Douluo Continent: The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda? A Soul Beast Pagoda!

Chapter 65: Was he really here to save me?

Notting City, a branch of the Spirit Hall.

The reception hall was bustling with people, with Soul Masters going through various procedures and the sound of their hushed conversations buzzing around them.

Tang San stood at the entrance of the hall, his eyes scanning anxiously.

He heard from a gatekeeper at the academy today that he seemed to have seen Master Yu heading towards the Spirit Hall a few days ago.

He hesitated for a moment, but still went inside.

As soon as I entered, I saw a familiar figure: Su Yuntao.

The Spirit Hall steward who had awakened his spirit was walking past in the side corridor with a stack of documents in his hand.

"Master Su!" Tang San's eyes lit up, and he quickly stepped forward to block Su Yuntao's path.

Su Yuntao stopped and looked up at Tang San, recognizing him as the Blue Silver Grass boy with innate full soul power. He nodded, "It's you, little guy. What's the matter?"

Su Yuntao still had some impression of this special boy. After all, a boy with innate full soul power but a useless martial soul was a truly rare and contradictory combination.

"Master Su, hello." Tang San tried his best to keep his tone polite. "I would like to ask you if you have seen my teacher Yu Xiaogang come by these past few days? He was supposed to come to collect his Soul Master subsidy a few days ago."

Upon hearing the name "Yu Xiaogang," Su Yuntao's expression changed slightly. He looked around and lowered his voice, saying, "Tang San, come with me for a moment."

He led Tang San to a relatively quiet corner of the hall before speaking, his tone serious: "Tang San, take my advice and sever your master-disciple relationship with that Yu Xiaogang as soon as possible."

Tang San's heart sank, and his brows furrowed: "Why? Master Su, what do you mean by that?"

Su Yuntao sighed, lowering his voice even further: "Yu Xiaogang—suspected of stealing the Spirit Hall Elder's Token—has been apprehended by our branch hall. Soon, a high-ranking official from Spirit City will personally come to investigate this case."

"Stealing the Elder's Token?!" Tang San's voice suddenly rose, filled with disbelief. "Impossible! My teacher would never do such a thing! This must be a misunderstanding!"

"Misunderstanding?" Su Yuntao shook his head, a hint of pity in his eyes. "Tang San, you're young, there are some things you don't understand."

Let me put it this way: the Elder's Decree of the Spirit Hall is only issued to two types of people: first, titled Douluo elders belonging to the Spirit Hall; and second, Soul Douluo-level powerhouses who have made significant contributions to the Spirit Hall.

He paused, looking into Tang San's eyes: "And your teacher, Yu Xiaogang, is only a level 29 Great Soul Master. He is neither a Title Douluo nor has he made any significant contributions to the Spirit Hall. Most importantly, we Spirit Hall deacons are required to memorize the list of elders. I can tell you definitively that there is no one with the surname Yu on that list."

Every word struck Tang San's heart like a heavy hammer.

"Stealing an elder's token is a serious crime in the Spirit Hall." Su Yuntao patted Tang San's shoulder, his tone softening. "You're still young, don't get involved. Cut ties with him as soon as possible; it'll only benefit you. Alright, I have other things to attend to, you should go back. Don't inquire about him anymore; it won't do you any good."

After saying that, Su Yuntao picked up the documents and left in a hurry, leaving Tang San standing there alone.

Theft — Elder's Decree —

These two words echoed wildly in Tang San's mind.

In his previous life, he was forced to jump off a cliff to prove his resolve because he "stole" the inner secrets of the Tang Clan.

He has an almost instinctive aversion and sensitivity to the act of "stealing".

But now, someone is telling him that his revered teacher, Yu Xiaogang, who taught him theories, guided his cultivation, and whose image in his heart was lofty and majestic, is actually suspected of stealing things from the Spirit Hall.

"No—it's impossible—the teacher wouldn't do that—"

Tang San muttered to himself, his face pale.

However, Su Yuntao's words were logically clear and supported by conclusive evidence. Yu Xiaogang's cultivation level and contributions were insufficient to obtain an elder's token. Furthermore, his absence from the elder's list was an undeniable fact.

Could it be that the teacher really is...?

Tang San dared not think any further. He turned around, utterly dejected, and walked out of the Spirit Hall branch like a walking corpse.

The sunlight outside was blinding, and the streets were bustling with people, filled with the sounds of vendors hawking their wares and laughing and talking. But all of this seemed blurry and distant to Tang San.

He looked up at the blinding sun, momentarily at a loss as to where to go or what to do.

In the end, he lowered his head and slowly walked back to Notting College, step by step.

Late at night, in the dungeon of the Martial Soul Hall branch in Notting City.

Deep inside the passageway, a few oil lamps cast a dim, yellowish light, barely dispelling a small patch of darkness. The air was thick with the smells of mildew, rust, and some indescribable stench.

Two guards leaned against the stone wall at the entrance to the cell, yawning and dozing off.

Just then.

A tall, silent figure appeared quietly at the end of the passageway.

He wore a tattered gray robe so worn that its original color was unrecognizable, and his messy, dirty black hair was draped over his shoulders, obscuring most of his face.

The exposed skin was rough and dark, etched with the marks of time and hardship, but his eyes shone brightly in the dim light, like a lurking beast.

-

"Who goes there?!" The two guards were suddenly awakened, scrambling around in a panic, their voices trembling with fear.

Tang Hao didn't even glance at them.

His figure flashed like a ghost, appearing before the two guards. His left hand shot out like an iron clamp, precisely gripping the throat of the left guard.

"Click."

A faint yet distinct cracking sound echoed in the silent passageway.

The guard didn't even have time to scream before his eyes bulged out, his body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

"ah--!"

The other guard was terrified, his legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground, staring in horror at the figure before him who resembled a god of death. "You—you—you are—don't kill me—I, Yaodu—"

"Where is Yu Xiaogang?" Tang Hao's voice was hoarse and low, like sandpaper being rubbed.

"Second floor—the innermost cell—" the guard stammered, only wanting to survive.

Tang Hao nodded.

Then, in the guard's despairing gaze, his right hand also reached out and snapped the other man's neck.

Tang Hao didn't even look at it and walked straight down the steps leading to the second floor.

The second floor was darker and damper than the first, and the stench was even stronger. Tang Hao held his breath, his gaze sweeping over the rows of iron bars, finally settling on the deepest cell.

He walked over and looked inside.

Even with Tang Hao's slovenly appearance, he couldn't help but frown and feel a churning in his stomach when he saw the scene inside the cell.

In the corner of the cell, Yu Xiaogang huddled on the blackened straw. His once decent black robe was now tattered and covered in unidentified stains, emitting a strong stench.

His eyes were vacant, his face was covered in bruises, and there were suspicious bruises and—teeth marks on his exposed skin.

It was as if his soul had been ripped out, leaving only a dirty and dilapidated shell.

On the other side of the cell, a burly man with a hideous scar on his face was lying sprawled out on the straw, fast asleep and snoring loudly.

Tang Hao's gaze turned colder.

This piece of trash—well, it's still somewhat useful for now.

He and Bibi Dong had a past relationship; perhaps he can extract something from the mistress's cultivation of twin martial souls in the future.

Thinking of this, Tang Hao no longer hesitated, raised his foot, and kicked the thick iron fence hard!

"Bang--!!!"

A deafening roar exploded in the narrow passageway!

The sturdy iron pole was like rotten wood in the face of the power of a Title Douluo, bending and breaking instantly, revealing a huge gap.

The loud noise woke the two men in the cell.

Yu Xiaogang and Scarface opened their eyes in terror at the same time, looking at the towering figure outside the cell door.

"You—you are—?" Yu Xiaogang's voice was hoarse and trembling, and a faint glimmer of hope rekindled in his eyes.

"Master, get dressed and get ready to leave." Tang Hao said expressionlessly, his voice icy.

They really came to save me!

Yu Xiaogang was overjoyed and almost cried. He struggled to stand up, but found that his whole body ached, especially a certain embarrassing area that was burning with pain.

Even more embarrassingly, his clothes had already been torn to shreds during the days of inhuman torture, and his pants were so tattered that they could barely cover his body.