As if joking—Tang San, the young master of the Clear Sky Sect, hadn't even haggled over the agreed fifty thousand gold coins. Did they really think the Clear Sky Sect was some pushover, a turtle sect that would let them raise prices on a whim and go back on their word?
Upon hearing this, Tang Hao merely smiled faintly. In this world where Spirit Beasts ran rampant and a single powerful Soul Master could rival a million-strong army, showing naive kindness would only leave one picked clean to the bone.
Feng Hong swallowed hard, took the bill, and hurried off to the Clear Sky Gold Exchange to complete the transaction. As for Bai He, he naturally remained hidden in the shadows, following discreetly. If the deal went smoothly, he wouldn't need to reveal himself at all.
"It seems you plan to set off soon to hunt for your second Soul Ring," Tang Hao remarked, having already discerned his son's intentions. That was why Tang San wasn't waiting for the auction three days later but instead directly purchasing the special ores he needed.
Tang San didn't hide it and nodded. "Those ores are enough for me to forge a defensive Hidden Weapon. Even against a thousand-year Spirit Beast, I can retreat unscathed. Don't worry, Father. I won't recklessly venture into dangerous areas."
Tang Hao didn't object. Though he was concerned, his son needed experience. In the world of Douluo Continent, where children awakened their Martial Souls and began cultivation as early as six, maturity came swiftly.
"By the way, have you decided where to hunt for your second Soul Ring? Chosen a Spirit Beast yet?"
Tang San's second Martial Soul hadn't awakened yet, meaning he could currently only attach Soul Rings to the Clear Sky Hammer. As a power-type Martial Soul, the Clear Sky Hammer excelled in sheer offensive force—overwhelming all techniques with raw strength.
The compatibility between Soul Rings and Martial Souls was crucial. Beyond granting a Soul Skill, each Soul Ring provided additional passive enhancements to the Martial Soul.
Take Tang Hao, for example. Even without using Soul Power or Soul Skills, a single swing of his Clear Sky Hammer could split boulders and shatter mountains. This was because his Soul Rings all enhanced his physique and the hammer's weight, granting him superhuman strength and making his Clear Sky Hammer far heavier than those wielded by other sect disciples.
Tang Xiao, however, was different. His Clear Sky Hammer followed an enchantment path, imbued with lightning attributes. This stemmed from encountering a formidable Heavenly Thunder Kui Ox when obtaining his seventh Soul Ring at level seventy. His eighth and ninth Soul Rings were also lightning-attribute, further enhancing his hammer's thunderous power.
Tang San's first Soul Ring came from a 450-year-old Earthshaking Yellow Ox, hunted for him by his great-uncle Bai He.
The Earthshaking Yellow Ox had a single leg, pitch-black horns, a tail wreathed in flames, scales etched with fiery veins, and a roar capable of triggering earthquakes.
Tang San had chosen this Spirit Beast for a simple reason: using his Purple Demon Eyes, he'd determined that this ox was the limit of what he could absorb at the time.
As for his future path, Tang San hadn't settled on one yet. After all, he was only on his second Soul Ring, and finding a high-quality Spirit Beast that perfectly suited him was a matter of luck.
Pulling out a map, Tang San pointed at two locations. "I plan to go to either the Sunset Forest or the Star Dou Great Forest. Both have rumors of Spirit Beasts I'm interested in."
No one else found this strange, as within the borders of the Heaven Dou Empire, these two were the only places with relatively docile and abundant Spirit Beasts. Other areas were either extremely dangerous or had very few Spirit Beasts.
Hearing Tang San's intention to go to the Star Dou Great Forest, Tang Hao frowned deeply and shook his head in opposition. "Go to the Sunset Forest instead. Don't go to the Star Dou Great Forest."
?!
Even Tai Tan and the others looked at Tang Hao with confusion. From their perspective, the Star Dou Great Forest was actually the best choice, as it had a higher number of Spirit Beasts, making it easier to find a suitable one.
Tang Hao fell into thought for a moment, as if recalling something, and said, "This should be considered a dark chapter in the Spirit Hall's history. About ten years ago, the Spirit Hall's Pope, Qian Xun Ji, reached the 90th rank as a Titled Douluo. Ambitious and eager for a hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring, he sought to hunt a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast."
"A hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring!!"
Even Tang San knew that for a Titled Douluo, the difference between a ninth ring at the ten-thousand-year level and one at the hundred-thousand-year level was like night and day in terms of combat power.
Moreover, a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast would inevitably yield a Spirit Bone—a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Bone at that. Successfully hunting one would make a Titled Douluo virtually invincible among their peers.
Tang Hao nodded. "That time, the Spirit Hall dispatched many elders, including not only Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo but also several elders from the Elder Hall. Along with Qian Xun Ji, there were six Titled Douluos in total. Their target was a rabbit-type hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast in the Star Dou Great Forest."
"What happened then?"
Tang Hao shook his head with a bitter smile. "They failed."
Hiss!! Six Titled Douluos failed?!
"Are hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beasts that powerful?"
Contrary to everyone's expectations, Tang Hao shook his head again. "You're both right and wrong. That rabbit-type hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast had only just reached the hundred-thousand-year level and wasn't particularly strong. It couldn't possibly take on six Titled Douluos alone. What forced Qian Xun Ji and his group to retreat wasn't the Spirit Beast—it was a person."
"A person?!"
"To be precise, a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast that had taken human form."
Tang Hao continued, "Hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beasts are special. At that level, they can choose to take human form to continue cultivating or remain in their Spirit Beast form."
"A newly transformed hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast is very weak at first. But if it successfully matures, it gains extraordinary talent, surpassing all other Spirit Beasts in its potential to reach that elusive realm."
The physical strength of a Spirit Beast combined with the cultivation speed of a Soul Master—transformation grants both, making its talent truly terrifying.
Tang San asked curiously, "Father, was that Spirit Beast's cultivation already..."
Tang Hao replied, "Yes, Titled Douluo."
!!!
"A hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast as a Titled Douluo?!"
Tang Hao said, "A hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast that transformed and ultimately achieved the cultivation of a Titled Douluo—imagine how powerful it must be. Alone, it forced Qian Xun Ji and the six Titled Douluos to retreat, utterly humbled."
"I happened to be in the Star Dou Great Forest at the time, searching for a Spirit Beast for my ninth Soul Ring, and witnessed it all." Tang Hao spoke with lingering trepidation. Back then, he had also reached the 90th rank as a Titled Douluo but hadn't yet obtained his Soul Ring. Never did he expect to stumble upon such a scene.
"Master, was that Spirit Beast the Titan Giant Ape or the Azure Sky Bull Python from the Star Dou Great Forest?" Tai Tan, who had some knowledge of the Spirit Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest, asked curiously.
Hearing this, Tang Hao gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "Neither. It wasn't even a beast-type Spirit Beast. Its true form was a Blue Silver Grass. The Spirit Hall later referred to it as the undying, unkillable Blue Silver Emperor."
(End of Chapter)