Tang San had already been jealous of Oscar's outstanding performance.
And now, his reserved soul bone was gone?!
His eyes widened in shock and fury!
Finally, he had found a ten-thousand-year soul bone that perfectly matched his attributes…
And Big Bro just gave it to someone else?!
But with so many people watching, he couldn't explode on the spot.
Forcing himself to remain calm, he suppressed his anger and said,
"Big Bro, why didn't you tell me first? As a teacher, I would never fight my student over a soul bone…"
Those who knew Tang San well all scoffed internally.
Yeah, right.
Forget his own soul bone—
Hadn't he already stolen a soul bone from Oscar before?!
Would never fight his student for a soul bone?
Ha!
Tang Lan shrugged helplessly.
"The communication soul device transmits messages through Blue Silver Grass."
"But the Extreme North is frozen tundra—where would I even find Blue Silver Grass there?"
"Not to mention, we were deep in the core region—it was impossible to contact you."
What else could Tang San do?
He could only grit his teeth and swallow his frustration.
Luckily—
Tang Lan, knowing he had wronged his little brother, offered consolation.
"Don't worry, Xiao San—Big Bro has a surprise for you."
"I'll take you to it later."
Tang San's expression immediately brightened.
If Big Bro dares to say that—
Then whatever he prepared must be even better than that soul bone!
His attitude instantly shifted.
"Big Bro, what are you saying?"
"That soul bone was yours to begin with. If Xiao Ao needed it more, of course you should have given it to him."
"I don't mind at all!"
The surrounding crowd nearly rolled their eyes into the sky.
Could you be any faker?!
At the same time, they all silently sympathized with Tang Lan—
Such an amazing Big Bro… how did he end up with such a shameless younger brother?
Tang San might just be Tang Lan's only flaw!
Tang Lan quickly changed the subject.
"Uncle Bone," he called out, "You saw it just now—Xiao Ao's Replication Mirror Intestine requires a drop of blood from the person he's copying."
"You wouldn't mind donating some, would you?"
Gu Rong glared at him.
"You brat, it's just a little blood—why are you acting so polite about it?!"
Without any fancy techniques,
Gu Rong casually formed a bone blade and sliced open his wrist.
Tang Lan hurriedly used his spiritual power to collect the blood into a flask, filling it more than halfway.
Then, he activated his Life Soul Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone—
Instantly healing Gu Rong's wound, leaving no scar behind.
"Uncle Bone, you're too kind." Tang Lan grinned.
"Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will need soul spirits soon too. Feel free to send their information to Niu Gao, and he'll match them with the most compatible soul beasts."
Niu Gao stepped forward and cupped his fists.
"Greetings, Bone Douluo. I'll send you the available soul beast list shortly."
Gu Rong, pleased, clapped Tang Lan on the shoulder.
This kid… really knew how to do things right!
"Haha! When I get back, I'll drain some blood from that coward Chen Xin too—I'll make sure it's even more than mine!"
A true champion of spending other people's resources!
After some casual conversation,
Tang Lan turned to Niu Gao.
"Hall Master Niu, take my big bro and the others to settle in."
Once Ning Fengzhi and Qian Renxue had left,
Zhao Wuji approached, looking concerned.
"Sect Master," he began, "that fool from earlier—he actually thought that using a soul bone from the same species would increase his success rate in soul spirit contracts."
"So even though he noticed something was wrong, he didn't say anything."
"That idiot!"
"He made his own stupid decision, but after today, he might start harboring resentment."
"Should we…?"
Tang Lan raised a hand, stopping him.
"Report it to Dongfang Richu."
"The Spirit Transmission Tower is his responsibility—let's see how he handles it."
Zhao Wuji nodded in agreement.
Tang Lan's gaze then swept over Dai Mubai and the others,
Pausing briefly on Jing Ling and Shui Yue'er—
Then glancing at Shui Bing'er.
After a moment of thought—
"Jing Ling," he said, "go find Old Zhao and get familiar with the Soul Spirit Experiment Base—you'll need it in the future."
Jing Ling's eyes flashed with disappointment.
He understood—
The upcoming event was beyond his level, and he wasn't qualified to participate.
Still, he bowed respectfully and followed Zhao Wuji away.
The remaining group, including Ning Rongrong, all stared at Tang Lan—
Eyes wide with anticipation.
Was the Sect Master about to distribute more rewards?!
Even Xiao Wu, who had already sulked long enough, had cheered up.
She eagerly asked,
"Big Bro, are you about to hand out soul bones again?"
Tang Lan flicked her forehead.
"Do you think soul bones are as common as cabbages?"
Then, he immediately pulled out nine soul bones.
"…But I do have nine soul bones here."
He deliberately paused, letting Tang San get a good look.
Then, he began distributing them—
"The first one—a 24,000-year fire-attribute right leg bone—goes to Mubai."
Dai Mubai's first reaction was to look at Tang San.
Tang San had his mouth open, ready to speak—
But seeing everyone's eyes on him, he quietly closed it again.
He still remembered the last time he tried absorbing a Flame Attribute Soul Bone—the Flame Red Lion's Right Arm Bone.
It had proven that he was incompatible with fire attributes.
Better not to invite suffering upon himself.
Only then did Dai Mubai step forward and accept the soul bone.
"Thank you, Sect Master, for this gift!"
Tang Lan nodded, noting that the system remained silent.
He continued distributing rewards.
"The other ten-thousand-year soul bone is a 31,000-year wind attribute right leg bone, suitable for Agility-Type Soul Masters."
"Zhuqing, you already have a right leg bone—so this one will go to Xiao Wu."
Xiao Wu, being more straightforward, stepped up immediately and took the soul bone.
She gave Tang Lan a sweet smile.
Seeing this, Tang San opened his mouth again—
But silently closed it once more.
He couldn't just snatch it from Xiao Wu, could he?
With her temper, she'd probably hit him with a combo on the spot.
Better to let it go.
His eyes swept over the seven thousand-year soul bones.
But then, Tang Lan simply waved a hand and put them away.
"Thousand-year soul bones aren't worthy of your potential anymore."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
They'd become so wealthy that their standards had risen.
Thousand-year soul bones?
Even a dog wouldn't want them!
Tang San looked like he wanted to say something, but he couldn't find the right words.
In the end, he could only sigh.
[System Prompt: The Host has caused Tang San to miss out on the 24,000-year and 31,000-year soul bones, granting power to Dai Mubai and Xiao Wu instead. Micro-robbery of Tang San's luck detected!]
[Reward: 'External Soul Bone Eight Spider Lances - Age +2788 years'!]
A wave of tingling energy flowed through the Eight Spider Lances.
Its age broke through to 99,999 years.
Just one year short of the 100,000-year threshold.
What was this nonsense?
Why was it one year off?
Was the system forcing him to absorb another Man-Faced Demon Spider for the final step of evolution?
But that could wait.
Tang Lan looked at the reddened face of Tang San and decided it was time to grind another round of rewards.
"Soon, there will be a rare opportunity, one that I won't be participating in," Tang Lan announced.
"You'll have to rely on your own abilities. Anyone who seizes it could save themselves years of cultivation."
"Follow me."
This mysterious announcement piqued everyone's curiosity, and they eagerly followed Tang Lan.
They whispered among themselves as they walked.
"Xiao Ao, what kind of opportunity is so great that the Sect Master's being this secretive?" Dai Mubai asked.
Oscar had a suspicion but didn't dare to say it aloud.
Instead, he looked at Shui Bing'er.
You're close to the Sect Master. You say it.
Shui Bing'er wasn't foolish enough to spoil her man's plans.
She shrugged mysteriously, "It's an opportunity comparable to immortal herbs. Just try your best."
Helpful.
Very helpful.
What difference did that make?!
Amidst the crowd,
Tang San's heart was full of confidence—
This must be the opportunity that Big Bro mentioned!
"Each according to their abilities"?
More like according to Big Bro's abilities!
Big Bro must have already arranged everything for me!
This time, I have to rise to the occasion—I can't keep messing up!
Tang San—you've got this!
(End of Chapter)