Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer Absorbs Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo!

(Zhu Zhuqing beautiful picture)

Pole Vault... Pole Dance...

Perhaps... they really could be combined?

First, enter the arena with a Pole Vault, then use a Pole Dance to hard-crowd-control the entire field?

Tang San's eyes slowly began to brighten.

Seeing that he believed it, Yu Xiaogang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

That was close.

Tang San frowned, a thought suddenly flashing through his mind—

Wait, that's not right!

In the Simulator, every one of his spirit rings was absorbed from Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo, and only then could he achieve the eighteen-stage jump to become a god!

Now that his second spirit ring was fourteen years old and had turned into a Pole Dance!

Then his Pole Vault...

Wouldn't it be missing a stage?!

Tang San looked up abruptly.

"That's not right!"

This shout startled Yu Xiaogang, who had just relaxed, causing him to shiver and nearly collapse to the ground.

"W-what is it, Little San?"

Tang San stared at him intensely, red light beginning to flicker in his eyes again.

"The simu... no, I mean, I just remembered!"

"My first spirit skill is Pole Vault, and my second spirit ring should also be one so they can form a Second-Order Pole Vault!"

"Now that my second spirit skill is Pole Dance, doesn't that mean my Pole Vault is missing a stage?!"

Yu Xiaogang opened his mouth: "..."

Tang San glared at him: "..."

The two stared at each other, eyes wide.

Tang San's mind was frantically scrolling: Yu Xiaogang! You have already invited your own death!

Yu Xiaogang's brain worked at high speed, his CPU practically burning up.

What to do, what to do, what to do—

Got it!

"Right!" He clapped his hands suddenly, "Clear Sky Hammer!"

Tang San was stunned: "What?"

Yu Xiaogang's eyes lit up, his speech rapid: "You can use the Clear Sky Hammer to absorb a Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo spirit ring!"

"Since it's all about absorbing Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo anyway, there's no need to wait until later! You can do it right now!"

"Your first martial soul, Blue Silver Grass, follows the Pole Vault path, and your second martial soul, Clear Sky Hammer, can also follow the Pole Vault path. If the Clear Sky Hammer also has Pole Vault, then you can achieve a Second-Order Pole Vault!"

Tang San was dumbfounded.

He lowered his head and thought about it.

Use the Clear Sky Hammer now... to absorb a Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo spirit ring?

It seems... that's not impossible?

Since he has to absorb Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo spirit rings anyway, there is no need to wait until later to absorb them.

And if the Clear Sky Hammer could also obtain a spirit skill now, that would be equivalent to—

He could achieve a Third-Order Pole Vault right now!

Tang San's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

He looked up at Yu Xiaogang, his gaze filled with thirty percent suspicion and seventy percent anticipation.

"You find me a Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo."

He said, enunciating every word.

"If you get it wrong again—"

"You have already invited your own death!"

Yu Xiaogang nodded repeatedly, patting his chest in assurance.

"Don't worry, Little San! There will definitely be no problem this time!"

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, with only one thought in his mind:

This Crown Prince is simply too difficult to serve.

Outside Heaven Dou City, a stone pavilion.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting mottled shadows upon the ground.

Outside the stone pavilion, two figures stood with their hands behind their backs, looking like a pair of door gods.

Porcupinefish Douluo let out a yawn and muttered in a low voice, "Why does the Young Master come to this stone pavilion every single day? Just to place a single piece? Wasting this much time every day..."

Snake Lance Douluo shot him a glance and lowered his voice, "Keep your mouth shut. Perhaps the Young Master has her own reasons."

He paused, gazing at the figure inside the pavilion.

"In the past, she came here to relax her body and mind."

"Recently... it seems she has been playing a game of chess with someone from afar."

Inside the stone pavilion.

Xue Qinghe, or rather Qian Renxue, sat before the stone table, staring at the chessboard in front of her.

A black piece rested on a spot—the move her opponent had made yesterday.

She picked up a white piece, holding it suspended in mid-air, unable to place it for a long time.

This game...

She could tell that, like her, her opponent was someone who cared for the common people of the world.

Every move contained hidden depth; every piece concealed compassion.

It was not the hypocrisy of false benevolence, but a genuine, heartfelt concern for this land and the people who lived upon it.

Qian Renxue gently placed the white piece down.

Then, she raised her head and looked toward the distant mountains outside the pavilion.

Who exactly... was playing against her?

She imagined what the other person looked like.

Was it an old man chopping wood on the mountain? Someone who, after a day of labor, set up a chessboard in a mountain pavilion, waiting for a kindred spirit?

Was it an elegant scholar? Someone full of talent but unrecognized, forced to entrust his emotions to the black and white pieces?

Was it a wealthy gentleman? Someone with no worries about food or clothing, looking for a bit of amusement in his spare time?

Was it a patrolling soldier? Someone guarding the frontier, missing his hometown, using the chessboard to pass the long, lonely nights?

Or perhaps... a wandering beggar?

Qian Renxue shook her head, yet the corners of her mouth curled upward slightly.

No matter who it was.

This person shared a connection with her heart.

She could feel that the other party was also looking forward to her moves, also guessing her identity, and also waiting for...

A meeting on some future day.

Qian Renxue looked down at the chessboard, her fingers gently stroking the piece.

Could it be you?

A few days later.

Soul Hunting Forest.

Yu Xiaogang led Tang San through many twists and turns, finally coming to a stop in a secluded corner.

"We're here!"

He pointed at two emerald-green bamboo stalks in front of him, a glow of confidence on his face.

"Look, San! These two are definitely Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo!"

Tang San looked at him skeptically. "Are you sure there's no problem?"

Yu Xiaogang puffed out his chest.

"No problem! They are definitely ten years old!"

He reached out, touching the bamboo stalks repeatedly while muttering to himself.

"Look at the color, dripping with emerald green—a characteristic of a ten-year specimen!"

"Look at the nodes, the spacing is uniform—the standard for ten years!"

"Look at the bamboo sheath, smooth and delicate—the texture of ten years!"

"Look at the feel, warm and moist like jade—the tactile sensation of ten years!"

"Look at the branches, no forks or offshoots—the perfect form of ten years!"

Yu Xiaogang withdrew his hand and stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze profound.

"In summary, these two are definitely Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo! There can be no mistake!"

Tang San stared at him for three seconds.

Although he had said the same thing last time.

But this time, it actually seemed quite professional?

"Alright!"

Tang San gritted his teeth.

"Then I will use the Clear Sky Hammer to absorb this spirit ring!"

He sat cross-legged, summoned the Clear Sky Hammer, and began to absorb the first stalk of Solitary Bamboo.

A white spirit ring slowly rose.

A moment later—

Tang San opened his eyes and summoned the Clear Sky Hammer.

A ring of white spirit light emerged from the hammer's body.

With a thought.

"First Spirit Skill—Pole Vault!"

The Clear Sky Hammer instantly elongated, transforming into a Solitary Bamboo vaulting pole!

Tang San was stunned.

But the next second, his face erupted in wild joy!

"That's right! It's Pole Vault!"

He stood up excitedly, brandishing the Clear Sky Hammer vaulting pole.

"Hahaha! My Clear Sky Hammer can pole vault too!"

Grandmaster stroked his beard from the side, his face full of gratification.

"This Grandmaster's judgment was indeed correct."

Tang San looked impatiently toward the second stalk of Solitary Bamboo.

"Absorbing the second one!"

He sat cross-legged once more.

A moment later—

Tang San opened his eyes, a look of anticipation on his face.

"Now I have three pole vaults!"

Blue Silver Emperor first spirit skill, Pole Vault.

Clear Sky Hammer first spirit skill, Pole Vault.

Plus the Clear Sky Hammer second spirit skill—

Third-Order Pole Vault!

He took a deep breath and activated the Clear Sky Hammer's second spirit ring.

"Second Spirit Skill—Lone Bamboo Basketball!"

"???"