Tang San's expression darkened slightly.
"Why does Brother always make us compete for these things?"
In the past,
If he wanted something, Brother would just give it to him.
But now?
From Tang San's perspective—
Giving away the 10,000-year Tiger-Eagle Arm Bone was already generous enough.
The 6,000-year Feilian Silver Fox Leg Bone should have been his directly!
And as for Meng Yiran…
She was completely stunned.
"Soul bones…?"
"This is just an ordinary exchange match, and you're using two soul bones as rewards?!"
Including the Phoenix-Tail Crest Snake Soul Bone,
That meant Tang Lan had given away three soul bones already?!
"Are these things wholesale now?!"
This is insane!
But at the same time,
She felt her heart race.
"Do I… have a chance too?"
Even Zhao Wuji, as a Hall Master, felt a pang of envy.
"Damn it!"
"Why can't I join Tang Sect's battle team?!"
Tang Lan put away the Feilian Silver Fox Leg Bone,
And the others finally snapped back to reality.
"There's a reason for this extra reward."
Tang Lan explained calmly—
"For this exchange match, Emperor Xue Ye has offered two prizes."
"First, the Haotian Dry-Kun Shield, a soul tool."
"I'm very interested in that one, so I've already claimed it."
"Second, a direct ticket to the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament Finals."
"Originally, I wasn't planning to participate in this exchange match."
"But now, just to be safe… I'll join in."
The moment Tang Lan confirmed he'd be competing,
Everyone felt reassured.
This was the man who, as a Rank 40 Soul Ancestor, had fought a Rank 70 Soul Sage to a standstill!
Against the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy team?
Easy win.
The only real question was…
Who would win the soul bones...
"Guys! Train hard!" Oscar shouted.
"Oscar, that's obvious. Zhao Hall Master, double the gravity training!" Dai Mubai gritted his teeth.
Even Ning Rongrong threw herself into training.
Not because of the Feilian Silver Fox Leg Bone—
She wasn't too interested in it.
Tang Sect was wealthy beyond measure,
And regular soul bones weren't hard for her to obtain.
But for Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda,
Only gemstone-type soul bones could truly enhance her abilities.
Since those were extremely rare,
Even her father's full soul bone set was barely adequate.
So unless a soul bone stronger than her father's appeared,
She wouldn't absorb any at all.
She was simply waiting.
As Tang Lan and Zhu Zhuqing left,
Only after a long moment did Meng Yiran snap out of her daze.
Her eyes gleamed with determination!
"Wait… I'm part of the battle team too!"
"Does that mean… I have a chance at a soul bone too?!"
She wasn't weak—
After taking the whale glue,
Her third soul ring had reached 2,700 years!
Her chances weren't low!
At this moment,
Even the thought of Zhu Zhuqing kissing Tang Lan was pushed aside.
Meng Yiran threw herself into training.
"That soul bone—I want one too!"
As Tang Lan walked alongside Zhu Zhuqing,
Once they were away from the crowd,
The usually cold and composed Zhu Zhuqing suddenly slipped free from his embrace.
A rosy blush dusted her cheeks,
And her gaze darted away in embarrassment.
Tang Lan smirked.
"What's this? Now you're feeling shy?"
"Weren't you super bold just now?"
Zhu Zhuqing remained silent.
Zhu Zhuqing quickly walked ahead with her graceful feline steps.
Tang Lan easily kept up using Lingbo Weibu (Rippled Steps).
As they moved, he pulled out his soul communicator and dialed a number.
After a few rings—
"Lan-di?" Ning Fengzhi's curious voice came through.
"We just parted ways—what do you need help with?"
After all, they had just seen each other not long ago.
"Lend me your Gold-Winged Birds for a bit," Tang Lan said directly.
"Zhuqing just broke through to Rank 30. I'm taking her to Sunset Forest for a soul ring."
"Oh? Three days is a bit tight…" Ning Fengzhi thought for a moment.
"How about this—I'll have Sword Uncle accompany you? The Gold-Winged Birds don't have enough stamina and might slow you down."
"Oh?"
"So Chen Xin (Dust Heart) can't sit still anymore?"
Having a Titled Douluo escort them was obviously the best-case scenario.
Was Tang Lan supposed to be polite about this?
Nope.
Tang Sect and Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect were deeply intertwined.
They were in the honeymoon phase of their alliance—
Both sides wanted more interaction, not less.
"Then I'll trouble Sword Uncle." Tang Lan agreed.
"I've also been working on developing the fourth level of Nine Yang Divine Skill. This will be a good chance to discuss it with him."
On the other end, Ning Fengzhi perked up with excitement!
Chen Xin had already told him about the incredible effects of Nine Yang Divine Skill—
Its natural body refinement,
Its barrier-breaking properties,
Its powerful growth potential.
And now… it was still being improved?!
"Excellent, excellent!" Ning Fengzhi laughed heartily.
"Lan-di, wait at Tang Sect. Sword Uncle will head over shortly."
"I'll be waiting."
With that, Tang Lan ended the call.
Inside Zhu Zhuqing's Dormitory
Zhu Zhuqing entered first without bothering to close the door.
By the time Tang Lan stepped inside,
He caught a white blur out of the corner of his eye—
Zhu Zhuqing had already changed into new clothes!
Her speed was insane.
"As expected of the Netherworld Spirit Cat," Tang Lan thought.
But still…
Would he just let her get away with that?
"Zhuqing," Tang Lan grinned,
"Sword Uncle will be arriving soon to take us to Sunset Forest."
"We should take this time to…relax."
"How about a bath and a nice massage before we go?"
First, she froze in surprise.
Sword Douluo escorting her?
That was a huge honor!
Of course, it was because of Tang Lan, not her—but still!
Then—
Her body tensed up as realization hit her.
Bath?
Massage?!
Before she could react,
Tang Lan grabbed her hand and gently pulled her toward the back of the dormitory.
Sword Douluo was fast—
They had to hurry!
Fortunately, Zhu Zhuqing's attack speed was fast too.
And with a bit of Nine Yang Divine Internal Energy to relieve fatigue…
She could go all out.
Half an Hour Later
Tang Lan stepped out of the dormitory, feeling refreshed.
Right on cue—
Sword Douluo descended from the sky.
"We meet again." Chen Xin smiled warmly.
His mood was exceptionally good.
"Sorry to trouble you, Sword Uncle." Tang Lan greeted him politely.
"It's no trouble at all." Chen Xin laughed, eyes curving into crescents.
"That old bonehead got impatient after hearing about Nine Yang Divine Skill, and he's itching for a fight."
Oh?
Was Bone Douluo trying to fight him before his power increased too much?
Too bad.
That battle wasn't happening today.
Because—
Chen Xin was taking Tang Lan and Zhu Zhuqing to Sunset Forest.
And Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect needed a Titled Douluo for security.
Bone Douluo would just have to wait.
The first batch of fire-attribute herbs was set to arrive at Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Once Chen Xin absorbed them…
Bone Douluo's life was about to get difficult.
No wonder Sword Douluo was in such a great mood.
Moments later, Zhu Zhuqing exited the dormitory, clothes neatly adjusted.
Chen Xin took one glance at her and immediately understood everything.
"So that's where our little princess lost…"
But this wasn't his concern.
Without a word, he summoned his Seven Kill Sword and stepped onto it.
Tang Lan followed, letting Zhu Zhuqing ride behind him.
Enjoying a nice back massage along the way.
Perfect.
However, still in sage mode, Tang Lan kept things professional.
Titled Douluos had insane perception—this was not the time to push his luck.
After flying for a while,
Chen Xin pulled out a book and handed it to Tang Lan.
"Fengzhi asked me to bring this to you—take a look."
Tang Lan took it, flipping it open.
Fusion Ring?!
This was the very ability that Huo Wu had tried to trade for Nine Yang Divine Skill.
A technique only top-tier martial souls could use.
Speaking of Huo Wu…
She was still locked up in the Heaven Dou dungeon, wasn't she?
Tang Lan smirked.
"With me leaving, she's going to suffer even more now."
Since the Crown Prince had spoken,
The only way out was if her father begged Emperor Xue Ye.
Except…
Xue Ye wouldn't even grant an audience.
A mere Blazing Academy Headmaster was easily replaceable.
But Tang Sect?
Absolutely irreplaceable.
"Tsk."
"She'll have plenty of time to reflect."
"With her pride, she'll probably start holding a grudge against me."
"Not that it matters."
Huo Wu alone couldn't stir up any trouble.
Fusion Ring, at its core, was a form of soul power manipulation.
The concept was simple:
All soul rings activate at once, and then all the soul power condenses into a single soul ring.
But…
Such an extreme overload was something most martial souls simply couldn't handle.
"You can't just throw a minivan into an F1 race."
Learning this technique was insanely difficult—
It required:
High innate talentExceptional martial soul qualityExtreme control over soul power
For most people, this was nearly impossible.
But for Tang Lan…
"Sword Uncle, this Fusion Ring technique… it's pretty similar to your Soul Ring Materialization, isn't it?"
Chen Xin nodded.
He was about to explain that his Soul Ring Materialization technique was actually inspired by Fusion Ring—
When suddenly…
Tang Lan raised his hand—
And what happened next completely shocked Sword Douluo!