"Hmm… what should I do next?"
Tang Yin muttered under his breath, walking with a thoughtful expression. Having reached Level 80, the path forward was clear—he was in need of a soul ring.
But not just any soul ring. It had to be at least one hundred thousand years old—something worthy of him, something that could provide him with a powerful skill in his arsenal.
The Evil Spirit Orca King was a possibility, but the soul skill Tang San had obtained from it in the original timeline never sat well with him.
And besides, he had no interest in pursuing yet another Devouring-type beast—least of all one steeped in evil. Evil attribute from such a powerful soul beast would directly clash with his Life attribute.
What troubled him now was the lack of suitable options—after all, finding a plant-type beast in the depths of the ocean was nothing short of impossible. Forget a 100,000 year-old one.
His gaze shifted to Bo Saixi, who was leading them toward the next trial grounds. A faint memory stirred—she had once mentioned capturing a powerful soul beast herself.
"Uh… priestess," Tang Yin called, keeping his tone casual but laced with curiosity, "didn't you mention before that you had caught a beast that was suitable for my eighth soul ring?"
Bo Saixi stopped, her long robes brushing with the sea breeze. She turned back, her pearl like eyes softening, carrying a trace of something unreadable, before she gave a slow nod.
"Yes," she said evenly. "It was a ferocious soul soul beast—one that I had to take seriously. To protect the island, I sealed it within the God's Stone. An eternal prison… it was the only way to keep it from drowning these seas in chaos."
Bo Saixi's gaze drifted slightly as she recalled,
"Back then, both the Deep Sea Demon Whale King and the Nine-Knot Ichthyosaur attacked this island together. I managed to drive away the Demon Whale King, but the Ichthyosaur… that one, I could only imprison. The Sea God's rules bind me from killing Ocean Soul beast."
Tang Yin nodded in understanding and asked, "Then, priestess, can you give me this beast? In return, you may ask for my help anytime, as long as it doesn't go against my principles. I'll owe you one." His tone was serious.
Bo Saixi simply shook her head dismissively. "Helping you is one of my duty, so you owe me nothing," she replied. "And if you can kill—this soul beast, one more threat to this island will be eliminated. In that sense, you'd be doing me a favor, because I cannot kill it myself."
With that, they changed their path and headed toward the restricted place where Bo Saixi had sealed the Nine-Knot ichthyosaurus beast.
Voom—
As they approached, a pillar rose before them, glowing faintly with a suppressive force while radiating an ominous pressure that made the air around them feel unbearably heavy.
Tang Yin paused, raising a questioning brow at Bo Saixi. Catching his look, she quickly added, "Ah… it seems I forgot to mention—the beast is spiritually sealed with the Sea God's light. Its physical form will only appear if you break the seal. You can also claim its soul ring if you can destroy its weakened consciousness."
Tang Yin preferred to destroy its spirit rather than physically killing it—their fight would surely disturb the island. After all, he was destined to become the future Sea God; why would he destroy his own home?
"I choose to destroy its consciousness," He said, clarifying his choce. Following Bo Saixi's instructions, he sat cross-legged and focused his mental power on the God's Stone.
Inside the God's Stone, a vast spiritual world unfolded. There, a giant dragon-like serpent writhed, chained with a massive metal collar, its shrieks echoing as it sensed an uninvited intruder.
The Nine-Knot Ichthyosaur's eyes glowed with intense malice, locking onto Tang Yin with a hatred that seemed to pierce the soul. Its black scales shimmered with ancient power, and the very air rippled with its unrestrained fury.
"Hmm… looks strong enough. What soul skill could it possibly give me?" he wondered, his gaze meeting the beast's without a hint of fear.
This battle would not be one of brute force, but of will and mental power. Thankfully, Tang Yin had his cheat-like Telepathy, and mental power enough to challenge an average Titled Douluo after breaking through the Soul Saint level.
Tang Yin struck first, unleashing his Telepathy alongside Purple Demon Eye, plunging into a fierce spiritual duel. The Ichthyosaur's spiritual body writhed in agony as he attacked without any restraint.
Shriek—
The Soul beast screamed, its consciousness gradually succumbing to Tang yin's relentless assault. It fought back, thrashing its massive tail in a wild attempt to strike him, but Tang yin formed a protective shield with his Telekinesis.
Three hours later—
Both had endured the grueling, exhausting duel. Tang Yin felt only the drain on his mental power, while the ichthyosaurus spirit had been battered and torn by his relentless assault.
At last, Tang Yin decided to end the battle by unleashing his ultimate technique, honoring the strength of this tortured soul.
"Death God Domain—Asura Demon Light!"
Tang Yin fused the Death God Domain with his Purple Demon Eye, channeling every ounce of his remaining power into a single, devastating strike through Telepathy.
Zoom—
The spiritual energy surged like a tidal wave, tearing through the Ichthyosaur's spirit and obliterating it with his most powerful attack.
In the aftermath, its spirit lay hollow, devoid of any will of its own. Tang Yin took control of the poor soul and began the sacrifice to absorb it.
The beast's spirit shimmered and transformed into glimmering particles, slowly condensing into a red soul ring that hovered above him in the outside world.
"He succeeded," Bo Saixi muttered, her gaze lingering on him for a long moment, lost in her own thoughts. Tang Yuehua heard her and was about to agree, but when she saw the familiar intensity of her gaze fixed on him, she became a little suspicious.
"Tang Yin is absorbing the soul ring… it seems he successfully defeated the soul beast."
Bing'er and Yue'er, who were nearby, saw him absorb the soul ring and quickly informed the others, who were resting after completing their first test.
An hour later, Tang Yin slowly opened his eyes and raised an eyebrow as he sensed his new skill. He hadn't expected to customize a skill from a sacrificed beast—during the process, he had envisioned what he wanted, and to his surprise, he had actually obtained it. But there were restrictions to the customization.
He could shape a skill according to his wishes, as long as it already existed within the beast and aligned with its potential—but he couldn't conjure a skill from a different beast.
If Tang Yin wanted, he could also obtain skills like Bibi Dong's Undying Body, which she had obtained from hunting Death Spider Emperor, a 100,000-year-old beast—but he could only obtain it from the Death Spider Emperor itself and not from other beast.
He smirked, feeling a surge of satisfaction—now he could shape his abilities exactly as he wished, tailoring them to his fighting style and strategic needs from this moment on.
A melodious voice broke through his thoughts. "Tang Yin, what skill did you gain?" Meng Yiran asked, snapping him out of his reverie.
Tang Yin didn't answer, instead Two Yellow, Two Purple and Four Red Soul ring hovered around him. His Eighth soul ring lit up brilliantly he clapped his both hand and shouted loudly:
"Eighth Soul Skill—Wood Ichthyosaur!"
Instantly, a fissure cracked open beneath the earth, and a wooden dragon erupted from it, the same Nine-Knot Ichthyosaur Tang Yin had just defeated. Its scales and body were made of extremely durable and resilient wood .
Tang Yin could control it himself, but it also had enough spiritual awareness to move and fight on its own. This dragon wasn't just a puppet as it could absorb elemental and any soul power attacks, devouring them in order to bolster its own strength.
The wooden Ichthyosaur opened its massive jaws and unleashed a crushing water cannon across the distant sea under his control.
Splash—
The original beast's Water attribute allowed it to channel absorbed energy into devastating blasts of pure destruction, tearing through anything in its path with a terrifying blend of raw elemental force and Devouring power.
Every movement was lethal—Tang Yin's new soul skill was a force to be reckoned with, both under his control and fully self-aware. Now he hadn't just gained a skill but a partner just like the Luo Sanpao of Yu Xiaogang with its own awareness.
Tang yiin cultivation had broken through Level 82 and a half, thanks to the condensation of his soul power. The future gains of level from the soul ring would diminish, it promised long-term benefits that would steadily enhance his soul power reserve and soul skill power.
Kaccha—
When Bo Saixi unlocked the seal on the God's Stone, a Head Soul Bone lay within, which she handed to Tang Yin. He blinked in surprise at her unexpected generosity, a flicker of unease creeping into his mind.
What was she really after? She hadn't been this generous with Tang San…