After slaying the Sunset Worm, Tang San didn't venture far. Instead, he headed toward a small nearby cave. Inside, he sat cross-legged, channeling his Soul Power.
At that moment, the Soul Power within Tang San surged like a raging river. Even without attaching a Soul Ring, Soul Power cultivation would continue to accumulate. Once a Soul Ring was attached, the stored Soul Power would erupt in a single burst of advancement.
This was why many Soul Masters maintained their training even before finding a suitable Soul Ring.
Tang San cultivated as he traveled, simultaneously fending off Spirit Beasts that attacked him. With the aid of his Slaughter Martial Soul, he trained relentlessly, pushing his Soul Power cultivation forward. After entering the Sunset Forest, the Slaughter Martial Soul propelled his progress even more rapidly, far surpassing the speed of his secluded training in the Clear Sky Sect.
Time passed quickly. In what felt like a blink, Tang San had already spent over a week in the Sunset Forest. By the tenth day, he finally found his target for the second Soul Ring.
Boom! Boom! Trees collapsed and rubble flew as two figures clashed in a desolate stretch of land near the mountain range on the outskirts of the Sunset Forest.
With a deafening thud, Tang San was sent flying by a powerful slap. The terrifying impact sent him crashing through three large trees in succession. His forehead was bloodied, and his sleeves were torn.
Cough, cough, cough. Tang San coughed a few times, pulling himself up from the shattered wood and spitting out a mouthful of blood. Yet, his eyes still gleamed with determination. As his Slaughter Martial Soul activated, a scorching surge of Soul Power instantly filled his limbs, even dulling the pain.
The reason Tang San had chosen the Sunset Forest in addition to the Star Dou Great Forest was precisely for the Mountain Moving Goblin before him.
The Mountain Moving Goblin had a human-like face and an ape-like body, with crystalline rock layers growing on its shoulders. It earned its name from its habit of lifting and carrying stones to temper its physique. It was a powerful offensive-type Spirit Beast, and its Soul Ring abilities were highly compatible with the Clear Sky Hammer. Not only could it enhance a Soul Master's physique and strength, but it could also grant a devastating Soul Skill.
As for what the active Soul Skill would be, there was no way to predict it. Different Martial Souls would manifest different Soul Skills even when absorbing the same Soul Ring, and the resulting combination was impossible to foresee.
Aside from its compatible attributes, another reason Tang San had set his sights on this Mountain Moving Goblin was its cultivation level. The Clear Sky Sect's herb-gathering team had recently spotted it, confirming that it had just broken through the thousand-year threshold.
In other words, this Mountain Moving Goblin had precisely one thousand years of cultivation.
According to the Spirit Hall's statistical records on Soul Ring absorption limits, the first Soul Ring's maximum age was around four hundred years, the second seven hundred, the third seventeen hundred, the fourth five thousand, the fifth twelve thousand, the sixth twenty thousand, the seventh fifty thousand, the eighth below one hundred thousand, and the ninth approximately one hundred thousand years.
Theoretically, Tang San, at only level twenty, should have been incapable of absorbing this Mountain Moving Goblin's Soul Ring.
But Tang Hao disagreed. He believed that different Soul Masters varied in Martial Soul quality, physical constitution, and mental strength, making a uniform Soul Ring age standard impossible—especially for someone like Tang San, who possessed Twin Spirits.
Especially as a genuine Titled Douluo, he had truly attached nine Soul Rings—this wasn't just theoretical knowledge.
The further Tang Hao progressed, the more he realized this absorption limit was wrong. Because if your first Soul Ring's age was close to the limit, then your second Soul Ring could slightly exceed the limit. Conversely, if the first Soul Ring's age was very low, the subsequent Soul Master's Soul Ring limits would become increasingly lower.
Simply put, the foundation determines the height of the structure.
And Tang Hao was the type who absorbed every Soul Ring at its limit. The further he progressed, the easier he found the absorption process.
A Soul Master isn't a fixed container—human potential cannot be measured by data. The numbers derived are merely statistical averages, let alone the fact that he possessed Twin Spirits.
Tang San hadn't spent four years cultivating just to reach level 20. Instead, he had spent those four years verifying this theory, simultaneously cultivating his Soul Power while slowly tempering his body.
For an average Soul Master, the absorption limit should be between 700 to 800 years, with 800 years being the safest option. But theories remain theories precisely because they lack practical validation. Throughout the history of the Douluo Continent, Twin Spirits were exceedingly rare.
Based on Tang Hao and Tang Xiao's speculations about Twin Spirits, Tang San's absorption limit was definitely higher than that of an ordinary Soul Master—possibly even double the limit. If the second Soul Ring's limit was 700 years, doubling it would mean 1,400 years.
However, attempting to absorb double the limit right away would be too risky. After discussing with Tang Hao, they decided to first increase the limit by 40%, absorbing one just over 1,000 years old.
"Excellent, excellent. A millennium truly marks a qualitative transformation." Tang San stood up, gazing at the Mountain Moving Goblin not far away.
The Mountain Moving Goblin wasn't unscathed either. Possessing the Clear Sky Hammer Spirit, Tang San's strength was formidable to begin with, and with the enhancement from his Slaughter Martial Soul, several fist marks were clearly visible on the Mountain Moving Goblin's chest.
"Again!" Tang San's blood boiled, a faint red light flashing in his Purple Demon Eyes as he roared wildly, gathering all his strength before charging forward like a mad bull.
For a Spirit Beast like the Mountain Moving Goblin, such a display from a puny human was nothing short of a provocation—an insult to its dignity!
Having just broken through the millennium mark, it was already capable of establishing its own territory in this forest. How could it tolerate such provocation?
As a millennium Spirit Beast, it had always relied on its immense physical prowess to dominate. The Mountain Moving Goblin roared furiously and charged again, the ground trembling as it swatted aside obstructing trees, toppling them one after another.
The two collided, destroying the surrounding trees in the process. Blood sprayed through the air, and for the first time, Tang San truly felt the thrill of battle.
This exhilarating combat, this bloody slaughter, made his Slaughter Martial Soul shine even brighter, as if cheering in delight.
The thunderous sounds of their clashes echoed far into the distance, reaching the ears of Soul Masters hunting Spirit beasts dozens of miles away.
"What's that commotion?" A team of Soul Masters turned to look into the distance.
"Sounds like someone's hunting a Spirit Beast."
"Damn, with that kind of noise, it must be a millennium Spirit Beast."
"Should we go take a look?" At that moment, someone in the team suddenly voiced the suggestion.
Those present were all Soul Masters who specialized in treasure hunting in the wilderness, such as searching for ancient ruins or rare spiritual plants. The special ores Tang San had purchased were acquired from these treasure-hunting Soul Masters.
"Going to take a look" didn't just mean a casual glance—it meant seeing if there was any opportunity to pick up valuable leftovers.
Tang San, of course, was completely unaware of this, as he was currently focused on dealing with the Mountain Moving Goblin. After several clashes, Tang San failed to dodge in time and was slammed into the ground by a palm strike, creating a crater. A mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips.
"Alright, not using Soul Skills really makes it impossible to defeat a thousand-year Spirit Beast, even if you've just barely crossed the thousand-year threshold," Tang San muttered, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. He couldn't deny it—the gap between a hundred-year and a thousand-year beast wasn't just slight. Even the difference between a freshly advanced thousand-year beast and a nine-hundred-and-ninety-nine-year one was enormous.
After all, this was the difference between entire tiers, not just a single year.
Huff— Tang San exhaled deeply before suddenly darting forward with a boom, his figure shooting toward the Mountain Moving Goblin like a rocket, almost suicidally charging straight at it.
Roar! Seeing this human dare to approach again, the Mountain Moving Goblin didn't hold back, swinging its right fist in a crushing blow.
"Martial Soul—switch!" With a hum, as Tang San willed it, the glow of the Slaughter Martial Soul in his left hand faded, while his right hand surged with a piercing soul light. A hammer adorned with a yellow Soul Ring instantly materialized.
(End of Chapter)