NOVEL WEB Chapter 51: Chapter 51: The Choice
Tang San focused his thoughts and summoned his second spirit. In the next moment, a Blood Moon Asura appeared before him.
Tang San gazed at the white Soul Ring. Even though it was merely a ten-year white Soul Ring, it still possessed its own Soul Skill.
"Rakshasa Ghost God, Asura of Slaughtering Gods. The Asura's cultivation method involves continuously accumulating killing intent through slaughter, absorbing the power of killing. Father's God of Slaughter Domain was obtained by achieving a hundred kills in the Slaughter Arena."
"As for the Rakshasa God, a deity of darkness and counterpart to the Asura God, it controls Supreme Evil Power, resentment, slaughter, and souls. The Ghost Ring can absorb the power born from death."
Tang San stared intently at the white Ghost Ring. When he received the Rakshasa God Trial, he also learned some information about the Asura God and Ghost Rings. Naturally, he understood how to evolve the Ghost Ring.
"Is the principle the same as absorbing Soul Rings? Absorbing the power of death... A God-level Soul Ring would be equivalent to a million-year Soul Ring. But there are no million-year Spirit Beasts in this world. So this God Trial can only rely on continuous accumulation—absorbing until it reaches a million years, or by killing a hundred-level powerhouse." Tang San couldn't help but smile bitterly. This God Trial was too difficult, and he was still just a child!
Forget about million-year Spirit Beasts or hundred-level powerhouses—with his current thirty-level Soul Power, he couldn't even defeat a ten-thousand-year Spirit Beast.
With a thought, Tang San withdrew his second spirit. The matter of the Ghost Ring needed careful consideration. Most importantly, he hadn't yet decided whether reviving the Rakshasa God was a good or bad thing.
"For now, I should focus on cultivation and preparing for the Third Soul Ring. Judging by how easily I absorbed the Second Soul Ring, the advantages brought by Twin Spirits and Innate Full Spirit Power far exceed what I've seen so far." Tang San sat at the laboratory table, picked up a pen, and began calculating.
Born in the Clear Sky Sect, he had witnessed too many miracles. Thus, Tang San understood that a Soul Master's circumstances were unique to themselves—blindly copying others' success stories was absolutely unacceptable.
Those who learn from others survive; those who imitate others perish!
Tang San meticulously adjusted his cultivation method step by step. For a normal Soul Master, the Third Soul Ring would typically be a thousand years. But Tang San had already broken this convention with his Second Soul Ring, and he had absorbed it with remarkable ease.
"My Second Soul Ring was exactly a thousand years, yet I absorbed it effortlessly. Now, not only have I fully awakened my second spirit, but it's also the top-tier Rakshasa Martial Soul (a God-level Martial Soul? Not yet confirmed)." Tang San recorded his cultivation progress in his journal.
"Perhaps I can be even bolder. I could increase the duration of the Third Soul Ring further—from the originally planned three thousand years to four thousand, or even five thousand." Initially, Tang Hao had advised Tang San to play it safe, suggesting that a three-thousand-year Third Soul Ring would suffice.
Even with Twin Spirits and having consumed the Immortal Grade Blood Ginseng Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng since childhood, granting him physical strength surpassing his peers, a three-thousand-year Soul Ring was already quite risky. After all, most normal Soul Masters' Fourth Soul Rings were typically around three thousand years.
But now, Tang San felt that although his father was a Titled Douluo, he wasn't Tang San himself and might not fully understand his situation. Moreover, his Second Spirit was far beyond his imagination—perhaps even stronger than the Clear Sky Hammer.
Tap, tap, tap. The sound of Tang San's pen hitting the desk echoed as he hesitated. If he could absorb a five-thousand-year Soul Ring for his third Soul Ring, it would directly affect his fourth Soul Ring.
"Ten-thousand-year... If I can absorb a four or even five-thousand-year Soul Ring for my third, then I can challenge a ten-thousand-year one for my fourth. This would be a massive breakthrough for me—far more impactful than it seems."
Tang San's strokes were bold as he continued calculating.
"Then, by level forty, I can Enchant a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring, allowing me to begin Soul Enchanting my Second Spirit."
His Second Spirit was always intended to have only ten-thousand-year or higher Soul Rings. If he could start Enchanting earlier, his strength would skyrocket, allowing him to Enchant four ten-thousand-year Soul Rings in one go.
Suddenly, Tang San chuckled and shook his head. "If I don't even have the courage to challenge my limits, how can I ever become a god? Since ancient times, countless years have passed without a single soul reaching level one hundred and ascending to godhood. Perhaps it's because of these so-called Soul Ring age limits that Soul Masters are shackled."
The idea that Soul Rings had age restrictions had become common knowledge across the Douluo Continent—exceeding them would cause the body to explode, so one must never surpass them.
While this so-called "Soul Ring age theory" was safe, it also stifled the progress of Soul Masters, robbing them of the courage to challenge their limits.
With a swift motion, Tang San finalized his plan: "Third Soul Ring—five thousand years. Fourth Soul Ring—ten thousand years! The path to godhood should have no limits."
Time flew like an arrow, and in the blink of an eye, a year had passed. Tang San was now twelve years old.
The Kingdom of Balak, located in the south of the Heaven Dou Empire, bordered the Star Luo Empire directly to its south. As such, among the four great kingdoms of the Heaven Dou Empire, Balak possessed the strongest military might and served as the empire's gateway.
At this moment, in a remote village within the Kingdom of Balak...
Hiss, hiss, hiss!! Piercing shrieks of a Spirit Beast echoed through the village. By all logic, such sounds shouldn't exist in a village—unless one thing had happened.
A Spirit Beast invasion.
"Help... save me!"
On the village's main street, a young man's desperate cries rang out. Faced with a ten-meter-long, worm-like Spirit Beast, he was too terrified to even run.
He knew he was doomed. Everyone in the village had already been devoured by the Spirit Beast.
Just as he resigned himself to death, a streak of Soul Light flashed from afar.
"First Soul Skill—Mountain Shattering Tremor!"
In that instant, a figure wielding a massive hammer descended from the sky.
The enormous hammer was pitch-black with faint crimson patterns—undoubtedly, the Clear Sky Hammer.
With a deafening boom, the Clear Sky Hammer came crashing down, striking the ground with tremendous force. In that instant, under the thunderous impact, the earthworm Spirit Beast couldn't withstand such a blow and was instantly smashed to pieces, its purple-green fluids splattering everywhere.
Tang San turned his head to look at the young man behind him, frowning as he asked, "What happened here? Where are the others?"
Hearing Tang San's question, the young man replied with despair and a choked voice, "Spirit Beasts... A group of Spirit Beasts suddenly emerged from underground. They devoured anyone they saw. Everyone in the village is dead... all of them."
Upon hearing this, Tang San's expression turned grave. He glanced back at the Spirit Beast he had just pulverized with a single hammer strike and murmured, "Giant earthworms... one of the lowest-tier insect-type Spirit Beasts. They usually have only ten years of cultivation at most, barely reaching the hundred-year level at their peak. How could Spirit Beasts of this level appear here?"