"Huh?"
Xiao Bai stared at the floating Ghostly Jellyfish, looking confused.
Why did she need to guard them?
But out of respect for the Great Priestess—
She didn't ask questions, simply nodded, and jumped back into the Circulating Sea.
—Maintaining order?
For a 100,000-year soul beast, that was easy work.
Meanwhile—
Tang Lan continued to empty the rest of the storage rings, draining the lifeforce of countless unconscious soul beasts.
His two soul bones skyrocketed in age.
There were nineteen storage rings.
Each either contained—
Massive amounts of ten-thousand-year soul beasts, orElite creatures over fifty thousand years old.
After this devouring spree—
Heavenly Pupils surged to 350,000 years.Lifeforce Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone reached 410,000 years.
Insanely fast progress!
If he had gone hunting himself, it would have taken years to achieve this speed.
Truly—
No one worked more efficiently than a Rank 99 Ultimate Douluo!
Bo Saixi retrieved the now-empty storage rings and turned to leave.
But Tang Lan stopped her.
He pulled out twenty more storage rings, floating them toward her with his spiritual power.
"I didn't make too many storage rings capable of holding living beings."
"These are my entire stock, Sister Xi. Take them so you won't have to make as many trips."
Bo Saixi didn't hesitate—
She took them all.
—After all, she was working for Tang Lan now.
As she vanished into the distance—
Tang Lan stretched lazily.
Looking back—
He saw that, thanks to Tang San's progress,
Everyone had pushed themselves 2-3 steps further—
Desperately squeezing every last bit of their potential.
Not bad at all.
His gaze drifted between Zhu Zhuqing and Jing Ling.
Finally—
He settled on Zhu Zhuqing.
"Zhuqing, come with me."
With a light jump, Tang Lan launched off the staircase.
Zhu Zhuqing paused her cultivation, following half a beat later.
She landed directly in Tang Lan's arms, being carried princess-style into the Tang Sect Inn.
This made Xiao Wu and the Shui sisters exchange odd glances.
—Why only Zhu Zhuqing?
—Were they not good enough?!
The other members quickly shut their eyes and pretended to be focused on training—
As if they had seen nothing.
But unexpectedly—
Tang San spoke up—
"Brother got a 40,000-year Dark-Attribute Left Arm Soul Bone from the City of Slaughter."
"He's probably giving it to Zhuqing—to replace her current soul bone."
Wait, What?!
Replacing a soul bone?!
That was possible?!
Now, even those pretending to train opened their eyes in shock.
"Are you sure?" Ning Rongrong was in disbelief. "Aren't soul bones permanent once absorbed—unless you die?"
Tang San nodded—then shook his head.
"Normally, yes."
"But is my brother normal?"
Everyone shook their heads in unison.
"Just hurry up and explain!" Dai Mubai urged.
But the moment the words left his mouth—he regretted it.
Considering Tang San's short fuse, talking to him like this was…
"Alright, Boss Dai." Tang San smiled. "My brother can regenerate lost limbs, right?"
"If you remove the original soul bone, and then grow a brand new limb… the new bone obviously won't still be a soul bone, right?"
Uh…
The group's expressions turned strange.
On one hand, they were stunned that this method actually worked.
But more importantly—
They were shocked by Tang San's behavior!
He was explaining things voluntarily.He was being friendly.He even called Dai Mubai "Boss Dai"?
Was this really the same Tang San?!
The one who used to be so twisted by jealousy?!
In just a few days, had he really changed this much?!
Everyone exchanged glances—
Until Oscar, as the group's disciple, cautiously asked—
"Master… are you okay?"
Tang San raised an eyebrow.
"Why do you ask?"
"I've never felt better than I do now!"
Oscar examined him closely.
After confirming nothing was wrong—
He grinned.
"No reason."
"Honestly, Master—you're way better like this."
"I'll get back to training, then!"
With Tang San's approval—
Oscar resumed running Nine Yang Divine Skill.
The others also returned to their training.
Everyone had their own guesses.
—Tang San's drastic change had to be related to his sudden power boost.
Now that he was no longer dead last, his mindset naturally shifted.
He was even—
Trying to integrate himself into the group?
This…
Considering everything Tang San had done in the past, if it were anyone else, there would be no chance.
But he was Tang Lan's little brother.
And Tang Lan's attitude toward Tang San was obvious to everyone—
Absolute favoritism!
So—
If Tang San could truly act normal, accepting him as part of the team wasn't impossible.
Meanwhile—
Tang San, seeing that everyone had gone back to training, finally retracted his smile.
Of course, his performance had been intentional.
After all, his brother had already said—
In the future, the team would be his to lead.
If he let his relationships with the others remain strained, it would affect combat effectiveness.
That was the only reason.
As for their friendship?
Hah!
As long as he had his brother's approval, that was all that mattered.
The rest?
Fleeting illusions.
Half a day later—
Tang Lan emerged from the Tang Sect Inn, accompanied by a slightly pale Zhu Zhuqing.
He tossed a Tiger Eagle Left Arm Bone to Jing Ling.
"A ten-thousand-year Tiger Eagle Left Arm Bone—its soul bone ability grants flight, improving your mobility."
"If a better one comes along, I'll replace it for you."
—He had been fully aware of what was happening outside.
"Thank you for your generosity, Sect Master!"
Jing Ling accepted it respectfully.
Though it wasn't a Dark-Attribute soul bone,
How many people in the world even had the right to touch a ten-thousand-year soul bone?
Who was he to be picky?
He should be thrilled to even have one!
Didn't see Zhu Rong and the others constantly looking back, their eyes full of envy?
To avoid any issues,
Jing Ling immediately pressed the soul bone to his left arm—
And absorbed it on the spot!
Above—
Tang Lan returned to the 300th step, continuing his training.
Replacing Zhu Zhuqing's soul bone had gone smoothly.
But the reward…
[Host has seized a small portion of Tang San's fortune!]
[Reward: "Soul Bone Skill · Eternal Frost Domain" has evolved into a True Body Domain!]
After the Destruction Thunder Left Leg Bone,
The system had now set its sights on his Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion Tail Bone.
Wait, what?
Was the system planning to strip all his soul bones into blank slates?!
What was the difference between a soul bone domain and a True Body Domain?
—At first, Tang Lan thought it wasn't a big deal.
But after thinking deeper—
He suddenly recalled something important—
After Tang San, Qian Renxue, and Bibi Dong became gods,
They never used their soul bone skills again.
Why?
Just like how Martial Souls could materialize into divine forms,
Their soul bones had been reforged into divine armor.
Maybe their soul bone abilities still existed,
But at the divine level, their power was simply too weak to be of use.
They became obsolete.
Now—
The system was streamlining everything for Tang Lan.
Merging multiple abilities into his own essence—
Integrating what could be integrated, evolving what could be evolved.
Preparing him for godhood.
'Now I get it…'
'That's why every god inheritance leaves behind a divine weapon.'
'Once they ascend, they no longer need these small things anymore!'
'Hmm…'
'Wait a second—
'Why didn't the Fate God's Inheritance come with a divine weapon?'
(End of Chapter!)
Notes-You can read advanced chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X, i have already finished douluo 1 arc and even quite a great deal of douluo 2 arc