Hearing Master's words, Tang San's eyes suddenly burst forth with an incredibly excited light. He quickly calculated in his mind, then blurted out:
"Teacher, you're right! Ordinary Soul Masters often need several months or even years to Cultivate one Rank, but I can directly increase my Soul Power just by adding spirit rings to the Clear Sky Hammer!"
At this point, he excitedly analyzed, counting on his fingers.
"My current Soul Power Rank is 42. If the Clear Sky Hammer's first ring absorbs a ten-thousand-year spirit ring, my Soul Power Rank can increase by at least 4 Ranks. If the second ring also absorbs a ten-thousand-year ring, it can increase by another 4 Ranks. This way, I can instantly reach Rank 50!"
"Then, I'll add a ten-thousand-year spirit ring to the Blue Silver Grass's fifth ring, and then continue adding the third and fourth rings to the Clear Sky Hammer... I might even be able to Breakthrough to Rank 60 within a year!"
Tang San became more and more excited as he spoke, his voice trembling.
"My brother is only at the Spirit King Rank right now. Once my twin spirits Cultivate and add spirit rings simultaneously, surpassing him will only be a matter of time."
Master laughed heartily, raised his hand, and patted Tang San's shoulder, his eyes filled with gratification.
"Little San, you truly are my Disciple, Yu Xiaogang. You understand with just a hint!"
"I told you long ago not to be troubled by losing to Tang Chuan. You possess a twin spirits, one in ten thousand. How can a Soul Master of his Aptitude compare to you?"
Tang San nodded proudly. At this moment, he looked very confident and relaxed, but then, as if remembering something, he said in a deep voice:
"Teacher, my strength has advanced by leaps and bounds now, but my teammates' Cultivation has stagnated. I fear they might drag me down during the tournament."
"However, I have a plan that can help my teammates quickly improve their strength."
"Oh? Little San, you have a plan too?"
Master showed curiosity at his words, leaning slightly forward, and said, "Tell me quickly, I'll listen."
Tang San raised his right arm, and an ominous, dark glow seeped out from under his sleeve. Immediately after, he gently stroked the glowing area and sneered:
"Teacher, this spider-type right arm bone of mine was obtained by my father after he brutally killed dozens of ten-thousand-year-old or older spider-type Soul Beasts for me in the Star Dou Great Forest."
"You said that the deeper a Soul Beast's resentment before death, the greater the chance of producing a Soul Bone."
"Since that's the case, why don't we brutally kill thousand-year and ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts in this Sunset Forest? As long as we get a few Soul Bones, won't Mubai and their strength problems be solved?"
...A few hours later, the lingering glow of the setting sun pierced through the dense canopy, casting dappled light and shadow on the leaf-strewn forest floor.
The evening in Sunset Forest always carried a hint of imperceptible chill.
Dugu Bo looked at the slowly receding light blue Domain aura around Tang Chuan, his face showing no surprise, but a hint of understanding flashed in his jade pupils.
Clearly, Tang Chuan had not detected the whereabouts of the Thorny Rock Turtle through his Blue Silver Domain.
"Boy, your Blue Silver Domain is marvelous; it can sense life and detect Soul Power." Dugu Bo's voice carried his characteristic hoarseness and a hint of mockery, as he said in a deep voice:
"But the Thorny Rock Turtle, this kind of Soul Beast, is an anomaly among earth and rock attributes. What it's best at is not just defense, but also concealment."
"Concealment? You mean..." Tang Chuan looked at Dugu Bo, his face full of confusion.
"Hmph." Dugu Bo snorted:
"Ordinary Soul Beasts release their aura, and their life fluctuations are obvious, so your Domain can naturally detect them at a glance. But this Thorny Rock Turtle, when it lies still, can completely assimilate its aura with the surrounding rocks and soil, its Soul Power contained, almost nonexistent. It doesn't resemble a living creature; it's more like a real, spiny rock. Although your Domain is strong, if it intentionally hides, you will only perceive it as ordinary terrain when you sweep over it."
Hearing this, the Shi Brothers nearby showed expressions of disappointment and anxiety.
Shi Mo couldn't help but ask:
"Dean, then... what should we do? Can it really not be found?"
Dugu Bo glanced at them, a meaningful arc forming at the corner of his mouth, and said:
"If others were to search, they might indeed return empty-handed. But today, you two boys are lucky to have this old man with you in the Sunset Forest."
Before he finished speaking, without any discernible action, a faint, almost imperceptible pressure silently spread out from him as its center.
This was not Killing Intent directed at Tang Chuan or the Shi Brothers, but a higher-level sense of presence, as if a sleeping king had awakened and was surveying his territory.
"The power of a Domain, it's not just you, boy, who possesses it now. After my Jade Phosphor Serpent evolved into the Jade Phosphorous Dragon with your help, it also gained an ability similar to a Domain."
Dugu Bo first glanced at Tang Chuan, then a faint light flickered in his jade pupils, and he said seriously:
"For these fellows hiding in the corners, sometimes the best way is not to search, but to force them out."
As his words fell, the atmosphere of the surrounding forest suddenly changed.
The chirping of insects and birds, which had been rustling, instantly ceased.
An invisible pressure was released from Dugu Bo's body, rapidly enveloping this area, then spreading outwards, as if the very air had become viscous.
This was a deterrent originating from a top predator, a Titled Douluo-level mental suppression, precisely controlled within a certain range, not an indiscriminate attack, but a targeted stimulation of the instinctive fear of those powerful Soul Beasts with a certain level of intelligence that were deeply hidden.
Tang Chuan immediately understood Dugu Bo's intention.
This was 'beating the grass to startle the snake,' and even more, 'knocking on the mountain to shake the tiger'!
Under the deliberate pressure of a Titled Douluo, any Soul Beast worthy of feeling fear would instinctively react, either by fleeing or by... assuming a defensive posture!
Indeed, about a thousand meters away from them, on a seemingly ordinary hillside covered with rugged rocks and low shrubs, extremely subtle changes suddenly appeared.
The surface of several rocks seemed to tremble ever so slightly; if one didn't look carefully, it would almost be mistaken for an illusion of light and shadow.
Immediately after, a Soul Power fluctuation, as heavy as a mountain and carrying a sharp sense of resistance, rippled outwards like a stone dropped into a calm lake.
"Found it!"
His eyes narrowed, and Tang Chuan's Blue Silver Domain instantly reopened. With a clear target this time, his perception immediately became clearer.
Beneath those rocks, there was indeed a presence lurking, one with extremely abundant vitality and a Soul Power attribute that subtly resonated with the Xuanwu Turtle Martial Soul of the Shi Brothers... In another corner of the Sunset Forest, the air was thick with an unyielding smell of blood.
The once vibrant forest clearing had now become a scene of carnage.
As far as the eye could see, Soul Beast corpses littered the ground, from hundred-year Shadow Wolves to thousand-year Cave devil spiders, and even several massive ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts like Mountain Rock Rhinos, all now lying in pools of blood, lifeless.
Their deaths were extremely gruesome, many not being a single fatal blow.
Instead, they bore clear marks of torture.
Tang San stood in the center of the corpses, holding a gleaming sharp blade.
In front of him, a thousand-year Cultivation Steel-Bristled Boar was still emitting faint wails, its limbs severed, its massive body covered in wounds deep enough to expose bone.
Not far away, Flender watched the scene with a deep frown. Finally, he could no longer bear it and stepped forward, saying:
"Little San, stop! You asked us to help you catch Soul Beasts, but you're torturing and killing them for their bones, this... this is no different from killing the goose that lays the golden eggs!"
"Soul Beasts are not easy to grow, especially high-year Soul Beasts, which are the Foundation of the forest. If everyone were like you, wantonly slaughtering for the slim chance of a Soul Bone, I'm afraid in a few years, there won won't be any decent Soul Beasts left in the entire Sunset Forest!"
"At that time, what will future Soul Masters do when they want to obtain suitable spirit rings? Won't the Legacy of our Soul Master World be broken?"
"You can't just eat your fill and then flip the pot so no one else can eat, can you?"
"This is like... an animal..."
Flender originally wanted to say, 'What's the difference between this and an animal?'
But in the end, he didn't say it aloud.
However, facing Flender's dissuasion, Tang San's movements did not pause in the slightest. There was not even a hint of guilt on his face; instead, he wore an almost twisted, self-righteous sneer, saying:
"Dean, you're being overly concerned. What does it matter to us if others can find suitable spirit rings in the future?"
"The strong prey on the weak; that is the Law of this World. Soul Beasts are resources, and since we are strong, they should naturally be used by us! As long as the people of our Shrek Academy can become stronger because of this and stand at the peak of the continent, what does sacrificing this forest and sacrificing the opportunities of future Soul Masters matter?"
As he spoke, he even cast his gaze towards Master not far away.
At the same time, he asked in a tone seeking approval:
"Teacher, do you think I'm right? The Dao of a Soul Master is about pursuing ultimate power, and one should not be bothered by minor details, shouldn't it be so?"
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