The Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone and Spirit-Awakening Method

At noon, Tang San returned from the mountain behind the village.

Since daybreak, he had followed a strict routine: cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Skill and reviewing the Tang Sect's Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record.

After practicing Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Tang San slowly exhaled. His breath was long and steady, without the slightest hitch. The energy of his Mysterious Heaven Skill flowed smoothly, gradually easing the fatigue from his body.

Tang San wiped the sweat from his brow and walked briskly along the village road toward the blacksmith's shop. But just as he neared the village entrance, a terrifying pressure descended from the sky, crushing everything beneath it!

It was as though heaven and earth had suddenly grown heavier.

The wind, insects, and birds throughout Holy Soul Village fell silent in an instant. Only an oppressive presence remained. Wild grass flattened against the ground, and the air turned cold and still, pressing on everyone's chests until breathing became difficult.

Tang San froze, his pupils contracting sharply. He looked up and saw two black-robed figures suspended above the blacksmith's shop, their auras cold and menacing. One of them spoke. "Tang Hao, six years ago, you consorted with a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast and attacked and killed Spirit Hall's pope. Today, you die."

Nine dazzling Soul Rings circled beneath each of them, layered one above another. Black and purple rings appeared as the unadulterated pressure of two Titled Douluo locked down the entire blacksmith's shop.

There was no warning, no questioning, not a single word urging surrender.

She Long dove in an instant, his martial soul manifesting around him. His long, pitch-black Snake Lance tore through the air with a piercing shriek, smashing straight toward the battered courtyard gate with murderous force!

Pufferfish Douluo followed close behind. A purple, spike-covered sac swelled around him, and his venomous Soul Power condensed into corrosive poison pellets. They sealed off every escape route, completing Snake Lance Douluo's deadly assault.

Boom!

The thunderous impact blew the wooden gate apart, sending splinters and stones flying.

Inside, Tang Hao had seemed listless and numb, spending his days drinking. But the instant that pressure and killing intent descended, every trace of drunkenness, exhaustion, and despair vanished.

His clouded eyes turned cold and piercing, with a hint of madness in them. At the same moment, the heavy black Clear Sky Hammer appeared in his hand.

"Spirit Hall. Spirit Hall again. Damn you!"

"Slaughter Domain, open!"

A savage, blood-soaked, domineering domain erupted, pushing back against the pressure of the two Titled Douluo.

She Long's Snake Lance struck from vicious angles, every thrust targeting a weakness, its wake sharp enough to tear flesh. From a distance, Pufferfish kept up a barrage of venom. Poisonous mist spread, steadily eating away at Tang Hao's domain and body.

Deafening clashes of metal rang out one after another. Shock waves of Soul Power swept across the area, collapsing the courtyard wall, bursting the furnace, and hurling every blacksmith's tool into the air.

Each time Tang Hao met an attack with his hammer, his body trembled slightly. Fresh blood kept spilling from his mouth; the blows had clearly torn open his old wounds.

Seeing that he could not win, Tang Hao's face hardened. "Great Sumeru Hammer! Ring Explosion!"

The enormous Clear Sky Hammer hurtled toward the two men. Snake Lance and Pufferfish blocked it, and dust billowed everywhere.

When the dust cleared, Tang Hao was gone.

Snake Lance's expression changed. Pufferfish pointed to one side. "He went that way!"

"After him!" The two Titled Douluo sped off in that direction.

In the distance, Tang San clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Shock and hatred surged through him.

He had seen everything clearly.

He had watched his father fight on alone, drenched in blood, holding off two Douluo. The sight of that solitary, unyielding figure filled his young heart with mortal fear and hatred.

Spirit Hall hunted my father. You've brought death upon yourselves!

Then Tang San recalled the overwhelming power of those two Titled Douluo. He quietly concealed himself and slipped away.

"Well, what do you think, old man?" Jiang Baiyu and Su Wu lay on a hillside at the edge of the village. Watching Tang Hao flee in such a sorry state, Jiang Baiyu waggled his eyebrows.

Su Wu's aura was strong and steady now. Rather than watch Tang Hao, he looked at the villagers who had been moved to safety and let out a quiet breath.

He had been afraid Tang Hao might lose control and attack the villagers. If that happened, the blame would be his. Fortunately, Tang Hao had not been that foolish.

When the old man ignored him, Jiang Baiyu pursed his lips and glanced at the blue-haired boy who had just slipped away. "What a shame. He still turned out crooked."

The future Tang San still had some humanity in him at this point. But given where they stood, they would probably become enemies.

At that thought, he hurriedly called to Su Wu. "Come on, old man! We still have to get that Soul Bone! We can't miss our chance!"

Su Wu was about to scold Jiang Baiyu for his lack of respect. But at the mention of the Soul Bone, he channeled his Soul Power and whisked the boy away.

Before long, they reached a waterfall.

"Are you sure it's here, boy?" Su Wu asked.

"No. But what if it is?" Jiang Baiyu answered as he rushed toward the waterfall. This was probably the one near Holy Soul Village.

Sure enough, the moment he plunged through the falling water, a cave appeared before him.

He brought Su Wu inside and lit a Pill Flame in his hand. Its glow revealed a wilted, dull-colored Blue Silver Grass.

"Old man, that's the Blue Silver Emperor. You take her." Jiang Baiyu called out as he rapidly felt along the stone wall for a hidden compartment.

Looking at the Blue Silver Emperor's feeble vitality, Su Wu said, "What has Tang Hao been doing? Blue Silver Grass is hardy, but even so, he shouldn't have kept her here. And she's his wife." Even as he spoke, his hands moved quickly. Soon, he had taken her out.

Jiang Baiyu pressed a concealed catch and found a stone box. He opened it. Sure enough, the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone was inside.

"Let's go!" Jiang Baiyu urged. Tang Hao was exceptionally good at escaping. If he caught the two of them, they were as good as dead.

"Done," Su Wu said. He took an ordinary Blue Silver Grass that had already yellowed and planted it where the Blue Silver Emperor had been.

Then he sped away with Jiang Baiyu, passed through Star Dou Forest, and returned to Jiangshui Village.

Back in the courtyard, Su Wu carefully planted the Blue Silver Emperor in the herb garden. Then he looked at Jiang Baiyu. "Take it out. Let me see it. I've never seen a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone." Since regaining his strength, Su Wu had grown rather more youthful in spirit. And for a Soul Douluo, he really was still young.

Jiang Baiyu took out the black stone box and opened it, revealing a pale blue right leg bone that radiated a rich aura of life.

"A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone!" Su Wu's eyes lit up. "Quick, Xiaoyu, absorb it! This is a treasure!" he urged.

To his surprise, Jiang Baiyu shook his head. "No, Grandpa. You absorb it."

"What? You little brat! This is a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone! If you absorb it, your body will grow stronger, and you'll be able to take on older Soul Rings! Do you understand? Don't be stubborn with me!" Su Wu fumed.

"Old man, this is a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone. You don't want it?" Jiang Baiyu asked.

"Hurry!" Su Wu was genuinely anxious now. "Absorb it!"

Hearing that, Jiang Baiyu did not argue further. He took the pale blue Soul Bone, placed it against his right leg, and slowly began to absorb it. Before long, a rich aura of life flowed outward, and the plants around him began growing rapidly. Su Wu watched him absorb the bone. "It truly is a priceless treasure!"

Su Wu also looked at the Blue Silver Emperor, now stirring under the influence of the Soul Bone's aura. "What should I do with her?" Even an ordinary Blue Silver Grass would become a plant on the level of an Immortal Herb after reaching a hundred thousand years. Besides, she was the cause of the injuries he had suffered.

The thought troubled Su Wu. Treating her simply as a medicinal ingredient felt strange.

Before long, the rich aura of life faded. Jiang Baiyu opened his eyes, and a flash of emerald green crossed them.

"How do you feel?" Su Wu asked as soon as Jiang Baiyu woke.

Feeling the clear improvement in his body and mental strength, Jiang Baiyu smiled. "Great."

"Good. That's good." Su Wu felt relieved. Though he knew of no one who had burst apart from absorbing a Soul Bone, this was a hundred-thousand-year one. There had still been some danger.

"What Soul Skills did it give you?" he asked curiously.

"Watch closely." Even Jiang Baiyu could not contain his excitement. He channeled his Soul Power and rose straight into the air.

Flight! No matter the world, people yearned for the sky. Jiang Baiyu was no exception.

"Not bad." Aside from flight-type Soul Masters, only those at the Soul Douluo level could briefly hover using Soul Power. This ability would greatly improve Jiang Baiyu's chances of survival. "What's the other one?"

"The other one's even better. 'Wildfire cannot burn it all away; with the spring wind, it grows again.' It's Immortality. My wounds will gradually heal, and even if an injury is fatal, I can recover from it three times a day." Jiang Baiyu spoke with shining eyes. "And that's not all. Thanks to the Blue Silver Emperor's traits, I've awakened another property of my martial soul—Spirit Awakening!"

As he spoke, he turned toward the Blue Silver Emperor. The Shennong Cauldron floated into the air. A speck of green light emerged from it and settled on her. The Blue Silver Emperor trembled. Her dull yellow leaves unfurled, turning not an ordinary green but a luminous jade, with faint golden lines running along their veins—the mark of the Blue Silver Emperor.

As her leaves opened, her short stem gradually filled out. A faint consciousness slowly awakened. In an instant, every Blue Silver Grass seemed to sense it. They bent gently, as if bowing to an emperor.

The Blue Silver Emperor had awakened!

Her small leaves and stem gently wrapped around Jiang Baiyu, sending out a warm, affectionate mental presence. The consciousness that had lain dormant since her sacrifice had gained a faint awareness through the Spirit-Awakening Method.

"Xiaoyu, this..." Su Wu stared in shock. He had directly given a plant awareness? It was nothing short of a miracle. And no one understood a plant's medicinal properties better than the plant itself. This ability was a gift to anyone pursuing the Medicine Dao.

"It's nothing, really." Jiang Baiyu looked pleased with himself. "The only drawback is that I can awaken plants with deep reserves of power and strong mental strength, giving them a little awareness. It doesn't work well on ordinary plants yet." He looked a little embarrassed. It was a significant limitation of the Spirit-Awakening Method.

But—

"What does that matter? Do you know how hard it is for plant-type Soul Beasts to develop awareness? And nothing understands a plant's medicinal properties better than the plant itself. They'll be invaluable to your future work in the Medicine Dao!" Su Wu was beside himself with excitement. "We need to find more plants like this. It's a miracle!" The old man kept muttering to himself.

That reminded Jiang Baiyu of a place. He was about to mention it to Su Wu when the old man's expression changed again.

"You little brat. Now that you've absorbed the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone and gained Immortality, I can finally stop worrying so much." With that, Su Wu summoned his new martial soul, the Jade-Green Nine-Jointed Bamboo, poured Soul Power into it, and lashed it toward Jiang Baiyu. "You little brat! That'll teach you to be disrespectful. Ever since you cured me and awakened your martial soul, you've barely called me Grandpa. Today I'll show you that your grandpa is still your grandpa!"

The Jade-Green Nine-Jointed Bamboo whistled through the air, striking Jiang Baiyu again and again. Against a high-level Soul Douluo like Su Wu, he had no hope of dodging. He yelped with every blow. "I was wrong, old man! Grandpa, Grandpa, I was wrong! Stop hitting me!"

Nearby, the Blue Silver Emperor slowly withdrew her leaves and absorbed the abundant energy of heaven and earth and the aura of life around her.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Snake Lance and Pufferfish Douluo knelt before a blonde woman.

The woman radiated a holy presence, her golden hair dazzling. She was Qian Renxue, the young mistress of Spirit Hall and daughter of its former pope.

"My apologies, young mistress. Tang Hao was too good at running. We couldn't catch him," Snake Lance said.

"Tang Hao has always been adept at escaping. It's understandable that you two couldn't catch him, Grandpas. Don't blame yourselves," Qian Renxue said. "I've reached level sixty, so I can obtain a Soul Ring while we're here. I'll be counting on you both. As for Tang Hao, I can take revenge once I become a Titled Douluo." Hatred glinted in her eyes as she spoke.

"Of course, young miss. We can look for a Soul Beast in the Star Dou Great Forest," Pufferfish said. "After all, the stand-in is handling things in Heaven Dou City."