After dinner, Tian Chen returned to his room and began a full night of cultivation.
Soul Masters could already replace sleep entirely with cultivation, though it certainly was not as comfortable as sleeping.
Taking off his silver robe, Tian Chen sat cross-legged on the sofa, closed his eyes, and began cultivating.
Even after coming to the Douluo Continent, he had kept his habit of wanting to sleep the moment he touched a bed.
Cultivating on the sofa was also a way to keep himself in line.
Besides, his grandfather had already arranged everything for him to attend Spirit Hall Academy tomorrow. He did not need to think about so much. His only goal now was to improve his strength as quickly as possible to face the great war twenty years from now.
"Knock, knock."
Not long after he began cultivating, a series of calm, rhythmic knocks made Tian Chen immediately open his eyes and look toward the door in confusion.
Aside from the servants, only he and his grandfather lived in the entire manor, and the servants would not normally disturb him in the middle of the night. That left only his grandfather.
That was precisely what puzzled him.
What did Grandpa need to see me about this late? Could it be the gift he mentioned earlier? Then why hadn't he brought it up over dinner?
At that thought, Tian Chen muttered excitedly to himself, but his movements did not drag.
When he opened the heavy door, his grandfather Tian E was looking at him with a smile, just as he had expected.
Without saying much, Tian E waved his hand, and the door closed by itself. A golden ripple then instantly spread over the entire room.
This was a barrier he had set up.
Sensing the fluctuations of Soul Power around Tian Chen that had yet to settle after his cultivation, Tian E nodded in gratification.
Perhaps the goal I failed to accomplish could be realized through Chen'er.
Golden light flashed, and a long, pitch-black wooden box resembling a sword case appeared in Tian E's right hand. He handed it straight to Tian Chen.
"Open it and have a look."
Tian E smiled with a hint of smugness, seemingly already picturing his grandson's astonished expression.
Tian Chen took it instinctively and hefted it in both hands, finding the wooden box heavier than he had imagined.
Even without Golden Crocodile saying anything, he had guessed what was inside. What besides a Soul Bone would warrant such caution from his grandfather?
He knew that, given his grandfather's status, any Soul Bone he treasured so carefully had to be a fine specimen at least fifty thousand years old. Absorbing it now would not be a waste.
He opened the pitch-black wooden box with both hands. Only a sliver of a gap appeared, yet it gave Tian Chen a tremendous shock. An incomparably surging presence rushed out through that gap, seemingly freezing even the surrounding space.
Inside the wooden box lay a miniature right leg bone. It was golden throughout, its radiance contained, but its powerful, violent presence was enough to strike fear into anyone's heart.
Moreover, this Soul Bone was exceptionally complete. It was not the sort consisting of only a lower leg bone, but a complete Soul Bone that included the thigh bone.
Soul Bones also came in different grades. Generally speaking, the more complete a Soul Bone and the greater its energy fluctuations, the better its quality and the higher the grade of the Soul Beast it had come from.
As Golden Crocodile Douluo's grandson, Tian Chen had been fortunate enough to see Soul Bones up close, but none had come anywhere near this one in either completeness or energy fluctuations.
And the few Soul Bones he had seen before had all been fine specimens over fifty thousand years old.
Looking at his grandfather's faintly smug, half-smiling expression, Tian Chen could not help asking.
"Grandpa, this Soul Bone definitely isn't merely fifty thousand years old, is it?"
"It must be at least seventy thousand years old."
Tian Chen gave what he considered the most plausible answer.
He had never even considered a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone.
At his words, Tian E tapped Tian Chen on the head in exasperation and curled his lip disdainfully.
This little brat really couldn't recognize a treasure.
"I obtained this from that hundred-thousand-year-old Back-Spiked Crocodile King when I acquired my Ninth Soul Ring. Stop thinking so much and hurry up and absorb it. After you obtained your First Soul Ring, the bloodline of our inherited Martial Soul was fully awakened. It suppresses all crocodilian Soul Beasts, so there won't be any problems absorbing this Soul Bone."
What Tian E did not know, however, was that Soul Rings placed greater emphasis on age, while Soul Bones placed greater emphasis on quality.
In other words, the requirements for absorbing a Soul Bone were much lower than those for a Soul Ring.
But quality also mattered most for Soul Bones. If the bloodline of the Soul Beast that produced a Soul Bone was too powerful for a Soul Master to control, there was likewise a risk of their body exploding.
Just as Xiao Xiao in Douluo II had been unable to absorb the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's Terrorclaw Soul Bone.
Tian Chen, however, did not have that problem. After he obtained his First Soul Ring, the bloodline of his Golden Crocodile King Martial Soul had fully awakened, allowing it to suppress crocodilian Soul Beasts. In that sense, Tian E was not wrong.
Tian Chen glanced at his grandfather without saying anything more.
There was no need for such formality between family. Putting certain things into words would only spoil them.
Taking a deep breath, Tian Chen forcibly restrained the tumult within him and sat down cross-legged.
His hands trembling slightly with excitement, he gripped the sharply contoured golden right leg bone tightly, then pressed it against his own right leg.
He had never imagined that his very first Soul Bone could be at the hundred-thousand-year level. How could he not be excited?
A faint humming suddenly sounded. Tian Chen felt his right leg tremble slightly, and then a warm sensation quietly seeped into it from all directions.
It was warm and comfortable, without the slightest obstruction. Tian Chen even sensed a faint feeling of closeness from it.
Half an hour later, this top-grade, hundred-thousand-year Soul Bone, something countless Soul Masters dreamed of, had become part of Tian Chen.
After carefully sensing the skills the Soul Bone had brought him, his smile grew even wider.
With this, he could make up for his shortcomings as well.
Opening his eyes, Tian Chen was just about to show off to his grandfather when he realized Tian E had long since left the room. Looking over the golden ring of light surrounding the room, Tian Chen felt warmth in his heart, then closed his eyes and resumed cultivating.
This Soul Bone had not merely raised his Soul Power to rank fifteen. More importantly, it had enormously enhanced all his physical attributes. Calling it a rebirth that cleansed his tendons and marrow would be no exaggeration.
The ancient texts he had read in Spirit Hall, which told of ordinarily talented Soul Masters who happened to obtain high-grade Soul Bones, cleansed their essence and marrow, and soared into the sky, even advancing to Titled Douluo, were probably true.
Only after experiencing it himself did he clearly understand just how great a boost a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone gave a Soul Master.
It was hardly difficult to understand why Titled Douluo with Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings possessed such outstanding combat prowess.
Looking inward at the Soul Power circulating rapidly through his body, Tian Chen revealed a satisfied smile.
With this Soul Bone, he had a little more confidence in his plan.
"If I get a tattoo, it'll be of a certain Mr. Zhou. From then on, I'll never be a wage slave."
One could say, "Working for someone else is impossible. I'll never work for someone else in this lifetime."
This belief had already sunk deep into Tian Chen's marrow.
Although Spirit Hall was an organization of Soul Masters, all its actual authority rested in the Qian Family's hands.
Had Bibi Dong not taken advantage of Qian Xunji's severe injuries to kill him and rise to power herself, the position of Spirit Hall's Supreme Pontiff would still have remained firmly in the Qian Family's grasp.
To put it bluntly, he and his grandfather were nothing more than the Qian Family's running dogs.
Only power held in one's own hands was truly one's own. Tian Chen understood that principle perfectly well.
Besides, Tian Chen had never been someone willing to remain beneath others.
Since he had become a transmigrator, what was the point of transmigrating if he was still going to drift through life like a salted fish?
But all of this required careful thought and planning. It was not yet time to fall out with Qian Daoliu.
Once he and his grandfather obtained Immortal Herbs, having Tian E take one might well allow him to become a Limit Douluo. Then they could slowly build up their strength in secret while using Spirit Hall's power to suppress the two great empires and the Upper Three Sects. Once the time was ripe, he could simply take power himself.