It was no wonder Sea Dragon was so worried.
Based on their previous experience defeating Spirit Hall, Sea Dragon had thought that even if Sea God Island couldn't match the mainland's forces, they could at least hold their own—maybe a six-to-four split, or even a seven-to-three.
But now?
Once the Strongest Dragon-Tiger Ranking appeared, Sea Dragon saw Sea God Island's place on the list and immediately started to feel anxious.
To put it bluntly, he'd lost quite a bit of hair lately.
To be fair, the Heavenly Dao Golden Ranking had made it clear that rank didn't represent combat strength.
With his Self-Created Soul Skill, domain, and a Martial Soul comparable in quality to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, Sea Dragon was confident he could defeat stronger opponents in one-on-one combat.
He'd find it even easier if the battlefield were in the ocean.
But...
He'd only reach Level 97 at best!
Once the rankings finished covering Level 95 and moved on to Level 96, what advantage would Sea Dragon Douluo have against those who were just as powerful as he was?
Seeing how anxious Sea Dragon was, Sea Spear rose onto his tiptoes and patted him on the shoulder in an attempt to comfort him before speaking.
"Let's focus on what's in front of us!"
"So, what will you choose: a Soul Power increase or a Soul Bone?
"For Soul Masters like us, either would be a rare treasure!"
Soul Bones were certainly scarce, but to strengthen Sea God Island, Sea Dragon actually wanted to choose the Soul Power Level option more.
After all, once he broke through to become a Level 96 Titled Douluo, his combat strength would rival that of a Level 97!
With cultivation like that, he'd be a formidable presence even across the entire continent.
But...
Before Sea Dragon could make his choice, a voice came through the temple, ringing clearly in his ears.
"Sea Dragon, choose the Soul Bone!" Bo Saixi said.
"High Priest, but..."
"Since the Heavenly Dao Golden Ranking has appeared, that means it won't only rank Soul Power Levels. The next one might be a Soul Bone ranking.
"If you can get a high-quality Soul Bone, you won't need anything else!"
Besides, Soul Bones could improve one's Soul Power Level in the first place. For Titled Douluos, ordinary Soul Bones might not directly raise their level the way a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone could.
But they could still offer a modest boost.
Given how long Sea Dragon had spent cultivating at Level 95, fusing with a Soul Bone older than fifty thousand years might be enough to bring him to Level 96.
If it was high-quality enough to make a future ranking and earn another reward, that would be a win-win.
"Just as I'd expect from Lady Bo Saixi. She really thinks ahead!"
He was still reluctant. After all, choosing the Soul Bone option was practically like gambling with his life.
Other people might not know how lucky he was, but Sea Dragon knew perfectly well.
Unfortunately, his superior had already made her wishes clear. It wasn't as if he could decide for himself.
Once he'd made his choice, a golden beam of light descended from the sky. Feeling the power welling up within him—and the extra bone that had appeared—Sea Dragon couldn't help making a strange expression.
Sea Spear: "Sea Dragon, how did it go?"
"A fifty-thousand-year-old Right Leg Bone. The attached Spirit Skill can increase my strength by 30%!"
A precious percentage-based boost like that could be useful even to a Titled Douluo. It wouldn't end up as a useless skill.
What's more, such a powerful skill had taken up the least important spot, the Right Leg Bone. It was a double blessing.
If Sea Dragon had gotten a Soul Bone like this before the Golden Ranking appeared, it would've been cause for great celebration.
But now...
A fifty-thousand-year-old Soul Bone was better than some, but not nearly the best.
With Douluo Continent's history and resources, could a Soul Bone of this quality really make the ranking?
It would probably take a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone to make the list!
In terms of improvement, this Soul Bone was actually far inferior to a Soul Power Level increase.
But...
This was, after all, Lady Bo Saixi's order. Even if Sea Dragon felt a little regret, he didn't dare show it.
[Sea Dragon Douluo! Who would've thought that after Sea Spear Douluo, another Titled Douluo from Sea God Island would make the list!]
[I was going to complain about Spirit Hall, but then I remembered how four of their Titled Douluos made the list in a row. I guess Sea God Island isn't much better.]
[But have you noticed how high-quality the Titled Douluos from Sea God Island are?
"Sea Spear Douluo had a domain, and now Sea Dragon Douluo has one too—and even a Self-Created Soul Skill!
"For people like them, fighting opponents above their level must be a piece of cake, especially against those ordinary Titled Douluos from Spirit Hall.
"Wonder if our mainland Soul Masters have any experts like that?"]
[Heh heh, scared now, are you? Start trembling! We Sea Soul Masters are invincible in the ocean—and invincible everywhere else, too!]
[Strongest Dragon-Tiger Ranking No. 21: Clear Sky Douluo (Tang Hao)!]
[Martial Soul: Clear Sky Hammer!]
[Level: 95!]
[Self-Created Soul Skills: 1. Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer, the most powerful forging technique for removing impurities from metal.
"When the heart beats rapidly, power begins in the calves and travels upward—to the thighs, through the waist and back, then the arms, before finally being released. That is the full force of the body.
"At the instant the iron hammer bounces up and is about to reach its highest point, the body makes it spin once. The force rebounding from the hammer striking the metal becomes the power behind the next strike. From then on, each blow is stronger than the user's full strength.
"By using this technique to swing the hammer eighty-one times in a row, a lump of pig iron can be forged into whatever shape the user desires.
"In actual combat, the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer can temporarily accumulate the force of each attack at a single point. Each blow is stronger than the last, and after eighty-one strikes, the accumulated force is released all at once.
"It is an excellent technique for borrowing an opponent's strength and turning it against them. Its only drawback is the long time it takes to build up power.
"2. Clear Sky Nine Absolutes, nine unique techniques for exerting force with the Clear Sky Hammer, each with its own distinctive features.
"The Clear Sky Sect's true secret techniques. Compared with the somewhat impractical Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer, the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes are the powerful abilities truly used in combat.
"Yet even among the Clear Sky Sect's direct disciples, not everyone is taught all nine techniques. Only those who earn the approval of both the sect leader and the elders are allowed to learn them!
"3. Great Sumeru Hammer, the Clear Sky Sect leader's exclusive cultivation method—a divine skill that only a deity can wield to perfection.
"It places extremely high demands on its practitioner. Anyone who isn't a naturally gifted genius will never succeed in cultivating it, and may even risk their life.
"In theory, it condenses all of the practitioner's Spirit Rings into one and pours them into the Clear Sky Hammer, turning them into pure power and attack force. It forcibly breaks through every restraint to unleash strength beyond the practitioner's Soul Power. Its path is to overwhelm every technique with sheer force.
"The Great Sumeru Hammer has a secret technique called Ring Detonation. By detonating Spirit Rings and infusing their power into an attack, the user can unleash strength far beyond their normal limits.
"This is a desperate technique. Each Spirit Ring can be used to launch one attack. After all the Spirit Rings have been detonated, the user will also fall into a weakened state!]
Before you continue