Tang Hao frowned, unsure of what effects Tang San's evolved Blue Silver Grass might produce.
"I can't say for certain, but given your current state, even the smallest improvement would be a significant boost."
Tang San nodded. His father was right. He had been on the verge of giving up on Blue Silver Grass, and now it was merely a last-ditch effort.
At this thought, a wave of resentment surged within him.
Seeing Tang San's emotions gradually stabilize, Tang Hao nodded and spoke in a deep voice, "Xiao San, there's something else I need to tell you."
Tang San looked at Tang Hao with a puzzled expression.
"Xiao San, do you know that Xiao Wu, whom you've always regarded as a younger sister, is not actually human? Like your mother, she is a 100,000 Year Soul Beast."
"What! Are you serious?" Tang San trembled, looking at Tang Hao in disbelief.
In that moment, every memory he shared with Xiao Wu flashed through his mind. He never imagined that the person he cherished so deeply was actually a 100,000 Year Soul Beast in human form.
Tang Hao seemed to have anticipated Tang San's reaction and nodded. "When a Soul Beast takes human form, if its cultivation hasn't surpassed level 60, it shines like a beacon in the night to a Title Douluo. I couldn't possibly be mistaken."
"Now that you know her true identity, what do you plan to do next?"
"Will you reveal her identity and let her return to the Soul Beast homeland? Or will you keep her as a source for your future Spirit Rings and Soul Bones? Or will you continue to treat her as your family?"
Tang San's brow furrowed deeply. The impact of all this was overwhelming. His mother was a Soul Beast, and now even Xiao Wu was one.
After a long silence, he sighed, a flash of determination in his eyes. "Father, Xiao Wu is my sister. She was before, and she will be in the future. If my mother was a Soul Beast, then having a Soul Beast sister isn't so bad."
"Good. Since you've made your decision, always remember how you feel now and protect your sister," Tang Hao said, his voice hoarse and filled with complexity.
"There's one more thing. Now that you know she's a Soul Beast, don't let her participate in the upcoming competitions. I've discovered that there are two Title Douluos from the Spirit Hall in Heavenly Dou City."
"If you had brought her onto the stage during the preliminaries, I would have intervened immediately. Thankfully, that didn't happen."
Tang San was stunned, then felt a wave of fear. If Xiao Wu had been exposed in front of everyone by the Spirit Hall, he couldn't even imagine the consequences. And back then, it wasn't just the Spirit Hall's elders—the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School was also present.
At this thought, Tang San paused, then looked at Tang Hao with confusion. "Father, didn't the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School discover that Xiao Wu is a Soul Beast?"
Tang Hao smiled faintly. "Of course they did. If I hadn't intervened in Suotuo City, Xiao Wu would have been captured by the Sword Douluo back then."
"But don't worry, I've reached an understanding with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. They won't take action against you."
Hearing this, Tang San's eyes welled with emotion. No wonder he had remained safe all this time—his father had been watching over him from the shadows all along.
"Alright, you should absorb the Spirit Ring first, otherwise this Soul Beast will die soon," Tang Hao chuckled upon seeing the situation.
Tang San took a deep breath, suppressing all his emotions, then walked over to the Great Strength Gorilla. The Eight Spider Lances extended from his back and pierced into the beast.
As the life force slowly entered his body, a wave of comfort spread throughout him, and Tang San closed his eyes in bliss.
Not long after, Tang San opened his eyes, a surge of heat rising in his heart. He felt an overwhelming sense of power within him. He then began to draw in the Spirit Ring.
As the Spirit Ring enveloped his body, Tang San was immediately struck by a violent surge of energy. The energy was so immense that if his physical condition hadn't improved, he might have exploded instantly.
At that very moment, a realization dawned on him: attaching Spirit Rings to a Twin Spirits Martial Soul depended on one's physical condition. This was followed by a sense of relief.
Fortunately, the first Spirit Ring he chose was from a Soul Beast that had just reached ten thousand years.
However, this also made Tang San somewhat amused. If attaching Spirit Rings to the second Martial Soul depended on physical condition, didn't the same apply to the first Martial Soul?
Was such a simple answer really a century-old puzzle? Yu Xiaogang had even told him he was searching for a solution. Hah, it was nothing more than this.
As the energy continued to be absorbed, a pitch-black Spirit Ring slowly floated above the Clear Sky Hammer. Tang San gradually opened his eyes, filled with seventy percent joy and thirty percent disdain.
From absorbing this Spirit Ring, he now had a rough understanding of his current physical condition.
With his current physical condition, the limit for attaching Spirit Rings to his second Martial Soul was a ten thousand-year Spirit Ring. Moreover, if he wanted to attach the remaining three Spirit Rings, he only needed to further enhance his physical condition.
But this was no challenge for him. With twenty days left, it was enough time for him to devour some Soul Beasts and improve.
Tang Hao looked at the pitch-black Spirit Ring on Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer, feeling an infinite sense of pride.
A ten thousand-year first Spirit Ring—who else on the continent possessed such a thing? And not just that, Xiao San's next three Spirit Rings would also be a complete set of ten thousand-year configurations.
Moreover, Xiao San also had an External Soul Bone that could enhance himself. He couldn't even imagine how much his son would surpass him in the future.
"By the way, Father, how did you cultivate that tangible killing intent you released when you appeared just now?" Tang San exhaled a turbid breath and slowly stood up from the ground.
He knew he had to seize every moment to grow stronger. Having lived two lives, he naturally understood the importance of killing intent. If he could use it in battle, it would undoubtedly play a crucial role in securing victory.
Tang Hao was momentarily stunned by the question. It wasn't something he could explain in great detail: "Xiao San, what I just used is a domain called the God of Slaughter Domain. It was obtained from Slaughter City, and only through continuous killing can such a presence be condensed."
"And the method to obtain it is extremely harsh—it's not simply about slaughtering Soul Beasts, but engaging in true life-and-death battles," Tang Hao said, his thoughts drifting to Tang San's Eight Spider Lances.
Perhaps Xiao San was born for slaughter.
Tang San nodded, seemingly understanding but not entirely: "I see, Father."
"When your cultivation improves further, I will take you to that place. As long as you come out from there, you will gain a domain like mine."
In the following days, as Tang Hao led Tang San in continuous slaughter, devouring, and obtaining Spirit Rings, the Soul Beasts in the Sunset Forest were all on edge.
The father and son sometimes went two whole days without finding a suitable ten-thousand-year Soul Beast.
Meanwhile, A Yin, who was in the Yin Yang Well within the Sunset Forest, seemed to sense something. She kept swaying her branches, trying to send out a message.
However, her spiritual power was now too weak, and Tang San had never summoned the Blue Silver Grass. Thus, even though the father and son passed by the edge of the miasma several times, they were in a hurry and did not notice her presence there.
As the auras of the Tang father and son gradually faded, the Yin Yang Well also fell into silence, leaving only two stalks of Blue Silver Grass quietly standing by the shore.
(End of Chapter)