In the original timeline,
Because Tang San had been training at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eye for an extended period, he hadn't returned to the academy for a long time.
Tai Long was unaware that Xiao Wu already had an owner and pursued her relentlessly.
When Tang San finally appeared, a fierce conflict erupted between them.
The Power Clan also inherited a fine tradition of the Hao Tian Sect—after beating up the young ones, the elders would come to settle the score.
Ultimately, under Tai Tan's pressure, Tang San revealed his Hao Tian Hammer martial soul, successfully making the Power Clan recognize him as their master.
Now, since no conflict had occurred between him and Tai Long, he naturally hadn't met Tai Tan yet.
Tang Hao didn't elaborate further but simply said, "Just remember what I've said. Since you've decided to use the Hao Tian Hammer martial soul, inform your teammates before the match begins. At that point, Tai Tan will seek you out."
"If he asks about my whereabouts, tell him I've been missing for a long time."
Tang Hao never doubted the loyalty of the Power Clan.
In fact, during the years when he was away from Tang San, he had secretly visited the other three great families.
Without exception, these three families harbored hostility toward the Hao Tian Sect, especially toward him and his son. Only the Power Clan still clearly remembered who their master was.
Although Tang San was full of doubts, he instinctively trusted Tang Hao.
Not long after, father and son entered Sunset Forest.
Tang Hao explained, "The Hao Tian Hammer is a power-type martial soul, so it requires soul rings primarily from power-type soul beasts. Among them, ape and bear-type soul beasts are the most common."
Tang San raised a question that had been on his mind, "Father, I can feel that as my soul power level increases, the weight of the Hao Tian Hammer also keeps increasing. After obtaining a soul ring, will its weight increase even further? With my current strength, will I still be able to lift the Hao Tian Hammer?"
If he couldn't lift the Hao Tian Hammer after adding soul rings, wouldn't that be a laughingstock!
Moreover, all this time, Yu Xiaogang had been cultivating him as a control-type soul master. Strength wasn't his strong suit.
Tang Hao patted his shoulder and smiled. "Xiao San, don't worry about that. No martial soul wielder will ever face a situation where they can't use their martial soul."
"After attaching a soul ring, the power of the soul ring will also enhance your physical fitness."
Hearing this, Tang San felt reassured.
After a pause, Tang Hao asked, "Xiao San, how many years do you want your soul ring to have?"
Tang San's fourth soul ring for his Blue Silver Grass martial soul had reached six thousand years, and his soul power was at level forty-four. This made him consider absorbing a ten-thousand-year soul ring.
However, Tang Hao hesitated. "Absorbing a ten-thousand-year soul ring will cause soul fluctuations. If it fails, the consequences will be unimaginable. Why not start by absorbing a soul ring between eight thousand and ten thousand years first, to test your tolerance? If it works, you can absorb a ten-thousand-year soul ring for the second one."
After some thought, Tang San agreed with his suggestion.
If a thousand-year soul ring absorption failed, a Title Douluo could intervene to stop it, making it relatively safer.
---
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
On the outskirts of Tiandou City.
Several Soul Douluos were searching for something.
"Still nothing?" The leading Golden Eagle Soul Douluo frowned.
These people were powerful figures from the Spirit Hall. They had come to investigate the movements of the Gold Palace Soul Douluo.
Based on his speed, he should have arrived at the Spirit Hall in Balak City days ago to report back.
But after waiting for so many days, there was still no sign of him.
After inquiring around, they learned that since leaving Tiandou City, the Gold Palace Soul Douluo seemed to have vanished without a trace.
The Golden Eagle Soul Douluo, whose martial soul was similar to his, had always taken good care of him.
Upon hearing that he had "made a mistake," the Golden Eagle Soul Douluo immediately rushed to Tiandou City to investigate.
From the Spirit Hall, they learned that a battle at the Soul Douluo level had occurred outside Tiandou City recently.
The Golden Eagle Soul Douluo immediately brought people to investigate and discovered traces of the Gold Palace Soul Douluo's presence, along with an unfamiliar aura.
Other than that, there were no useful clues.
"Master, could it be that the Gold Palace Master suffered serious injuries in this battle and is now hiding somewhere to recover?" One of the red-robed bishops voiced his thoughts.
The Golden Eagle Soul Douluo immediately rejected the idea. "Impossible."
This place wasn't too far from Tiandou City. With the Gold Palace Soul Douluo's speed, he could easily reach the Spirit Hall in the city.
Even if we assume the worst—that he was severely injured and lacked the strength to leave the scene—he would likely hide in a nearby cave to recover.
However, the Golden Eagle Soul Douluo had just released a burst of soul power earlier. If the Gold Palace Soul Douluo had sensed the familiar energy, he should have appeared.
Furthermore, there were no severed limbs or corpses at the scene. Whether the Gold Palace Soul Douluo was alive or dead remained unknown.
"Master, why don't we go to Tiandou City and ask a few elder masters to help investigate?" Another red-robed bishop suggested.
"No!" The Golden Eagle Soul Douluo immediately refused. "We've already found the battlefield, but we can't locate his whereabouts. If we trouble the elders for help, wouldn't that prove our incompetence?"
The red-robed bishop shrank back, not daring to say more.
The blame lay with Dugu Bo for cleaning up the scene so thoroughly, leaving no clues behind.
"Keep searching. Perhaps we're overthinking this. If there are no leads by dawn tomorrow, we'll return to Balak City!"
---
For several days, Tang Hao and his son searched through Sunset Forest but found nothing.
None of the soul beasts they encountered met their requirements.
With the promotion matches approaching, Tang San grew increasingly anxious.
"Xiao San, stay calm when facing difficulties," Tang Hao reminded him with a frown.
"I know, but there are only ten days left until the promotion matches. If I can't hunt down a suitable soul ring within these ten days, I'll miss the competition," Tang San said anxiously.
He was the spiritual leader and absolute core of the Shrek Eight Monsters.
If the Shrek Team suffered a crushing defeat while he was absent, he would bear the responsibility.
Tang Hao, however, remained calm. "Let's check ahead. Ape-type soul beasts usually gather in groups. Once we find one, we can follow the trail to locate its group. At that point, we'll be able to obtain multiple soul rings."
That afternoon, father and son arrived at a mountain peak.
In the distance, they saw a nine-thousand-year Mighty Ape plundering food from other soul beasts.
Mighty Apes possessed immense strength, but their temperaments were terrible. Plundering the territories and food of other soul beasts was a daily occurrence.
Tang San pointed at the Mighty Ape and said gravely, "Father, this guy is bullying other soul beasts."
"By killing this evil soul beast, I won't just gain its soul ring—I'll also avenge the other soul beasts."
Tang Hao was momentarily stunned.
What kind of ruthless words were these!
In the world of soul beasts, survival of the fittest ruled supreme.
Moreover, even the gentlest soul beasts would treat weak human soul masters as prey if they lacked sufficient strength.
Why did Tang San sympathize with soul beasts? Could it be due to Xiao Wu's influence?
Tang Hao pondered silently.
Of course, he didn't care either way.
After ensuring Tang San was ready, the Hao Tian Hammer martial soul appeared in Tang Hao's hand as he stepped forward to confront the Mighty Ape.
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