Hao had caused the sect in the past had made all the elders extremely angry, Tang Hao's battle with the former Pope Qian Xunji had also shown everyone the power of the Clear Sky Sect.
As his daughter had said earlier, while the spread of rumors might have been the work of the real culprit who had killed Qian Xunji, he had ultimately implicated the sect.
But now...
The Second Elder compromised, and the resistance in the hearts of the other elders and direct disciples lessened.
Seizing the momentum, Tang Xiao strode forward, holding the long box with both hands and handing it to the Second Elder, "These two spirit bones are treasures of the sect, and they shall be preserved by all the elders. When the successor to the next Sect Master is determined in the future, or for a disciple who makes outstanding contributions to the sect, these two spirit bones will be bestowed."
The Second Elder nodded slowly, understanding that this was Tang Xiao showing respect to the elders.
Respect was mutual; since Tang Xiao had done this, they would naturally respond in kind.
— Author's Notes —
Monday meeting and overtime to prepare for the National Day holiday.jpg.
See you all tomorrow, my dears.