Tang Lan said, "Xiao Ao, try to imagine it being lighter, then lift it again."
Oscar instinctively followed the instruction.
And then, he—who previously couldn't lift it—rose to the challenge!
Looking at the Thunderflame Clear Sky Hammer, which now felt as light as a feather in his hands, Oscar's jaw dropped.
It could work like this?
No wonder Tang Lan never knew the actual weight of his hammer—there was a bug in play!
Listening to the fierce, cutting wind generated by its movement, he could tell that while the hammer's weight on him had changed, its actual mass remained completely intact in reality.
Oscar decided to swing it to the side—
"Boom—"
A muffled thunderclap exploded as he smashed through the ice beneath him, sending him plunging deeper underground.
A few seconds later—
Oscar spread his azure wings and flew out of the pit.
His face was flushed with excitement!
"Master, your Thunderflame Clear Sky Hammer is incredible!"
"It actually alters the weight the user bears without changing its own mass?"
"That means even I can wield it now!"
Tang Lan simply gave a mysterious smile.
Since the trait of Destruction Source could be replicated—
Then...
"Oscar, try to imagine bestowing the Thunderflame Clear Sky Hammer upon yourself," Tang Lan instructed.
"Then activate your Martial Soul, Blue Silver Emperor."
This was another trait of the Thunderflame Clear Sky Hammer—Martial Soul Bestowal!
Oscar tried several times before finally grasping the essence of it.
Left hand: Blue Silver Emperor.
Right hand: Thunderflame Clear Sky Hammer.
Dual souls coexisting!
Oscar was so stunned that his mouth wouldn't close.
Tang Lan rarely fought, so he hadn't noticed before—
His twin martial souls could actually be used at the same time?!
Left hand controls, right hand attacks?
Holy sh*t!
Wasn't this basically cheating?!
Tang Lan nodded in satisfaction.
So far—
Everything was proceeding according to his plan.
Now, the only thing left to confirm was—
If the Replicating Mirror Intestine, as a soul skill, could still be preserved within Slaughter City.
If it worked—
Then he could let his core disciples collectively train in Clear Sky techniques without worries.
By then, they'd be wielding grass in one hand, a hammer in the other, effortlessly tearing through the Hell Dungeon.
Everyone would have a Killing God Domain—
Just thinking about it was awesome!
As for how to test it?
Simple.
"Xiao Ao."
At Tang Lan's call—
The excited Oscar immediately restrained himself and landed in front of him.
"Master, your command!"
Tang Lan squeezed out a few more drops of gum blood and handed them to Oscar.
"Produce a few more Replicating Mirror Intestines—I need them."
"Yes, sir!"
Since he didn't have to eat them himself, Oscar worked with efficiency.
He directly activated his soul bone ability: Dual Casting, producing four Replicating Mirror Intestines in just two uses of his soul skill.
Tang Lan then handed them over to Tang Hao.
"Old man, take these to Slaughter City, would you?"
—As someone who had conquered Hell Road, Tang Hao had the ability to freely enter and exit Slaughter City.
Hearing this, Tang Hao immediately understood what Tang Lan was planning.
As he took the Replicating Mirror Intestines, he couldn't help but ask—
"You brought Xiao Ao to the Extreme North, to get a Mirror Beast as his soul spirit—was this your goal all along?"
"Not entirely," Tang Lan admitted. "But the Replicating Mirror Intestine is undoubtedly strong, isn't it?"
Tang Hao nodded in agreement, giving Oscar another look.
Oscar responded with a brilliant grin.
No wonder Tang Lan had invested so much in him—
He was almost fully equipped with a soul bone set.
Oscar truly deserved it.
"Alright," Tang Lan said. "Things here are temporarily settled. We should prepare to head back."
"Rest for half a day and regroup here."
"First, let's escort Ice Emperor and Snow Emperor to Star Dou Forest to begin the next phase of the plan."
No one had any objections.
In fact, Ice Emperor was so eager that she wanted to set off immediately.
But Snow Emperor held her back.
"This break isn't for you," she whispered.
"It's for Shui Bing'er, who's been drained dry!"
Half a day later.
A streak of blood-red light tore across the sky, heading straight for Star Dou Forest.
It stopped above the Soul Spirit Research Base.
Over the past half month, the facility had expanded significantly, with large numbers of Tang Sect disciples patrolling the area.
Watchtowers had been constructed every five kilometers, each manned by three Tang Sect disciples—
One operating binoculars, another manning a Fire God Cannon, and the third wielding a Barrett sniper rifle.
Together, they monitored the base with zero blind spots.
The reason for such an elaborate setup—
Was because a large number of Tang Sect disciples had already moved into the base.
They were to be the first batch of experimental subjects, initiating large-scale Soul Spirit contracts.
Since this concerned the future of the Tang Sect, extra caution was necessary.
At the same time—
Tang Lan descended, releasing Tang Hao and the others.
Wang Dali, accompanied by Niu Gao and Zhao Wuji, arrived upon hearing the commotion.
"Greetings, Sect Master!"
Tang Lan casually gestured for them to rise, considering it a response.
He asked casually, "How many Tang Sect disciples arrived this time?"
Zhao Wuji stepped forward and reported—
"A total of 147 disciples need to obtain their second and third spirit rings."
"This includes 30 Spirit Transmitters, 10 of whom need to acquire their third ring."
"We are currently matching them with suitable spirit beasts, comparing their age, temperament, and attributes."
"We estimate the process will be completed within three days."
Not bad.
The progress was swift.
"Prioritize matching the 10 Spirit Transmitters first. This afternoon, I'll assist them in completing their Soul Spirit contracts."
"Understood!"
Zhao Wuji hesitated for a moment before speaking—
"However, the spirit beasts that meet the requirements for mental attributes are mostly around 4,500 years old."
"They have all taken Whale Gel, but their absorption limit is only around 4,000 years."
"Although with your assistance, Sect Master, they can absorb the rings safely—"
"But if you intervene, it might…"
"Make it less convincing for others."
Zhao Wuji's concerns were quite reasonable.
The Soul Spirit Equality Contract demonstration aimed to prove—
That even without Tang Lan, the disciples could independently form Soul Spirit contracts.
It needed to be a replicable system.
If Tang Lan personally intervened, it would weaken the legitimacy of the process.
After pondering for a moment—
Tang Lan took out ten soul bones and handed them to Zhao Wuji.
"These are over 6,000 years old. They should raise the absorption limit by at least 500 years."
"As the first batch of participants, they deserve some extra incentives."
Zhao Wuji sighed in relief.
Accepting the soul bones, he turned to leave—
But not before sneaking a few glances at Ice Emperor and Snow Emperor.
Not out of greed—
But because he could vaguely sense the immense danger radiating from these two women.
If Zhao Wuji's reaction was "vague unease"—
Then for Wang Dali, a Title Douluo, this was a full-blown crisis!
His instincts screamed that the Ice and Snow Emperors were far more dangerous than both the Titan Giant Ape and Sky Blue Bull Python!
If they hadn't come alongside Tang Lan and Tang Hao,
He would have bolted on the spot!
"Moo—"
A thunderous bovine roar echoed across Star Dou Forest as the Sky Blue Bull Python approached at high speed.
Following closely behind was the Titan Giant Ape, leaping high into the air before landing at the forest's edge.
Their full presence erupted, locking eyes with the Ice and Snow Emperors across the distance!
But the Ice and Snow Emperors?
They couldn't even be bothered to acknowledge them.
—Too weak. Not interested.
"Perfect timing," Tang Lan said. "I'll take you two to meet Da Ming and Er Ming for a briefing."
He reached out and grabbed the Ice and Snow Emperors by the shoulders, causing them to frown slightly.
"My flying spirit bone is still on cooldown," Tang Lan explained shamelessly. "Too lazy to walk. You guys fly me over."
That was reasonable.
So, the Ice and Snow Emperors took off, carrying Tang Lan toward Da Ming and Er Ming.
Suddenly!
Tang Lan turned his head toward Wang Dali.
"Elder Wang, want to catch up with an old friend?"
Wang Dali's eyelids twitched violently!
Catch up?!
What kind of sick joke was that?!
The last time he met the Sky Blue Bull Python, he had been scared off by a single roar!
That was NOT a pleasant memory!
Whether it still remembered him was a whole different problem!
But before he could even argue—
The Ice and Snow Emperors stopped midair, turning back to look at him.
At that moment—
Wang Dali felt like he was shouldering a mountain of pressure!
Panic surged through him, and he frantically shook his head—
"No need!"
"Not familiar!"
"Not seeing it!"
"Thank you very much!"
Tang Lan scratched his head in confusion.
What's with Wang Dali? Why such a big reaction?
Then, noticing the Ice and Snow Emperors, he suddenly understood—
He must have seen through their true forms and gotten scared of their overwhelming cultivation.
"Alright then, we'll head over."
Tang Lan and the Ice and Snow Emperors flew off.
Wang Dali's shoulders slumped as a wave of relief washed over him.
Too damn scary!
—PAH!
Σ(っQДQ;)っ