Draped in a black robe, the man's burly and tall figure was revealed by the moonlight filtering through the branches. Though his face was hidden, his aura was as deep as an abyss. This person was none other than the
Clear Sky Douluo, Tang Hao, Tang San's father.
Tang Hao looked down at Tang San, who was not far below, and muttered to himself, "Very good... not bad. Little San has finally successfully obtained his first spirit ring."
After a moment of silence, he slowly raised his head, looking at the sky. His eyes rippled gently with starlight as he said in a deep voice, "Ah Yin… do you know? Our child has twin spirits. He is destined to walk a path different from ordinary people. Don't worry; he will surely surpass me and then personally destroy the Spirit Hall to avenge you.
I haven't dared to visit you these past years… It's not that I forgot, but that I feel guilty. Back then, I knew you were a Spirit Beast in human form and had long been wanted by the Spirit Hall, yet I still insisted on bringing you back to the Clear Sky Sect.
That led to your identity being exposed and ultimately resulted in Qian Xunji leading people to hunt you down… It was all my fault… I… I'm sorry! Don't worry, when Little San's spirit power reaches around Rank 50, I will bring him to see you. At that time, I will let him absorb the Spirit Bone you left behind." By the end, Tang Hao's voice was barely a whisper.
At the same time, on the other side, a few hours later, the cave gradually became silent. The blue-gold light dissipated, and the flowing light on the stone wall slowly receded. Everything seemed to return to its original state.
In the center of the stone chamber, Tang Chuan slowly opened his eyes. A flash of blue-gold light appeared in his pupils for an instant, like a faint electric spark, before receding into the depths and returning to normal. He looked down at his hands, a hint of shock and bewilderment in his eyes.
"This is..." He closed his eyes and used his mental power to check inside his body. His mind was instantly shaken. He discovered that all the Meridians in his body had undergone a major change. The outline of each Meridian clearly showed a blue-gold light, and the spirit power flowing within was no longer the initial faint white. It was now a rich blue-gold that was almost condensed into a liquid.
The density and purity of this spirit power were no longer comparable to the thin spirit power of Rank 1. Tang Chuan could clearly feel that with every breath, spirit power flowed through his Meridians like a flash flood. His blood boiled, and his limbs and bones were filled with an unprecedented surge of energy.
Even more surprising was that his height had subtly increased by half an inch compared to last night. His frame was more upright, his shoulders and back were wider, and the lines of his chest and arms had visibly become stronger. The boy's still-childish body now had a touch of firmness and sharpness.
Tang Chuan murmured in a daze, his voice tinged with uncontrollable excitement and disbelief: "My spirit power... it actually soared directly from Rank 1... to Rank 10? As expected of a 100,000-year Spirit Bone. If I were to absorb another spirit ring now, my spirit power rank would definitely continue to increase significantly.
"Having thoroughly read the original story, Tang Chuan was very clear that when a Spirit Master's spirit power reaches its current rank limit, if he does not obtain the corresponding spirit ring and continues to cultivate, his spirit power rank cannot continue to increase, but the spirit power will accumulate. When a spirit ring is obtained and he enters the next stage, the accumulated spirit power will erupt, and his spirit power will ascend to its proper rank.
He briefly glanced around. The stone chamber had already quieted down, the waterfall outside still roared, and a faint trace of life essence lingered in the air. Tang Chuan's gaze narrowed, his eyes focused. He muttered softly to himself: "Considering the time, Tang San's absorption of his first spirit ring should be almost complete, right? I must leave here as soon as possible. If that old fellow Tang Hao suddenly comes back, I wouldn't know how to explain it to him."
To avoid any unforeseen circumstances, Tang Chuan quickly walked to the stone platform and carefully put away Ah Yin's seed of life, which was in a small flowerpot, and wrapped it securely in his arms. He took one last look at the empty stone chamber.
"Mother, we should leave." After speaking, he turned without hesitation, his figure moving swiftly, leaping out of the waterfall curtain and entering the mountain forest where the morning light was just breaking. Sunlight pierced through the clouds and fell upon his now-erect figure.
Half a day later, the sun gradually began to set in the west, casting its light on the heavy stone gates of Noding Academy, reflecting two swaying figures. As soon as Tang Chuan returned to the Academy, he noticed two figures gradually becoming clear not far away.
One was a young man in a blue shirt with short hair and clear brows, and the other was a middle-aged man whose face was as pale as paper. His steps were unsteady, his left arm hung limply, and his right leg dragged on the ground. These two were Tang San and Grandmaster, who was still suffering from snake venom.
Gazing at the scene before him, Tang Chuan's eyes narrowed slightly but quickly returned to normal. He took a step and walked toward them, a perfectly feigned look of surprise on his face, pretending to know nothing.
"Oh? What happened to you two?" Tang Chuan asked.
Tang San heard this and looked up at his brother, a hint of fatigue flashing in his expression. After a moment, he explained in a low voice: "Teacher... was poisoned while helping me hunt a hundred-year-old Datura Snake." After speaking, he gently supported Yu Xiaogang, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Hearing this, Tang Chuan took a step forward. His gaze swept over Grandmaster's purplish and weak face, a half-smile on his lips, but he said nothing more. He just said indifferently: "Oh? Grandmaster, didn't you usually say how amazing and professional you were? How come at a crucial moment, you couldn't even defeat a hundred-year Spirit Beast?"
Upon hearing this, Tang San's expression immediately froze. He wanted to speak but hesitated. Meanwhile, Grandmaster's face turned red with anger. He panted like an ox, gritted his teeth, and retorted angrily: "What do you know? I was poisoned because I was protecting Little San! A mere hundred-year Spirit Beast would be no match for me if it weren't for his safety!" With that, Grandmaster waved his hand, his face ashen, and said, "Little San, stop wasting words with him. Quickly help me back to my room to rest!"
Tang San nodded gently and hurriedly helped Grandmaster walk into the Academy.
A few minutes later, Tang San carefully helped Grandmaster back inside the Academy, and the two of them stopped in front of the innermost door of the dormitory building. Grandmaster coughed lightly and pushed the door open. Tang San immediately followed, helping him to sit on the bed.
"Teacher, you rest for a bit. I'll go get you some hot water." Tang San turned to leave, but Grandmaster stopped him. "Wait a moment," Yu Xiaogang said, taking out a slightly old-covered book from the bedside drawer and handing it to Tang San. "Take this book. From today onwards, you must meditate and cultivate according to the methods described in it every day."