Chapter 212: The Emergence of the Clear Sky Clan
After everyone had divided up the soul bones, there remained one last storage soul tool on the table, which undoubtedly contained valuable treasures. Yang Potian activated his spirit power, releasing everything from within, instantly filling the entire chamber with an assortment of bottles, jars, and various wooden and jade boxes.
The sight left everyone in awe. Inside were countless treasures, including thousand-year-old medicinal herbs and spiritual elixirs that made everyone shiver with excitement.
Yang Wudi trembled as he spoke, "Potian, were all these from the treasure troves of the three major sects? I never imagined they held so many priceless treasures."
Yang Potian shook his head. "This is just a fraction. With these resources, our academy's development is well-supported. Grandfather, use them to refine as many Explosive Soul Pills as possible. We might need them soon."
Yang Potian let the group continue dividing the treasures as they saw fit, for he still had an ample stash of his own, holding no fewer than eight other storage soul tools packed with valuables.
The following morning, Yang Potian summoned the other five for a planning session. The five looked around, puzzled as to why Potian had gathered them so soon after their return home.
He turned to Yang Ping'an, asking, "Ping'an, are you afraid of pain?"
Caught off guard, Yang Ping'an chuckled nervously. "No, Big Brother. Why do you ask?"
Without hesitation, Potian instructed, "Good. Niu Mang, chop off Ping'an's entire right arm. Lingling, be ready to heal."
Yang Ping'an paled. "My arm? Brother, I didn't do anything wrong! Don't torture me like this; I actually do fear pain!"
Yang Potian ignored his protests as Niu Mang prepared to act. Desperate, Ping'an blurted, "Brother, I'm sorry! I admit I like Tianyue! Just give us your blessing already."
Tianyue's face flushed a deep red, and she almost tried to intervene. But Potian shot her a warning glance, and she withdrew, flustered.
Potian smirked, "Anything else you want to confess, Ping'an?"
Frantic, Ping'an declared, "I swear, Brother, my heart belongs to Tianyue alone! No one else matters to me."
Tianyue, touched by his words, stepped forward and took Potian's arm. "Please, Brother, don't torment him. Ping'an has been nothing but good to me."
Potian mentally sighed, thinking, So my precious little sister is getting stolen away after all.
In the end, Potian clarified, "I'm removing your right arm to replace it with something better."
Ping'an's confusion gave way to relief. "Oh, so you're not trying to stop me from pursuing Tianyue?"
Potian gave him a dark look. "No, but since you already confessed everything I hadn't asked about, I'm glad I'll be improving your arm with a stronger soul bone."
After clearing up the misunderstanding, Potian handed a two-meter blade to Niu Mang. As Niu Mang raised the weapon, Lingling, Dugu Yan, and Niu Mang exchanged grins, realizing that Potian's choice of such a massive blade for a simple dismemberment was likely to make Ping'an's ordeal more dramatic.
With a clean swing, Niu Mang severed Ping'an's arm, and Lingling immediately began to heal him. Potian placed a sparking thunder-attribute soul bone against the wound, allowing Lingling to direct her healing energy toward integration.
Ping'an's face contorted with the intense pain, his forehead beaded with cold sweat. Potian, meanwhile, couldn't help but feel a bit satisfied. If you want to court my sister, there's always a price.
Over the next several hours, Lingling poured her energy into the treatment. Her spirit power, amplified by her leg soul bone, helped Ping'an's arm regenerate, now gleaming white and as good as new.
Potian then presented the others with powerful soul bones: two more eighty-thousand-year thunder-attributed soul bones to Ping'an, a sixty-thousand-year Mighty Bull left-arm soul bone to Niu Mang, a seventy-thousand-year Golden Armored Scorpion right-arm bone to Dugu Yan, and two seventy-thousand-year soul bones—a Moonshadow Cat left-leg bone and a White-Eyed Demon Tiger King right-arm bone—to Lingling. With these final allocations, all the rare soul bones were distributed, except for a spare seventy-thousand-year Earthly Barbaric Bear right-arm bone.
Eyeing the Earthly Barbaric Bear bone, Potian considered whether Niu Mang should have it instead of his current thirty-thousand-year Flaming Wrath right-arm bone, as it would better complement Niu Mang's power.
Potian handed the bone to Niu Mang, saying, "This seventy-thousand-year bone is much stronger. If you want to upgrade, have Lingling heal you afterward. If you'd rather keep your current one, pass this to Grandfather."
With everyone now equipped with powerful new bones, Potian gave them a serious directive. "Absorb these as soon as possible to improve your power. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan have suffered heavy losses. Tianxing Academy will soon face its own challenges. Everyone needs to reach the Titled Douluo rank to withstand what lies ahead."
"Keep in mind, too, to reserve one slot for a soul bone. When it's time for each of you to obtain a hundred-thousand-year soul ring, there should be a matching hundred-thousand-year soul bone to pair with it."
Potian's careful planning ensured that Dugu Yan, Lingling, and Niu Mang each received two compatible bones, giving them excellent future potential. Though the seventy-thousand-year Golden Armored Scorpion arm bone was primarily for strength, it was well-suited to Dugu Yan's fighting style. As for Lingling's soul bones, they provided boosts in speed and offense, bolstering her independence in battle.
Everyone looked at the soul bones they had received, understanding the weight of the current situation. As unrest spread throughout the spirit master realm, each of them would need to contribute to the academy's defense. Especially Niu Mang, who stared at his soul bone, still deep in thought.
In the days following the division of the soul bones, everyone focused on absorbing their new enhancements, while Yang Tianyue trained diligently, aiming to reach her next breakthrough. Niu Mang, after careful consideration, decided to replace his old soul bone with the new one. As the lowest-ranked in the group, both in spirit power and overall strength, he felt the weight of his responsibilities. His Yu family, though strong within Tianxing Academy, relied heavily on him as the only promising talent in his generation.
According to Yang Potian's calculations, once Yang Ping'an and Ye Lingling completed absorbing their new soul bones, they would likely reach level 90, allowing them to venture into the Star Dou Forest to hunt for new spirit rings.
Yang Potian himself planned to absorb several spirit rings, aiming to push his power to level 98 or even 99, while leaving two or three spirit ring slots open for future needs. Yang Tianyue's ninth Sea God Trial required the defeat of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King. Given that its million-year spirit ring was beyond the absorption capacity of any ordinary Titled Douluo, Yang Potian believed he might be the only one capable of handling it, as his ninth spirit ring already reached 500,000 years due to his Golden Body awakening, which endowed him with superior physical strength.
A few days later, news from the outside world shook the academy: the Clear Sky Clan, once forced into seclusion, had reemerged. Clan Chief Tang Xiao led the Clear Sky Clan back into the world of spirit masters, establishing their headquarters near Heaven Dou City, remarkably close to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. Strategically placed, the Clear Sky Clan, Seven Treasure Clan, and Heaven Dou City formed a protective triangle, each less than a hundred kilometers from one another.
Tang Xiao made a public statement, announcing the Clear Sky Clan's return and inviting its former affiliated clans to rejoin under its protection. Surprisingly, Spirit Hall made no public response, offering neither criticism nor denouncing Clear Sky's actions as a breach of past agreements.
Furthermore, the Clear Sky Clan's strength left many astonished: Tang Xiao, now a level 97 Titled Douluo, was one of the realm's most powerful, and Tang Hao, along with three other elders, brought the clan's Titled Douluo count to five, making them a formidable force among the great clans.
Despite Spirit Hall's ongoing pursuit of Tang Hao, no further action had been taken, and no attempt was made to confront the Clear Sky Clan directly.
Back at Tianxing Academy, Yang Wudi and the others met in the meditation room, all with solemn expressions.
Yang Wudi sighed. "So, the Clear Sky Clan has finally returned to the open. It seems our days of peace may be ending soon."
Niu Gao, visibly angry, added, "They have the nerve to summon their old affiliates back to their ranks? After the way they abandoned us last time, do they think we'd be so foolish as to fall for it again? White Crane and Titan have both already rejoined them, it seems, as if they've conveniently forgotten the past!"
Everyone fell silent, each caught in their thoughts about the situation.
Yang Potian broke the silence, "The Clear Sky Clan's motives for reappearing are likely complicated, especially since Spirit Hall's lack of reaction is suspicious. Either they've struck some sort of agreement, or there's been a covert clash."
"Either way," he continued, "we have no business with the Clear Sky Clan. Despite their five Titled Douluos, we currently have seven—more than enough to defend ourselves. If they try to drag us in, we'll simply show them the strength we now possess."
He turned to Yang Zhentian. "Father, with the three high-level spirit bones you've recently absorbed, how long do you think it'll take you to reach level 97?"
Yang Zhentian had just chosen three spirit bones, each over 30,000 years old, and was preparing to go into seclusion when this news reached them.
After a thoughtful pause, Yang Zhentian responded, "I'll absorb them as soon as possible. After that, reaching level 97 shouldn't be an issue. If the Clear Sky Clan tries to challenge us, we'll be more than prepared to face them."
(End of Chapter)
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