The Grandmaster looked at Tang San with excitement, his entire body trembling slightly. This was a soul bone—an extremely rare treasure!
"Xiao San, quickly, let me take a look." The Grandmaster's voice was filled with excitement.
Hearing this, Tang San did not hesitate. He immediately handed over the soul bone, which emitted a soft white glow, to the Grandmaster.
The Grandmaster held the soul bone carefully, his heartbeat accelerating. He had spent his entire life researching martial souls, yet this was the first time he had seen a soul bone up close.
Even when he was still part of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, he had never had the opportunity to examine a soul bone so intimately.
The power of a soul bone's ability was directly proportional to its age. A thousand-year soul bone provided an ability equivalent to a thousand-year soul ring, and so on.
If Tang San could absorb this ten-thousand-year soul bone, it would be like gaining a ten-thousand-year soul ring ability, significantly enhancing his strength.
As the Grandmaster held the soul bone, waves of soul power emanating from it, Flender and Liu Erlong couldn't help but reveal expressions of longing. This was a soul bone—who wouldn't want one?
For any soul master, soul bones were priceless treasures. Absorbing one could bring a qualitative leap in power.
After staring at the soul bone for a long while, the Grandmaster let out a light chuckle and said, "Xiao San, absorb this head soul bone. In half a year, during the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, you'll be able to defeat Cheng Xiao and redeem yourself."
"We, as teacher and student, have helped each other grow. I never expected your luck to be this good—randomly killing a ten-thousand-year soul beast and getting a soul bone, and a rare head soul bone at that."
Shaking his head slightly, the Grandmaster reluctantly returned the soul bone to Tang San. He still had great expectations for Tang San in the upcoming tournament, aiming to prove his theories to the world.
Glancing at the soul bone in his hands, Tang San asked, "Teacher, what exactly does this head soul bone do?"
The Grandmaster replied, "Based on its external characteristics and the energy fluctuations it emits, it appears to be a spiritual-type light-attribute soul bone. Absorbing it should grant you an ice-type skill that can be used through spiritual power."
"Additionally, this soul bone should enhance the light attribute of your Blue Silver Grass. As your level increases, it's possible that your Blue Silver Grass could become so tough that even tool spirits won't be able to cut through it. But this is just my hypothesis."
Tang San nodded. After absorbing the White Tiger's soul ring, he had indeed felt his Blue Silver Grass improve. At the very least, it was now much harder to cut than before.
"Xiao San, hurry and absorb the soul bone. We'll protect you." The Grandmaster urged.
"Alright." Tang San nodded and, without further hesitation, held the soul bone high in both hands. A faint white glow radiated from it.
With a soft bang, the entire soul bone instantly dissolved into a stream of white energy that swiftly surged into Tang San's head. The sudden influx made his mind feel momentarily sluggish.
Watching Tang San absorb the soul bone, the Grandmaster, Flender, and Liu Erlong stepped back slightly, forming a protective triangle around him. Their soul power surged as they cautiously observed their surroundings, ready to protect him from any potential threats.
As they stood guard, a golden trident mark quietly appeared on Tang San's forehead, glowing with a soft radiance.
Meanwhile, in the Divine Realm – Sea God's Palace.
Gentle halos of light caressed the misty space, giving the illusory realm an oddly tangible beauty.
Within the grand, towering blue palace, a man dressed in a white robe lined with gold sat idly on his throne. A circular trident-shaped headpiece rested on his head, with a water-blue gemstone embedded in its center.
Suddenly, as if sensing something, he turned his gaze toward the Sea God's Trident standing in the middle of the grand hall. For some unknown reason, the trident was trembling slightly, an eerie sight.
"Strange… Could someone have drawn the Sea God's Trident?" Poseidon muttered in confusion. His connection with Douluo Star told him that the Sea God's Trident was still firmly in place and had not been removed.
But if that were the case, why was he receiving this strange sensation from Douluo Star?
Just as Poseidon was pondering this mystery, the trident gradually stopped trembling, and the faint connection he had sensed vanished.
"It seems something unusual is happening on Douluo Star," Poseidon mused, his eyes flickering with a deep blue light. He stood up and murmured, "I'd better go find Shura and figure out what's going on."
Shrek Academy – Nightfall.
Under the cover of night, Xiao Wu strolled across the academy's training grounds, lost in thought. She was debating whether she should leave Shrek Academy.
The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament was approaching, and she knew she couldn't participate. If she stayed, she might be targeted by the mysterious black-robed figure.
Xiao Wu had a strong suspicion about the black-cloaked man with the Clear Sky Hammer martial soul. Logically speaking, a soul master could only absorb a hundred-thousand-year soul ring by killing the soul beast. However, there was one exception—a spirit beast could willingly offer itself through a sacrificial ritual. But this required one crucial condition: the soul beast had to be deeply in love with the recipient. Only under such circumstances could the sacrifice succeed.
Meanwhile, with Ning Rongrong having already withdrawn from the academy, conflicts among the Shrek Seven Devils had worsened. Earlier that day, Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai had even fought openly. The team's unity was crumbling, making it increasingly unbearable to stay.
"Maybe I should just leave. I've spent enough time in the human world, and I've already seen Cheng Xiao. Returning to Star Dou Forest now might be the best choice," Xiao Wu thought to herself, completely unaware of the presence of a black-robed figure watching her from a short distance ahead.
"You truly are bold—a transformed juvenile soul beast daring to roam the human world," a deep and powerful voice suddenly rang in Xiao Wu's ears.
"You!" Xiao Wu froze in place, her eyes flashing with cold light. Her soul power surged to its peak as she glared at the black-robed man before her with vigilance.
"I have you to thank for my arrival in the human world. What's wrong? Are you getting impatient and thinking of killing me now?" Xiao Wu sneered.
"You've grown sharp-tongued since entering human society," the man said indifferently, his immense soul power pressing down on Xiao Wu.
"So, you've figured out who I am," he continued.
"Of course I have. Your martial soul is the Clear Sky Hammer. Aside from the Clear Sky Clan, who else in this world possesses such a martial soul?" Xiao Wu knew he was testing her. She indeed recognized his identity, but she deliberately chose to acknowledge only his martial soul rather than his true name. This was her only chance at survival.
"Clear Sky Clan… Clear Sky Hammer…" the man murmured, reassessing her. He had assumed she knew his full identity, but it turned out she had only identified him through his martial soul. Perhaps he had overthought it.
Initially, Tang Hao hadn't planned to make an appearance. His previous battle with two hundred-thousand-year soul beasts had aggravated old injuries, preventing him from acting. His current strength had diminished significantly. If he were to face those two soul beasts again, he would likely die.
"Who exactly are you? Hasn't the Clear Sky Clan already gone into seclusion?" Xiao Wu asked coldly, her gaze fixed on him.
"My identity isn't important. What matters is that you must stay here," Tang Hao said lazily, waving a finger in front of her. "If you ever think about leaving, I'll have no choice but to keep you in captivity until the right time comes to kill you and take your soul ring and soul bone."
"Don't think I'm bluffing. I mean every word. Just like how I went through great trouble to capture you in Star Dou Forest. Letting you return now would make all my efforts meaningless."