Back to the Clear Sky Clan, the servant, knowing Tang Xiao had returned, swiftly entered Tang Xiao's chamber, carrying a variety of exquisite dishes.
Burp.
"Hmmm… It feels wonderful to eat proper food again. Especially that spicy Lion King fry—just the moment it touched my tongue, it completely bewitched me."
Since his transmigration, Tang Xiao had not tasted any truly lavish meals. Now, with such delicacies laid before him, he finally felt content.
It must be said—although the Clear Sky Sect was filled with arrogant, muscle-headed brutes who had little appreciation for life's finer pleasures, they placed great importance on food.
For this purpose, the sect had specially recruited one Soul Saint–level food-type soul master and six Soul Emperor–level food-type soul masters dedicated to serving the direct disciples of the clan.
Do not belittle this fact. You might think, Didn't even that broken-down Shrek Academy also have one food-type Soul Saint? But that was nothing more than sheer coincidence. In truth, a food-type soul master who reached the level of Soul Saint was incomparably rare and a treasure highly sought after. Wherever such a person went, they would be treated like royalty.
It must be remembered—Shao Xin, the food-type soul master of Shrek Academy, was among the top five food system experts in the entire world.
"That guy must've been hit on the head by a donkey. Otherwise, why would someone of his caliber throw his life away in that broken Shrek Academy, working himself to death? Truly pitiful." Tang Xiao shook his head, feeling a trace of pity for Shao Xin… pity for his stupidity.
After instructing the servant to clean up, Tang Xiao made his way to his cultivation chamber.
This was a vast room of stone and steel, spanning tens of meters. Both the walls and the floor were lined with countless hammers, forged from every kind of metal. Some were brand new, others bore the aura of ancient times. They were densely packed, stacked neatly in the corners of the chamber.
At the center stood an enormous hammer, shaped exactly like the Clear Sky Clan's martial soul. It was laid flat on the ground, its hammerhead wide enough for a person to sit cross-legged upon while cultivating.
This unique mimicry cultivation chamber had once belonged to Tang Xiao's father, Tang Zhen, six years ago. Now, it belonged to him.
Training here could increase cultivation efficiency by five to six percent compared to ordinary conditions. The Clear Sky Sect possessed only four such rooms in total. Among them, the finest—boosting cultivation speed by up to eight percent—was once used by Tang Chen, and now by Tang Zhen.
"Judging by the rare metals forged into these hammers, the resources spent to build even a single chamber must have been astronomical." Tang Xiao sighed in admiration as he leaped nimbly, landing atop the central hammerhead.
His tall, muscular body radiated restrained yet oppressive strength as he stood there.
Raising his right hand slowly, the surrounding spirit power stirred—rippling like a storm-tossed sea. A suffocating pressure spread outward, plunging the chamber into dead silence.
Boom.
A jet-black radiance burst from his palm. It was not dazzling, but instead heavy, abyssal, and suffused with a primordial weight. A colossal hammer appeared in his grasp, its surface plain and unadorned, yet exuding an aura as though it could crush mountains and split the earth.
The moment it manifested, a tyrannical pressure surged outward, shaking even the space around him.
Then—
Eight spirit rings rose beneath Tang Xiao's feet: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black. They revolved around his body like blazing stars.
Gripping the Clear Sky Hammer, he looked like a war god descended into the mortal realm… Only, there was no background music to make the scene more dramatic.
And then—
Tch.
The cool atmosphere instantly collapsed.
"This martial soul of mine weighs twelve thousand jin now… about the same as my little brother's hammer. But can it compare to Tang San's hammer in the novel? That monster was a hundred thousand jin at base weight. With the Titan Giant Ape's soul bone skill, it reached a million jin… And that was even before he added his ninth, million-year soul ring. Haaah…"
Comparisons truly hurt the heart.
For ordinary people, Tang Xiao's current strength was awe-inspiring. But once compared to the protagonist, he didn't even dare to mention it aloud.
"These eight soul rings… tch, such an eyesore."
To the world, eight dazzling rings were an object of ultimate envy, attainable by fewer than a hundred people alive. But to Tang Xiao, they were far too plain.
If possible, he wanted to shatter them all and rebuild with a supreme configuration: all red, or at least four black and four red. Unfortunately, he lacked the method.
Foolishly believing in "where there's a will, there's a way" would only cripple him.
"If only I could pull a stunt like Tang San—stripping away my soul rings and reabsorbing them anew. But that's impossible for anyone else. Too many factors were involved: the Sea God's light, the Sea God Trident, twin martial souls, a nearly god-level physique with six soul bones, spiritual domain-level mental power…"
He sighed. Again. After transmigration, sighing had become his second nature.
Not only that—most crucially, Tang San's martial soul was the Blue Silver Emperor, whose adaptability allowed it to survive the stripping of rings. Any other martial soul would have been crippled beyond repair.
Tang Xiao felt dejected whenever he realized that this body of his was already fixed in so many aspects. No matter how he tried, he couldn't draw out any hidden potential or special advantage—it was a body without surprises, a path already predetermined.
Still, Tang Xiao didn't dare curse the entity that had transmigrated him. Transmigration itself was already a gift. Unless his previous life had been overwhelmingly superior, he had no reason to complain.
"If I recall, there are two other ways to increase soul ring age. One, the bug Tianmeng Ice Silkworm. Two, the Sea God Island red level trial…"
Tianmeng? Impossible to find. Sea God Island? Possible, but fraught with peril.
He was no fearless protagonist. Knowing that a million-year-old evil soul beast lurked in the ocean, he didn't dare take such a reckless gamble. To stake his life just for stronger rings was sheer foolishness.
At least for now, Tang Xiao had no intention of stepping onto Sea God Island—perhaps not until he reached rank 99 and had the power to fight or escape safely.
Retracting his martial soul and soul rings, Tang Xiao sat cross-legged atop the massive hammer.
Today would be his first attempt to cultivate since his transmigration. Until now, he had been too distracted—lost in a daze, brooding over the absurdity of transmigration, sighing endlessly as he tried to come to terms with it.
Now, it was time to finally begin.