One Hammer Decides It?

After Wang Xiao gave this Hundred Year Mandala Snake a thorough beating, it finally could not break free and lay steadily on the ground, barely clinging to life as it waited for the final blow.

Only then did Wang Xiao release it. He turned to look at his companion standing thirty meters away. "Xiao Yan, it's your turn?"

Xiao Yan jolted, only then realizing that he had already beaten the Hundred Year Mandala Snake down and that she could take its Soul Ring.

She immediately pulled out a small knife and rushed over. With a swift motion, she stabbed it into the snake's head.

Then she quickly stepped back to keep the blood from splashing onto her and poisoning her.

The Hundred Year Mandala Snake struggled twice before breathing its last, forever departing from this world.

Immediately afterward, yellow light emerged from its body, and a halo floated in the air.

Xiao Yan's heart leaped with joy. It was indeed its Hundred Year Soul Ring.

She turned back to look at him. "Brother Xiao Xiao, are you really giving this Hundred Year Soul Ring to me to absorb?"

Wang Xiao widened his eyes and looked at her in surprise. "Doesn't the Soul Master himself have to kill the soul beast in order to absorb its Soul Ring?"

"So you delivered the final blow. Do you think I'm joking?"

Xiao Yan blushed, suddenly feeling rather foolish.

Everyone knew something like that. Even non-Soul Masters knew it, yet she had actually asked.

She felt embarrassed. "Thank you."

"Enough!" Wang Xiao waved his hand. "I'll guard you. Hurry up—I still need to find my next Soul Ring!"

Xiao Yan nodded, deeply moved.

Brother Xiao Xiao is far too good to me!

I'll never forget him. Not even in my dreams will I forget his kindness.

She immediately sat cross-legged and circulated her Soul Power.

Then she summoned her Nine-Leaf Red Lotus martial soul and began meditating to absorb the Hundred Year Soul Ring.

Wang Xiao sat nearby and curiously glanced at Xiao Yan's martial soul.

Just as she had said, it was a green plant with nine leaves.

The only flaw was that there was no flower.

It probably won't bloom until after she absorbs her First Soul Ring.

The leaves of the Nine-Leaf Red Lotus were not red. Only the lotus flower it bloomed would be red.

That was why it was called the Nine-Leaf Red Lotus.

Grrr~

Wang Xiao's stomach growled incessantly from hunger, forcing him to eat something and restore his strength.

He promptly took three Big Sausages and a flask of old wine from Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlight Night.

Then he ate with relish.

There were not many Big Sausages left—only two remained.

There was no market in this Soul Hunting Forest where he could replenish his supplies.

The only option was to gather materials locally.

Wang Xiao pondered whether he should catch a couple of wild chickens, rabbits, or perhaps a wild boar next time to satisfy his cravings.

Rustle, rustle~

After guarding her for an hour, Xiao Yan still had not finished absorbing the Soul Ring when several strange sounds came from several dozen meters away.

Wang Xiao was lying on a rock at the time. Hearing the disturbance, he slightly opened his eyes and covertly surveyed his surroundings.

He could clearly feel an oppressive presence approaching from nearby.

The air also carried a nauseating stench.

What is it?

A Mandala Snake?

Yes, it does smell like the one we killed earlier.

But this scent is stronger, and its presence is far more intimidating.

Its cultivation must be over five hundred years—perhaps even higher.

Wang Xiao wondered whether it was the Mandala Snake's mate, parent, or some friend or relative.

If so, it had come to avenge it.

If this Mandala Snake had more than five hundred years of cultivation, then it had arrived at exactly the right time!

After all, his next target was a soul beast with over five hundred years of cultivation.

What perfect timing!

He had searched high and low without finding one, only for it to arrive without any effort on his part.

Wang Xiao rolled off the rock in a clumsy tumble and immediately hid in the bushes beside it.

Only his thick brows and large eyes remained exposed as he secretly observed the area.

Suddenly, something long shot over his head with a whoosh.

It brought a gust of wind with it, making Wang Xiao, the "Voldemort," shudder.

Wang Xiao knew something was wrong.

Hisss~

Hearing the sound overhead, Wang Xiao's heart went cold.

Suddenly, droplets fell onto his back. Don't tell me someone is spitting from a tree?

Damn it!

The fire in Wang Xiao's heart flared fiercely.

He abruptly looked up and was badly startled.

Only then did he see a long creature hanging from the tree.

Its huge, blood-filled mouth dripped saliva as it flicked out a tender pink tongue and glared furiously down at him.

So that was it!

It really was another Hundred Year Mandala Snake!

Wang Xiao examined its length. It should have been over nine meters, but under ten.

It grew one centimeter for every year of cultivation. In other words, the Mandala Snake before him had at least nine hundred years of cultivation.

Wang Xiao's heart filled with delight. Excellent!

A Nine Hundred Year Soul Ring had come knocking at his door.

Whoosh~

The Mandala Snake suddenly dived down at him, trying to swallow his head in one bite.

Wang Xiao gritted his teeth until they creaked.

With another clumsy roll, he avoided the Mandala Snake's deadly strike.

Then he flipped backward to his feet and coldly stared at it.

The nine-meter Mandala Snake had missed and smashed its head directly into the ground, leaving it somewhat dazed.

Its long body twisted and coiled across the ground, changing direction back and forth with astonishing speed.

At last, it found Wang Xiao standing behind it and hissed.

Wang Xiao tossed his head and crooked a finger at it. "Your grandpa's right here. Come at me if you've got the guts!"

Hisss~

The Mandala Snake did not hesitate. It sprang from the ground at once.

Wang Xiao performed three forward somersaults in midair, effortlessly avoiding the Mandala Snake's lethal attack.

The Mandala Snake was exceptionally aggressive. It immediately turned around and struck again.

Wang Xiao leaned backward and dodged.

The Mandala Snake shot past him, leaving its back exposed.

Seizing the opportunity, Wang Xiao planted his feet and spun across the ground.

Then he performed a side flip several meters into the air, grabbing the Mandala Snake's exposed tail with one hand.

His feet immediately braced against the ground as he yanked its body.

He swung it up and slammed it forward with all his strength.

A sharp smack rang out at once.

The nine-meter Mandala Snake was smashed until it was utterly disoriented.

With over nine hundred years of cultivation and an incredibly resilient body, the Mandala Snake would not be injured so easily.

It immediately launched a counterattack. Its huge mouth opened, spraying a thick stream of venom at him.

The attack was fast and ferocious, impossible to guard against.

In that split second.

Wang Xiao spread his arms and exerted force. A Soul Ring beneath him abruptly rose.

A plant sprouted from his back, rapidly growing and wrapping around his entire body.

Wang Xiao left only his forehead, mouth, and eyes exposed so that he could breathe and observe in secret.

The Mandala Snake poison could not reach him at all. It was completely blocked by the Chicken Blood Vine and cleanly absorbed by its stems and leaves.

Wang Xiao smiled faintly. "Heh, Little Manman, you can't beat me."

"If you obediently become my Soul Ring, perhaps Brother Xiao Xiao here will leave you an intact corpse."

"If I'm in a good mood, I might even dig a hole, pile up a little mound, and set up a stone marker for you."

"Hisss."

The Nine Hundred Year Mandala Snake was not buying any of it. It immediately spat several mouthfuls of "saliva" at him.

But as soon as the venom reached him, the Chicken Blood Vine absorbed it all without leaving a trace.

Wang Xiao simply folded his arms across his chest and watched the Mandala Snake spit venom and put on its performance.

He stood there steadily like a spectator, his expression utterly calm.

The Mandala Snake spat several more streams of venom, but still could not hit him.

It instantly flew into a rage, and the vicious gleam in its Twin Pupils intensified.

Having lived for nine hundred years, how could the Mandala Snake not understand what was happening?

Now, it wanted only to rush forward and bite him.

Then it would pour venom into his body until he died.

After that, it could eat him however it pleased. Swallowing him whole would not be a problem.

Whoosh~

The Mandala Snake finally failed to restrain its emotions. Aiming for Wang Xiao's exposed mouth, it attempted some "intimate contact."

Seeing this, Wang Xiao merely smiled without saying a word.

I've been waiting for you. I didn't expect you to lose your patience so quickly!

A beast is still a beast. No matter how crafty or vicious it is, it can't outmatch a human.

What a foolish snake.

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

╮(￣▽￣)╭

The Mandala Snake was about to succeed. There was only about 1.1 centimeters between them.

It was neither far nor close—just enough for it to bite his lips and have an intimate "human-beast kiss."

It never imagined that this 1.1-centimeter distance would become an insurmountable gulf for all eternity.

Its body froze in midair as vine tendrils behind it wrapped around half its body.

They rapidly grew, encasing the other half as well.

The Six-winged Leaves also began spinning in all directions, continuously cutting into its body.

Though the Nine Hundred Year Mandala Snake possessed extraordinary resilience, it could not withstand such torment.

It could only launch one final attack. With a burst of power, Soul Power flowed throughout its entire body, and it instantly swelled like an inflated ball.

Pop, pop~

It shattered the Chicken Blood Vine Tendrils wrapped around its body, making them vanish.

"Not bad, you've got some skill!" Wang Xiao smiled and immediately used Lingbo Weibu Accelerated Version to dart aside, avoiding the Mandala Snake's attack.

Its entire body glowed yellow. It had clearly poured all of its Soul Power into every part of its body.

Then it went all out in attacking Wang Xiao, hoping to defeat him with this final strike.

Wang Xiao did not take its attack seriously at all. With his Lingbo Weibu Accelerated Version, the Mandala Snake simply could not match his speed.

The Mandala Snake chased and fought Wang Xiao for quite some time without catching him, until it was already exhausted.

The opportunity had come!

It was now.

With a thought, Wang Xiao suddenly remembered his second martial soul, the Thunder God Hammer martial soul.

Normally, a martial soul that had not absorbed a Soul Ring would have no soul skills.

"System Sister, my Thunder God Hammer martial soul hasn't absorbed a Soul Ring. Can it use soul skills?"

"A martial soul must absorb a Soul Ring to produce soul skills, but I want to test it and see whether it works."

"Ding. Under normal circumstances, it cannot. But you are different. Your Chicken Blood Vine martial soul is not an ordinary Chicken Blood Vine martial soul—it is the Mother Body Main Martial Soul."

The Loli Voice System answered.

Wang Xiao did not quite understand. "Mother Body Main Martial Soul? Can the system explain it more clearly?"

"Ding. Certainly! A Mother Body Martial Soul is the fundamental body of a martial soul. It is also known as the Mother Source Body, Main Body, and so on."

"Ding. After it absorbs a Soul Ring, it is not limited to its own use. It can also convert the Soul Ring's power for your other martial souls to use at the same time."

"Ding. Therefore, there is no need to worry that your other martial souls cannot use soul skills simply because they have not absorbed Soul Rings."

"I see!" Wang Xiao nodded, extremely satisfied with the system's explanation.

Whether it would succeed was still uncertain, but the system was authoritative enough. It should not be wrong.

"I'll know once I try it."

Wang Xiao immediately flashed behind the Mandala Snake and grabbed its tail.

He then summoned his other martial soul, the Thunder God Hammer.

He tried it at once, and it actually worked—he had gained a skill!

Wang Xiao immediately came up with a name for the Thunder God Hammer martial soul's first spirit skill.

Then he used it...

"First Spirit Skill, One Hammer Decisive!" Wang Xiao raised his hammer and brought it down, striking the Mandala Snake on the head.

It came with a lightning effect, hitting the center of its head dead-on.

It smashed the snake unconscious, leaving it paralyzed and scorched by lightning.

"It worked!"

Wang Xiao was overjoyed. Sure enough, the system's theory was correct.

The Soul Ring absorbed by the Chicken Blood Vine martial soul really can be converted into skills for my other martial souls.

If that was the case, then from now on, only the Chicken Blood Vine martial soul would need to absorb Soul Rings.

That would make things much more convenient.

Wang Xiao immediately recalled the Thunder God Hammer and drew out his dagger.

Then, swift as Lightning Treasure, he plunged the blade into the Mandala Snake's head.

A yellow ring of light emerged from its body, hovering about five feet above the soul beast's corpse.

A trial chapter is here! I hope readers will show plenty of support—please add it to your collections and send those recommendation votes my way! Tips are optional! Thank you, readers, for your support, tips, recommendation votes, comments, likes, and all kinds of encouragement. I'll keep working hard. Thank you!