At the edge of the blue-silver forest, the unique dampness and freshness of plants filled the air. Tang San followed the tall, steady figure ahead, somewhat uneasy.
"Uncle, are we here?" he finally asked. Days earlier, Tang Xiao and companions had taken Tang San from Heaven Dou City to this valley.
Tang Xiao stopped, gazing deeply at the valley entrance, then spoke in a low voice without turning.
"Xiao San, you've studied soul master theory with Yu Xiaogang. The fundamental condition for twin martial spirits is that the two spirits must be very similar in nature. Otherwise, the stronger one will directly devour the weaker."
Tang San was momentarily stunned. Similar quality? He unconsciously thought of his Blue Silver Grass. How could that be? Teacher's theory held that his Blue Silver Grass was a standard useless spirit, relying entirely on Mysterious Heaven Skill and soul ring blessings. The quality of the world's number one martial spirit, the Clear Sky Hammer, was simply on another level.
His uncle's words seemed to fundamentally contradict his teacher's.
Tang San opened his mouth to argue but, seeing Tang Xiao's broad back, suppressed the question.
Unaware of his nephew's thoughts, Tang Xiao continued in his low, compelling voice:
"Actually, your martial spirit isn't ordinary Blue Silver Grass, but the Blue Silver Emperor—the royal bloodline, no less than the Clear Sky Hammer in potential."
"But that royal bloodline has yet to awaken. What you see now is just its dormant state."
Tang Xiao turned, eyes blazing as he stared at Tang San.
"I brought you here today to guide your martial spirit—to complete its second awakening!"
"Second awakening?!"
Tang San's pupils shrank, his breathing quickened. The phrase was all too familiar. In recent years, the rapid rise of the Body Sect was built on the ability to awaken the true potential of body martial spirits a second time. Had Clear Sky Sect mastered a similar method?
Seeing the shock and longing in Tang San's eyes, Tang Xiao's expression grew solemn. "You've reached the level of Soul Grandmaster, but your progress is limited by your unawakened Blue Silver Grass. Unless you complete your second awakening soon and unlock the true power of the Blue Silver Emperor, you'll never catch up to… him."
Tang Xiao didn't say the name, but Tang San knew he referred to Chen Yi, the enemy he hated to his core.
Originally, Tang San had become a Soul Grandmaster at age nine, but here, due to Chen Yi's intervention and various twists in the timeline, he'd broken through a year late.
Tang San nodded, pushing aside all distractions, and asked eagerly, "Uncle, is this the place for my second awakening?"
"Come with me," Tang Xiao nodded, leading the way into the deep valley.
Tang San followed, eyes fixed on Tang Xiao's broad, slightly burdened back, unable to calm his heart. Thinking of the elders' faces and the harsh conditions when leaving Clear Sky Sect, his gaze turned icy.
The light in the valley dimmed, silence enveloping them, only their footsteps on thick leaves echoed. The deeper they went, the more Tang Xiao frowned, sensing a faint, unnatural death.
Suddenly, Tang Xiao's face changed. He shouted, "No!" and grabbed Tang San's arm, soul power erupting as they rushed to the valley's center.
But the scene before them struck Tang San like lightning.
The Blue Silver King tree, once expected to guide the royal bloodline awakening, was nowhere to be found. Instead, there were only charred clumps of earth, the center completely lifeless—blackened, cracked, reduced to ashes.
From the huge outline, one could tell it had once been an extraordinary plant.
"This… how could this be?!"
Tang Xiao roared in disbelief, his voice full of anger and murderous intent. His soul force burst out, stirring the air and rolling the gravel on the ground.
"Who? Who did this?!"
Tang San, shocked by the sight and his uncle's sudden rage, quickly asked, "Uncle, what happened? This place…"
Tang Xiao, eyes red, pointed at the remains, his voice hoarse. "This was the key guide for your second awakening! Without it, how will the Blue Silver Emperor's bloodline… awaken?"
His words were like a dousing of ice water. Tang San felt chill to his bones. The key to his second awakening—destroyed? It felt like the door to ultimate power had slammed shut in his face.
A cold wind of hatred and murderous intent surged from the depths of his heart, almost swallowing his reason.
"Whoever it was! For destroying my chance and cutting off my future… there's only death for them!"
Tang San's eyes flashed coldly, his nails digging into his palms, crescent-shaped blood stains left behind.
He recalled a purple figure—though there was no evidence—and again recorded this in his mental ledger of enemies.
Tang San forced himself to calm down and turned to Tang Xiao, voice trembling. "Uncle… is there any other way? Will my Blue Silver Grass martial spirit stay like this forever?"
Tang Xiao, seeing his nephew's desperate expression, suddenly felt a stabbing pain in his chest. If only the soul bone Ah Yin left was still there, or the Blue Silver Emperor's origin power, perhaps they could force the bloodline awake. But now, Tang Hao had fallen to Worship Brain Douluo, and the soul bone likely already in the Body Sect's hands. Recovering a hundred thousand-old soul bone from them would be as hard as ascending to heaven.
Watching Tang Xiao's ever-changing expression, Tang San felt his heart sink lower and lower.
Just then, Tang Xiao's gaze shifted to the blue-silver grass all around the valley. After the Blue Silver King's destruction, much of its power had returned to the forest, making the grass's vitality stronger than ever.
"Maybe there's one last way…" Tang Xiao's voice was so low it seemed to come from the abyss.
Tang San, grabbing at hope, hurriedly asked, "What is it?"
Tang Xiao was silent for a long moment, as if weighing something heavy. Finally, determination flashed in his eyes. He spoke in a low voice:
"Once, your great-grandfather Tang Chen killed a fallen one at Douluo's peak and obtained from their lair a very evil secret method…"
He emphasized "fallen" and "evil," his gaze fixed on Tang San.
"This method is called 'Devouring the Source, Returning as One.' Its core is to devour and refine the flesh, life source, and origin of life itself, forcibly raising your talent, qualifications, and soul power."
"Remember, it must be the same origin. Otherwise, it's useless—or worse, triggers soul power backlash and death."
Tang Xiao glanced around at the blue-silver grass swaying in the wind.
"These grasses are not human, but share your origin. Their life source is weak, but can be extracted and concentrated through the secret method. Maybe, through a quantitative to qualitative change, you could trigger a forced awakening and evolution of your Blue Silver Grass, completing the second awakening!"
"Moreover, the process will infuse you with massive life energy, rapidly boosting your soul power."
Still, Tang Xiao's eyes remained clouded. He didn't mention that after the great war with Spirit Hall, many Clear Sky disciples had fallen or been crippled. Beneath the ancestral tomb lay not only honor and longing but also the dark history Clear Sky Sect never wished to recall.
Devouring your own kind? Refining the source of life? Tang San felt a chill. It did not seem like a righteous path. But in the face of "rapid power gain," who could care about such things?
"That's right!" he blurted, then realized how eager and cold his response sounded. He took a deep breath, adopting a resolute expression and swearing almost like an oath:
"Uncle, in my view, power is neither good nor evil—the key is the user and their purpose. If I can use this power to protect our sect, avenge my father, and uphold Clear Sky's glory, then whatever I do is justice!"
Tang Xiao gazed into his nephew's apparently "clear," "steadfast" eyes. It was as if he saw his brother Tang Hao's shadow—the same stubbornness and willingness to do anything for a goal.
His heart was conflicted—happy for the sect's hope, yet guilt-ridden for leading his nephew down this dark, dangerous path.
After a long silence, Tang Xiao sighed deeply, seeming to age years in an instant. Raising his hand, a fragment of ancient, opaque black bone appeared in his palm, inscribed with twisted, writhing runes as if alive.
"Then… I will teach you the secret method of 'Devouring the Source, Returning as One.'"
Tang Xiao's voice was hoarse as he handed the bone fragment to Tang San.
The valley wind grew colder, sweeping across the blue-silver grass, which rustled like the last ignorant whispers of creatures before their end.
…
Bonus chapter at 300 PS
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