"Alright, Little San, let's not dwell on that for now. Let's head outside and have you absorb this spirit bone," Tang Hao said, taking out a specially crafted box from his spirit tool. Opening it, the cave was immediately bathed in a bright blue-gold glow.
Tang San looked at the box with shining eyes. "This is Mother's hundred-thousand-year right leg bone?"
Tang Hao gazed at the spirit bone with a tinge of sadness, recalling his happy days with Ah Yin, now gone. Yet, these hardships had made him stronger.
Once outside, Tang Hao handed the spirit bone to Tang San. "Absorb it here. I'll guard you."
Tang San, containing his excitement, sat cross-legged and began the absorption process. Tang Hao estimated it would take him at least an hour or two.
Yet, thirty seconds later, Tang San opened his eyes in confusion, examining his body. He couldn't feel any change—no increase in spirit power whatsoever.
Tang Hao, seeing Tang San looking as though he'd completed the absorption in under a minute, was stunned. How could this be? With his experience, such a quick absorption was unheard of. Could it be because of Tang San's Blue Silver Emperor bloodline, making the bone more compatible and allowing for faster absorption?
Tang Hao felt his explanation was plausible, but he noticed Tang San didn't seem pleased. "Little San, what's wrong? How much did this bone improve your strength? What's the spirit bone skill?"
Tang San didn't know how to respond; it was bizarre. "Father, I don't know how to explain it… The spirit bone hasn't increased my strength at all—I'm still at level thirty-four! And the spirit bone skill is weak, almost useless."
Tang Hao's expression darkened. "That's impossible!"
He grasped Tang San's hand and said, "Don't move; let me check!"
Using his senses, Tang Hao found that Tang San's spirit power was indeed still at level thirty-four. How could this be?
"Show me the spirit bone and tell me its skill. A hundred-thousand-year bone typically has two skills; it's unheard of to have only one."
Tang San, exasperated, complied and released the spirit bone's power. His right leg shimmered with a blue-gold aura, and Tang Hao confirmed it was indeed a hundred-thousand-year spirit bone. At his father's prompting, Tang San activated the 'hundred-thousand-year spirit skill.' Instantly, a meter-wide circle of blue silver grass sprouted around him.
Tang Hao stared, dumbfounded. "Little San… this… is your spirit bone skill?"
Tang San nodded, embarrassed. "Yes, it's called Growth. Its effect is that blue silver grass grows within a one-meter radius around me… and it can sense what's around and transmit that information to me."
Tang San's voice trailed off in frustration. What use was this skill? Within a meter, he didn't need blue silver grass to detect anything—he wasn't blind!
Tang Hao was speechless. This was a completely absurd skill.
Growth? Detection?
A one-meter detection radius? Who needed that?
Even if the range expanded beyond a meter, it would still be obvious to others and not particularly useful. Besides, higher-level spirit masters could use mental power to detect their surroundings. Unless it was like Ah Yin's power, allowing her to command any blue silver grass around her, it was utterly pointless.
This skill wasn't just weak; it was utterly useless—trash, even.
Seeing his father's disheartened expression, Tang San asked, "Father, do you know why this happened? The spirit bone looks powerful…"
Tang Hao sighed, "I don't know. The spirit bone definitely radiates the aura of a hundred-thousand-year bone, so I'm not sure why this has happened."
He thought of a possibility, albeit far-fetched. If only Ah Yin could speak, he'd ask her.
"It's possible, Little San, that your Blue Silver Emperor bloodline hasn't awakened yet. The bone may feel familiar to you, but its powers could be temporarily sealed until your bloodline awakens."
Tang San: …
To him, this explanation sounded ludicrous. Could a spirit bone really choose a master? After all his theoretical studies with his teacher, he couldn't accept it. If this were true, a hundred-thousand-year spirit bone would be a risky gamble, wasting an important spirit bone slot.
Seeing Tang San's skeptical look, Tang Hao knew his reasoning was thin. "Alright, let's return to Thunderclap Academy and ask your teacher."
Tang San asked, "Father, what do you mean by my Blue Silver Emperor bloodline hasn't awakened? Can it be awakened now?"
Tang Hao considered it and decided to tell him everything. "Little San, have you noticed that Blue Silver Grass is weak?"
Tang San nodded immediately. His Blue Silver Grass had poison and control abilities but was still easily defeated by Su Ming. Even with his spirit rings strengthening its durability, it was fragile.
Seeing his son's agreement, Tang Hao wasn't surprised. Without Ah Yin's bloodline, the Blue Silver Grass would indeed be a waste, barely usable as a martial soul.
"That's because your Blue Silver Grass hasn't undergone a secondary awakening. Once your bloodline is activated, it will evolve into the Blue Silver Emperor, drastically improving the quality of your martial soul."
"Little San, you should know that martial soul quality is crucial. Generally, the higher one's innate spirit power, the stronger the martial soul. Our Clear Sky Hammer is a top-tier martial soul—your teacher must have told you that."
"But as it is now, your Blue Silver Grass is only a mid-tier martial soul, likely because it's co-existing with the Clear Sky Hammer. Once it awakens as the Blue Silver Emperor, it'll be on par with the Clear Sky Hammer in quality."
Tang San finally understood. The reason his Blue Silver Grass was weak was because it hadn't evolved yet!
Although Tang Hao regarded both the Clear Sky Hammer and Blue Silver Emperor as top-tier martial souls, he still considered his Clear Sky Hammer superior. Tang San, now aware that his Blue Silver Grass could evolve, felt a surge of motivation. If his martial soul evolved into the Blue Silver Emperor and he raised his level, he might stand a chance against Su Ming!
Tang San eagerly asked, "Father, can you awaken the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline for me now? I want to grow stronger!"
Tang Hao shook his head regretfully. "Little San, I can't awaken it for you. You'd need to reach the ancestral land of the Blue Silver Emperor and find the Blue Silver King to help with the awakening."
"Ah Yin is still recognized as the ruler of the Blue Silver Grass, but in her current state, she can't help you awaken your bloodline. And even with her influence, you'll need the approval of most Blue Silver Grass plants for the awakening to succeed."
"Right now, your level is too low for that. Wait until you reach level fifty; then we'll discuss it. At that level, your bloodline will activate automatically, giving you a spirit ring with growth potential. As you become stronger, that ring will evolve along with you."
Hearing this, Tang San was disappointed. Level fifty seemed so far away, and he wasn't sure when he would reach it.
Tang Hao hadn't mentioned that it was technically possible to attempt the awakening now, but the risk of failure was high. For the Blue Silver Grass to evolve into the Blue Silver Emperor, it required the approval of the majority of the Blue Silver Grass, the Blue Silver King, and the previous Blue Silver Emperor.
Ah Yin's approval wouldn't be an issue, but Tang San's current strength wouldn't garner widespread acceptance. Additionally, as a human in a world where humans and spirit beasts were natural enemies, the difficulty was even greater.
Tang Hao dismissed the thought for now. "Let's go, Little San. We'll return to the academy and see if your teacher knows anything about this."
Tang San could only hope his teacher had answers. This spirit bone was too strange—it carried the aura of a hundred-thousand-year spirit bone, yet seemed useless in every other aspect.
A few days later at Thunderclap Academy, Yu Xiaogang was surprised to see Tang San and Tang Hao return so soon. "Little San, Lord Haotian, why are you back?" he asked.
Unlike before, only the three of them were present, so Tang San and Tang Hao could speak openly. Tang Hao recounted everything that had happened and had Tang San show the spirit bone.
Yu Xiaogang was shocked, not only to learn that Tang San's mother was a hundred-thousand-year-old spirit beast but also that Tang San's spirit power hadn't increased after absorbing her spirit bone. Moreover, the bone granted only one useless skill.
Yu Xiaogang pondered the theories he knew, finding it perplexing. No such case had ever been recorded. He knew Bibi Dong possessed a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring and most likely a corresponding spirit bone, yet no reports indicated any issues like this.
He made up his mind. Yu Xiaogang had already planned to go to Spirit Hall to gather information on training dual martial souls for Tang San. Despite their strained relationship, he was confident that Bibi Dong still harbored feelings for him. He was certain he could obtain the dual martial soul training techniques and subtly inquire about Tang San's situation without mentioning his name, of course.
Feeling optimistic, Yu Xiaogang reassured them, "I'm not sure what's going on either, but don't worry. I'll look into it thoroughly in the coming days."
Tang San's heart sank at this. If his teacher didn't know, what if the spirit bone remained useless even after his bloodline awakening? Wouldn't that mean he had wasted a spirit bone slot?
Tang Hao said, "Let's go, Little San. At least we know it has a hundred-thousand-year aura. For now, don't worry too much about it. Let's focus on your training."
"If we can't increase your training speed through the spirit bone, we'll push harder with regular practice. You don't want to face Su Ming in the upcoming Spirit Master Tournament and lose again, do you?"
Tang San clenched his fists, determination flashing in his eyes. "Father, I can endure anything. I want my spirit power to reach at least level forty by the start of the tournament. Whatever it takes, I'll withstand it!"
Tang Hao considered his options. One way to accelerate Tang San's progress was to attach a spirit ring to the Clear Sky Hammer, but he wouldn't let Tang San waste the potential of his rare twin martial souls.
He decided to let Tang San rest less and train harder. He was confident his son could handle it.
At the same time, Su Ming and his group finally returned to Heaven Dou City after several days of travel.
Ning Rongrong stretched lazily, her figure gracefully outlined as she said, "Finally, we're back! I'm exhausted. Spending over forty days just to get a spirit ring—now it's time to buckle down and really train!"
Xiao Wu teased her, "Rongrong, you say that, but I don't quite believe it! You were just complaining about how tired you were. Will you really work hard?"
Ning Rongrong replied, "Xiao Wu, I'm a support-type spirit master! I'm genuinely tired. It's not just the physical exhaustion; it's the mental strain as well."
Hearing her mention mental exhaustion, Zhu Zhuqing stole a glance at Su Ming, which he noticed, prompting her to quickly look away.
Su Ming merely smiled. Since the trip to Star Dou Forest, he had sensed Zhuqing's occasional, shy glances. Helping her absorb the ten-thousand-year spirit ring had certainly raised her regard for him. He hadn't even thought of that at the time; he simply hadn't wanted to deny the strength in her eyes.
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GOT IT