Replacing Tang Hao's last two spirit rings?
It wasn't a bad idea.
But first—
"Dad, what's your current level?"
Tang Hao checked his internal state, his expression turning a bit strange.
"Although my internal energy is only at Rank 92, I can still feel..."
"My actual level is still 97, and it just needs time to recover."
"Moreover..."
Tang Hao hesitated, sensing further—
Then confirmed:
"I'm still at the threshold of breaking through. With the right opportunity, I can advance to Rank 98!"
Tang Lan's eyes lit up!
As expected—his hypothesis was correct!
Level breakthroughs were essentially about expanding the capacity of one's soul and meridians.
Removing spirit bonesdidn't harm the soul itself.
The only consequence was that the boost provided by the bones would be retracted.
Combine that with the effects of severe injuries and a weakened body, and the apparent level would drop.
But—
The meridians remained just as wide, and the quality of internal energy was still unyielding and pure Yang.
That meant—
Once a level had been broken through, it wouldn't actually decrease.
Only the body as a container had weakened, reducing the total capacity of internal energy—
Thus lowering the displayed level.
Previously, Tang Hao had removed two ancestral spirit bones, aged 60,000 and 70,000 years, respectively.
But their combined boost was far inferior to a single100,000-year spirit bone.
Not to mention—
His century-old spirit ring had become 100,000 years,
his millennium ring had reached 95,000 years!
Now, after the transformation, his body's toughness had vastly improved compared to before removing the bones.
And with the Silvermoon Wolf King Right Arm Bone, his spiritual limit had also increased.
Both body and soul had been enhanced—
So his cultivation bottleneck had loosened as well.
That meant—
For Tang Lan, who had mastered limb regeneration,
He could completely make someone remove their spirit bones and replace their rings!
He didn't even need to swap bones.
Just reabsorb the removed ones—problem solved!
"Hiss—"
Damn!
Was this an exploit on the world's mechanics?!
"Buzz—"
At that moment—
Tang Hao's third spirit ring—black tinged with red—lit up.
The Titan Giant Ape emerged from his chest.
Seeing its fully restored body, it excitedly pounded its chest.
The Ironback Dragon, watching the Titan Giant Ape show off,
casually swung its tail at it.
"Smack—!"
The Titan Giant Ape was sent face-first into the ground.
The impact shook Tang Lan from his thoughts.
Ignoring the two fighting spirit souls,
he explained his idea to Tang Hao.
Tang Hao was stunned.
This...
Was that even possible?!
But after thinking it through—
He couldn't find anything wrong with it.
After all—he himself was already a living example!
"Should we try it?" Tang Hao hesitated.
Was this really something you could "just try"?!
"Let's go for it!" Tang Lan was direct.
"At worst, we just lose a few days of time."
"Alright!"
Tang Hao was a man of action.
Without hesitation, he raised the Clear Sky Hammer over his right arm—
But was suddenly stopped by the Titan Giant Ape spirit soul.
It gestured wildly, making frantic hand signals.
Tang Hao raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Looking at the Titan Giant Ape's original body,
he swung the Clear Sky Hammer, smashing its intact right arm.
Bones and flesh splattered everywhere—
Except for one surviving bone.
A spirit bone!
But—
It wasn't a right arm bone.
It was a right palm bone!
An External Spirit Bone!!!
Nearby—
The Titan Giant Ape puffed up its chest, strutting arrogantly in front of the Ironback Dragon.
See?!
Even if you're 100,000 years old,
you still don't have an External Spirit Bone!
"Perfect timing," Tang Lan grinned.
"Dad, if you self-destruct your right arm, you can absorb two spirit bones right after."
"Who knows? You might even break through in the process!"
Tang Hao, hearing this, immediately shook his head.
He handed the Titan Giant Ape's Right Palm Bone to Tang Lan.
"A 95,000-year External Spirit Bone—surely you're not turning it down?"
Uh—
Well…
He had to admit—
This really suited him.
But still—
There was an old saying: "Best suited to the original owner."
Since Tang Hao had already obtained the Titan Giant Ape's spirit ring,
he should absorb this External Spirit Bone as well.
And—
As his biggest backer at the moment…
For Tang Lan, the stronger Tang Hao became, the safer he himself would be.
If Tang Hao could reach Rank 99, he wouldn't necessarily fight Qian Daoliu to a standstill,
but at the very least, he'd be able to hold him off.
That would allow Tang Lan's "Faith Ascension Plan" to move forward years ahead of schedule.
And worst case scenario—
He could always ask Tang Hao for the bone later, and knowing his father,
he'd probably gladly hand it over.
But for now…
Tang Lan had another idea.
Why not use this external spirit bone to farm a reward from Tang San's system?
Maybe the system would drop a right palm bone for him instead!
"I don't need it," Tang Lan shook his head. "I don't have many soul bone slots left, and under the spring—"
He didn't finish his sentence.
But Tang Hao immediately understood.
The two divine-grade soul bones buried under the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well—
their locations were still unknown.
What if one of them was also a right palm bone?
Tang Hao raised an eyebrow. "If that happens, you can just remove and swap them later."
"But for this trip to the Extreme North, we need your strength," Tang Lan stated bluntly.
"The stronger you are, the more secure my plan will be."
Tang Hao hesitated.
Tang Lan made the decision for him—
"If those two bones don't include a right palm bone, you can give it to me then."
Though the wording sounded a bit weird,
Tang Hao ultimately agreed to the proposal.
But Tang Lan wasn't done.
He waved his hand, setting up a mental barrier, then smirked slyly.
"Dad, why don't we mess with that little brat a bit?"
Tang Hao's eyes turned sharp.
Without hesitation, he nodded.
"I'd like to see if he dares to fight me for my soul bone."
Dares?
Remove the "doesn't" from "doesn't dare," and you've got the answer—
He absolutely dares!
Tang Lan pulled out his soul communication device and dialed.
On the other end—
The call was picked up instantly.
"Brother!" Tang San's voice was full of anticipation. "Did you get me a full set of soul bones?"
Tang Lan didn't respond immediately.
He looked around, confirming that no one else was present.
Then, in an exaggeratedly cautious tone, he whispered—
"Let's not rush that just yet."
"Xiao San, I have urgent intel for you."
"Dad just made a spirit soul contract with a 95,000-year Titan Giant Ape."
"And guess what?"
"A right palm bone dropped!"
"A 95,000-year external spirit bone!"
"And it's purely strength-based—this is even rarer than a 100,000-year soul bone."
"You get what I'm saying?"
Just a tiny bit of guidance—
And Tang San's breathing instantly became heavier!
He didn't even stop to question—
Why was Tang Hao able to form a spirit soul contract?
His mind was completely locked onto one thing—
95,000-year strength-type external spirit bone?!
If he could get his hands on it—
Maybe he could completely change his fate!
But…
Tang Hao's attitude toward him was already hostile.
Snatching a priceless external soul bone from him…
Wouldn't be easy!
Seeing Tang San's hesitation, Tang Lan poured fuel on the fire.
"Dad is about to absorb the bone—if you want it, you better move fast."
"That's all for now. Hanging up."
Click!
He cut the call immediately.
Meanwhile, beside him—
Tang Hao calmly picked up his soul communication device.
Three seconds later, it rang.
The caller ID?
"Ungrateful Brat."
…
Clearly, the resentment ran deep.
Tang Hao answered calmly, his eyes icy cold.
On the other end, Tang San instantly sensed the danger.
Memories of that devastating Heaven-Defying Hammer Strike—the one that sent Bone Douluo flying—flashed through his mind.
If he pissed off Tang Hao too much…
Would his father turn around and crush him instead?
"…You need something?" Tang Hao said flatly.
"I just got a new palm bone and was about to absorb it. If it's nothing urgent, I'll hang up now."
Hearing that, Tang San's heart clenched!
Screw it!
Even if Tang Hao got pissed, he still had his brother to protect him, right?
For an external spirit bone—
It was worth the risk!
—(End of Chapter)