Gold Devouring Leopard

The dim yellow light of the setting sun filtered through layer upon layer of treetops. As Tang San scattered medicinal powder, the corner of his eye caught an unusual disturbance.

With the Tang Sect Secret Arts and the experience of two lifetimes, Tang San instantly caught the sound of something slicing through the air from the side. In a flash, he stepped with Ghost Shadow and narrowly avoided the claws striking from the shadows.

Once he focused his gaze, he saw a completely golden leopard watching him cautiously.

Shi Yi and the others also noticed the commotion around Tang San. They quickly gathered together.

This leopard was completely different from ordinary ones. It was larger than the leopards Shi Yi had seen in zoos in his previous life. Its claws gleamed with a strong metallic luster, revealing its extraordinary nature. Its highly developed legs were thick and powerful, sinking deeply into the soil with every step.

"This is... a Gold Devouring Leopard?" Yu Xiaogang's eyes lit up as he looked at the golden leopard.

Shi Yi also showed surprise. During his two years at Yu Xiaogang's side, he had never slacked off. With a single glance, he could tell that this Gold Devouring Leopard's age was extremely suitable.

Could this world really have something called destiny? Shi Yi wondered inwardly.

If the Mandala Snake from the original story had been a stroke of luck, then was encountering this Gold Devouring Leopard also merely a coincidence?

Shi Yi could not be sure. To him, so-called destiny was simply something decreed by heaven, and in this world, what heaven decreed often meant a god's decision.

Seeing that Shi Yi's group had the advantage in numbers, the Gold Devouring Leopard showed an almost humanlike seriousness and solemnity. Its golden fur stood on end, the claws on its paws extended, and a faint golden aura radiated from them as it tried to intimidate the group.

Shi Yi was slightly surprised as he watched the Gold Devouring Leopard. This Soul Beast possessed even greater intelligence than he had expected.

"I'll leave this to you." Yu Xiaogang smiled at the Dean beside him.

The Dean nodded, looking extremely relaxed. With the strength of a Soul Ancestor, he was confident he could kill even an ordinary thousand-year Soul Beast, let alone a common hundred-year Soul Beast.

Shi Yi was rather curious about this Dean, who had received little description. The next moment, the Dean instantly summoned a long saber, four Soul Rings—white, yellow, yellow, and purple—circling his body.

Sensing the aura erupting from the Dean, the Gold Devouring Leopard involuntarily edged back slightly, as if prepared to flee at any moment.

Shi Yi watched intently. This was his first time witnessing a genuine Soul Master battle. The children at the academy had only ever engaged in minor scuffles.

As the Dean's Soul Ring lit up, the long saber in his hand also began to glow. His gaze was as sharp as a blade, fixed on every movement of the Gold Devouring Leopard. The saber's blade glimmered with a faint blue sheen beneath the moonlight, its edge incomparably sharp, as though it could split even the air in two. The Dean stood with his feet apart and his body slightly inclined forward, ready to meet the enemy at any moment.

Suddenly, the Gold Devouring Leopard let out a low roar. It understood that it could not flee now; running at this moment would be no different from handing its back to its opponent. Its hind legs kicked off fiercely, and it pounced toward the Dean like a streak of golden lightning. Its claws blurred beneath the setting sun, carrying the force to tear apart everything and a piercing whistle through the air. The Dean's eyes sharpened, and his long saber swept through the air in a perfect arc, slashing toward the Gold Devouring Leopard's claws.

The saber edge collided with the Gold Devouring Leopard's claws, producing a crisp metallic clang. Borrowing the force, the Dean spun, dragging his saber along with the motion. Its swift, powerful force tore through the Gold Devouring Leopard's fur. The Gold Devouring Leopard roared in pain, but instead of retreating, it pounced at the Dean even more ferociously.

So this is how Soul Masters fight? Though it looks simple, the speed and power unleashed through Soul Power make even basic moves extremely effective. No wonder no one in this world studies techniques like that, Shi Yi thought.

Clearly, in an era where most Soul Masters could not cultivate to the rank of Soul Saint, techniques were not all that important. Cultivation was what mattered most. And those who could not even reach the peak of cultivation naturally lacked the talent to create powerful techniques. The Clear Sky Sect was clearly the exception.

Instead of retreating, the Dean advanced. Relying on his reactions to evade, he moved through the Gold Devouring Leopard's attacks with precision despite looking somewhat bedraggled. Every swing of his saber targeted the Gold Devouring Leopard's vital points without error. The disparity in cultivation and intelligence became apparent at this moment, and most of the Dean's attacks landed successfully.

The battle grew increasingly fierce. The Dean and the Gold Devouring Leopard's figures crisscrossed through the forest, saber light and leopard shadows weaving together into a breathtaking scene. Finally, after repeated contests of power and speed, the Dean's long saber severed both of the Gold Devouring Leopard's hind legs. The Gold Devouring Leopard let out a mournful cry and collapsed to the ground, its eyes filled with unwillingness as it looked at the group.

Having lost its hind legs, it could no longer move normally. Yu Xiaogang somehow produced a short sword and handed it to Tang San. "Xiao San, this decision concerns your entire future as a Soul Master. This Soul Beast's age is suitable. If you've made up your mind, go kill it with your own hands."

Tang San accepted the short sword. After hesitating slightly, he still walked resolutely toward the Gold Devouring Leopard. It was not that he had absolute confidence in his own plan, but rather that he had absolute confidence in the Tang Sect Secret Arts. He believed that in this primitive world where Cultivation Methods had yet to become widespread, the Tang Sect Secret Arts would surely shine with their own brilliance.

Soon, the sharp blade pierced its head. Faint yellow specks of light began gathering above the Gold Devouring Leopard's body, and a yellow Soul Ring appeared before everyone.

Shi Yi watched this with considerable interest and asked Yu Xiaogang, "Teacher, do you know why things like Soul Rings appear after Soul Beasts die?"

Yu Xiaogang was slightly stunned. To him, this question was like asking why people were born—there was no answer.

"It's not as though no one has asked that question before, but no one knows the answer. The current mainstream explanation is that after a Soul Beast dies, its cultivation, bloodline, and remnant soul gather into an energy form," Yu Xiaogang said slowly.

Shi Yi nodded slightly. That was right—Soul Rings did contain those things, as Yu Xiaogang had said. But why could Soul Masters absorb Soul Rings and thereby break through their limits? Why could deeply cultivated Soul Beasts transform into humans? And where had the first Soul Master come from? These were all extremely thought-provoking questions.

Shi Yi did not dwell on it. He understood that all uncertainty stemmed from insufficient strength. Once one became strong enough, many things would naturally become clear.

Tang San had already begun absorbing the Soul Ring. He slowly gathered his Soul Power in his palm, and with a pale blue glow, Blue Silver Grass grew from his hand. It emitted a faint aura of life, swaying gently with the fluctuations of his Soul Power.

Come, my First Soul Ring. I hope you can shine alongside the Tang Sect Secret Arts in this new world, Tang San thought inwardly.

Drawn by the pale blue light, the hundred-year Gold Devouring Leopard Soul Ring slowly flew toward Tang San.

Yu Xiaogang stared at the approaching Soul Ring and gave a timely reminder, shouting deeply, "Sit cross-legged and focus your mind on your martial soul."

Tang San followed his instructions and sat cross-legged where he was, concentrating on the martial soul in his right hand. As the hundred-year Gold Devouring Leopard Soul Ring approached, he felt an unprecedented pressure. Even the bones throughout his body gave faint creaks beneath it.

Soon, the yellow halo arrived above Tang San's head. Without giving him any chance to react, it suddenly contracted into an incomparably solid golden ring no larger than a bracelet and fell directly onto the Blue Silver Grass martial soul in his right palm.

Tang San felt as if his right hand had been plunged into magma. A scorching energy surged wildly into him, and the violent heat rushed through his body in an instant. In that moment, his insides felt as though they were burning. His body began to tremble violently.

"No matter how the Soul Ring's power strikes your body, remember to stay conscious. Only then will you be able to make better use of its power in the future."

That was the last sentence Tang San heard Master say. The next second, he closed his eyes, and his consciousness sank completely into that scorching sea.

While Tang San absorbed the Soul Ring, Shi Yi looked at the lifeless corpse of the Gold Devouring Leopard and summoned Little Ant.

Shi Yi casually snapped off a branch and wrote on the ground: "Can you eat it?"

Over the past two years, Little Ant had learned many words under Shi Yi's training. Although its ability to express itself still lagged behind that of a normal child, Shi Yi could at least grasp its general meaning from its answers.

Seeing Shi Yi write on the ground, even the Dean was quite surprised. After cultivating martial souls for so many years, he had never heard of anyone being able to communicate with their own martial soul like a human.

When the Dean saw the crooked character for "can" that Little Ant wrote on the ground, the surprise in his eyes deepened further.

Shi Yi was also surprised by Little Ant's answer, but after thinking about it, he understood. The weaker something was, the more adaptable it tended to be, just as a drop of water could blend into anything. Besides, in the modern system of knowledge, ants were omnivores and could eat many things, naturally including meat.

With that in mind, Shi Yi softly said to Little Ant, "Then go eat that meat."

Little Ant nodded in a humanlike manner, even showing a trace of urgency and desire. It quickly climbed onto the Gold Devouring Leopard's corpse and began gnawing at it.

Yu Xiaogang sighed when he saw this. Since Shi Yi's appearance, many new lines of thought had opened up for him. He had also tried this method in an attempt to let Luo Sanpao evolve on its own, but Luo Sanpao looked disgusted by every kind of Soul Beast it saw, as though taking even a single bite would taint its precious bloodline.

Even when Flender had specifically taken him to find a Thousand-Year Sub-Dragon, Luo Sanpao had not even spared it a glance.

The process did not take long. Like a bottomless pit, Little Ant turned every piece of flesh it swallowed into energy, until the Gold Devouring Leopard's corpse completely vanished before everyone's eyes.

"Sorry to trouble you with protecting my Disciple Brother, Dean." Shi Yi gave the Dean a slight bow.

The Dean nodded and sat cross-legged beside Tang San, while Yu Xiaogang and Shi Yi set up their tents nearby.

As night gradually fell, Shi Yi unusually did not enter cultivation. The Dean needed to guard Tang San while he absorbed the Soul Ring, and a Gold Devouring Leopard had just died here. If anything came, the master and disciple would have little fighting strength. Shi Yi simply used the time to carefully observe the changes in Little Ant after it devoured the Soul Beast's corpse.

He had not realized it before, but upon closer inspection, Shi Yi was surprised. In the light of the campfire, Little Ant's carapace had gained a nearly imperceptible metallic sheen. Shi Yi would never have noticed that faint luster if he had not been so close.

Metal Attribute? This world seems not to have a Metal Attribute—or perhaps it's called Sharpness?

As expected, plundering is the quickest and most effective method. I just wonder whether, as Little Ant devours more, it will develop rejection toward other conflicting attributes.

Seeing the changes in Little Ant, a faint smile appeared on Shi Yi's young face.

It seems that once I'm strong enough, I'll need to spend some time in Sunset Forest.

For now, Shi Yi could only ride along with the strong. In the end, it was because he lacked the ability to hunt Soul Beasts alone. Thinking of that, his gaze fell on Tang San. Once Tang San forged the Godly Zhuge Crossbow, he could consider a trip to Sunset Forest as well.

According to Shi Yi's calculations, six years from now, when Tang San was twelve, he would be able to follow Yu Xiaogang to Shrek and get himself a Godly Zhuge Crossbow. With one, as long as Shi Yi was careful, he could manage in Sunset Forest. Moreover, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well in Sunset Forest contained what Shi Yi wanted most—something he had to obtain before Tang San did.

With that in mind, Shi Yi took out a book from his Storage Belt and began reading by the firelight.

The night passed without incident. When Tang San slowly opened his eyes, daylight had fully broken. The vigorous vitality brought by a new day seemed to be calling to his body.

Tang San lowered his head to look at himself and discovered that his body seemed to have changed after obtaining the Soul Ring. His originally slight frame had grown a little taller, his shoulders had broadened somewhat, and his skin possessed an additional glossy sheen.

The lightness brimming with strength in every gesture was incredibly comfortable. He did not need to test it deliberately to know that it was not only his internal energy that had broken through a bottleneck—every aspect of his physical abilities had also greatly improved under the effects of the hundred-year Gold Devouring Leopard Soul Ring.

"Teacher." Upon waking, Tang San's first thought was Yu Xiaogang.

Yu Xiaogang sat not far away and smiled slightly. "You're awake. It seems you gained quite a lot."

Shi Yi and the Dean also turned their gazes toward Tang San. Tang San nodded excitedly. "Look."

As he spoke, Tang San raised his right hand. A faint white light surfaced across his skin, followed by deep blue Blue Silver Grass surging from his palm. A hint of Sharpness emanated from its deep blue leaves. A clear yellow halo rose from beneath his feet, circling up and down around his body. It was the distinct mark of a one-ring Soul Master.

The next instant, Tang San repeatedly flicked his left hand behind him. Several leaves shot into a nearby tree trunk like willow-leaf blades.

What precise technique, Yu Xiaogang thought in surprise. He suddenly understood why Tang San wanted to develop his martial soul this way.

And this was merely an entry-level technique among the Tang Sect Hidden Weapons: the Throwing Hand Arrow.