Inside the room he had booked, Tang Xiao lay down on the comfortable sofa, closing his eyes.
On the way here to the inn, he had been pondering over a major problem, one for which he still couldn't come up with a solution…
His next soul ring. Yes, his 9th soul ring.
Now that he was already at the peak of level 89 and only a step away from reaching level 90, he had to consider his final soul ring…
"A hundred-thousand-year soul ring… How can I obtain it?" Eyes closed, Tang Xiao brooded to himself.
In this era, hundred-thousand-year soul beasts reigned supreme.
Unlike the future era, where even some nameless Titled Douluo could hunt a hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast and mortal strength reigned supreme, in this time anyone who wanted to slay one needed at least three or more high-level Titled Douluo working together…
So Tang Xiao was struggling over how to acquire such a soul ring.
"In the Clear Sky Clan, there's only one Titled Douluo—Tang Zhen. But it's impossible for him to hunt a hundred-thousand-year soul beast…"
"Maybe, if those seven old bastards were willing to act and used the Clear Sky Formation together with Tang Zhen, then the chances of success would be high… But I'm certain those arrogant fools wouldn't agree. They're nothing but useless old dogs with no bark and no bite."
Tang Xiao felt dejected. He absolutely had to obtain a hundred-thousand-year soul ring, otherwise he would never feel reconciled. Yet, achieving it with the help of his clan was nearly impossible.
If Tang Xiao were to propose the idea of hunting a hundred-thousand-year beast, he was sure they would reject it outright.
Without being driven by the desperate events of the future, they lacked the fuel and determination.
If Tang Xiao remembered correctly, even for Tang Hao, the elders' plan had merely been to hunt a ninety-thousand-year beast with the highest age possible… not a true hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast.
But then again, Tang Xiao wasn't surprised. After all, in this era, hundred-thousand-year soul beasts were considered terrifying existences. Many had lost their lives in pursuit of them, and throughout the records, there were few who had achieved such a feat and successfully absorbed one as their 9th soul ring.
Even with Tang Xiao's knowledge of the plot, he could only recall Golden Crocodile Douluo as someone who had absorbed a hundred-thousand-year soul ring from a beast. Not even his grandfather Tang Chen had one.
Tang Chen, Bo Saixi, Qian Daoliu… All of them had their ninth soul rings turned red through divinity. None had hunted a hundred-thousand-year beast and absorbed it as their final ring.
So it was understandable that the elders and his father were cautious. Tang Xiao couldn't really blame them.
"I can only rely on myself…"
In his mind, fragments of plot knowledge and details of soul beasts flashed past.
Titan Giant Ape…
Azure Bull Python…
Xiao Wu…
Evil Spirit Orca…
Xiao Bai…
The million-year-old Deep Sea Demonic Whale King…
Even other soul beasts from Douluo 2 and 3 surfaced in his memory—Di Tian and those slumbering in the Star Dou Forest's core…
The soul beasts of the Extreme North…
Others like the Mermaid Queen dwelling within the seas…
Tang Xiao thought through each one carefully.
He immediately dismissed any oceanic soul beasts. He knew too well the horrors of the sea. The ocean was the most dangerous domain on the continent, teeming with countless hundred-thousand-year soul beasts.
Even in the original Tang Xiao's memory, there was an incident where he had ventured into the sea years ago to deliver a letter to Bo Saixi. That journey had been filled with mortal fear and endless dread.
Hunting a beast in the ocean was beyond his current ability, and he knew it clearly.
He also dismissed those residing in the Star Dou Forest's core. Seeking them was nothing short of suicide.
The Far North was the same. Even if he found a lone hundred-thousand-year beast and fought it one-on-one, with only eight rings, it was impossible to defeat. Not to mention, if the battle dragged on, the Snow Empress would arrive and bury him in a frozen grave.
That left only Xiao Wu, Da Ming, and Er Ming…
If possible, Tang Xiao would prefer to kill Er Ming, the Titan Giant Ape. That beast's soul ring was most suitable for his hammer. But deep down, he knew it was impossible. The same applied to Da Ming.
"That leaves only Xiao Wu… or perhaps her mother, since I'm certain she's still alive, and her death won't come for another four years…"
"But those two are out of reach as well… For now, at least. They're under the protection of Er Ming and Da Ming. So what can I do?" Tang Xiao felt truly helpless. He hadn't expected obtaining a hundred-thousand-year ring to be such an impossibility.
He even had the urge to kill Ah Yin. That walking soul beast was far too tempting.
"If I kill her, I could also get her soul bone… which would allow me to replace these two bones in my arms…" A fiery greed and killing intent flickered in Tang Xiao's eyes.
But he quickly shook his head, suppressing the thought. That was too much. To touch Ah Yin meant touching Tang Hao's reverse scale, something Tang Xiao genuinely feared.
Tang Hao was a cheat. That man would simply detonate his rings and hammer anyone to death. Even with Tang Xiao's evolved martial soul, he didn't have the courage to face him.
Truthfully, after reading of Tang Hao's feats in the novel, he had no desire to clash with him. Even if people mocked him as a coward, Tang Xiao was willing to accept the title.
Wasn't living peacefully a good thing? Why throw away one's life just to secure a hundred-thousand-year soul ring?
Besides, too many variables would unfold if Ah Yin were to die prematurely. Without Tang San, even if Bibi Dong failed to become a god, the world might ultimately fall into Qian Renxue's hands.
So the best course was to let events flow as they should.
Let Ah Yin sacrifice. Let Tang San be born. Let Tang Hao be injured.
Afterwards, he could approach Tang Hao and morally kidnap him for Ah Yin's soul bone. That sect slave, indebted to the sect for everything, would probably hand it over. After all, in the novel, at the beginning, Tang Hao hadn't intended to let Tang San cultivate. So he would indeed yield to Tang Xiao, the "good brother."
"Even if he doesn't, I can still morally kidnap him to surrender the two soul bones bestowed by the sect… I can also learn the 'Ring Frying' skill from him. Afterwards, when his cultivation regresses to level 75, I can hammer him down and send this great cheat off to the gods, and claim Ah Yin's soul bone…" Tang Xiao felt this was the best plan.
A risk-free plan, wasn't it?
Tang Xiao was convinced only his genius brain could come up with such brilliance.
"Ha… but then again… What should I do for my 9th ring…" Tang Xiao let out a deep sigh.
Though he asked himself, he already knew the answer. There was only one remaining option…
"If I truly want to absorb a hundred-thousand-year soul ring… then I can only wait until Xiao Wu leaves the Star Dou Forest and kill her."
"But that's… ten years away… Alas…" Tang Xiao muttered irritably.
Just then, the sound of a door opening reached his ears…