Hun Tiandi looked at the Spirit Bone that remained after the Abyssal Pit Serpent died with glee, because he always had problems looking for a suitable Spirit Bone, which was rather ironic, considering the heritage and wealth of the Spirit Hall.
In the vaults of the Spirit Hall, there were hundreds of Spirit Bones of various ages, even some that were above 100,000 Years Old.
Spirit Bones are considered as crucial as Spirit Rings, as they provide new abilities to the spirit master. Not only can a Spirit Bone strengthen the bones in whichever area it is contained, but it can also strengthen everything within, including meridians, muscles, bones, and so on.
So, having a Spirit Bone was a comprehensive enhancement to the body. Unlike the Spirit Rings, spirit bones will not disappear because of the death of a Spirit Master and will remain. As long as they are not destroyed, they will be preserved forever.
The Spirit Hall was the oldest faction in the Douluo Continent that had survived for more than fifteen thousand years. Yes, compared to the history of the factions and clans in the Dou Qi Continent, it was abysmal, but in the Douluo Continent, nobody else dared to say that they had a deeper heritage.
Every generation, the Spirit Hall produced no less than ten and sometimes even more than twenty Titled Douluos. Many of them obtained their own Spirit Bones and furthered their death; these Spirit Bones became part of the Spirit Hall's heritage and foundation.
Hun Tiandi saw the vaults beneath the Spirit City and the amount of wealth that was gathered over many millenias was staggering, but for him, there was a considerable problem when choosing the Spirit Bones.
He had very specific requirements for the Spirit Bones for their Attributes, Lineage, Age, and origin.
The one that dropped from the Abyssal Pit Serpent was excellent.
"Absorb it. I will stand as a guard."
Jin Eye said and let Hun Tiandi absorb the Spirit Bone. The stronger the Holy Son got, the better for the Spirit Hall, because he was, right now, the most probable person to ascend to Godhood and usher in the new age for the Spirit Hall.
Producing a God was always a welcome thing for a faction.
Yet...
Not all people who ascended as Gods left a heritage for their factions.
Angel Goddess of the Qian Clan was one of the very rare exceptions, because she went even beyond what was normal.
After a Spirit Master ascended to the Godhood, the time that they could remain in the mortal plane was limited, only a few decades, and very strong Gods could remain in the mortal plane for a maximum of one century.
Angel Goddess, during that one century, did everything in her power to help and strengthen the Spirit Hall. In the end, the Spirit Hall, to this day, was the sole faction in the history of the Douluo Continent that consisted primarily of commoners and people of grassroots origin.
Even though the Spirit Hall had its own Clans and lineages, they were foremost focusing on cultivating commoners into the Spirit Masters and assimilating them as their own. If not, they wouldn't be doing Spirit Awakening Ceremonies for free.
Among the current Titled Douluos, many were of grassroots origin.
Supreme Pontiff herself was just an orphan from some random village. Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo Gui Mei were the same case. As well as Devil Bear Douluo or Jiang Brothers, who were 6th and 7th Worship Elders and Hyper Douluos.
Two of them were commoners born in an ordinary family living in the Heaven Dou Empire, and their parents were not even Spirit Masters. Among the current Platinum Bishops, both Salas and Wu Yun were also commoners.
Salas was originally from the slums of Heaven Dou City, and Wu Yun originated from the Star Luo Empire as a bastard son of one of their nobles, though he lived on the streets as he was kicked out by his family because he was the son of a maid of some Duke.
For 99% commoners on the Douluo Continent, Spirit Hall was the only choice of becoming a Spirit Master. Various Aristocratic Families from the two Great Empires, countless Kingdoms, Principalities, Dukedoms, and Lordships would never do what the Spirit Hall was doing for the commoners.
This was also the reason why there was inherent disdain and hatred between the Aristocratic Families and Clans toward the Spirit Hall.
Both Heaven Dou Empire and Star Luo Empire were heavily dominated by the Noble Families, and they only conducted the Spirit Awakening Ceremony on commoners if the commoners were their servants for life.
Otherwise, they wouldn't be doing anything like this, because they were using the fact that they were Spirit Masters to oppress the common masses and treat them as disposable tools for their own advancement.
Even though Hun Tiandi came from the most prestigious lineage and the Ancient Clan of the Dou Qi Continent, he didn't dare to underestimate the grassroots cultivators.
In the Dou Qi Continent, some of the most powerful cultivators were those of common origin, and even the Ancient Clans before their establishment were nothing more than just lucky people who managed to elevate their bloodline to the Dou Di Level.
Several of the most powerful factions in the entire Dou Qi Continent consisted primarily of the grassroots cultivators, among them many of whom reached the Dou Saint Realm.
As the Golden Crocodile Douluo was guarding him, Hun Tiandi started absorbing the Spirit Bone of the Abyssal Pit Serpent, which was a rather fair and quick process. Not even ten minutes later, he sent that his Spirit Rank started advancing once more.
Rank 51.
Rank 52.
Rank 53.
Rank 54.
Rank 54,5.
Just from absorbing the 80,000 Years Old Spirit Bone of the Abyssal Pit Serpent, he reached the Spirit Rank 54 and was already halfway to the Spirit Rank 55. He predicted that after eating a few Immortal Herbs and using a few Pills, he could reach the peak of the Spirit King in one year, perhaps in two.
Right now, he would need around three months to stabilize his cultivation completely and also to let Austin Griffin digest the gains. He could see how Hao Yue was greedily devouring the corpse of the Abyssal Pit Serpent, with all three of its heads munching on its meat.
Hopefully, something would remain so they could take it back to the Spirit Hall.
Meat of the 80,000-Year-Old Spirit Beast was a rare delicacy that could strengthen the body and Spirit Energy. Obviously, Austin Griffin took a great liking to the meat of the Abyssal Pit Serpent, which was good because the stronger Hao Yue was, the stronger Hun Tiandi would become.
"I see that you benefited a lot from the fusion. What Skill did you obtain?"
Jin Eyu asked because Spirit Bones were very rare, and the powerful ones were even rarer.
Although the Spirit Bones enhanced the attributes of the Spirit Master, their main function lies in the attached Spirit Skills. However, some scholars argue that the Spirit Bones's enhancement to the Spirit Master was more valuable than the Spirit Skill attached to the Spirit Bones themselves.
The growth potential of Spirit Bones is more valuable than that of Spirit Rings. The skills attached to Spirit Rings amplify with the increase in Spirit Energy, and the lifespan of the Spirit Ring limits its amplification.
However, Spirit Bones are different. They are not restricted by the lifespan of the Spirit Bones that produced them; instead, they evolve with the enhancement of the Spirit Master's own strength.
In other words, the earlier one obtains a Spirit Bone, the longer the time available for its evolution. Generally, there are only a few types of Spirit Bones that can be absorbed: Torso Bones, Skull Bones, Arm Bones, and Leg Bones. Minor Types were the External Spirit Bones and extremely rare Brain Bones that could be fused with the Brain, but they were even rarer than the External Spirit Bones.
This meant that the average person can absorb six Spirit Bones, just as a Spirit Master can absorb nine Spirit Rings. The quality of Spirit Bones and their effect on the Spirit Master mainly depend on the timing of absorption and whether their attributes are compatible with the individual.
"Several actually... the passive effects are: Resistance toward the Devouring Abilities and their corruption, increasement in the Spiritual Power cultivation by 25% and one active ability called Bone Drain, which allows me to Devour the Cultivation Age of other Spirit Bones to enhance my own Spirit Bones... with my own Nihility Devouring Flame Lineage... this is like heaven sent gift..."
When Hun Tiandi realized what exactly he got from the Skull Bone of the Abyssal Pit Serpent, he was beyond shocked. Now he felt like Destiny's Son... this was probably like that brat Xiao Yan felt every time he obtained...
Just as he was about to enjoy the feeling, a wave of dread overcame him, because as someone who reached the pinnacle of the mortal realm in his old world, he understood certain facts...
This seemed like someone was manipulating Luck and Destiny in his favour.
And this was...
Never good.
As it meant that he was nothing more than a pawn piece on the chessboard.
Not a player.
But a...
Piece...
This wasn't really sitting very well with the former and future Heavenly Soul Emperor, but unfortunately, he was too weak to do anything about that.
Meanwhile, Jin Eye was delighted to hear the benefits of the Skull Bone, because, technically speaking, he now realized that he had obtained protection against the side effects of using the Devour-type Skills and Abilities.
Which was...
Something unheard of.
Evil Soul Masters would wage a crusade even for an ability that was ten times weaker.
"Now that you are finished, we should get going back to the Spirit Hall. As you have reached Spirit King and even are already at the middle stages, it would be time to start the plan against the Moonlight Principality and Stormland Dukedom."
Hun Tiandi nodded his head, but before that, he wanted to make a detour first.
"Can we go to the Rising Dragon City?... During the last discussion with Her Holiness the Pope, we came to the conclusion that we could recruit Breaking Clan and Defense Clan for the Spirit Hall. The Spirit Hall has long suppressed them due to being auxiliary clans of the Clear Sky Clan, but it was the Clear Sky Clan that had abandoned them when they were in the greatest peril."
Before Tang Hao's banishment around the time of Qian Xunji's death, the Clear Sky Clan had four notable subordinate clans: Strength, Defense, Speed, and Breaking Clans. Every one of these Clans was famous across the continent for something.
Like the Breaking Clan for their knowledge of Alchemy and Top-Tier Tool-Type Martial Soul, Soul Breaking Spear, or the Defense Clan, which was probably the most proficient clan in constructing defenses and building structures that could withstand attacks of Spirit Kings and Spirit Emperors.
They were an integral part of Hun Tiandi's plan to revolutionize the Professions acorss the Douluo Continent. With the Almchests of the continent being already deeply in his pocket, he now had another target.
Blacksmiths.
He hoped to bring them to the heights of the Dou Qi Continent so they could create powerful weapons and artifacts for him.
"Are you sure? The two Clans hate the Spirit Hall with great fervor."
Compared to Hun Tiandi and Bibi Dong, Jin Eyu wasn't really convinced by it, but alas, he wasn't a schemer like the two of them. Sometimes he shuddered about the red-haired brat, because his schemes were even above the level of the Supreme Pontiff, and he was even more ruthless.
"Yes. I admit that they hold great disdain for the Spirit Hall... but their hatred for the Clear Sky Clan is even deeper... in the end, it was the Clear Sky Clan that left them to wander the streets and being harassed by Aristocrats and rogues, while the Clear Sky Clan retreated with to their ancestral ground with their Titled Douluos."
This was something that Hun Tiandi never understood: why the Clear Sky Clan abandoned their auxiliary clans.
The four auxiliary clans themselves had several hundreds of disciples, and there were many Soul Douluos among them, not to mention their Martial Souls were also top-notch, and the knowledge that they held was invaluable to anyone.
Yet despite all of that, they were still discarded almost at the moment when everything went to shit and the Clear Sky Clan tried to save their own hides from the destruction at the hands of the Spirit Hall.
It was beyond incompetent and stupid.
"Then let's go... Rising Dragon City is not far from here."
Rising Dragon City is a city that is situated in the north of the Star Luo Empire, less than two hundred li from the common border of the two great empires. Rising Dragon City in itself isn't directly under the administration of the Star Luo imperial family, but rather the territory within the borders of a subordinate kingdom.
Because of trade, this not at all large city is still flourishing, with visitors coming and going endlessly. Currently, Rising Dragon City was home to both the Breaking Clan and the Defense Clan, and Hun Tiandi wanted to start the recruitment of the two Clans.
He had learned from the mistakes of the past life, where the Hun Clan lacked allies and ultimately succumbed to the sheer numbers of their enemies.
And according to the knowledge of Spirit Hall, the Breaking Clan was the sole clan on the Douluo Continent that was well-versed in Alchemy and Medicine to the point where they could be called the Alchemy Clan.
This was another reason why he wanted to recruit the Breaking Clan, because they were the only ones on the entire continent that possessed the comprehensive and centuries-old Alchemical lore on Pills, Medicine, Immortal Herbs, and Spirit Herbs.
While he introduced the Alchemy of the Dou Qi Continent, there were still many holes and imperfections in the system that he created together with Dugu Bo and Yue Guan.
There were still many Immortal Herbs and Spirit Herbs within the Sunset Forest that were not identified, and most importantly, lore on how to safely breed Spirit Herbs and Immortal Herbs so they were not used to extinction.
"The Clear Sky Clan should have been destroyed long ago... instead, we have let the cancer grow... the latest reports are already hinting that the Clear Sky Clan has right now, and several of them are Titled Douluos."
Hun Tiandi gritted his teeth because, in his opinion, the Clear Sky Clan should have been razed to the ground the moment Qian Xuji was killed. The grudge between the Spirit Hall and Clear Sky Clan would end only after one side was exterminated.
"I know... but you know eldest brother Qian."
Jin Eyu sighed in resignation because everything stemmed from that stupid promise to Tang Chen many decades ago. Bibi Dong long ago sent Ghost Douluo and Ghost Leopard Douluo to spy on the Clear Sky Clan.
Ghost Douluo was already Spirit Rank 96 Hyper Douluo, and Ghost Leopard Douluo was Spirit Rank 95 Hyper Douluo. After cultivating the Celestial Spirit Mantra, they could fight two or three opponents at the same level to stand still with a good chance of overpowering their enemies.
The results were delivered just a month ago.
They were shocking.
Tang Xiao, Patriarch of the Clear Sky Clan and Howling Sky Douluo, reached Spirit Rank 96 Hyper Douluo.
Tang Ming, the Second Elder of the Clear Sky Clan, Spirit Rank 95 Hyper Douluo.
Tang Shuming, the Third Elder, Spirit Rank 95 Hyper Douluo.
Tang Fangrui, Fourth Elder, Spirit Rank 93, Titled Douluo.
Tang Qingqing, Fifth Elder, Spirit Rank 92, Titled Douluo.
Tang Yuran, Sixth Elder, Spirit Rank 91, Titled Douluo.
Tang Haien, Fierce Sun Douluo, Spirit Rank 94 Titled Douluo.
If one included Tang Hao, Clear Sky Douluo, Spirit Rank 97 Hyper Douluo.
Four Hyper Douluos and four Average Titled Douluos, then there were at least twenty to thirty-five Soul Douluos.
Obviously, this setup made the Clear Sky Clan the strongest sect in the world, and it was well-deserved. Obviously, there was also the matter of Tang Chen, former Clear Sky Douluo, a Spirit Rank 99 Limit Douluo of the Demi-God Stage, who disappeared many decades ago and was presumed dead.
Tang Chen was one of the Limit Douluo paragons of the Douluo Continent before the rise of his Clear Sky Douluo successor.
The power that the Clear Sky Clan was hiding was frightening, and it was clear that they were plotting their revenge and rise to power.
While traveling with the equally-ranked Qian Daoliu, Spirit Hall's Supreme Elder, he came across Sea God Island. There, both Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu successively challenged the High Priestess of the Sea God Island, Bo Saixi, whose spirit rank had also reached the peak.
Shockingly, both of them lost to her.
Having fallen for Bo Saixi, Tang Chen, and Qian Daoliu tried to woo her. She declared the condition that she would accept the one who had reach Godhood first.
Although it might have seemed like she did not care for one over the other, both her and Qian Daoliu were the Divine Guardians and High Priests for the Sea God and Angel God, respectively.
They attained their cultivation ranks through external means, whereas Tang Chen was the only one who had reached the Spirit Rank 99 Limit Douluo level by his own efforts; thus, only Tang Chen was capable of attaining Godhood and was regarded as the most talented Spirit Master of his generation.
Qian Daoliu suffered defeat at Tang Chen's hands in their duel and promised that the Spirit Hall wouldn't set a foot on the lands of the Clear Sky Clan unless he personally defeated him.
This was a story that Hun Tiandi knew from the Worship Elders of the Douluo Consecration Hall.