Eyes on the Branch

Tang San and the headmaster entered the forest.

But as they ventured deeper on foot, the surroundings rapidly grew darker.

Tang San swallowed, then forced himself to pull himself together.

I'm a reborn God King. What am I afraid of?

The headmaster looked around and said, "A friend of mine once came to this Sleeping Moon Forest. He told me that it was shrouded in mist year-round, which created this dark and damp environment. Tang San, don't worry."

He was still a child, after all. He had the knowledge taught by Grandmaster, but lacked firsthand experience. The headmaster thought to himself.

A dark and damp environment? Isn't that exactly what I'm best at?

What Tang San focused on was the dampness, not the darkness.

He could not help puffing out his chest.

I'm the Sea God! What the hell am I afraid of?

However, just as Tang San was trying to encourage himself, a strange sound emerged ahead of them.

"Don't panic!" The headmaster grabbed Tang San's arm.

Tang San's gaze shifted slightly as he activated his Purple Demon Eye and looked ahead. A bush before them was moving without wind, slowly parting apart.

Tang San frowned and flicked his right hand slightly, summoning his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.

But there was no response.

"..."

He smiled helplessly. He was only a level-twenty Soul Master. His Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul had yet to undergo its Second Awakening, so naturally, he had no Blue Silver Domain to help him scout the way.

So weak!

Tang San could not help crying out inwardly.

He cautiously unleashed his first soul skill, linking himself with the headmaster beside him in hopes of ensuring their safety.

The headmaster did not stop him. It was the right thing to do.

"Headmaster, let's keep moving." Tang San recalled something and said, "I remember that Demonic Eye Tree should be up ahead."

"Alright." The headmaster nodded.

He was already in his fifties this year. He was level forty-two, a weapon-type Soul Ancestor. His Martial Soul was a cane, and his soul rings were one white and three yellow.

They continued onward, unaware that far, far behind them, a slender figure stood atop a tree, staring fixedly at their backs.

Purple light flowed through the slender figure's eyes. This was Shi Yueyi's natural eye color, like violet irises.

During this period of cultivation, her Body Martial Soul had evolved her Spiritual Power as well. Perhaps this was one difference between her Body Martial Soul and Du Busi's in later generations.

Du Busi's would more accurately be called a bodily Martial Soul.

After all, whether it was the brain or the eyes, both were parts of the body.

As Tang San and the headmaster advanced, she moved with them, like a shadow cast at an immense distance.

Shi Yueyi gently tapped her earpiece. "Grandpa Guang Ling, how are the preparations on your end?"

After a short while, Radiant Feather Douluo's voice came through. "More or less done. It's only a small exotic treasure."

Shi Yueyi nodded lightly.

This was her plan.

Generally speaking, plant-type soul beasts only gained a certain degree of combat power once they reached a thousand years, whereas animal-type ones did so after merely ten years.

Tang San, however, wanted to avoid drawing too much attention while also improving himself, so the Second Soul Ring he had chosen was a Demonic Eye Tree on the verge of reaching the thousand-year level.

According to what he knew, this type of soul beast possessed wood affinity, poison affinity, and considerable Spiritual Power.

Yet it was precisely that bit of extra Spiritual Power, more than other plant-type soul beasts possessed, that caused a problem.

At Shi Yueyi's suggestion, Radiant Feather Douluo took out an exotic medicinal herb brought from Spirit Hall, called Heavenly Radiance Bamboo.

A few days earlier, they had overheard the conversation between Tang San and the headmaster. They had then arrived in this forest ahead of time and begun making preparations.

They made this little demonic tree, originally over nine hundred years old, undergo a slight evolution.

The Demonic Eye Tree, which possessed a trace of Spiritual Power, absorbed that small exotic treasure and became a thousand-year soul beast.

This was also part of Shi Yueyi's plan. Since she knew Tang San's fourth ring was ten thousand years old, she wanted to see whether he would choose to absorb a soul ring beyond his level this time.

A foul stench wafted over, making even the headmaster pause briefly.

"Is this the foul smell you mentioned before, the one emitted by the Demonic Eye Tree?" The headmaster covered his nose.

Tang San nodded and said, "That's right. It's one of the Demonic Eye Tree's characteristics."

"Why do you seem completely unaffected?" the headmaster asked.

"Because my teacher uses his Martial Soul to help me cultivate." Tang San said calmly, "Perhaps that's my teacher's unique approach. He makes me improve myself in harsh environments."

At the thought of Luo Sanpao's foul farts, the headmaster's face could not help twisting slightly.

Making his disciple train diligently in such an environment—only Grandmaster could come up with something like that!

He truly was worthy of being Grandmaster!

"Teachable, truly teachable!" he exclaimed. "Today, no matter what, I'll help you secure this Second Soul Ring. Otherwise, I won't be able to answer to Grandmaster!"

Enduring the foul smell, the headmaster led Tang San onward.

Rustling sounds came from above them, as though some creature were darting wildly through the treetops.

Tang San warily looked around, only to discover in shock that he had unknowingly entered the thick fog of the forest. If not for his Purple Demon Eye, he likely would have become lost here already!

He vigilantly gripped the strand of Blue Silver Grass connecting him to the headmaster and said, "Headmaster, be careful!"

He lightly placed his other hand on Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges, and several crafted Hidden Weapons silently slid into his palm.

He was currently only a level-twenty Soul Master who had cultivated through the Mysterious Heaven Skill. Without sufficient cultivation to support him, his throwing-type Hidden Weapons were nearly impossible to use.

A drop of viscous liquid fell onto the web between his thumb and forefinger. It was transparent, but—

It carried a trace of corrosive force!

Tang San looked up in shock. Above where they stood was a branch, and on that branch, an eyeball was actually glaring down at them!

Then, with slight terror, he looked down at his feet. Water trickled softly, and at some unknown point, that viscous liquid had flowed through the area where he stood, flooding over the soles of his shoes. It was as though he were standing in a shallow layer of water!

"Damn it!" He immediately drew a breath and circulated the level-twenty Soul Power within his body.

Then he discovered that his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track had been restricted by the viscous liquid!

"Tang San! Be careful! This may not be the hundred-year soul beast you described!"

The headmaster also realized something was wrong and cried out.

As soon as his words fell, the demonic eye on the branch hanging in midair spewed another stream of glue-like mucus, and that mucus carried corrosive poison!

"No!" Tang San cried out in terror.

In the original story, this headmaster was level forty-two, but he still had to go to great lengths and rely on a Martial Soul that countered the Ghost Vine to barely subdue it. So his soul rings could not possibly have been that good. One white and three yellow was already giving him credit.