True First Soul Ring Skill

Qian Bing stared at the Mandala Snake's hiding place and said gravely:

"This is a Mandala Snake. Its venom is extremely potent. Not only does it cause paralysis, but it also severely damages the body's nerves. It is one of the most terrifying venom-type soul beasts.

Its body is incredibly tough, and ordinary blades can hardly harm it. Only its mouth and eyes are weak points.

However, the Mandala Snake has always protected those two areas well, and it is incredibly fast, making it exceedingly difficult to hunt.

Most frightening of all, it is highly aggressive. It will attack almost any human it encounters.

So, the Realgar Powder may not hold it back for long. It is merely waiting for an opportunity."

Tang San did not feel afraid because of Qian Bing's explanation. In his previous life, he had come from the Ba Shu Tang Sect.

Ba Shu had countless varieties of venomous snakes, insects, and poisons. Though he had never seen this kind of Mandala Snake before, he was far from inexperienced when it came to dealing with toxins.

From the shape of the Mandala Snake's head, he had already determined that it was highly venomous. The thicker scales on its sturdy neck also showed that its weak point was not seven inches below its head.

Tang San had an idea in mind. He could only wait for it to attack before secretly observing its weakness.

Qian Bing, however, had completely different thoughts from Tang San. Though he still appeared calm on the surface, he actually had no confidence at all when facing this Mandala Snake.

This time, he did not dare act as arrogantly as he had when facing the soul beasts they had encountered before. He immediately ordered Pidgeotto to attack.

"Pidgeotto, use Gust on that corner!"

Upon receiving the command, Pidgeotto leaped into the air. With a flap of its wings, a stream of wind shaped like a blade more than two meters long swept toward the Mandala Snake's hiding place with a howling gale.

Amid the rustling of trees being torn apart and the thunderous crashes of wind blades striking stone, the surging gale ravaged that small patch of forest ahead, sending splinters flying and scattering flowers and leaves.

Although the Mandala Snake was fast enough to evade the main body of the wind blade, it still could not escape the airflow produced by Gust.

Its enormous body was flung up from the ground and hurled a long distance away.

"Tang San, we need to be careful!"

With only one glance at the Mandala Snake that had been thrown into the air, Qian Bing confirmed that it was the final target of this soul beast hunt.

He rapidly gave Tang San a brief explanation:

"A Mandala Snake's cultivation age is related to the length of its body. Before evolving into a Thousand-Year Soul Beast, its body grows one centimeter for every additional year of cultivation.

This Mandala Snake is definitely over three meters long, perhaps even close to four. In other words, its cultivation is nearly four hundred years.

It is right near the limit for a Soul Scholar advancing to Soul Master to absorb a first soul ring. Given your circumstances, absorbing its soul ring will pose no problem at all. It's practically tailor-made for you."

Tang San asked doubtfully:

"But, Boss, my spirit is a plant. This Mandala Snake is a beast-type soul beast. Won't absorbing its soul ring conflict with my spirit?"

"Careful, it's about to attack! Let's work together and take it down first. I'll explain later. Use every method you have—don't hold back!"

After saying that, Qian Bing raised his hand. The only yellow ring around him flew out and settled around Pidgeotto.

He shouted:

"Soul Power Body Tempering, All Stars Ring Extreme, Soul Ring Avatar—Pidgeotto!"

As soon as Qian Bing's words fell, the soul ring around Pidgeotto rapidly shrank. At the same time, Pidgeotto's body also swiftly shrank, and before long, it became roughly the same size as it had been in the Pokémon World—about 1.1 meters tall.

At that point, Pidgeotto's body stopped changing, but the soul ring around it began dissolving into specks of light and rapidly seeping into its body.

Almost instantly, a dazzling golden-yellow radiance burst from Pidgeotto's entire body. It looked like a divine creature constantly blooming with Buddhist light, or a fierce Garuda outlined in gold. Tang San was utterly shocked by the sight.

"Pidgeotto, hold it back. Attack freely."

The moment Qian Bing finished speaking, he staggered and nearly lost his footing. Fortunately, Tang San was right beside him and quickly caught him, preventing him from falling.

Only then did Tang San notice that Qian Bing's face had turned deathly pale. Clearly, the soul skill he had just used to shrink Pidgeotto was not something he could employ easily.

He immediately asked with concern:

"Boss, what's wrong? Why do you look so awful?"

Qian Bing waved his hand and weakly explained:

"I'm fine. I just consumed too much soul power and nearly drained myself dry.

Summoning soul beasts is merely my spirit's ability. This is actually my First Soul Ring Skill, and it has two enhancement effects.

Soul Power Body Tempering greatly strengthens the physique of the soul beasts I summon, while All Stars Ring Extreme boosts their energy reserves and skill casting speed. Cough, cough..."

As Qian Bing spoke, he broke into a fit of coughing and seemed increasingly weak. He patted Tang San on the shoulder and sighed.

"Xiao San, I've almost completely lost my ability to fight. The rest is up to you two."

After saying that, Qian Bing voluntarily retreated several steps.

The soul ring skill he had just used was not one he had directly mastered upon obtaining his soul ring. Rather, a few mornings ago, he had found Pidgeotto's body far too large and accidentally comprehended it after conducting many experiments.

Qian Bing himself was not entirely sure whether this was truly his First Soul Ring Skill or a new skill that had emerged after his soul ring evolved.

In any case, its effects were powerful, but its consumption was even greater.

After using this skill, Pidgeotto's boosts in both aspects increased according to the multiple by which its size had shrunk.

In other words, after Pidgeotto's body shrank by roughly five times, its physique, energy, and skill casting speed would also increase fivefold.

However, the duration could not last very long. Once the skill ended, Qian Bing would temporarily lose even the ability to maintain Pidgeotto in battle, and it would immediately be recalled into the Spirit Ball Spirit.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, this soul skill could not be used casually.

Chirp!

Hissss!

As Qian Bing leaned against a large tree and caught his breath, Pidgeotto's battle with the Mandala Snake had already reached a fever pitch.

After its physique had been enhanced fivefold, Pidgeotto effectively gained the ability to engage in close combat. Its enormous pink talons, like those of an eagle, and its sharp beak continuously attacked and tore at the Mandala Snake.

Between its bites and claw strikes, it did not forget to flap its wings, sending out one small wind blade after another. Like weakened but instant-cast Gusts, they continuously slashed onto the Mandala Snake's body.

But the Mandala Snake's soul power was several levels higher than Qian Bing's, and its body was covered in scales that provided excellent defense. Though Pidgeotto fired many of these miniature wind blades, they could at most leave shallow marks on its body. They could not even pierce its scales, much less inflict serious damage.

On the other hand, whenever Pidgeotto was sprayed by the Mandala Snake's venom, a small patch of its body would corrode away with a sizzling sound. The damage then slowly spread outward, staining an area the size of a palm black and making for a particularly horrifying sight.