Soul Land: Legend of Saint Seiya

Chapter 186: Tang San's Slow Progress in Cultivation

It took Xiao Wu nearly half an hour to finish writing down all the information she knew about soul beasts.

"Ten thousand years ago, for reasons unknown, most of the powerful soul beasts in the Star Dou Forest fell into a deep slumber. Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't relocate their habitats, but over such a long period, I can't guarantee absolute accuracy," Xiao Wu explained nervously, fearing that a restless soul beast might have shifted its dwelling and inadvertently endanger her beloved Brother San.

"Got it."

Xiao Yu waved dismissively. Xiao Wu's last bit of value had been thoroughly extracted. The next time they met, it would be time to kill her, absorb her ring, and harvest her bone.

The soul masters guarding Xiao Wu understood the signal and escorted the rabbit back to her cell.

Once she was out of sight, Xiao Yu picked up the document she had written and reviewed it carefully. The lovesick rabbit had betrayed her kin so thoroughly that the list detailed over twenty powerful soul beasts. In addition to familiar ones like the Dark Devilgod Tiger and the Millennial Ant Emperor, there were others with 100,000 years of cultivation: the Thunder Unicorn, Venom Scorpion Emperor, Abyssal Demon Spider, Ghost-faced Lion Mastiff, and more.

With so much valuable information in hand, Xiao Yu instructed Radamanthys and Aiakos to verify it, ensuring Xiao Wu hadn't tried to deceive him.

As for hunting these formidable soul beasts, Xiao Yu wasn't in a hurry. For one, Nine Stars Hall currently had no soul masters in immediate need of 100,000-year soul rings. Xiao Yu believed in maximizing resources; hunting a soul beast for its bone alone while wasting its ring was a significant loss. This was why he hadn't yet settled scores with the Azure Bull Python for its past aggression in the Star Dou Forest.

Secondly, Xiao Yu was wary of provoking a beast tide by excessive hunting. In Douluo Dalu II, the Body Sect had earned a terrible reputation on the continent, being seen as a scourge by many soul masters. One key reason was their mass hunting of seven 100,000-year soul beasts in the Star Dou Forest, which enraged Di Tian and other great beasts, triggering the first beast tide.

Although Di Tian and his kin were currently in hiding, excessive slaughter by Nine Stars Hall might still provoke them.

A beast tide would lead to catastrophic destruction and untold loss of life—something Xiao Yu didn't want to see.

Moreover, if word of Nine Stars Hall's role in triggering a beast tide spread, its reputation would suffer irreparably. The resulting backlash would force Xiao Yu to expend exponentially more effort to unify the continent.

Soul masters needed to hunt soul beasts to advance their strength; this was the unchangeable rule of Douluo Continent. With their intelligence far surpassing that of humans, Di Tian and the other great beasts likely understood this.

Thus, as long as humans didn't slaughter excessively like the Body Sect, Di Tian and his kin might begrudgingly tolerate it without seeking retribution. Otherwise, during Douluo Dalu II, Shrek Academy, located near the Star Dou Forest, wouldn't have had access to so many 100,000-year rings without constantly facing beast tides.

Meanwhile, Xiao Wu, having been returned to her cell, collapsed to the floor, her legs giving way beneath her. She couldn't stop herself from sobbing uncontrollably. Having betrayed her kin for Brother San's sake, her heart was filled with unbearable guilt.

Tears rolled down her face as her anguished cries echoed in the confined cell, heartbreaking and unrelenting.

"Brother San, where are you? Please come save Xiao Wu! Xiao Wu is in so much pain!"

At the same time, the Tang San she yearned for was undergoing training identical to the original story. Tang Hao had sealed Tang San's soul power using the Haotian Sect's secret method, forcing him to focus on practicing the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Technique.

With both the Spirit Hall and Nine Stars Hall now as enemies, Tang Hao's situation was dire. Having repeatedly used Ring Detonation, Tang Hao could feel his life nearing its end. As a result, his demands on Tang San had grown even stricter.

Compared to the original timeline, Tang San's current state was far worse. Without the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot to refine his body, he lacked the enhancements they provided. He also lost the Spirit Bone of Wisdom and Spirit, and even his Eight Spider Lances were limited to only 1,500 years of cultivation.

More critically, during the Soul Master Tournament, Xiao Yu had secretly inflicted a trace of deathly energy upon Tang San. When their Seven-in-One Fusion Technique was broken and their Martial Soul Avatar collapsed, that hidden energy erupted, causing severe damage to Tang San's internal organs. This significantly slowed his cultivation progress.

"Stop!"

Tang Hao's voice thundered as he watched Tang San being washed down by the waterfall yet again. Unable to contain his frustration, he furrowed his brows and scolded, "Tang San, what's wrong with you? It's been ten days, and you still can't even stand steady under the waterfall. Your lack of progress is truly disappointing!"

"I'm sorry, Father!"

Having been an orphan in his previous life, the once almighty Tang God King deeply cherished the fatherly love of Tang Hao. He bowed his head in submission and apologized humbly.

Tang Hao sighed, his expression softening as he patted Tang San's head. "Tang San, don't blame your father. I have no other choice. Both the Spirit Hall and Nine Stars Hall are our sworn enemies. You've seen the strength of Xiao Yu and Qian Renxue yourself. They're destined to become the continent's peak experts. I'm old now—my strength has stagnated and will soon be surpassed by them. You're our only hope for the future!"

"I understand, Father!"

Overcome by this rare display of fatherly affection, Tang San felt a sting in his heart and said hesitantly, "Father, it's not that I'm not trying. But these past few days, my body has felt unwell. Every time I try to exert myself under the waterfall, my internal organs throb with pain."

"What?"

Tang Hao's expression shifted dramatically. When he rescued Tang San from Spirit City, he had noticed his severe injuries but had attributed them to Qian Renxue's attacks during the Soul Master Tournament, thinking they weren't serious. But ten days had passed, and with a soul master's constitution, he should have recovered by now.

Tang Hao quickly grabbed Tang San's arm and channeled his soul power into his body to investigate. What he found shocked him.

Tang San's internal organs were all damaged to varying degrees. While it wasn't as severe as what Tang Hao had suffered in the past, it would severely hinder Tang San's future cultivation. This damage couldn't have been caused solely by Qian Renxue's attacks.

Could it be the Martial Soul Avatar created during the Seven-in-One Fusion Technique?

After deliberating, Tang Hao concluded that the root cause must have been the forced activation of the Martial Soul Avatar. With Tang San's soul power barely above rank 40, using a technique that only soul masters of rank 70 and above could safely employ would undoubtedly have placed an overwhelming strain on his body.

Yu Xiaogang, you bastard!

A surge of murderous intent toward Yu Xiaogang rose in Tang Hao's heart. However, resolving Tang San's injuries took precedence—Tang Hao's revenge depended entirely on his son.

Wait, a soul bone!

An idea suddenly struck Tang Hao. He remembered the soul bone left to him by his late wife, the Blue Silver Emperor. As a life-type soul beast, the Blue Silver Emperor's soul bone was sure to aid in healing Tang San's internal injuries while also greatly enhancing his cultivation potential.

(End of Chapter)

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