For example, if single-target burst damage was needed, Tang San could replicate his Third Soul Skill "Return to Emptiness" or First Soul Skill "Mountain Shattering Tremor." Two consecutive hammer strikes would make even immortals struggle to withstand them.
If supplementary area-of-effect damage was required, he could replicate his Second Soul Skill to enhance destructive range. If he needed to restrict or lock down an opponent, he could choose to replicate the Rakshasa Martial Soul's "Black Demon Pool"—double the pool, double the immobilization, double the delay.
Moreover, the replicated Soul Skills weren't limited to Soul Ring techniques—even the Clear Sky Nine Absolute Heavens Techniques could be copied. As long as it was a Soul Skill Tang San had personally used, it could be replicated. The only restriction was that he could only replicate the last-used Soul Skill.
Additionally, Tang San's External Soul Bone Skill "Repeat the Same Trick" wasn't limited by his Soul Power level. Even if he reached the Titled Douluo rank and obtained a Ninth Soul Skill, the replicated technique's power would remain the same—100% reproduction!
"Excellent, truly excellent. As expected of an External Soul Bone." Tang San was extremely satisfied with this Soul Bone Ability. The stronger his Soul Skills became in the future, the more powerful this Soul Bone Skill would be.
Tang San stepped out of the cave. It was late at night, nearing dawn.
With a few flashes, he arrived at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Glancing at Dugu Bo, whose body alternated between red and blue hues, Tang San calculated the time—three seven-day cycles had already passed. Dugu Bo was nearly halfway through his transformation.
True to his word, Tang San hadn't taken payment without delivering results. He carefully examined Dugu Bo's Martial Soul and nodded. "The Jade Phosphor Serpent is also a descendant of dragons. This old poison master has condensed his own toxic power into a Poison Pearl—it seems he's aiming for draconic ascension. A python swallowing a pearl, transforming into a dragon in a single leap."
Seeing the dragon pearl-like Poison Core within Dugu Bo's Martial Soul, Tang San had already pieced most of it together.
It wasn't that dragons were inherently stronger than serpents—serpent-type Spirit Beasts could be incredibly formidable as well.
In the struggle for destiny, the Python Sparrow Devours the Dragon.
There was no right or wrong in Martial Soul evolution—as long as it reached the pinnacle, it didn't matter whether it was a serpent or a dragon.
"Martial Soul evolution... My Clear Sky Hammer is already the top-tier among Item Martial Souls. Even if I wanted to evolve it, relying solely on Immortal Grade Herbs wouldn't be enough." Tang San shook his head. His Clear Sky Hammer wasn't some second-rate Martial Soul—he couldn't follow Dugu Bo's path. Even consuming all the Immortal Grade Herbs in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well wouldn't elevate his Martial Soul to God-level.
Surveying his surroundings, Tang San noted the abundance of Immortal Grade herbs and murmured to himself, "The 'Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower' and 'Ninth Grade Purple Ganoderma' both have the effect of rebirth and transformation—they're among the highest-tier Immortal Grade Herbs. Combined with certain elixirs, they could allow Soul Masters with decent talent to evolve their Martial Souls."
"There's also the 'Narcissus Jade Bone,' 'Qiluo Tulip,' 'Exotic Velvet Heaven Reaching Chrysanthemum,' and 'Eight Petal Immortal Orchid.' These are the finest among Immortal Grade herbs, capable of defying the natural order. But none of them are suitable for me."
Tang San stroked his chin in thought. If he utilized them properly, could he forge his own elite force of Titled Douluos? Given enough time, the Clear Sky Sect might even gain the power to rival the Spirit Hall—perhaps even dominate the entire continent seemed within reach!
"Hmm? Why am I thinking about dominating the world?" Tang San shook his head, dismissing the distracting thoughts. "No, these Immortal Grade Herbs can't be given out casually. If I give them to someone with rebellious intentions and they end up usurping power, wouldn't that be awkward for me?"
"First, I should go hunt for a Spirit Beast. I've been stuck at level 40 for a long time—it's time to break through."
Tang San walked over to the Secluded Fragrance Kirin Gauze, slowly bent down, and took out a treasure box containing the intact herb. Holding it carefully in both hands, he made his way toward the Poison Array.
Even a Poison Array set up by a Titled Douluo couldn't penetrate the protective barrier of the Immortal Grade Secluded Fragrance Kirin Gauze. In fact, the toxins retreated from its presence, allowing Tang San to easily pass through Dugu Bo's Poison Array.
"Right now, I need to find a Spirit Beast that's just over ten thousand years old—no more than twenty thousand years." Tang San roughly calculated. His External Soul Bone had evolved, which should allow him to slightly increase the age limit of the Soul Ring he could absorb. While absorbing a twenty-five-thousand-year Soul Ring was impossible, just over ten thousand years should be his limit.
"I'm probably not at the outskirts of the forest anymore—I must be closer to the center."
As soon as Tang San stepped out of the Spirit Beast forest, he heard faint roars resembling those of tigers and dragons. Each roar was so terrifying it sent chills down his spine. It seemed there were extremely powerful Spirit Beasts lurking here, and in the shadows of the dense foliage, cold, predatory gazes watched him, making his hair stand on end.
"This place feels a bit like Sunset Forest." After walking for a while, Tang San recalled his previous visit to Sunset Forest and noticed similarities in the soil.
Sunset Forest was the second-largest Spirit Beast forest on the Heaven Dou Continent, second only to the Star Dou Great Forest. While there were no known 100,000-Year Soul Beasts here, there were plenty of ten-thousand-year Spirit Beasts approaching that level. It wouldn't be surprising if one suddenly broke through to become a 100,000-Year Soul Beast one day.
"Sigh, finding a suitable Spirit Beast isn't easy." After experiencing the convenience of a God-given Spirit Ring, Tang San couldn't help but complain. If only he could always have God-given Spirit Rings—that would be perfect.
For Soul Masters, finding a Soul Ring was entirely a matter of luck. Even if the age was right, the Spirit Beast's attributes might not match. Even if the attributes matched, the Soul Skill it produced might not suit them. It all came down to chance.
After searching for seven days, Tang San still hadn't found a suitable ten-thousand-year Spirit Beast. However, he hadn't come away empty-handed—during those seven days, he'd encountered quite a few reckless Spirit Beasts, and their souls had all been fed to his Ghost Ring.
The Ghost Ring was getting closer and closer to reaching the ten-thousand-year level.
Hiss! Suddenly, the ground collapsed, and a massive spider emerged from the soil. The spider was enormous, crouching like a small hill.
Seeing this spider, Tang San rolled his eyes, his face full of exasperation.
He had noticed this spider on the first day. A Crypt Demon Spider, with a cultivation of 10,300 years—its Soul Power was a perfect match, but every other attribute was completely wrong!
"If you were a ten-thousand-year Man-Faced Demon Spider, I would've killed you on the first day. Just go—we're really not a good match." Tang San sighed deeply. The Crypt Demon Spider excelled at using terrain to set traps for its enemies, relying on its special skills to ambush and kill them. It was ideal for control-type Soul Masters.
But Tang San wasn't a control-type Soul Master. What, was he supposed to use the Clear Sky Hammer to control others? Did that make any sense?
So when Tang San first discovered it, he didn't hunt this Crypt Demon Spider. Unexpectedly, seven days later, he encountered it again.
"Why couldn't you be a Man-Faced Demon Spider? A ten-thousand-year Man-Faced Demon Spider would be just perfect," Tang San muttered as he looked at the Crypt Demon Spider the size of a small hill before him. He wasn't the least bit nervous, just somewhat resigned.
During these seven days, he had indeed come across one Man-Faced Demon Spider, but that one only had sixty-six hundred years of cultivation—far too low in level.
"Hmm? What's this?" Tang San frowned as he noticed the Crypt Demon Spider bore injuries.
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