The Clear Sky Sect. Sect Master Tang Xiao was gathered together with the elders.
That morning, Seventh Elder Tang Lie had finally broken through to level 90, catching up with all the other elders.
"Excellent. He's finally broken through!"
"Now all five of our elders are Titled Douluo."
"Too bad he broke through a little too late. If he'd done it just a bit sooner, he could've hunted a powerful Soul Ring!"
"Yeah, what a pity..."
"Otherwise, with our brothers' strength, hunting a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast would've been a piece of cake."
"Now, forget about Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings. We can't even find Hundred-Year Soul Rings!"
"..."
At first, Second Elder and the others had congratulated Tang Lie on breaking through to level 90.
But before long, regret and disappointment filled every one of their faces.
Tang Lie had initially worn a faint smile, but it slowly faded as his expression darkened.
There was nothing he could do. He was the one they were discussing.
If anyone was most anxious about the disappearance of Soul Beasts, he felt it had to be him.
He had just broken through to level 90—to Titled Douluo!
"Seventh Elder, try to take it in stride!"
"I know this might be hard to accept, but now, forget about Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings. Even Ten-Year Soul Rings are hard to find!"
"Nowadays, whenever a Ten-Year Soul Beast appears, people scramble to snatch it up. Even catching one is no easy task!"
"Besides, our Clear Sky Sect has never relied on Soul Skills from Soul Rings. We have plenty of Self-Created Soul Skills, so to us, a Ten-Year Soul Ring and a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring are no different."
Tang Xiao spoke to Tang Lie, trying to comfort him.
"I know, Sect Master!"
Tang Lie sighed. He knew Tang Xiao was right.
It was just that he couldn't bring himself to accept that his ninth Soul Ring would be a white, Ten-Year Soul Ring.
Even calling it ten years was being generous. It would actually be a one-year Soul Ring, just newly formed.
"Sect Master, I'm going to search for Soul Beasts. I won't come back until I find one!"
After saying this, Tang Lie turned and left.
If he'd broken through to Titled Douluo before the Soul Beasts disappeared, a whole group of people would certainly have helped him hunt one.
After all, he wouldn't even have considered a Soul Beast under eighty thousand years old.
To hunt a powerful Soul Beast, he would've needed help.
But now, he only needed to hunt a one-year-old Soul Beast, so there was no need for anyone else to help.
"What a pity!"
"If only we could still find powerful Soul Beasts!"
Second Elder and the others watched Tang Lie's retreating figure and sighed.
"Sect Master, now even Seventh Elder has broken through to Titled Douluo!"
"With you included, our Clear Sky Sect now has six Titled Douluo. When will we reopen the mountain gates?"
Second Elder then fixed his blazing gaze on Tang Xiao and asked.
In the past, the Clear Sky Sect had only had Tang Xiao, a single Titled Douluo.
Bullied by Spirit Hall, they hadn't dared to speak up, and in the end, they had sealed their mountain gates.
Over the years, the five remaining elders had felt that same searing humiliation. Unwilling to endure it, they had each broken through the bottleneck between level 89 and level 90, one after another, becoming Titled Douluo.
Back then, the Clear Sky Sect had only had one Titled Douluo, so they had swallowed their pride and sealed the mountain gates.
Now they had six Titled Douluo. Were they really supposed to keep swallowing their pride?
"Exactly!"
"Sect Master, when will our Clear Sky Sect come out of seclusion?"
"So much has happened on the continent. This is the perfect time for us to come out!"
"If we do it now, surely not many people will pay attention to us. Everyone's in a hurry to find Soul Beasts!"
"..."
After Second Elder spoke, the other elders chimed in one after another.
None of them wanted to keep swallowing their pride.
"Reopening the mountain gates..."
"Let's wait until Seventh Elder returns, then discuss it together."
At Second Elder's words, Tang Xiao didn't agree right away. Instead, he put off making a decision.
He wanted to reopen the mountain gates too. He just felt the time wasn't right yet.
"Big Brother!"
"And all you elders—you're all here!"
Just then, a woman's voice came from outside.
"Little Sister, what brings you back?"
When Tang Xiao saw his younger sister come in, he happily went over to greet her.
"Yuehua, stay at the sect for a while now that you're back!"
"It's been ages since us old fellows last saw you!"
"..."
Second Elder and the others were delighted to see Tang Yuehua too.
"Big Brother, and all the elders, I've brought back some news."
Tang Yuehua's expression turned serious as she spoke to Tang Xiao and the others.
"Oh?"
"What happened?"
Tang Xiao's expression immediately grew solemn, and he hurriedly pressed her for details.
"My second brother gave me this news!"
As Tang Yuehua said this, a strange look crossed her face. She knew that, apart from her eldest brother, everyone else in the sect held a grudge against her second brother, Tang Hao. They were all still bothered by what he had done years ago.
"Tang Hao?"
"He actually dares to show his face?"
"Where is he now? Does he want to come crawling back and admit his mistake?"
"..."
Sure enough, the moment they heard Tang Yuehua mention Tang Hao, the elders' expressions darkened.
"Little Sister, did you see Tang Hao? What news did he ask you to bring?"
Only after Tang Xiao and the other elders had vented their anger did they hurriedly turn to Tang Yuehua with their questions.
"No, Second Brother didn't show up. He only gave me some news!"
Tang Yuehua shook her head, a little disappointed.
Tang Hao had returned, yet he hadn't come to see her. Tang Yuehua felt deeply disappointed.
"What news?"
Hearing that even their little sister hadn't seen Tang Hao, Tang Xiao stopped asking about him. He understood that Tang Hao didn't want to see them, so he asked about the news instead.
"It's news about a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast!"
Tang Yuehua quickly explained.
"What?"
"A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast?"
"Little Sister, you're not joking, are you? Does Tang Hao really have news about a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast?"
"Have all the Soul Beasts disappeared now?"
Tang Xiao cried out in surprise.
The elders' eyes widened too.
"It's true. Second Brother told me—it's a girl who's a transformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast!"
"Second Brother said that when he found her, Sword Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had already taken her away."
"She's at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect now."
Tang Yuehua continued.
"A transformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast!"
"So that's why she didn't disappear along with the other Soul Beasts. A transformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast exists somewhere between Soul Beasts and humans..."
"But that's not important. What matters is that a transformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast can also produce a Soul Ring and a Soul Bone."
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect..."
"No one at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect needs that Soul Ring!"
"We're claiming it!"
"Seventh Elder can use it. We have to find a way to get it."