Purple Crystal Thorn Soul Bone

Though it was regrettable, whether they stayed or left was their freedom. Tian Hao had neither the right nor the ability to restrict them.

But before they left, he had to fleece them one last time.

As for going to the Clear Sky Sect, that was not impossible either.

The reason he had chosen Bibi Dong and Spirit Hall before was mainly because she was the only important figure he knew. He had no other choice.

But Spirit Hall was not an easy place to get by in either. There would be internal struggles there as well. If Bibi Dong had already become the future empress of the Spirit Hall Empire, she could naturally protect him. But right now, she was only a Saintess.

Bibi Dong could not even protect Yu Xiaogang, much less a small fry like him.

And judging by the timeline, Bibi Dong had probably already begun turning into a mental patient. She herself was a dangerous figure.

That was also one reason he had not revealed those wild theories during the year he was studied at Martial Soul Academy.

On top of that, his cheat had not been activated at the time. With only his own trash-tier talent, he truly had no confidence in being able to contend against Tang San and his group in the future.

As an adult, he could see more essential things when reading the original Douluo work.

In Douluo Continent I, strictly speaking, the protagonist Tang San was merely a supporting character. The true big shots were the Sea God and the Asura God.

Even the final war of gods was, when stripped down, a battle between gods for faith. The Sea God and the Asura God had joined forces to scheme against the inheritors of the Rakshasa God and Angel God, seizing the faith of Douluo Continent.

After all, the God Realm relied on the power of faith to sustain itself. The Sea God had even become a god through faith, making faith his foundation.

Joining Spirit Hall meant opposing the Asura God and Sea God. The reason he had written to Bibi Dong before was because he truly could not accept living such an ordinary life. He wanted to take a gamble. Even if he ended up perishing alongside Spirit Hall, he would not regret it. At least it would be better than dying of old age in this little mountain village.

That side carried enormous risks, so now that he had Ah Yin as a route, he naturally had to choose this side. At the very least, it was more suitable for quietly building up his strength.

And as long as he won over Ah Yin, it would be equivalent to winning over Tang Hao and Tang Xiao. They were the future pillars of the Clear Sky Sect, and there was even the future Tang God King.

As for Ah Yin saying she would match him with Tang Hao's younger sister, it was probably Tang Yuehua. That could be considered too.

That way, he would become the son-in-law of the current Clear Sky Sect Master. If Tang Hao and Tang Xiao happened to die in the future, he might even have a chance to inherit the position of Clear Sky Sect Master. At the very least, he could become a chief elder like Tang San.

Of course, the Clear Sky Sect was only secondary. Ah Yin was the key. Tang Hao and the Clear Sky Sect might not necessarily be reliable, but Ah Yin would definitely support his efforts to perfect the Soul Beast–Soul Master Symbiosis System theory with unwavering devotion. Even if the Clear Sky Sect route failed, following Ah Yin would work just as well.

The more he thought about it, the happier he became. Tian Hao returned to his bedroom, took out that notebook, opened it, and used Soul Power to move the ink as he swiftly and seriously wrote.

Previously, he had only explained part of his wild theories. Since they were about to part, he naturally had to milk them hard one last time and squeeze Tang Hao and Ah Yin dry.

After all, the Clear Sky Sect was far from here. Who knew when they would meet again? He could not spend the whole journey there staring at his cheat and shedding empty tears.

Besides, he still did not know what consequences lowering luck would bring. Ah Yin's identity was also indeed a problem. If she were forced to her death before even reaching the Clear Sky Sect, just like in the original story, it would become difficult to farm her afterward. So while the old woman was still alive, he had to ruthlessly harvest a wave of luck.

Over the past few days, he had exchanged quite a bit of knowledge with Ah Yin and Tang Hao. Much of it was knowledge he could not access on the first floor of the Great Library at Martial Soul Academy. It had greatly supported his refinement of those wild theories, even confirming some theories that he had previously been uncertain about.

He had recorded all those ideas in detail in the notebook. They would definitely earn him a huge haul.

"Didn't I tell you to come tomorrow morning?"

A refreshing fragrance drifted into his nose. Tian Hao turned and saw Ah Yin standing beside him at some unknown time, watching the notes he was writing.

"You've always written like this?"

Ah Yin was both shocked and curious. She had known that Tian Hao used all kinds of methods to train his Soul Power control, but she had never imagined that writing could also be training.

He had truly integrated cultivation into every aspect of life!

She even suspected that if this boy had possessed more Soul Power, there would not be a hand pump here at all. He would have simply used Soul Power to draw groundwater directly from underground.

What a talent!

"I've also written some tricks related to this in the notebook. Remember to look through them later. If you gain any insights, you can write them down as well, so we can discuss them in the future."

Tian Hao continued writing as he explained.

Those words moved Ah Yin deeply. What a good child!

"There's something I want to discuss with you."

After hesitating, Ah Yin decided she should ask for Tian Hao's opinion first.

"Go ahead."

Tian Hao replied without raising his head. Most of his attention was currently focused on writing.

"Could you let me pass these theories and ideas on to the Clear Sky Sect? I'll pay you for them."

Carefully observing the youth's expression, Ah Yin knew this was too much to ask. After all, these were the results of his research.

It was one thing for her to learn them herself. But if she passed them on to others, or even the entire Clear Sky Sect, the nature of the matter would change.

Not to mention that theories and ideas this precious were practically priceless. If they were sold, they would surely drive every Soul Master mad. They were enough to make someone the richest person in the world, richer even than a nation.

With some maneuvering, they could even establish a colossal force comparable to Spirit Hall.

Tian Hao froze at those words. He had not expected Ah Yin to have such an idea, but after considering it carefully, it was not strange.

"I'm sorry, I was overstepping. Don't take it seriously."

Seeing Tian Hao's expression change, Ah Yin hurriedly apologized.

She had only come to ask and try her luck. It would be best if he agreed; if not, then so be it.

As long as she coaxed Tian Hao into going to the Clear Sky Sect and marrying Yuehua, he would become one of their own. It would be much easier to discuss then.

"You don't need to apologize. I said that knowledge is priceless. Since I wrote these theories and ideas down for you, they are your own things. How you wish to handle them is your freedom and right. You don't need to ask me.

"But I hope these theories and ideas can be seen by more people. Don't let them be monopolized by a small handful of higher-ups. That would be very detrimental to the development of civilization."

Having come back to his senses, Tian Hao continued writing as he explained. Inside, he was overjoyed, so thrilled that he wanted to dance on his parents' graves to celebrate.

He had only been thinking about farming Tang Hao and Ah Yin's luck, but Ah Yin had unexpectedly volunteered to help him farm the Clear Sky Sect's luck.

If Ah Yin took the initiative, these ideas would definitely spread through the Clear Sky Sect faster, helping him harvest the sect's luck.

As for the Clear Sky Sect becoming stronger because of this, he did not quite agree.

Although he had yet to figure out what effects lowered luck would have at this stage, it surely would not be anything good. Moreover, those theories and ideas still remained at the theoretical level.

There was still a journey of eighty thousand miles between thinking and doing. And refining theories, especially through experiments, often depended on luck. He did not know whether luck and fortune were connected. It would be hilarious if the Clear Sky Sect ended up crippling itself while trying to perfect this theory.

Still, this was indeed an opportunity for verification. If the Clear Sky Sect truly collapsed because of it, he would just have to consider finding another reliable foundation from which to quietly develop.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, fellow members of the Upper Three Sects, would naturally be his first choices. It would be best to marry an important member of their sects, become one of their own in their eyes, and use that to enter their core circles of power. For the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, he could consider that violent dragon woman. As for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect...

Well, he could wait for Ning Rongrong in the future. He was not incapable of accepting a loli-raising, old-man-young-wife sort of setup.

After all, as a man, he approached marriage more as a rational choice.

"That's wonderful! I'll definitely help you spread this theory throughout the Clear Sky Sect and let them all know how incredible you are."

Ah Yin, who had been disappointed moments ago, was overjoyed and nearly wanted to kiss him.

She truly had not misjudged him. This youth's breadth of mind and bearing were beyond anything she could have imagined.

"Here, this is for you."

Then, as if recalling something, Ah Yin took a spike from her Storage Soul Tool and handed it to Tian Hao.

"What is it?"

Tian Hao examined the spike in his hand. It was only as long as a finger and looked as though it had been carved from purple crystal. He was puzzled.

"This is a six-year-old Soul Bone. It came from a Purple Crystal Thorn with the bloodline of a Purple Crystal Thorn Emperor. It counts as a Torso Bone. Haven't you always wanted to research Soul Bones? This should be able to help you."

Ah Yin explained.

Having lived for nearly a hundred thousand years, she possessed considerable wealth and had accumulated quite a few Soul Bones.

Some had been dropped after Soul Beasts died in the forest, while others had been left behind by Soul Masters who died there.

Soul Bones might be rare, but over tens of thousands of years, she had still accumulated several.

Even the six Soul Bones on Hao's body had been completed using her own stockpile. Now, only this Thorn Soul Bone remained.

It was not very useful, and it did not even possess a Soul Skill, but it was perfect for research. Even if it was ruined through experimentation, she would not feel bad about it.

"So my theory was correct."

Tian Hao fell into thought. This six-year-old Soul Bone proved that theory to a certain extent, and he was greatly surprised.

He had thought the century-old Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear Soul Bone from Legend of the Dragon King was already low-grade enough. He had not expected an even lower-grade one to exist.

Unfortunately, this Purple Crystal Thorn Emperor Soul Bone was far too incomplete. Despite being a Torso Bone, it was only a single bone spike.

If it had been a complete Torso Soul Bone, there should probably have been a dense layer of bone spikes covering its surface. This was just one of them. The difference was far too great.

"What theory?"

Ah Yin asked curiously. Her beautiful eyes shifted toward the notebook.

What new theory had Little Haozi come up with now?

"I've read some scattered records about Soul Bones and discovered that, unlike Soul Rings, which mainly enhance a Soul Master's martial soul and Soul Power, Soul Bones place greater emphasis on improving the body's physical qualities.

"Clearly, the fundamental power within Soul Bones differs from that of Soul Rings. There should be another form of energy within Soul Bones, separate from Soul Power, that helps improve physical qualities.

"This is probably also the main reason Soul Beasts possess bodies far stronger than Soul Masters of the same level."

Tian Hao stated the theory calmly, but Ah Yin's beautiful eyes widened as she listened.

"You even figured that out?"

Ah Yin had thought she had already overestimated this youth, but in the end, she had still underestimated him.

Tang Yuehua: If you want to become my husband, you'll need at least ten thousand recommendation votes!

Tian Someone: Tang San, come on, call me Uncle-in-law!

Clear Sky Sect: Don't come any closer!!!