Chapter 192: He'd just eat his fill and then throw the pot over the fire? Wouldn't that be the epitome of beasthood?
Hearing Grandmaster's words, Tang San's eyes suddenly flashed with immense excitement. He quickly calculated in his mind, then blurted out,
"Teacher, you're right! Ordinary Soul Masters often need months or even years to cultivate to the next level, but I can directly increase my Soul Power simply by adding Soul Rings to the Clear Sky Hammer!"
He excitedly counted on his fingers as he analyzed.
"My current Soul Power level is 42. If the Clear Sky Hammer absorbs a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring in its first ring, my Soul Power level will increase by at least 4 levels. If the second ring absorbs another ten-thousand-year one, it will increase by another 4 levels. That way, I can instantly reach level 50!"
"Then I can add a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring to the fifth ring of the Blue Silver Grass, and then continue adding the third and fourth rings to the Clear Sky Hammer… maybe I can break through to level 60 within a year!"
Tang San became increasingly excited as he spoke, his voice trembling.
"My brother is only at the Soul King level right now. Once I cultivate both of my spirits simultaneously and add soul rings, surpassing him is only a matter of time."
Grandmaster laughed heartily, patting Tang San's shoulder with satisfaction in his eyes.
"Little San, you truly deserve to be my disciple, Yu Xiaogang! You understand so quickly!"
"I told you long ago not to be upset about losing to Tang Chuan. You possess twin spirits, one in ten thousand. How can a Soul Master with his aptitude compare to you?"
Tang San nodded proudly, appearing confident and relaxed. However, at that moment, he seemed to remember something and said in a deep voice,
"Teacher, while my strength has improved by leaps and bounds, my teammates' cultivation has stagnated. I'm afraid they'll hold me back during the competition."
"However, I have a plan that can help my teammates quickly improve their strength."
"Oh? Little San, you have a plan too?"
Grandmaster asked curiously, leaning forward slightly. "Tell me about it."
Tang San raised his right arm, and an ominous dark light shone from beneath his sleeve. He then gently stroked the glowing area and sneered,
"Teacher, this spider-like right arm bone of mine was obtained by my father after he brutally killed dozens of spider-like soul beasts over ten thousand years old in the Star Dou Great Forest."
"You said that the deeper the resentment of a soul beast before its death, the greater the chance of it producing a soul bone."
"In that case, why don't we brutally kill thousand-year-old and ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts in this Sunset Forest? As long as we produce a few soul bones, wouldn't Mu Bai and the others' strength problem be solved?"
...
Several hours later, the afterglow of the setting sun shone through the dense canopy, casting dappled shadows on the leaf-strewn forest floor.
The evenings in the Sunset Forest always carried a subtle chill.
Dugu Bo watched as the pale blue aura of his domain slowly receded from Tang Chuan's body, his face showing no surprise, only a hint of understanding flashing in his emerald eyes.
Clearly, Tang Chuan hadn't been able to locate the Thorn Rock Turtle through his Blue Silver Domain.
"Boy, your Blue Silver Domain is indeed wondrous, capable of sensing life and probing soul power," Dugu Bo's voice, tinged with his characteristic hoarseness and a hint of mockery, said in a deep voice,
"but the Thorn Rock Turtle, this kind of soul beast, is an anomaly among earth and stone attributes. Its greatest strength isn't just defense, but also stealth."
"Stealth? You mean…" Tang Chuan looked at Dugu Bo, his face full of confusion.
"Hmph." Dugu Bo snorted lightly,
"Ordinary soul beasts emit their aura and have obvious life fluctuations, so your domain can easily detect them. But this Thorn Rock Turtle, when it lies dormant, can completely assimilate its aura with the surrounding rocks and soil, its soul power concealed, almost nonexistent. It doesn't seem like a living creature; it's more like a real, thorny rock. Although your domain is strong, if it intends to hide, you'll only see ordinary terrain when you pass over it."
Hearing this, the Shi brothers beside him showed a look of disappointment and anxiety.
Shi Mo couldn't help but ask,
"Dean, then... then what should we do? Is it impossible to find it?"
Dugu Bo glanced at them, a meaningful smile curving his lips, and said,
"Others might come looking for it and return empty-handed. But you two are lucky today, having come to Sunset Forest with me."
Before he finished speaking, without any apparent movement, a faint but palpable pressure quietly spread out from him.
This wasn't a murderous aura directed at Tang Chuan or the Shi brothers, but rather a higher level of presence, like a sleeping king awakening and surveying its territory.
"Domain power isn't just something you possess anymore. My Jade Phosphorous Serpent King, after evolving into the Jade Phosphorous Divine Dragon with your help, also gained a domain-like ability."
Dugu Bo glanced at Tang Chuan first, then his emerald eyes flashed slightly as he said seriously,
"For these guys hiding in the corners, sometimes the best approach isn't to find them, but to force them."
As his words fell, the atmosphere of the surrounding forest abruptly changed.
The rustling of insects and the chirping of birds, which had been going on, instantly ceased.
An invisible pressure emanated from Dugu Bo's body, quickly enveloping the area and spreading outwards, as if the air itself had thickened.
This was a deterrent force originating from a top predator, a spiritual pressure at the level of a Title Douluo, precisely controlled within a certain range. It wasn't an indiscriminate attack, but rather a targeted stimulation of the instinctive fear of powerful soul beasts with a certain level of intelligence that were deeply hidden.
Tang Chuan immediately understood Dugu Bo's intention.
This was not only stirring up trouble, but also a warning shot!
Under the deliberate pressure of a Title Douluo, any soul beast worthy of fear would instinctively react, either fleeing or... adopting a defensive posture!
Sure enough, about a kilometer away from them, a seemingly ordinary hillside covered with jagged rocks and low shrubs suddenly underwent an extremely subtle change.
The surfaces of several rocks seemed to tremble very slightly; without careful observation, one would almost mistake it for an illusion of light and shadow.
Immediately afterward, a wave of soul power, heavy as a mountain and carrying a sharp, rebellious intent, rippled outwards like a stone thrown into a calm lake.
"Found it!"
Tang Chuan's eyes narrowed, and his Blue Silver Domain instantly activated again. This time, with a clear target, his perception immediately became sharper.
Beneath those rocks, indeed lurked a being with extremely strong vitality, whose soul power attribute subtly resonated with the Xuanwu Turtle Spirit of the Shi brothers.
…
In another corner of Sunset Forest, the air was thick with an overwhelming stench of blood.
The once vibrant forest clearing had now become a battlefield.
Everywhere one looked, there were corpses of soul beasts, from hundred-year-old Shadow Wolves to thousand-year-old Cave Demon Spiders, and even several enormous ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts like the Rock Giant Rhinoceros, all lying lifeless in pools of blood.
Their deaths were extremely gruesome; many were not killed instantly, but rather bore obvious signs of torture.
Tang San stood in the center of the corpses, a gleaming blade in his hand.
Before him, a steel-bristled wild boar with a thousand years of cultivation was still emitting faint mournful cries, its limbs severed, its massive body covered with deep, bone-revealing wounds.
Not far away, Flander watched the scene unfold, his brow furrowed. Finally, he couldn't hold back any longer and stepped forward, saying,
"Little San, stop! You asked us to help you capture soul beasts, and you're going to torture and kill them for their bones like this... this is like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs!"
"Soul beasts don't grow easily, especially high-age soul beasts, which are the foundation of the forest. If everyone were like you, indiscriminately killing for the slim chance of obtaining soul bones, I'm afraid that in just a few years, there wouldn't be many decent soul beasts left in the entire Sunset Forest!"
"What will future soul masters do if they want to obtain suitable soul rings? Won't the inheritance of our soul master world be interrupted?"
"You can't just eat your fill and then turn the pot upside down so that no one else can eat, can you?"
"This is no different from... animal..."
Flander originally wanted to say what the difference was between this and animalism, but in the end, he didn't say it.
However, Tang San's movements didn't falter in the face of Flander's dissuasion. His face showed no remorse, but rather a twisted sense of self-righteousness as he coldly sneered,
"Dean, you're being far too pessimistic. What does it matter to us whether others can find suitable spirit rings in the future?"
"The law of the jungle is the rule of this world. Spirit beasts are resources; if we are strong, they should naturally be used by us! As long as the people of Shrek Academy can become stronger and stand at the pinnacle of the continent, what does sacrificing this forest and the opportunities for future generations of spirit masters matter?"
As he spoke, he even glanced at Grandmaster not far away.
At the same time, he asked with a tone seeking approval,
"Teacher, do you think I'm right? The path of a spirit master is about pursuing ultimate power; it shouldn't be bound by trivialities, should it?"
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[end of the chapter]