He still remembered what Old Jack had said before — that there were ten levels of Soul Masters, and a Soul Saint was at the eighth level.
He had only cultivated for six years and had already reached the level of Soul Saint?
Xiao Yan was truly shocked!
If he cultivated for a few more years, wouldn't he be able to reach the realm of Title Douluo?
Blue Silver King said: "King, your strength is unique, and even I cannot see through its depth. But the fact that you killed that Black Nether Bear is undeniable. However, King, there's something you should pay attention to."
"Hmm? Pay attention to what?"Xiao Yan chuckled and sat down on the grass.
Seems like my internal force is still significantly different from soul power. Even this Blue Silver King can't figure it out.
Blue Silver King said: "Ordinary soul beasts grow in size as their cultivation years increase. But the Black Nether Bear is a special case. As its cultivation increases, its size doesn't change much. Instead, its intelligence increases significantly. Among soul beasts, the Black Nether Bear often wins battles with its combat skills."
Xiao Yan squinted his eyes. So the Blue Silver King was implying that if it had been another soul beast with the same cultivation level, its physical defense would have been even stronger than that of the Black Nether Bear.
Suddenly, Xiao Yan thought — since this Blue Silver King had achieved sentience, it must have vast knowledge. He quickly asked: "Do you know of any plants that appear light but are actually very heavy?"
Just now, after examining the Black Nether Bear's corpse, he realized his attack power was still somewhat lacking.
To take down a 60,000-year-old soul beast, he had only barely managed it. If he encountered an even stronger one, he might not even be able to break its skin.
He had to train harder.
Thinking back to the weighted training he had imagined during forging, he asked this question.
Using iron blocks as shoes was already the limit. If he wanted to forge clothing that appeared normal but was actually heavy, the energy and money required would be astronomical!
It seemed nearly impossible.
But if such a plant existed and he could find it one day, weaving it into clothing would be excellent.
Blue Silver King thought for a moment and said: "Such a plant soul beast does exist, but it's extremely rare. I only know of it through the information collected by the Blue Silver Grass. It's called the Golden Thread Vine. Although it's a plant vine, it's as tough and heavy as gold.
If it has cultivated for ten thousand years, it will resemble a small tree. Normally, it changes color according to its surroundings, looking no different from an ordinary tree. But if a soul beast or soul master approaches, it will suddenly attack, wrapping and killing them.
Its vines are incredibly tough and attack without warning. Most soul beasts or soul masters can't escape and end up being strangled alive, completely wrapped up, becoming nutrients for the plant."
Xiao Yan nodded frequently: "Then tell me the characteristics of this Golden Thread Vine, so I'll recognize it if I come across it in the future."
Blue Silver King recalled further and then described them in detail.
After listening, Xiao Yan didn't hurry to leave. Instead, he lay down near the Blue Silver King to restore his internal energy.
The battle had drained him quite a bit. The surrounding dense forest didn't feel safe. Better to recover his strength first.
Under the bright sunlight, the surrounding environment was peaceful, and Xiao Yan soon fell into a light sleep.
Although meditating cross-legged would help him recover faster, with the Blue Silver King nearby, it didn't feel appropriate.
Who knew how much time had passed when Xiao Yan suddenly sensed a shift in the wind. He abruptly opened his eyes and stood up, looking east.
There he saw a disheveled man in a black robe slowly walking toward him.
Xiao Yan's pupils shrank sharply. "Why is Tang Hao here?"
When his martial soul underwent its second awakening, Xiao Yan felt it lasted only a moment. But in reality, more than seven days had passed. This had made Tang Hao extremely anxious.
After days of searching, he had just spotted the rattan basket in a grassy area not far away, finally leading him to this place.
"I wonder what Tang Hao will think when he sees me like this?"Xiao Yan touched his blue hair, his heart heavy.
During the battle between the vine man and the Black Nether Bear, he noticed changes in his body — especially his hair, figure, and face, which were now drastically different from before.
Blue Silver King said: "King, a human is approaching. We soul beasts don't like humans, so I'll keep quiet for now."
Saying that, Blue Silver King wrapped its vines around itself, hiding its face and blending into an ancient tree.
After a moment of thought, Xiao Yan walked toward Tang Hao.
Seeing Xiao Yan's clothes, Tang Hao still recognized his son despite the major change in appearance: "Xiao San, you! How did you end up here?"
He had originally planned to wait until his son had cultivated enough to awaken the Blue Silver Emperor martial soul. He didn't expect him to awaken it on his own.
Xiao Yan glanced at the Black Nether Bear on the ground and quickly made something up: "I was just out gathering herbs when I ran into this big black bear. It chased me, and I ran blindly until I ended up here. Luckily, a big vine killed it and told me some strange things…"
While speaking, Xiao Yan recounted the Blue Silver King's words to Tang Hao, saying he had awakened the Blue Silver Emperor martial soul during the process.
Tang Hao glanced at the Black Nether Bear, knowing it was among the more intelligent types of soul beasts. It must have sensed his son's unique bloodline and wanted to consume him for the benefits.
Thinking of this, Tang Hao broke out in a cold sweat. It seemed Ah Yin had protected their son — not only helping him escape death but also triggering the Blue Silver Emperor awakening.
"Let's go home. I have something to tell you."Tang Hao tossed the vine basket to Xiao Yan and turned to leave.
"Wait a moment."Xiao Yan caught the basket and summoned his hammer martial soul.
Tang Hao looked at Xiao Yan in confusion.
Xiao Yan smiled, tightened his grip on the hammer, and smashed it onto the Black Nether Bear's limbs. With a few bangs, he severed all four bear paws.
Then he released the Blue Silver Emperor vines, wrapped the four paws together, and said: "These bear paws are rare delicacies. It'd be a shame to leave them here."
Tang Hao nodded: "I haven't had your cooking in over six days. Roast those paws later."
Xiao Yan's heart skipped a beat. He had only been out for half a day, yet more than six days had passed?
Could it be that during the second martial soul awakening, time had flown by? He had only perceived a moment, but six days had actually passed.
Following behind Tang Hao, Xiao Yan thought deeply and couldn't help but feel awed by the man ahead.
He had left Sacred Soul Village, traveled hundreds of kilometers, and hadn't returned by afternoon. Tang Hao must have started searching then.
And even without a clear direction, Tang Hao had managed to find him in just over six days.
His speed alone was terrifying — far beyond Xiao Yan's current capabilities.
With his current strength around the Soul Saint level, and Tang Hao already much faster, he couldn't just be a regular Soul Douluo. He had to be a Title Douluo.
Thinking of this, Xiao Yan broke into a cold sweat. This old bastard Tang Hao really had something up his sleeve — he was actually a Title Douluo!
Suddenly, Xiao Yan's thoughts shifted. Tang Hao, this old bastard, a Title Douluo? Then maybe Title Douluos weren't that special.
Tang Hao looked about sixty, ragged and scruffy. Besides being stronger, he didn't have that godlike aura or mountain-shattering power.
Title Douluo — the pinnacle of strength on Douluo Continent — was this all there was?
Xiao Yan wasn't so sure anymore. His own martial soul and soul ring skills were quite fantastical.
And Tang Hao hadn't even displayed his martial soul yet. Once he did and used his soul ring abilities, it might be a different story entirely.
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(End of Chapter)