Mandala Snake and a Startling Moment

In the depths of the Spirit Hunting Forest, the light grew dimmer, and the dangerous aura in the air thickened.

With the assistance of Lin Kun's Insight Skill and his Book Spirit, the three-person team narrowly avoided several groups of formidable Spirit Beasts. The Grandmaster looked at Lin Kun with increasing surprise and admiration. This young man with low Spirit Power possessed a Martial Soul whose sensory abilities, at times, were even more precise and detailed than Three Beat Cannon's sense of smell! This undoubtedly greatly improved the efficiency and safety of their expedition.

Tang San also focused more of his attention on Lin Kun, not out of suspicion, but as an acknowledgment of a valuable teammate. He silently noted down every piece of Spirit Beast information Lin Kun reported, cross-referencing it with his own knowledge.

Lin Kun, meanwhile, was fully concentrated, daring not to slacken in the slightest. The progress on the "Observer of the Spirit Hunting Forest" mission was already 7/10, yielding substantial rewards. However, he knew the real test had yet to come.

"We need to find a Spirit Beast suitable for Tang San," the Grandmaster said in a low voice, his eyes scanning their surroundings warily. "Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul's fundamental characteristic is resilience. Therefore, it's best to find Spirit Beasts that also possess tenacious traits, or those with control effects like poison or paralysis. The Mandala Snake is an excellent choice; its poison is potent, and if absorbed successfully, it will greatly enhance the Blue Silver Grass's control abilities."

"Mandala Snake..." Tang San's eyes sharpened as he meticulously searched for any possible traces.

Lin Kun's heart stirred. He concentrated his mind, attempting to guide his Book Spirit to sense using keywords like "serpentine," "poisonous," and "resilient." Indeed, the book in his consciousness warmed slightly, its light crystals flashing with increased frequency, as if sifting through a vast amount of recorded information.

Suddenly, Three Beat Cannon abruptly stopped, emitting urgent "ro ro" sounds towards a dark and damp thicket to their front left. Its cries were filled with clear fear and warning! It even took two steps back, its chubby body trembling slightly.

"There's a big one!" The Grandmaster's expression changed, and he immediately shielded Tang San and Lin Kun behind him. "Be careful! Three Beat Cannon rarely acts this scared!"

Almost simultaneously, Lin Kun's Insight Skill also detected the target. His Book Spirit vibrated violently, feeding back an extremely clear yet chilling piece of information!

[Mandala Snake! Age: Approximately 400 years! Characteristics: Potent poison! Extremely fast! Highly aggressive! Resilient! Weakness: Seven inches! Fears strong light and realgar scent! Rapidly approaching! Warning! Extremely dangerous!]

"Grandmaster! It's a Mandala Snake! Four hundred years old! It's very fast! Coming from the left!" Lin Kun exclaimed, his voice cracking slightly from tension.

A 400-year-old Mandala Snake! Far exceeding the limit for a first Spirit Ring! According to the Grandmaster's theories, the limit for a first Spirit Ring was 423 years, and this snake was almost at that very edge! But its level of danger was far beyond what an ordinary Spirit Master could handle!

The Grandmaster's pupils contracted sharply; he clearly hadn't expected to encounter a Mandala Snake of this age! But there was no time for hesitation!

"Retreat!" the Grandmaster roared, pulling the two of them back rapidly!

However, it was too late!

A blurry black shadow shot out from the thicket like lightning! It was a giant snake over four meters long, its body a vibrant peach-pink, its head triangular, and a pair of pale red eyes glinting with cold, bloodthirsty light! Its speed was astonishing! Its gaping maw revealed two sharp fangs dripping with purple venom, emitting a nauseating stench!

The target was aimed directly at the Grandmaster, who stood at the forefront!

"Master, be careful!" Tang San cried out, instinctively wanting to rush forward.

"Don't come any closer!" The Grandmaster shoved Tang San away and shouted sternly, "Three Beat Cannon! Fart like thunder! Shatter the heavens and earth, Three Beat Cannon!"

Although Three Beat Cannon was frightened, it obeyed its master's command without question. It took a deep breath, its body swelling like a balloon, and then—

"Roar—!!!"

A deafening, bizarre roar accompanied by a dense yellow gas erupted outwards, blasting towards the Mandala Snake like a cannonball!

This attack, imbued with the Grandmaster's Spirit Power, was not to be underestimated!

The yellow gas accurately hit the Mandala Snake's head and exploded! The intense impact and the peculiar smell caused the Mandala Snake's forward momentum to falter violently. It let out a pained hiss, its tongue flicking wildly, clearly enraged!

But it wasn't repelled! Its 400 years of cultivation allowed it to withstand the blow! It shook its head, its cold snake eyes locked onto the Grandmaster, and it lunged again, its speed seemingly even greater!

"Not good!" The Grandmaster's face turned pale. His Spirit Power level was too low; Three Beat Cannon's attack couldn't truly heavily injure a Spirit Beast of this age!

Just as the foul-smelling snake's maw was about to bite the Grandmaster!

At this moment, a sudden change occurred!

Lin Kun, who had been in a state of high alert, saw the Grandmaster in danger. It was almost an instinctive reaction! He knew Tang San would definitely act, but he couldn't risk it! What if something went wrong? The Grandmaster absolutely couldn't die here!

He took a step forward, not towards the Mandala Snake, but towards a rock behind and to the left of the snake's path! Simultaneously, he focused all his mental energy, not to unleash the energy-draining Spirit Shock, but to mimic the aura of a Spirit Beast he had previously recorded—a Twenty-Year Nether Cat!

This was a trace of "natural enemy" sensing that his Book Spirit had provided when he analyzed the Nether Cat. The Mandala Snake seemed to intensely dislike this aura!

He didn't know if he could succeed, but he was willing to try anything! He amplified that trace of sensing with all his might through his Book Spirit, and then "released" it towards the Mandala Snake's direction!

This wasn't a Spirit Skill, but more like a mental simulation and intimidation!

The Mandala Snake, which was fully focused on attacking the Grandmaster, suddenly stiffened! A flicker of extremely human-like surprise and disgust flashed in its cold snake eyes. Its attack faltered for a moment, showing hesitation and confusion! It was as if it had sensed something akin to a natural enemy, something extremely uncomfortable, just ahead and to its side!

It was this momentary hesitation!

"Now!" Tang San moved!

The Ghost Shadow Perplexing Steps were executed to their absolute limit. His body glided out like a phantom. His Mysterious Jade Hand, glowing with a pure white luster, gripped a Willow Leaf Saber already in his hand. Infused with the internal energy of the Mysterious Heaven Skill, it transformed into a cold light, precisely seizing the opening the Mandala Snake revealed due to its momentary hesitation—aiming directly into its gaping maw!

Splat!

The flying knife hit its mark precisely! Although it didn't cause a fatal wound, the intense pain and the foreign object sensation made the Mandala Snake let out a shrill hiss, its attack completely interrupted!

The Grandmaster seized the opportunity, unleashing his Spirit Power and ordering Three Beat Cannon to spew another stream of yellow gas, obscuring the Mandala Snake's vision and sense of smell.

"Go!" the Grandmaster roared, unhesitatingly pulling the two of them and retreating rapidly under the cover of the forest!

The Mandala Snake let out angry, unwilling hisses from behind, but it did not pursue. The damage from the flying knife and the "natural enemy" aura it so detested made it wary.

The three ran wildly until they could no longer hear the snake's hisses. They finally stopped, panting, leaning against a large tree, their hearts still pounding.

"That was... too close!" The Grandmaster wiped a bead of cold sweat from his forehead and looked at Tang San, his eyes filled with lingering fear and admiration. "Little San, well done! The timing of that strike was perfect!" He assumed it was Tang San who had seized the opportunity created by Three Beat Cannon's attack.

Tang San, however, frowned slightly and shook his head. His gaze turned to Lin Kun, filled with a hint of confusion and inquiry. "Master, that strike wouldn't have hit if it weren't for my efforts. The Mandala Snake seemed to... suddenly freeze at the last moment, as if disturbed by something. Lin Kun, what did you just..."

The Grandmaster immediately looked at Lin Kun as well. He recalled that Lin Kun had seemed to shout something and had even taken a step forward.

Lin Kun's heart was still racing, and his back was already drenched in cold sweat. Hearing Tang San's question, he forced himself to calm down, putting on an expression of fear and bewilderment. "I... I don't know. I was just so scared. Seeing the snake rush over, my mind went blank, and I ran forward... I think I even tripped..." He pointed to the dirt clinging to his pant leg, his acting skills once again on full display.

He absolutely could not admit that he had interfered with the Mandala Snake. That ability was too bizarre to explain. He could only attribute it to luck and coincidence.

The Grandmaster and Tang San exchanged glances, seeing the doubt in each other's eyes. How could a ferocious beast like the Mandala Snake freeze because a child was scared? But this seemed to be the most plausible explanation? Could it really be a coincidence?

The Grandmaster patted Lin Kun's shoulder, his tone much softer. "Regardless, thanks to your early warning this time, we weren't caught completely off guard. Your perception abilities were a great help." He no longer pursued the "coincidence," as the outcome was favorable.

Tang San also nodded, looking at Lin Kun with more sincere gratitude. "Thank you."

Lin Kun quickly waved his hands. "No, no, it's you, Grandmaster, and Tang San, who are formidable. I was just a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse…"

The crisis was temporarily averted. But Lin Kun knew that after this incident, his standing and mystique in the eyes of the Grandmaster and Tang San had increased by another layer.

And that four-hundred-year Mandala Snake… would it give up just like that? How would Tang San obtain his first Spirit Ring?

Lin Kun felt that even greater changes might still be coming.