Douluo: Starting with a self-created soul ring

**Chapter 157: Tang Hao's Heart Was Shattered**

After falling to the ground, Tang Hao spat out another mouthful of blood.

He, who had fallen to the ground with severe injuries and exited the ring explosion mode, looked extremely pale.

In addition to his physical injuries, there was also a heavy psychological blow.

Tang Hao had come here this time to find Gu Ziyi to prove his worth!

He had come with full confidence.

Because in these years, he had not only obtained the Death God Domain in the City of Slaughter but also managed to learn the Great Sumeru Hammer and the Ring Explosion from his grandfather.

All of this together gave him enough confidence that he would be able to avenge the humiliation he suffered years ago this time.

However, the fact is that he was defeated once again by Gu Ziyi.

How could his heart not be broken?

Swoosh—

Thinking of this, Tang Hao, whose heart was filled with depression, spat out another mouthful of blood on the spot, and his expression became even more despondent.

"Hmph!"

Seeing Tang Hao's miserable condition, Gu Ziyi just snorted lightly.

Then, countless densely packed Thunder Control Talismans in the air disappeared one by one.

Tang Hao had already been defeated by him, so he naturally didn't need to continue maintaining his ability.

The infinite Soul Power was just an illusion after he used the ring explosion ability. Up until now, his Soul Power had been greatly depleted.

In fact, Tang Hao's Soul Power after the ring explosion was almost equal to his.

Gu Ziyi was able to defeat him because he had much stronger control over the power of his own Soul Power.

The number of attacks from his soul abilities might seem astonishing, but in reality, due to his super control over Soul Power, the energy consumption was relatively small.

"Hao'er!"

After Tang Chen saw the tragic condition of his grandson, he finally couldn't sit and watch any longer. He crouched down in front of him and squatted to check his injuries.

"Grandpa..."

"I... I lost again..."

Seeing his grandfather in front of him, Tang Hao's face was filled with shame.

"It doesn't matter. Failure is not scary. What is truly scary is being defeated by failure!"

"Grandpa believes that you will be able to recover and surpass your opponents in the future."

Seeing Tang Hao's expression, Tang Chen didn't blame him, just said this lightly.

Tang Hao lost this time. In his opinion, it was no big deal.

If he loses this time, he just needs to recover next time.

"Yes, Grandpa!"

Hearing Tang Chen comforting him like this, Tang Hao nodded seriously.

"How is it? Is your grandson okay?"

At this moment, Qian Daoliu also appeared and expressed concern for Tang Hao.

Although he enjoyed watching the fight, he definitely didn't want anything serious to happen to Tang Hao.

"It's fine, the injury isn't serious. The rest is just weakness after being caught in the explosion!"

Tang Chen replied.

"Holy Son, treat Tang Hao's injuries quickly!"

Qian Daoliu felt relieved upon hearing this and quickly instructed Gu Ziyi on the other side.

"Yes, Supreme Elder!"

Gu Ziyi had no objections upon hearing Qian Daoliu's request and then approached Tang Hao.

"Healing Talisman!"

Gu Ziyi then took out a Healing Talisman and cast it on Tang Hao.

During this period, he had been practicing his blank talismans. He had many custom talismans stored in his soul guide, including all kinds of abilities.

After Gu Ziyi reached the level of a Soul Saint, the talismans he summoned or created could now be stored for a long time, so there were many talismans stored in his soul guide.

Buzz—

After the Healing Talisman fell on Tang Hao, his injuries visibly recovered.

In the end, aside from looking a little embarrassed and somewhat pale and weak, there were no more visible injuries.

"..."

Feeling that the injuries on his body had healed, Tang Hao opened his mouth, but in the end, he still didn't say a word of thanks.

He didn't want to say it to his enemy.

The other party didn't take the initiative to help treat his injuries; he only acted after Qian Daoliu made the request.

This proved that Gu Ziyi hadn't intended to treat him, so he didn't need to thank him!

"Now that the battle is over, let's leave first!"

Tang Chen also took the initiative to leave directly at this moment.

Then he carried Tang Hao and departed immediately.

Originally, he had come this time because he had other matters to discuss with Qian Daoliu.

He had wanted to find his old rival for a discussion and was prepared to fight Qian Daoliu with all his strength.

Because he was ready to leave and seek the possibility of becoming a god.

After so many years of seclusion in the Haotian Sect, he had been trying to make a breakthrough.

However, after trying for so long, he realized it was extremely difficult for him to take that final step alone, so he wanted to explore other paths.

He thought about those places where ancient ruins existed and whether there might be a way to become a god.

Even if it wasn't for Bo Saixi, he still didn't want to remain trapped at the level of a Level 99 Unrivaled Douluo for the rest of his life, unable to break through.

He came to discuss with Qian Daoliu, hoping to obtain a promise from him after defeating him.

This promise would be used to protect the Haotian Sect and ensure its safety even after he left.

In his opinion, the only one who could pose a threat to the Haotian Sect was the Martial Soul Hall, so it was enough for him to restrain Qian Daoliu.

However, he didn't expect that after Tang Hao mastered the Great Sumeru Hammer, he still couldn't defeat Gu Ziyi and was forced to use the ring explosion.

After using the ring explosion, his grandson still needed to be cared for.

So he planned to bring this up later.

"That Holy Son has mastered the ring explosion, so Qian Daoliu must have mastered it as well!"

"It might not be so simple to defeat him this time!"

Tang Chen, who had left, felt a heavy weight in his heart.

Although he hadn't seen his rival use the ring explosion, he thought that he must have mastered it, just like the boy who fought with his grandson.

"Grandpa, I'm sorry, I've brought shame to the Haotian Sect again and embarrassed you!"

Tang Hao, who was being carried by his grandfather, couldn't help but apologize with shame.

"What? Just two defeats and you're already giving up?"

"Grandpa already said he doesn't care about this, so you don't need to worry about it!"

When Tang Chen saw that his grandson was still blaming himself and feeling ashamed, he immediately snorted coldly.

He wasn't angry that Tang Hao had lost, but the state his grandson was in now was what made him angrier.

"Yes, Grandpa!"

"I will definitely find my footing again in the future!"

Hearing the slightly angry tone in Tang Chen's voice, Tang Hao quickly responded.

"Hao'er, after we leave this time, you won't be returning to the sect for a while!"

"Once your period of weakness after the ring explosion passes, you can go out into the continent alone to gain experience. Only after experiencing a certain amount of life can you truly grow!"

Tang Chen nodded slightly and didn't say anything more to him. He just slowly explained his future plans for his grandson.

He realized that his grandson's life experience was still lacking.

Although Tang Hao was now 29 years old, Tang Chen felt he was still too immature, so he decided to let him go out and gain life experience.

Only by stepping out from the protection of the sect and exploring the world on his own could he truly grow.

"Grandpa wants me to go out alone to train?"

Tang Hao was suddenly a little confused upon hearing this.

His grandfather's words left him a bit puzzled, as he had never left the sect and experienced the world on his own since he was a child.

Even during the years he attended the academy, it was the Haotian Academy of his own sect.

"Yes, you still have far too little experience!"

"A young eagle under protection will never become a true eagle."

Tang Chen said seriously.

"Yes, Grandpa!"

"Once I recover, I'll go out and train on my own!"

Hearing the serious tone in Tang Chen's voice, he didn't dare to question it and quickly agreed.

Although he felt a bit confused and panicked about the uncertainty of the future, he was also a little excited at the thought of going out and experiencing adventures on his own.

"Good, this journey will take you at least five years to experience fully!"

"After five years, if you feel you've truly grown, come back to the sect!"

Tang Chen added.

He hoped Tang Hao could gain valuable experience, so he set a minimum period of five years for his grandson's adventure.

…

"Xiao Yi, you performed well and didn't bring shame to our Martial Soul Hall!"

After Tang Chen left with Tang Hao, Qian Daoliu smiled at Gu Ziyi and praised him for the battle.

He was very pleased to see him defeat Tang Hao.

In his rivalry with Tang Chen, he had never been able to defeat him. Over the years, he had never truly been convinced by his losses.

Therefore, Qian Daoliu was even happier than Gu Ziyi himself when he saw him defeat Tang Chen's most proud grandson.

"That's right!"

"The Holy Son has brought pride to our Martial Soul Hall!"

"That was such a satisfying battle to watch!"

"This is Tang Chen's grandson. Not only did he reach the Soul Saint level at a young age, but he also inherited his grandfather's legacy to master the Great Sumeru Hammer and the Explosive Ring!"

"Our Holy Son is no worse than him…"

"Tang Hao is a Soul Saint, isn't our Holy Son the same?"

"That's right, our Holy Son is even younger than Tang Chen's grandson…"

"..."

After Qian Daoliu finished speaking, the Golden Crocodile Douluo and the others also began to speak up at this moment, loudly praising Gu Ziyi.

After witnessing his performance earlier, they had also further acknowledged Gu Ziyi as the Holy Son and interim Pope.

"Thank you for the praise, Elders!"

"This junior still has much to learn."

Gu Ziyi responded politely to their compliments.

"Holy Son, was the explosive ring you just used developed by you?"

The Fifteen Ton Douluo couldn't help but ask him directly.

When the other Title Douluos heard this, they all turned their attention to Gu Ziyi.

They all unconsciously thought that it was he who had developed the explosive ring.

After all, the boy's wisdom was obvious to all, and even the method of self-condensing Spirit Rings was developed by Gu Ziyi.

So, they unconsciously assumed that he had also developed the explosive ring.

"Ahem——"

"Although the explosive ring wasn't developed by the Holy Son, it's almost the same. I believe the research institute wouldn't have been able to develop it without his guidance!"

"What? Are you so eager to ask about this? Do you really want to learn this method?"

Before Gu Ziyi could respond, Qian Daoliu answered for him.

He also understood what the Golden Crocodile Douluo and the others were thinking, so he spoke directly.

"Hahaha, Supreme Elder…"

"We..."

"..."

When the Title Douluos heard Qian Daoliu's words, they immediately began to chatter.

"Alright, if you want to learn, of course, there's no problem!"

"But before you learn, there's one thing you must know. This is also the drawback of the explosive ring!"

Qian Daoliu waved his hand. He had no objections to the other Title Douluos learning the method of exploding rings.

After learning this skill, their strength could also be enhanced.

Qian Daoliu also had great trust in their loyalty.

"What? Is there a drawback to the explosive ring?"

"Isn't the explosive ring a miraculous skill?"

After hearing Qian Daoliu's words, everyone was suddenly surprised.

At this moment, Bibi Dong also pulled Qian Renxue closer. After approaching, she just looked at her younger brother and said nothing more.

Looking at him, she was naturally dissatisfied that he had hidden this from her before, not even telling her that he had mastered such a powerful skill as the explosive ring.

"It's true that the explosive ring is an incredible skill!"

"Since it's a truly miraculous skill, of course, it's not something that can be used casually."

"Using the explosive ring too many times will cause the soul skills in your Spirit Ring to completely disappear!"

"This is the biggest drawback of the explosive ring, so even if you master it, you must use it with caution. Unless you can master a large number of powerful self-created soul skills like Tang Chen, then you don't need to worry about using this skill recklessly."

"The Ring Explosion cannot be used frequently; otherwise, the exploded Soul Ring may not regenerate again!" 

Seeing the surprised expressions of everyone in front of him, Qian Daoliu slowly began to explain the disadvantages of this ability. 

"What?" 

"The soul abilities will disappear if we overuse this ability?" 

Upon hearing Qian Daoliu's explanation, Golden Crocodile Douluo and the others were immediately astonished. 

They did not expect the drawbacks of the Ring Explosion or the cost of using it to be so severe. No wonder it was called a self-created soul ability comparable to divine skills. 

It was truly extraordinary. 

Now, they were no longer so eager to use this ability. 

They were not Tang Chen, who could create numerous self-created soul abilities that were no worse than the soul abilities granted by a Soul Ring. 

Nor were they disciples of the Haotian Sect who could learn the self-created soul abilities invented by Tang Chen. 

Naturally, they had developed some self-created soul abilities, but those were merely simple uses of Soul Power. They were similar to what Gu Ziyi had learned previously and were completely inferior to Tang Chen's creations. 

What they had developed most over their years of life were their Soul Rings and soul abilities. 

They had deeply specialized in their original soul abilities. 

Those abilities were all based on the original soul abilities. 

If the original soul abilities disappeared, the developed abilities they had mastered would naturally become unusable. 

Therefore, upon hearing that excessive use of Ring Explosion could cause the Soul Ring and soul abilities to vanish, they dared not use it recklessly. 

Of course, they still wanted to learn it. 

There was no harm in learning such a powerful self-created soul ability. 

In the future, if they encountered an enemy they couldn't defeat, they could use Ring Explosion for a significant combat power boost. 

In other words, after learning it, they would keep it as a trump card, only using it when absolutely necessary. 

"If you want to learn, let the Holy Son teach you!" 

"I will return and continue training Xiaoxue!" 

After seeing that they understood the drawbacks of the Ring Explosion, Qian Daoliu said his final words and took his granddaughter back to the Elder Hall. 

He would continue training Qian Renxue! 

... 

(End of Chapter)

N/E: My dear readers, I am returning to you with thanks, to say that I have not abandoned you. So I apologize for disappearing, but I had an anxiety attack and another episode of my depression, I was so discouraged with life that I couldn't even sleep properly.

So I apologize, but on the bright side, to make it up to you, I will do double chapters for at least half of the month of February. In addition, I posted the new story that I mentioned to you and opened my Patreon.

How should I proceed now: I thought about posting a single chapter per day for this story and 3 chapters for the other one here on the Webnovel. From there, I will post one or two more chapters on Patreon for this story and three chapters for the other one.

The reason: this story takes a long time to translate, even though I write quickly, it has increased in size compared to the beginning. Now it has over 2500 words per chapter, which takes me an hour to translate properly. I don't like half-baked things, so I always try to edit the chapter as succinctly and coherently as possible.

The new story I'm posting doesn't take as much time, each chapter has an average of 500 words, which makes editing much easier. I hope you can read it and support me in this endeavor.

Financial support: guys, the Patreon I opened currently only has one sponsorship tier, and it may increase later if the need arises, but in theory, if I'm right, if you pay $10, you'll be able to read all the chapters I upload to the platform. I hope that's it. I tried to set it up so that it would be like this, but if you encounter any problems, just leave a comment here or there (I'll create a separate chapter to explain the Patron).

Also, I fixed some mistakes I made in past chapters while I was uploading the chapters on Patreon, some chapters have a lot more lines than before (you will see 'Modified and Remade' in these chapters), I hope you still enjoy reading my translations and can continue to follow me.

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