Broadening Tang San's Horizons

Blue Silver Grass had many advantages.

Its leaves were soft.

Its vitality was tenacious.

Those two points were obvious.

Its remaining advantage was its resilience—

This was Zhou Qing's conclusion after comparing Blue Silver Grass with other weeds.

Compared to other weeds of roughly the same size, Blue Silver Grass had more veins in its leaves and was more resilient. Baskets and bags woven from longer Blue Silver Grass leaves could last for nearly half a year.

Therefore, if Zhou Qing's Martial Soul had been Blue Silver Grass, then his choice for his First Spirit Ring and the Soul Skill it brought would need to enhance softness, vitality, and resilience.

As for improving the Martial Soul itself, vitality was the key, resilience came second, and softness came third... Though on this point, Zhou Qing believed that Soul Power was the true "fertilizer" during a Martial Soul's growth. A Martial Soul grew alongside the increase of Soul Power, while Spirit Rings themselves likely did not provide such a great enhancement. Their role was more like guidance...

As for Soul Skills, resilience and softness took priority over vitality.

That could not be helped.

Barring special circumstances, Zhou Qing believed that, as a commoner, he had to choose a Soul Skill that could both increase vitality and provide some offensive power.

This was also the helplessness of Commoner Soul Masters. With no background, no backing, and no Soul Master team of their own, entering the Soul Master World under such circumstances meant that at least one of their first three Soul Skills had to possess an offensive ability, in case of emergencies.

Choosing to follow a purely Support System path required a Soul Master team that truly trusted you to protect your growth.

This was a choice—or rather, a compromise—that had to be made if one wanted to reach higher realms.

As for Tang San.

His Martial Soul appeared to be Blue Silver Grass, but it was actually the Blue Silver Emperor. During the early stages of cultivation, he could simply stack Soul Skills that enhanced vitality. There was no need for him to care about Blue Silver Grass's offensive capabilities at all.

In the original story, Tang San did not rely on the Blue Silver Emperor to win in most situations. Instead, he won through the Tang Sect's various Hidden Weapon techniques. Even without using his Martial Soul, Tang San could kill Soul Masters whose strength was a full major rank above his.

Therefore, whether Blue Silver Grass possessed offensive power in its early stages was actually irrelevant to Tang San. What mattered was whether it could support his personal fighting style.

This plan Zhou Qing had made for his future Martial Soul might not be perfectly suited to Tang San, but it was certainly hundreds of times better than something like a Mandala Snake, Ghost Vine, or Man Faced Demon Spider!

"The choice for the First Spirit Ring: Wolf Bristle Grass."

Tang San had seen Wolf Bristle Grass before. It was a relatively common weed, though it was not as widespread as Blue Silver Grass. It looked very much like the Dog Tail Grass he had seen in his previous life.

"That's right."

Zhou Qing took out a book introducing Soul Beasts, flipped to the page on Wolf Bristle Grass, and pointed it out to Tang San. "Ordinary Wolf Bristle Grass that has not become a Soul Beast already possesses extremely strong vitality. Even if it is pulled out by the roots, left in the sun to dry for two days, and then replanted, it can grow again. Hundred-year Wolf Bristle Grass possesses even more tenacious vitality.

Unlike other Plant Soul Beasts.

For most Plant Soul Beasts, once their stems are severed, a Spirit Ring can emerge. But for hundred-year Wolf Bristle Grass, its underground roots must be pulled out, completely chopped apart, or burned before its Spirit Ring can be obtained.

Based on the information I currently have, Plant Martial Soul masters who obtain the Spirit Ring of this Plant Soul Beast will only gain one Soul Skill: Accumulate Life!

It can store Life Energy, increasing the power of one's other Soul Skills severalfold. That Life Energy can also temporarily strengthen one's physique or protect one's vital meridians!

The degree of enhancement is determined by the age of the Wolf Bristle Grass. A hundred-year Wolf Bristle Grass can increase it by fifty percent; a thousand-year one can double it; a ten-thousand-year one can triple it. Beyond that, according to the deductions of a Spirit Hall Martial Soul researcher from three hundred years ago, every additional ten thousand years of cultivation for Wolf Bristle Grass can continuously increase the multiplier."

Tang San found it unbelievable.

It was not the Wolf Bristle Grass's ability to increase the power of Soul Skills. His Martial Soul had yet to awaken, so no matter how clearly Zhou Qing described it, Tang San had little sense of what that meant.

What caught his attention were the abilities to temporarily increase physical strength with stored Life Energy and to protect one's vital meridians.

In his previous life!

If he had possessed such an ability, then traveling the martial world would have been like having an extra life!

But in this world, simply obtaining the Spirit Ring of Wolf Bristle Grass granted such an ability, and it could even increase the power of Soul Skills.

Soul Skills...

Tang San had already assumed they were abilities that required training, like Mysterious Jade Hand, Purple Demon Eye, Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon, and Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.

One had to know that cultivating techniques and combat skills required time and effort, yet in this world, one could gain a skill simply by obtaining a Spirit Ring.

It was truly incredible!

Soul Masters were equivalent to martial artists who cultivated Internal Energy, and because of Martial Souls and Soul Skills, they were certainly far stronger than Internal Energy experts of the same level! This world must be filled with countless masters!

That thought sprang into Tang San's mind, and he immediately asked, "Why is everything after ten thousand years merely speculation? Has no one obtained the Spirit Ring of Wolf Bristle Grass over twenty thousand years old?"

"The book says that because of the effects provided by Wolf Bristle Grass Spirit Rings, Wolf Bristle Grass over ten thousand years old had already vanished two hundred years ago. Those over a thousand years old are also extremely rare, and even hundred-year ones are scarce. Soul Masters with Plant Martial Souls who want to hunt this kind of Wolf Bristle Grass must rely on luck. Only weed-level Wolf Bristle Grass that has yet to become Soul Beasts is rampant in villages like ours."

Zhou Qing flipped to the next page and showed Tang San its contents. He also complained, "I reckon that if this keeps up, all Soul Beasts that are useful to Soul Masters will be hunted to extinction. Future generations won't have any Soul Beasts left to hunt."

This was planting a seed of foresight in Tang San.

Even if it did not work, it did not matter. Zhou Qing would continue giving similar examples in his conversations with Tang San. Over time, something would surely change.

Tang San nodded slightly, then asked, "What is my Martial Soul, then?"

"Ask your dad."

Zhou Qing answered without thinking. He also knew that Tang Hao definitely would not tell Tang San.

"I do want to ask, but my dad might not say anything. At home, the things he says to me most are, 'Is the food ready?' 'I'm going to sleep,' and 'Someone's here, you handle it.'"

Tang San spoke half in complaint and half in explanation. "So, can you analyze it?"

Zhou Qing was quite pleased instead.

From this angle, Tang San trusted him by more than seventy percent.

"Martial Souls... Aside from Martial Souls like Blue Silver Grass, where it's hard to tell what major use they have for people, other Martial Souls include tool-type Tool Martial Souls. Take hammers, for example. There are forging hammers, carpenter's hammers, and so on. If someone with that kind of Martial Soul has not awakened Innate Soul Power, it means they have no talent for cultivation. Most of them have to struggle to make a living, either as carpenters or blacksmiths. In any case, they're suited to jobs involving hammers."

Hearing this, Tang San's mind began to turn. Remembering that his father was a blacksmith, he guessed, "So my dad's Martial Soul is a hammer?"