Soul Land V: Rebirth of Tang San

Tang San\'s heart tensed because he had no idea how the other party had appeared, which was a testament to their formidable strength. Although definitely not the Sword Saint Great Demon Emperor, this was not an ordinary Demon King Level being either.

Tang San bowed slightly in greeting, saying, "Our attributes are not compatible, hence..."

"If the attributes are not compatible, why come here?" the Red-crowned Crane Demon King asked coldly.

Tang San bowed, "I have come to temper my Spiritual Power."

The eyes of the Red-crowned Crane Demon King softened slightly, sizing him up a few times before speaking indifferently, "Spiritual Power is stable, reaching the peak level. Rounded and guarded within, free from flaw or blemish. Quite remarkable. If you are willing to join the Sword Saint Palace, even as a member of the Human Clan, you will be highly valued. You could even be allowed to become a Demon King. Why are you unwilling?"

Tang San bowed again, "Because I have not yet found my own true path, I am still in the process of seeking it. If I find it in the future, I shall certainly seek a worthy master to serve."

The Red-crowned Crane Demon King\'s gaze became intense as it fixed on him, "Interesting. You are indeed one of the most fascinating humans I have encountered. For a being as lowly as a human, you have significant ambition, which is rare. If you wish to join the Sword Saint Palace in the future, you may come at any time. You must understand, among the eight Demon Emperor Palaces, my Sword Saint Palace is the most free from racial discrimination."

As he spoke, he flicked his wrist, and a small token flew towards Tang San.

Tang San quickly raised his hand to catch it. It was a token shaped like a small sword, petite yet sharp. Clearly forged from very fine metal, it could also be used as a small dagger.

"This is the Sword Order from my Sword Saint Palace. Holding this Sword Order, if you encounter trouble, you may declare yourself as one of the Sword Saint Palace. Naturally, it will protect you thoroughly. I\'ll give you a year to seek your path. After a year, if you have not found your own way, or if you do not wish to join the Sword Saint Palace, return the Sword Order."

"Thank you, senior," Tang San said, somewhat surprised as he looked at the Red-crowned Crane Demon King before him. Was this an offer of benefits as a recruitment incentive? Were the Demon Emperor Palaces really so desperate for talent?

"Go," said the Red-crowned Crane Demon King with a wave of his hand, a force sweeping over, sending Tang San flying out of the gates of the Sword Saint Palace.

The sharp sword beam approached once more, and Tang San looked at the Sword Order in his hand, tucked it away, and then descended the mountain to look for his companions.

Having truly visited this Demon Emperor Palace, Tang San understood that it was impossible for them to visit all the neighboring Demon Emperor Palaces and the Essence Emperor Palace before the start of the Grand Animal Fighting Arena. Even this one palace would probably take an entire day for the group to explore.

Wu Bingji and Cheng Zicheng were only halfway up, sitting still and resting in meditation. Du Bai and Gu Li hadn\'t moved, both of them honing their Spiritual Power.

Although Gu Li had climbed high, his body was shaking and seemed on the verge of collapse, apparently due to excessive consumption of Spiritual Power, hardly able to hold on. Du Bai, by contrast, was still able to endure for a while longer.

Tang San arrived next to Gu Li, positioned himself in front of him, and shielded him from most of the sharp aura.

Gu Li let out a breath and opened his eyes, "So powerful, so impressive."

Tang San said, "Senior brother, you have expended a lot of energy; it is best you descend to the carriage to rest and recover."

"Alright," Gu Li stood up and went down the mountain ahead.

Tang San did not leave; he continued to temper his Spiritual Power while guarding his companions.

Du Bai endured for an hour longer than Gu Li, concluding his meditation and descending the mountain as well.

Cheng Zicheng climbed to where Du Bai had been and persisted for half an hour longer than him. But it was clear that her comprehension was not merely about honing her Spiritual Power; by the time she came down the mountain, she was utterly exhausted.

Wu Bingji made it to about three-quarters of the way up, holding on for an hour longer than Cheng Zicheng before she could no longer bear it. Protected by Tang San, they descended the mountain together.

When everyone gathered in the carriage, night had already completely fallen.

The weary group, of course, could not proceed to the next imperial palace; instead, they headed straight back to the hotel, had a simple meal, and then each returned to their rooms to cultivate and reflect on the day\'s gains.

Despite their physical exhaustion, their achievements were clearly substantial, especially for Cheng Zicheng and Wu Bingji. They had both gained a whole new understanding of sharpness.

Tang San\'s own gains were not insignificant, with the compression of his Spiritual Power and the refinement of his divine consciousness. Of course, there was also that Sword Order.

After exchanging words with Zhang Haoxuan and through their conversation, Tang San learned that for these imperial palaces, anyone who could enter was capable of attaining godhood. And any strong being at the Demon King Level was worth winning over. One could choose to join the palace or not. However, if one suddenly could not suppress a breakthrough to the God Rank before or upon entering, one would definitely be protected by the palace to help them become a God.

This assistance was certainly not free; once one succeeded in breaking through to God Rank, it meant that you had received a great favor from them. Then, there was no choice; one must submit to the palace and become a part of it. Otherwise, one would be allowed to leave only after having their divine consciousness disabled.

Before, Zhang Haoxuan hadn\'t expected anyone in their group to enter an imperial palace, which is why he hadn\'t explained these things. Unexpectedly, Tang San had entered the very first palace.

Different palaces exerted pressure in different ways. Being able to enter one did not guarantee access to another. Even God level strong individuals found it so. One needed both attribute compatibility and a certain fate. Thus, being able to enter an imperial palace was tantamount to passing its test.

Tang San, unaware of these facts, walked right in and immediately felt the will of the Sword Saint Big Demon Emperor descend upon him.

To this, Tang San was quite interested. If he entered the gates of other palaces, could he also obtain some protective tokens? The more of these things he got, the better, right?

He posed this question to Zhang Haoxuan, and surprisingly, Zhang Haoxuan affirmed it.

Before breaking through to God Rank, if one could obtain the recognition of imperial palaces, the more palaces that recognized you, the more resources you\'d get if you chose to join one in the future, and the more you would be valued.

It was said that a Dragon Clan strong being once won the favor of eight palaces and thus became a key training target. He joined the Crystal Palace and, though he could not become the heir to the Crystal Great Demon Emperor, had become the Crystal Palace\'s Big Steward at the peak rank of Great Demon King. It was rumored that if he could break through to the Demon Emperor Level, should the Crystal Great Demon Emperor fall, he might have the chance to inherit the Crystal Palace.

After that event, those able to gain recognition from more palaces were highly prized by all the great palaces. There might even be early investments.

Like Tang San obtaining the Sword Order from the Sword Saint Palace, this was itself a form of investment.

With enough information at hand, Tang San carefully pondered his next steps and suddenly had some ideas.

As a human, if he wanted to accomplish more and considering the current situation, he indeed needed to have stronger power. To become a God, he would have to face the entire plane. Rank 12 strong beings were also formidable within the plane. If his own breakthrough could gain the support of enough strong beings of this level, even the plane master would have to weigh his options. The path of the imperial palace seemed quite feasible!

The only concern was his identity as a member of the Human Clan. If he could gain the recognition of many palaces, would they support his future breakthrough without regarding his human identity?

That was uncertain, but it was not entirely impossible. It depended on how he managed the situation.

He definitely planned to continue exploring the palaces, and so did his companions; however, the way they proceeded would have to diverge from now on.