Tang Chen looked at Bo Saixi, who had her eyes closed and remained silent. He felt a bit bitter, but at the same time, for some reason, he also felt as if a weight had been lifted from his heart.
Deep down, he wasn't sure whether he should feel joy or sorrow. He only felt that there seemed to be a thick barrier separating him and Bo Saixi. Though they were close enough to touch, their respective identities made them seem like they were worlds apart.
Perhaps, in this lifetime, there really would never be a possibility between the two of them.
Bo Saixi was waiting for Tang Chen to say something. Even if Tang Chen had only one sentence to say, she might have been shaken. But in the end, she heard nothing from him.
Bo Saixi opened her eyes and looked at Tang Chen. Suddenly, she felt that everything had become somewhat tasteless.
Indeed, if Tang Chen had truly understood the hidden meaning in her words back then, none of these years of events would have happened.
Bo Saixi's gaze gradually became clear. Her emotions toward Tang Chen were suppressed, replaced by the composure and demeanor befitting the High Priestess of Sea God Island.
"After so many years, you've come here today. Is it just to see me?" Bo Saixi gripped the Sea God Trident and asked Tang Chen.
"I was on the mainland, and I had a sudden premonition. Following that sense, I came to Sea God Island. Even I don't fully understand what I'm searching for. What else could there be on Sea God Island related to me besides you? Perhaps I did come here for you," Tang Chen replied calmly as he looked at Bo Saixi.
"Something related to you?" Bo Saixi finally reacted, giving Tang Chen a somewhat strange look. "Did you receive news from Sea Lance Douluo?"
"Sea Lance? Which Douluo is that?" Tang Chen asked, confused.
Back when Tang Chen disappeared from the mainland, Sea Lance Douluo was only a Soul Douluo, not a Titled Douluo or a Sacred Pillar Guardian. Tang Chen did vaguely recall hearing about a Soul Douluo who used a spear on Sea God Island, but he had never paid attention and had no idea where Sea Lance Douluo came from.
"That's true. Considering Sea Lance's speed, he shouldn't have arrived so quickly. It seems he made another futile trip," Bo Saixi shook her head, reflecting on Sea Lance Douluo's brash personality and lack of luck.
"Recently, there has been a strange phenomenon on the mainland. Sea God Island dispatched three Titled Douluo to investigate the situation. These three were Sea Dragon, Sea Illusion, and Sea Lance. You know both Sea Dragon Douluo and Sea Illusion Douluo."
"On the mainland, Sea Dragon Douluo encountered your great-grandson, Tang San. Because his identity was too special, Sea Dragon Douluo brought him back to Sea God Island and intended to contact you."
"Sea Dragon and Sea Illusion returned with Tang San just yesterday, and it was only yesterday that Sea Lance Douluo received my orders to leave Sea God Island and deliver a message to the Clear Sky Sect for you. It seems that after Tang San arrived at Sea God Island, you had a premonition and came here before Sea Lance Douluo could deliver the message."
"My great-grandson, Tang San?" Tang Chen mulled over the name, belatedly remembering that he had promised Tang Hao, that unfilial grandson of his, to check on his great-grandson.
The thought that his great-grandson could cause a premonition so strong that it led him to travel from the mainland to Sea God Island surprised Tang Chen. After exchanging a few words with Bo Saixi and agreeing not to reveal his strength—especially not to use powers from other deities—on Sea God Island, he followed Bo Saixi deeper into the island.
At that moment, Tang San was sitting quietly on a rock by the shore, practicing the Mysterious Heaven Technique. He was sensing the changes within his body.
The Mysterious Heaven Technique, the core technique of the Mysterious Sky Record, had always been somewhat peculiar. Based on its attributes and type, it seemed to be an orthodox Taoist technique that had somehow ended up in the Tang Sect. Its main characteristics were its gentle nature and its resistance to various abnormal states.
While it wasn't the most powerful technique in terms of enhancing abilities, it excelled in balance and stability. It could not be considered a top-tier martial art, but it was a first-class internal cultivation method in the martial arts world.
However, under Tang San's unique cultivation and guidance, the originally subtle and unusual aspects of the Mysterious Heaven Technique were gradually unearthed and became its dominant characteristics. Through various modifications, the technique's attributes became increasingly strange.
From a distance, Tang Chen and Bo Saixi observed Tang San. The soul power emanating from him leaned toward a dark attribute, with a sticky, swamp-like quality. As it flowed slowly, his skin faintly showed a purplish hue, making his soul power appear vastly different from that of ordinary soul masters.
Had it not been for the recent purification by the Sea God's Light, which cleansed the bloodthirst and remnants of soul beasts caused by devouring, Tang San's condition would have been much worse.
The soul power of the Clear Sky Hammer was known for its pure and fierce nature. Whether it was Tang Chen's skillful style, Tang Xiao's balanced approach, or Tang Hao's raw power, their soul power was all explosively strong with a pure metallic attribute.
Tang San's soul power immediately displeased Tang Chen. He felt it was unsuited for the Clear Sky Hammer. However, remembering that Tang San was a twin martial soul user and primarily trained his first martial soul instead of the Clear Sky Hammer, Tang Chen tolerated the strange nature of Tang San's soul power.
But as he looked at his great-grandson and observed the fluctuations in his soul power, Tang Chen frowned. Using a trace of his spiritual power, he sensed the flow and tendencies of Tang San's soul power within his body. His gaze became tinged with suspicion as he looked at Tang San.
"This training method doesn't seem like the traditional meditation techniques on the mainland. Instead, it resembles another method of cultivating soul power."
"Not focusing on the martial soul to sense the energy of heaven and earth, but directly absorbing it into the body and then channeling it to the martial soul?"
Though Tang Chen was the mainland's top assault-type soul master, his expertise in techniques made him one of the most skilled researchers of his time. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to create the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes, Ring Explosion, or the Great Sumeru Hammer, techniques that allowed the Clear Sky Sect to thrive for millennia.
Tang Chen noticed that Tang San's cultivation method was peculiar, resembling something developed by someone without a martial soul. It still increased soul power, but the martial soul seemed almost unnecessary in the process.
Most importantly, Tang San's soul power flowed through far too many meridians—nearly double the meridians used in the Clear Sky Sect's best meditation techniques. The method was also overly intricate, specifying which meridian to start with, where the soul power should flow, how fast it should flow, the attributes of each meridian, and even smaller, hidden pathways for soul power.
It all looked like the product of countless experiments conducted by numerous soul masters over a long period.