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Seeing Tai Tan's response, Tang San was overjoyed.
"Tai Tan Elder, I won't stand on ceremony then. From now on, our new sect will be called the Tang Sect. You, Elder Tai Tan, will be the Chief Elder of the Tang Sect. No matter who it is, no one will ever be able to shake your position."
"But there are two issues with establishing the Tang Sect right now. First, the Tang Sect must have a clear location that is absolutely safe and unlikely to attract attention from the Spirit Hall in the short term. This place will become the foundation of our Tang Sect."
"I think we should temporarily establish the sect within Tian Dou City. As the capital of the Tian Dou Empire, it will be relatively safer, and even the Spirit Hall won't be able to interfere directly in the affairs of the Tang Sect."
Tai Tan burst out laughing: "Young Master, you're overthinking this. If we're staying in Tian Dou City, why bother choosing another location? My life was saved by your father back then—if not for him, I wouldn't be here today, nor would the Strength Clan exist as it does now."
"I say we just repurpose the Strength Clan's current base as the Tang Sect. All we need to do is change the signboard. Afterward, all two hundred of us in the Strength Clan will belong to you, and we'll follow your every command. Furthermore, over the years, the Strength Clan has accumulated some wealth, and with the profits from crafting hidden weapons, we can ensure the Tang Sect thrives."
Hearing this, Tang San was overjoyed. The Strength Clan's residence was located in the southern part of Tian Dou City. Though somewhat remote, it covered an expansive area, making it ideal for establishing a sect.
Moreover, the Strength Clan had always been at odds with the Spirit Hall, and relations between the two were strained—they rarely interacted. Additionally, the Strength Clan had operated in the area for many years and had a certain level of control over the surroundings. Using it as the foundation for the Tang Sect couldn't have been more perfect.
"Tai Tan Elder, thank you so much. As long as the Tang Sect exists, the Strength Clan will forever prosper."
Tai Tan quickly responded: "Young Master, stop calling me Elder. Since I'm now an elder of the Tang Sect, you can call me Elder directly."
"Of course, I'll also stop calling you Young Master. Since you've decided to establish the Tang Sect, I'll address you as Sect Leader."
At this moment, Tang San was incredibly pleased. Rebuilding the Tang Sect on the Douluo Continent had always been his dream, and with the Strength Clan's support, it seemed he could achieve it without breaking a sweat.
The Strength Clan had two to three hundred soul masters, which constituted a decent small faction. Moreover, everyone in the Strength Clan was skilled in forging, making them natural experts at crafting hidden weapons—it was as if they were tailor-made for the Tang Sect.
Tang San nodded with satisfaction: "Thank you, Elder Tai Tan. However, there's still one issue: we'll need more blacksmiths to craft the hidden weapons, as well as a large amount of metal. I plan to visit Gengxin City soon—I hear it's known as the City of Blacksmiths."
Tai Tan said: "Sect Leader, what a coincidence. I was planning to visit Gengxin City soon as well."
"In fact, Sect Leader, you may not know this, but I have a certain level of expertise in forging and hold the position of Vice President in the Blacksmith Association. I have some standing within the association. If we go to Gengxin City together, we might achieve twice the results with half the effort."
Tang San was delighted once again: "Then I'll trouble you, Elder Tai Tan. With enough blacksmiths and precious metals, perhaps the Tang Sect can rise rapidly."
"Moreover, compared to the Zhuge Divine Crossbow you previously helped me forge, I have some more intricate and advanced hidden weapon designs that might sell even better."
Tai Tan quickly asked: "Sect Leader, besides the Zhuge Divine Crossbow, do you have more advanced hidden weapons? What kind of power can they achieve?"
Tang San smiled: "I happened to obtain detailed blueprints for these hidden weapons. While crafting them might be difficult, I believe we can produce more hidden weapons quickly, including advanced ones with greater power."
With that, Tang San took out several blueprints. They depicted designs Tang San had created based on the Tang Sect's hidden weapons, though they lacked the final assembly instructions.
Tai Tan looked at the blueprints with immense excitement. As one of the three great master craftsmen of this era, he could immediately see the extraordinary nature of the hidden weapons described in the blueprints. For a master craftsman, nothing was more appealing than forging advanced and powerful weapons.
However, after his initial excitement, Tai Tan's expression turned slightly hesitant: "Sect Leader, while these advanced hidden weapons indeed seem extremely powerful, their crafting process is far too complex, and the material requirements are exceedingly high. The skill level required of the blacksmiths will be very demanding."
"There's also the issue of cost. If these hidden weapons are produced, the expenses will likely be astronomical, and their prices will reflect that. Although the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect has purchased over two thousand sets of our hidden weapons at ten thousand gold spirit coins each, we need to set a price for these top-tier hidden weapons in advance and find buyers beforehand."
Tang San smiled: "The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect is merely an auxiliary sect, but they are the wealthiest sect in the world. The more powerful the hidden weapons, the more effective they are for them. I believe they'll be willing to pay a high price to acquire them."
Tai Tan shook his head: "Sect Leader, have you considered this? Even though the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect has a high demand for hidden weapons, they only have a few thousand members. Two thousand sets of hidden weapons are enough to equip all their direct disciples multiple times over."
"Lately, although we've communicated with them, their demand for hidden weapons seems to have decreased significantly compared to before—it's nowhere near as urgent as it was initially."
Tang San shook his head: "Elder Tai Tan, while the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect has a high demand for hidden weapons, the true consumers of large quantities of hidden weapons aren't sects—it's the armies of the Tian Dou Imperial Family. If our Tang Sect can establish ties with the imperial family, we'll definitely solve the sales problem for our hidden weapons."
"Moreover, while the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect is wealthy, they pale in comparison to the two empires. After all, the two empires are the true rulers of the Douluo Continent, and their armies have a far greater demand for hidden weapons."
Tai Tan finally nodded but still appeared somewhat puzzled: "Sect Leader, while our soul master world has some communication with the Tian Dou Imperial Family, the imperial family primarily wants to recruit us to serve them. It won't be easy to cooperate with them."
Tang San smiled: "During the Soul Master Tournament, I met Crown Prince Xue Qinghe several times. Moreover, the Tian Dou Empire has always been at odds with the Spirit Hall. Perhaps we can reach a collaboration."
Tai Tan's face lit up with joy. It seemed the leader of the Tang Sect wasn't just exceptionally talented in cultivation but also meticulous and capable of achieving great things.
However, after careful thought, Tai Tan said: "Sect Leader, regarding the trip to Gengxin City, we may need to wait a few days. I have an important gathering coming up, and once it's over, we'll head to Gengxin City immediately. We'll also prepare to visit Crown Prince Xue Qinghe."
Tang San was a bit puzzled: "Elder Tai Tan, is this gathering of yours that important? Will it take a long time?"
Tai Tan fell silent for a moment before replying: "Actually, this gathering has some connection to the Hao Tian Sect."
"Before the Hao Tian Sect retreated into seclusion, it was the number one sect in the world. Besides the main sect of the Hao Tian Hammer martial spirit, there were also many affiliated personnel, the most famous being the four single-attribute families."
"My Strength Clan was one of those four families, and the other three were the Defense Clan, the Speed Clan, and the Breaking Clan."
"After the Hao Tian Sect emerged, they announced their retreat, and our four single-attribute families also successively left the Hao Tian Sect. But over the years, we've continued to support one another and maintain close ties."
"Moreover, our four single-attribute families agreed to hold a gathering every two years. One purpose is to strengthen communication and mutual defense, and the other is that we old-timers once shared life-and-death experiences and remain close friends—this is also a reunion of sorts."
Upon hearing this, Tang San's heart stirred: "Elder Tai Tan, would it be convenient for me to attend this gathering with you?"
"The four single-attribute families left the Hao Tian Sect out of necessity, especially after the conflict between the Hao Tian Sect and the Spirit Hall. Their situation afterward must have been difficult. I'd like to represent my father and make amends."
Tai Tan revealed a bitter smile: "Sect Leader, there's no problem with you accompanying me, but the three clan leaders harbor deep resentment toward the Hao Tian Sect. They are incredibly stubborn individuals who suffered greatly back then and have struggled over the years. Even if the Hao Tian Sect reemerges, I doubt they'll have any desire to reconnect with them."
Tang San was confused: "Could there be some misunderstanding? Our true enemy should be the Spirit Hall, shouldn't it?"
Tai Tan shook his head: "It's not that simple. When the Hao Tian Sect and the Spirit Hall clashed in battle, the Hao Tian Sect chose to retreat at a critical moment without informing the four single-attribute families."
"In retaliation, the Spirit Hall mercilessly slaughtered members of the single-attribute families. Our Strength Clan fared relatively well since we were closer to Tian Dou City and sustained fewer losses."
"The other three families faced more severe challenges—over half their members perished. They barely escaped to the Star Luo Empire, and the hardest-hit was the Breaking Clan, which was reduced to just over a hundred members. Even after all these years, they haven't fully recovered."
Hearing this, Tang San's expression grew more serious: "Elder Tai Tan, precisely because of this, we need to pay more attention to them. The Hao Tian Sect wronged them, but we can make amends. I believe they'll forgive us in time."
"Besides, the Star Luo Empire is distant, and my brother Dai Mubai was once a prince of the Star Luo Empire. Perhaps he can offer them some assistance."
Tai Tan sighed helplessly: "Sect Leader, I know you mean well, but for some reason, over the past few years, their mindset seems to have changed."
"About five years ago, the other three single-attribute families suddenly moved to Yunwu Mountain near Tian Dou City and began doing extensive business with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. Their lives seem to have improved dramatically—even the formerly impoverished Speed Clan is now thriving."
"Over the past five years, they've developed quite well. Originally, the three single-attribute families strongly resisted the Spirit Hall, and their clan leaders were exceptionally upright, refusing compensation from the Spirit Hall's soul masters. The Speed Clan even struggled to make ends meet."
"But for some unknown reason, they've become close allies with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. Remember, when our four single-attribute families left the Hao Tian Sect, we swore never to ally with any of the upper three sects."
"And Sect Leader, you must have heard about the recent battle involving the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. The Spirit Hall launched a massive attack, but the three single-attribute families sent all their forces to counterattack, inflicting heavy damage on the Spirit Hall."
Tang San was shocked: "Elder Tai Tan, what are the names of the clan leaders of the three single-attribute families? Do they have any special characteristics?"
Tai Tan revealed a hint of confusion: "They don't have anything particularly unique. Yang Wudi of the Breaking Clan wields the Soul-Breaking Spear as his martial spirit, focusing purely on offensive power. In terms of combat strength, he's the strongest among the four clan leaders."
"Niu Gao, the leader of the Defense Clan, has the Armored Rhinoceros as his martial spirit and specializes in defense. His research into defensive techniques ranks among the top three on the Douluo Continent. Bai He, the leader of the Speed Clan, is a rare pure-agility Soul Douluo whose speed is unmatched under heaven."
Hearing the names Bai He, Yang Wudi, and Niu Gao, Tang San was astonished once again. Back in the Star Dou Great Forest, he had encountered several experts by Yang Xiong's side, and he had a deep impression of Yang Wudi and the others. He never expected that they were once affiliated with the Hao Tian Sect.
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