The Budding Form of a Talent Domain

Tang Xuan and Ning Rongrong parted ways with the Imperial Dou group outside Sunset Forest.

He had originally planned to release the Mysterious Wing Soul Bone somewhere secluded and fly straight back to the sect with Ning Rongrong in his arms.

But imagination was rich; reality was painfully thin.

The not-yet-fully-fused Mysterious Wing Soul Bone was harder for Tang Xuan to control than a pig awaiting slaughter during the New Year.

He could force himself to flap a few times and barely glide for a short distance.

But Sunset Forest was at least several hundred li from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Never mind whether he would get tired flying all that way—just the falls alone would knock the shit out of Tang Xuan.

Left with no choice, the two of them obediently took a carriage.

Even so, it took them more than half a day to return to the sect.

The sky gradually darkened.

The Cheap-Bone Trio were all gathered in the familiar Seven Treasures Great Hall.

"Grandpa, Uncle Ning, Grandpa Bone, Rong Rong and I are back!" Tang Xuan greeted them, unable to hide his delight.

He had been away from home for nearly half a year, so it was only natural that he missed them.

"Mm, I figured you would return around these next couple of days. Did you break through level 20?" Chen Xin stroked his beard with a smile.

Breaking through two levels in four months might have sounded like a fantasy to ordinary people.

But for his grandson with an Innate Sword Heart, it was probably just standard fare.

"More than that, Sword Grandpa. Brother Xuan has already obtained his Second Soul Ring. And he even has one—no, two huge surprises for everyone." Ning Rongrong blinked mischievously.

She thoroughly whetted the Cheap-Bone Trio's curiosity.

"Xiao Xuan, did the Soul Skill's effect exceed your expectations? How does it compare to Mountain Collapse?" Chen Xin asked expectantly.

Tang Xuan's Mountain Collapse strike back then had left far too deep an impression on Chen Xin.

It had lingered in his mind ever since.

Tang Xuan smiled mysteriously. "They each have their strengths. It is merely a somewhat stronger Buff Skill, but the main point isn't the Soul Skill. It's this..."

As he spoke.

A yellow and a purple ring of light rose beneath Tang Xuan's feet one after another.

Immediately afterward.

With a tearing sound, the Mysterious Wing Soul Bone spread open from Tang Xuan's back.

"A Thousand Year Soul Ring?!" The trio cried out in unison.

Ning Fengzhi reacted the most fiercely of all.

That was because he immediately noticed Tang Xuan's Mysterious Wing Soul Bone.

Ignoring everything else, he rushed forward, feeling it on the left and examining it on the right, even pulling out a magnifying glass.

"It resembles bone and extends from within the body. Th-this is an External Soul Bone?" Ning Fengzhi's excited voice trembled.

The moment he said that.

The shock in Sword and Bone Douluo's hearts deepened severalfold.

With their knowledge, they naturally knew what an External Soul Bone was.

It was an existence second only to Hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings and Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones.

And Tang Xuan had obtained an External Soul Bone at such a young age and such a low level.

In the future, it might even stand shoulder to shoulder with—or surpass—a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone.

"Xiao Xuan, besides you and Rong Rong, who else has seen your Soul Bone?" Killing intent covered Bone Douluo's ugly face.

There was no need to elaborate on the rarity of Soul Bones.

Obtaining a Soul Bone by hunting Spirit Beasts was the least efficient method.

Killing someone and taking their bone was the easiest and most common way to acquire one.

Even though an External Soul Bone would not drop even if its owner were killed.

Those Spirit Masters controlled by greed neither knew nor cared about that fact.

As Tang Xuan's Second Grandpa, Bone Douluo would do anything to crush every potential threat to Tang Xuan before it could grow.

Tang Xuan naturally understood this, and warmth rose in his heart. "Don't worry, Grandpa Bone. Aside from the members of our Imperial Dou Fighting Team, no one else has seen my Soul Bone. And I trust them."

"If they had ill intentions, Rong Rong and I would not have made it back to the sect safely."

Bone Douluo rolled his eyes around, then realized that this was indeed true.

Only then did his expression ease somewhat.

"Xiao Xuan, tell me exactly how you absorbed a Spirit Ring beyond your level, including how that Spirit Beast died." Chen Xin suppressed his shock and spoke with a furrowed brow.

An External Soul Bone was certainly a good thing.

But Tang Xuan's disregard for his own life greatly angered him.

Tang Xuan gave an awkward smile and shrank his neck, just about to explain.

But Ning Rongrong beat him to it.

The little girl's account was even more detailed than Tang Xuan had imagined.

She did not overlook even the tiniest change.

It was clear that she had truly focused all her attention on Tang Xuan.

"The ground sank? Wait, Rong Rong, are you saying the ground sank while I was absorbing the Spirit Ring? And that afterward, I passed through the most dangerous stage?" Tang Xuan asked with wide eyes.

At the time, his attention had been entirely drawn to the Soul Skill and Ning Rongrong.

He had not noticed such a subtle change at all.

"That's right! It was very shallow, but it definitely happened. Teacher Qin, Sister Yanzi, and the others all saw it." Ning Rongrong looked utterly certain. "Brother Xuan, is this a new skill you developed?"

Tang Xuan's brows furrowed tightly enough to crush several flies.

It definitely was not a new skill.

If his guess was correct.

The thing that had caused the ground to sink was that surge of Momentum that had emerged from the depths of his soul.

But even now, he did not know what that Momentum truly was.

If it was Mental Power or Soul Power.

Then Tang Xuan's current strength was still far from sufficient to release it externally.

But if it was Sword Momentum.

His Sword Momentum had always only locked onto enemies.

It had never been able to affect the environment at all.

Just as Tang Xuan was utterly unable to make sense of it.

Chen Xin rushed forward and said excitedly, "Xiao Xuan, tell me: what did you feel when you were absorbing the Spirit Ring?"

Tang Xuan did not understand why he was asking.

But he still described the matter of that Momentum.

As he listened.

Chen Xin suddenly threw back his head and laughed madly. "Hahaha! That's it, that's it!"

"Obtaining a Thousand-year Second Ring and an External Soul Bone was not enough—you even comprehended the budding form of a Talent Domain on your own! My grandson Tang Xuan possesses Divine Form!"

Tang Xuan felt as though he had been struck by enlightenment and slapped his forehead.

How could he have forgotten about that?

What ability other than a Talent Domain could affect the environment?

The power that pressed the ground into collapse.

Was that not a representation of the Mysterious Iron Heavy Sword's terrifying weight and its essence of overwhelming others through force?

Although the ground had not sunk deeply, his Talent Domain was still only in its budding stage—perhaps it could not even be considered that yet.

But once it was refined in the future, even at its worst, it would be comparable to a Sluggish Domain.

After all, how could an ordinary person possibly move about freely beneath such terrifying pressure?

In the Original Work, Tang San seemed to have experienced something similar before awakening the Blue Silver Domain.

But at that time, Tang San's Mental Power had already entered the Mustard Seed Realm, more than enough to rival a Soul Saint.

It was also only because Heart Separation Control had greatly strengthened his Mental Power that he could briefly enter the state of the Blue Silver Domain.

The current Tang Xuan was completely incomparable to Tang San of that time in every regard.

So why could he enter the state of a Talent Domain?

Tang Xuan could not hold back and finally voiced the doubt in his heart.

Chen Xin panted heavily, the smile in his eyes impossible to conceal. "According to Rong Rong, you were already on the verge of being unable to endure it when the Talent Domain suddenly erupted. That means your Mental Power underwent a certain degree of evolution under the Spirit Ring's pressure. And a Talent Domain is the manifestation of Mental Power and Momentum!"

"Normally, even if your Mental Power evolved, it would not have been enough to support the formation of a Talent Domain. But by coincidence, you possess an Innate Sword Heart and have reached the realm of Sword Momentum! Once your Mental Power broke through, your Sword Momentum naturally improved as well. Only when the two overlapped could the budding form of a Talent Domain be created through such a fortunate coincidence."