Chapter 2: The Timeline

Chapter 2: The Timeline

Since I started speaking, I've been peppering my parents with questions, particularly curious about their martial souls.

My dad, Yang Zhentian, has the "Soul-Breaking Spear" martial soul and is at level 71 in soul power. My mom, Niu Jinfeng, has the "Armored Giant Rhinoceros" martial soul with a soul power of level 63. Then there's my grandfather, Yang Wudi, who also has the Soul-Breaking Spear and soul power at level 77.

Wait… Grandpa Yang Wudi's soul power is only at level 77? How's that possible? In the original story, I remember his soul power was at level 82—but that was decades later! Does this mean he barely made any progress in all those years? The thought gave me a headache. With such powerful enemies around, it seems no one here is taking things as seriously as they should.

And like my dad, Grandpa is obsessed with alchemy. To them, refining medicine is more important than cultivation itself. Besides, as the Haotian Sect's elder of the outer sect, few people dared to challenge him anyway.

By the time I turned two, I'd started piecing together the current timeline.

One day, while chatting with my parents—well, more like me bombarding them with childish questions—I asked, "Dad, Mom, is the Haotian Sect really that powerful?"

My parents beamed with pride. "Of course! The Haotian Sect is known as the greatest sect under heaven," they said.

"But if we're the greatest sect, then we must have a lot of powerful people, right?" I asked my dad with an innocent expression.

"Certainly! The previous sect master was a Level 99 Ultimate Douluo, unmatched in the world."

"But, Dad, didn't the former sect master disappear years ago?"

"Ah, Potian, you're too young to understand. They say he went into seclusion to train, which is why he handed over the position to the current sect master."

"So, how powerful is the current sect master?" I asked.

"Our current sect master, Tang Zhen, is formidable. He's a Level 95 Titled Douluo."

"Titled Douluo? What's that? Is it very powerful?" I asked, feigning wide-eyed curiosity.

"Of course! Every Titled Douluo is incredibly strong, a force to be reckoned with, nearly unbeatable."

"If Douluo are that powerful, do we have many Titled Douluo in the Haotian Sect?"

My dad, Yang Zhentian, chuckled. "Son, Titled Douluo are rare and mighty. Altogether, our Haotian Sect only has four Titled Douluo. Aside from the past and current sect masters, only the first and second elders are Titled Douluo."

So, Haotian Sect has four Titled Douluo. Subtracting the former sect master, Tang Chen, that means only three remain, and the strongest among them is at level 95. Not exactly impressive.

Then another question hit me. "Dad, I heard something about the 'Haotian Twin Stars.' What are the Haotian Twin Stars?"

"Son, where did you hear about that?" my dad asked, looking surprised.

"Oh, I just overheard someone mention it once and got curious."

My dad's face showed a hint of admiration. "The Haotian Twin Stars refer to your uncle Tang Xiao and your uncle Tang Hao. They even held you when you were just a baby."

"What are they like now, Dad? Why are they called the Haotian Twin Stars?"

"Well, both brothers are incredibly talented. They've become famous across the continent while still young. With their talent and strength, they'll soon both reach the level of Titled Douluo, and so people call them the Haotian Twin Stars."

Now, I was finally getting to the key question. "If they're so talented, how old are they now?"

"Your Uncle Tang Xiao is 56, and your Uncle Tang Hao is 41. They're both Soul Douluos now. Within ten years, the Haotian Sect should have two more Titled Douluo."

"Are they both in the Haotian Sect now?"

"Not exactly. Your uncle Tang Xiao returned to the sect a while back, but your uncle Tang Hao left to train with his wife shortly after you were born."

After chatting with my parents a little longer, I returned to my room. Even though I was only two, I could already sleep on my own. My small room was sectioned off from my parents' room, but my mom still came in every night to check on me.

Once back in my room, I began to think.

Based on the timeline, Tang Hao becomes a Titled Douluo at age 44, which means Tang San will be born in three years. Three years after that, the Pope of the Spirit Hall, Qian Xunji, will be severely injured by Tang Hao.

In just three to four years, a massive battle will break out between the Haotian Sect and the Spirit Hall. After the battle, the Haotian Sect will retreat from the world, severing ties with the Four Single-Attribute Clans, leaving them devastated and nearly wiped out.

Tang Xiao is probably close to breaking through to Titled Douluo in the next two years.

Thinking about this, I couldn't help but feel frustrated. My grandfather is already at level 77 and carries the burden of avenging our clan, yet by the time of the Jialing Pass battle nearly 28 years later, he'll only reach level 82.

Yes, surpassing one's limits in battle is exciting, but the pace of his soul power progress is disheartening. Could it be that my grandfather's talent only goes as far as level 82?

And as for my parents, they weren't even mentioned in the original story. Could they have died in the clan massacre?

No matter how I looked at it, my future seemed like a setup for disaster. The impending clan massacre felt like a sword hanging over my head. If I tried telling people what I knew about the future, they'd probably dissect me just to find out how I knew.

I sighed, marveling at the Tang family's innate talent. And then there's Tang San—the classic "chosen one" with twin martial souls and an unbeatable destiny. He has the perfect background: a father in the Haotian Sect, a teacher from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, a classmate who's the daughter of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's leader, and an ally who's a prince of the Star Luo Empire. Even his teacher has romantic history with the Pope of the Spirit Hall. None of the major powers would dare harm him.

In the Haotian Sect, Tang Xiao reached level 97 in just 20 years, going from an ordinary Titled Douluo to a Super Douluo. That's astonishingly fast. Bone Douluo and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's old dragon Yu Yuanzhen, who spent their lives only reaching level 95, were older than Tang Xiao by far. And that's not to mention Ju Douluo and Ghost Douluo.

Tang Hao's path is even more unbelievable. After absorbing his wife's spirit ring, he wasted away for 15 years yet somehow shot up to level 95. Then, even after losing a hand and a foot, he quickly reached level 96 and recovered from his injuries. He's an anomaly among anomalies.

For now, my main priority is to figure out how to avoid the impending clan massacre. Even as the clan leader's only grandson, I'm just a little kid. My voice holds no weight in the clan.

If my martial soul doesn't awaken in three years, they'll ignore anything I say even more.

It looks like hiding might be my only option. I need to start planning where to go and figure out a strategy to dodge the massacre. There are plenty more battles on the horizon, and in two decades, the Spirit Hall will start its soul-hunting campaign. If I get caught up in that, I'll be doomed.

And as for the battle at Jialing Pass in the distant future... that won't have anything to do with me.

(End of Chapter)