Slowly, Tang San steadied himself and stood up, moving carefully toward Shi Nian's corpse. Tang Hao and Yu Xiaogang looked on in confusion, not expecting that Tang San's Blue Silver Grass might be able to absorb even from the dead.
"Xiao San, what are you doing? Your mental strength suffered serious damage from Shi Nian's illusion; you should be resting," they both said in unison.
Yu Xiaogang added, "Xiao San, don't compete in tomorrow's match. Rest up; risking further injury would be too costly."
Tang San shook his head, responding, "Father, Teacher, don't worry. I'm only thinking that since Shi Nian is already dead, if my Blue Silver Grass can fully absorb him, maybe it could give me a boost."
As he spoke, a gleam of greed flashed in Tang San's eyes as he looked at Shi Nian's body. If things went as he hoped, his power would increase even faster.
"What?!"
Yu Xiaogang and Tang Hao exchanged surprised glances. If this worked, it would be a huge breakthrough for Tang San. Tang Hao even began to form a new plan in his mind.
Neither stopped Tang San; if it succeeded, it could significantly improve his chances in the tournament. Tang San approached Shi Nian's corpse and wrapped it tightly in his Blue Silver Grass.
Activating his Xuan Tian Skill, Tang San initiated Devour.
The moment it activated, Tang San felt something unusual: his spirit power was increasing!
It really worked!
A look of excitement filled Tang San's eyes. Since Shi Nian was already dead, Tang San intensified the devouring rate without hesitation.
With a loud surge, the residual spirit power and mental energy in Shi Nian's body were rapidly absorbed by Tang San.
In just a few minutes, Shi Nian's flesh and blood vanished, leaving only a skeleton, creating a terrifying sight.
Tang San's improvement was substantial; his spirit power shot from level 45 to 47. Had Shi Nian not been dead for so long, leaving less spirit power, he might have gained even more levels!
Still, the power increase was not the most significant change. When Tang San opened his eyes, a stronger violet hue appeared in them—his Purple Demon Eye had finally reached the Grain Boundary level!
Since Shi Nian had specialized in mental power, the remaining mental energy in his corpse had significantly boosted Tang San's mental strength.
Tang Hao, with his high-level abilities, immediately sensed the changes in his son. He was astonished that Tang San could even absorb a person who'd been dead for hours.
If he could devour spirit masters, perhaps he could devour spirit beasts too?
Yu Xiaogang, looking elated, asked, "Xiao San, did it work?"
Thanks to the mental boost, Tang San had fully recovered, standing up and replying, "Yes, Teacher. Both my mental strength and spirit power have improved significantly, and my injuries have healed. If Shi Nian hadn't been dead for so long, I might have absorbed even more power."
Tang Hao, visibly excited, clapped Tang San on the shoulder. "Xiao San, since you can devour spirit masters, there's no reason you can't devour spirit beasts, right?"
Tang San nodded. "That's right, Father. Do you want to take me to the Spirit Beast Forest?"
Tang Hao shook his head. "I had that idea, but not just yet. Let's wait until the preliminary round ends. For now, you can continue improving Blue Silver Grass's resistance by absorbing energy from people in the city—just a little from each person. Afterward, I'll bring you some wicked spirit masters to absorb, helping you improve even faster."
"Evil spirit masters deserve no mercy, and absorbing them shouldn't weigh on your conscience. Once you make it past the preliminary round, you won't need to compete in the qualifiers; by then, you should be around level 50, and we'll obtain your fifth spirit ring along the way."
Tang San's eyes sparkled at the thought of obtaining his fifth ring. He understood his father's plan to take him to the Blue Silver ancestral ground to evolve his bloodline during the qualifying round!
Yu Xiaogang nodded in agreement, adding, "Xiao San, if that's the case, you don't need to participate in the qualifiers. Use the time to strengthen yourself so you're ready to face both the Heaven Dou Academy's first team and the Spirit Hall team in the finals."
Yu Xiaogang continued, "If necessary, use your second spirit, the Clear Sky Hammer, during the preliminary rounds. While Blue Silver Grass can now absorb others' attributes, providing some resistances, it's not yet strong enough. The time is too short."
He then warned, "During our matches at Thunder Academy, Qin Ming and I observed other elemental academies. You must pay special attention to Fire Dance from Blaze Academy and Shui Bing'er from Tianshui Academy. Not only are their spirits rare, but their spirit skills are also exceptionally powerful. In particular, their respective elemental powers would be difficult to resist with your current Blue Silver Grass."
"Use the Clear Sky Hammer if you need to," he said, glancing over at Tang Hao.
Yu Xiaogang also noted the formidable threat from Kamikaze Academy, whose captain, Feng Xiaotian, wielded a mutant spirit with a unique self-created skill resembling the Clear Sky Hammer's Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Technique, a challenge for Tang San's Blue Silver Grass.
Tang Hao nodded, saying, "It's acceptable. Most of Tang San's training has focused on mastering the Clear Sky Hammer, and I intended for him to use it in the tournament. As for Spirit Hall, they wouldn't dare harm a junior. My Clear Sky Hammer is ready for them if they try."
A fierce aura erupted from Tang Hao as he said this.
Though Tang San considered arguing, he couldn't deny the truth. His Blue Silver Grass currently only had basic water and fire resistance, which would put him at a disadvantage against the extremities of Blaze and Tianshui Academy.
While his Blue Silver Grass had the potential to evolve into the Blue Silver Emperor, it hadn't done so yet, leaving him without a defense against such potent elemental spirits.
With Blue Silver Grass restricted, the Clear Sky Hammer was his only hope.