As the crowd of humans and soul beasts watched intently, focusing on the very first soul spirit contract being signed—
A sudden low growl broke the silence!
The abrupt sound startled both the soul beast and the human in the midst of signing the contract, causing them to tremble!
Even the gathered powerhouses felt their hearts clench!
Tang Lan reacted swiftly, casting Boundless Sea Soul Seal in an instant.
The barrier isolated the contracting pair from the outside world, ensuring they remained undisturbed.
Only then did he have the time to turn and see what had happened.
A soul beast nearby had inexplicably gone berserk, baring its fangs in fury and lunging at the spirit transmogrifier before it!
Snow Empress' eyes narrowed!
The raging soul beast was instantly frozen into an ice sculpture, locked in place.
Tang Lan extended his spiritual power like a rope, pulling both the frozen beast and the terrified transmogrifier over.
"What happened?" Tang Lan frowned.
The transmogrifier wore a bitter expression, his eyes filled with helplessness.
"Sect Master, the soul bone I absorbed at noon… just so happens to be from the same species as that soul beast."
Hmm?
Tang Lan swept his spiritual sense over him—sure enough, it was true.
The enraged soul beast was called Chroma, known for its immense spiritual and physical prowess. It was no surprise that it produced soul bones that enhanced physique.
But was this just bad luck?
Tang Lan turned to look at Niu Gao, who shook his head grimly.
—The soul beast list had been thoroughly vetted in advance.
Which meant that this transmogrifier had known there was a problem with his soul bone but had chosen not to speak up.
What was he thinking?
Now wasn't the time to investigate further.
"There are no compatible soul beasts with your spiritual attribute left," Tang Lan waved him off. "Go back for now and match with a new one. You can sign the contract again in three days."
The transmogrifier was on the verge of tears.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to have an entire page of the ancestral records dedicated to him!
Maybe even an entire book!
And just like that, it slipped away?
But what could he do except accept the consequences of his own choices? He could only retreat in frustration and regret.
As this incident concluded, the remaining eight transmogrifier-soul beast pairs began their contract-signing process.
Tang Lan cast Boundless Sea Soul Seal on each group, ensuring that they remained undisturbed.
Now came the waiting game.
These transmogrifiers lacked overwhelming spiritual power or the cheat-like abilities of a Soul Spirit Domain.
So, every step had to be taken with extreme caution.
Two full hours passed.
Finally, the first group neared the final stage of the contract.
The transmogrifier in question completely absorbed the essence of the soul beast before him, transforming it into a radiant purple soul ring that settled as his third ring.
At the same time, a bright purple light shone.
The soul beast, now in soul spirit form, emerged from his chest, its previously maimed body now whole, throwing its head back and letting out an exhilarated cry.
Fortunately, Boundless Sea Soul Seal prevented any disturbance to the other groups.
"Click—"
Bai He used a communication soul device to capture this historic moment.
—Tomorrow's front-page headline was secured!
The gathered humans and soul beasts alike broke into wide smiles.
It had succeeded!
The very first "wild" soul spirit contract was officially completed, proving that soul spirits could be established independently—without Tang Lan's direct involvement.
The only variable was the success rate.
But no matter how low the success rate, this was an unprecedented step forward!
From this moment on—
Soul beasts had a brand-new choice. They were no longer doomed to be hunted passively by humans.
This was a fundamental breakthrough!
"Congratulations, Sect Master." Niu Gao offered his heartfelt praise. "Because of soul spirits, Tang Sect will stand tall on the Douluo Continent and be renowned for millennia!"
Tang Lan merely smiled, unbothered by the praise.
Millennia?
He was no "Tang God-King."
Tang Sect, as his tool to harvest faith, would remain the absolute number one on the continent—for all eternity.
He gestured for the transmogrifier to come forward.
Tang Lan asked warmly, "What's your name?"
"Sect Master, my name is Dongfang Richu!" The young man was visibly shaking with excitement. "I was born into a side branch of my family and have been suppressed my whole life. It was only thanks to the Sect sending people to recruit me that I escaped my suffering. From now on, I live as a Tang Sect member and will die as one!"
As he spoke, Tang Lan clearly saw wisps of faith energy drifting from Dongfang Richu's forehead.
It was a small amount—but continuous.
That could not go unrewarded.
Tang Lan smiled and nodded. "Tang Sect's Spirit Transmission Tower has just been founded, and it needs exceptional talent to lead it."
"Since you are the first to sign a soul spirit contract, I hereby appoint you as the first Vice Tower Master of Tang Sect's Spirit Transmission Tower."
"Your status will be equal to that of the Vice Sect Masters. All of Tang Sect's secret techniques will be open to you. Disciples ranked Hall Master and below must heed your command."
"I hope that you will lead the Spirit Transmission Tower to stand atop the continent, allowing soul spirits to replace soul rings and fostering coexistence between humans and soul beasts."
Dongfang Richu stood frozen in shock—unable to believe what he had just heard!
A mere Rank-31 Soul Elder like him… was being made Vice Tower Master of the Spirit Transmission Tower?
This…
This was like a dream!
But soon, that shock turned into overwhelming emotion.
As the saying went— A warrior is willing to die for the one who recognizes his worth.
Tang Sect had not only saved him from suffering but had now elevated him to a position of immense power and prestige.
His loyalty exploded, his faith energy surging like never before!
Dongfang Richu dropped to both knees and swore solemnly—
"This disciple will devote his life to building the Spirit Transmission Tower, striving for its growth with every fiber of his being, to repay Sect Master's trust!"
Tang Lan smiled as he stepped forward to help Dongfang Richu up, giving his shoulder a firm pat.
Then, he had the young man stand right beside him.
The sight made everyone around them green with envy.
Some secretly cursed their lack of spiritual talent—why couldn't they have been born with it?
But even more people were doing mental calculations.
If a mere Rank-31 soul master could become Vice Tower Master...
Then what about stronger soul masters with spiritual attributes?
In that moment,
Countless minds started churning with new ideas.
And this was exactly what Tang Lan wanted.
As the saying goes: Spending a fortune to buy a horse's bones, building a golden platform for talents.
Dongfang Richu was the symbolic purchase—the bones of the legendary steed.
An 18-year-old at Rank-31 was just average talent on the continent.
But because he was early in pledging loyalty, he had already secured the title of Vice Tower Master.
Now, what would soul masters with far greater talent in spiritual power think?
—"If he can do it, why not me?"
And if the Vice Tower Master already received such generous treatment...
Then what about the Tower Master position?
It was foreseeable—
A massive wave of spiritual attribute soul masters would flood into Tang Sect, eager to become Spirit Transmogrifiers and compete for the Tower Master's throne.
Tang Hao, watching from the side, felt immense pride swell in his chest.
He raised his communication soul device and turned to the ethereal projection of Ah Yin with deep emotion.
"Ah Yin, our son… he's truly exceptional."
Ah Yin's eyes glistened with warmth, a proud smile tugging at her lips.
Meanwhile, the two Ice Empresses exchanged glances, then turned their firm gazes toward Tang Lan.
It seemed that the blood sacrifice was inevitable now.
At Star Dou Forest—
Da Ming and Er Ming, though delighted, also felt a twinge of unease.
"Big Brother…" Er Ming whispered, "Now that he has Snow Empress and Ice Empress, do you think he'll still want us?"
To be honest—
That was a valid concern.
The two of them combined only had 100,000 years of cultivation—far less than Ice Empress' 380,000 years.
It wouldn't be surprising if they were overlooked.
But Da Ming shook his head.
After all—
"He will have nine soul rings in the future."
"And with his Extreme Soul Attribute, he could very well have one soul ring, one soul spirit for each."
"With Sister Xiao Wu's connection, accepting the two of us won't be a problem."
Only then did Er Ming let out a sigh of relief.
Nearby,
Other soul beasts who overheard the conversation between the two Beast Kings wore complicated expressions.
Since when…
Did soul beasts have to worry about not being wanted, even if they offered themselves as sacrifices?
Times had truly changed.
(End of Chapter)
Notes-Read advanced chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X