Crimson Fire Scorpion

Tang San soon finished absorbing the spirit ring, and Flender hurriedly asked, "I heard your teacher say just now that you're a little monster too. Let me see how capable you really are."

Tang San stood and said to everyone, "First Spirit Skill, Entanglement! Please guide me."

As he spoke, the Blue Silver Grass in his hand grew out and wrapped around a small tree. With a hard tug, he bent the tree, and the bark where the Blue Silver Grass had coiled around it darkened at a visible rate.

It was incredibly resilient—and poisonous!

Flender adjusted his glasses and could not help praising him. "You really are a little monster. This is the first time I've seen such an unusual Blue Silver Grass! Little Gang truly has a sharp eye."

"Third Brother, try the snake meat I made. Restore your strength, then we'll head to the Thousand-Year Spirit Beast area!" Tang Jiu was already eager to verify Master's theory.

Tang San did not waste any time. After quickly eating the meat and drinking the soup, the four of them headed toward the Thousand-Year Spirit Beast area.

Flender did not run on the ground with them. Instead, he activated Martial Soul Possession and flew through the sky to scout ahead, which was much more efficient.

"Little Gang, what kind of spirit beast are you looking for?"

"My martial soul can only take the support-control route, so it would be best if it grants a battlefield-control skill. Since Three Pao the Turtle can only attack by farting, the main directions I'm considering are elements and poison. Any Thousand-Year Spirit Beast with ice, fire, or poison attributes will do. It should preferably be no more than 1,100 years old—that is the absolute limit of what I can absorb."

Master had long since decided on his path.

"Ice, fire, poison! Three Pao the Turtle's farts would be quite something." Flender could not help laughing. Just imagining that chubby Three Pao the Turtle farting with such effects was amusing enough, regardless of how effective the battlefield control would be.

Hearing Flender's teasing, Tang Jiu could not suppress a laugh either. Master shot Flender a fierce glare and snapped, "Stop talking nonsense. Be serious!"

"Why so serious? You have to know how to enjoy life!" Seeing how much Master minded it, Flender seemed to find it even more amusing. He kept talking all the way until Master could not even be bothered to respond to him.

Suddenly, Flender cried out, "Little Gang, you're in luck. I found a Crimson Fire Scorpion! It's one meter long."

The view ahead of Tang Jiu suddenly opened up. It was as if a piece of the forest had been cut away, revealing a clearing over two hundred meters wide. The ground was no longer damp soil, but rock and sand, and the surrounding temperature seemed several degrees higher.

In the middle of the sand, a scorpion with a shell as red as fire suddenly crawled up. It was a meter long, its pincers waving furiously and its tail stinger raised high, gleaming scarlet. Its entire body looked as though it had been carved from ruby, breathtakingly magnificent.

"A Crimson Fire Scorpion, exactly one thousand years old." Master's eyes burned with excitement.

"Little Gang, let me cripple it first!" Flender said with a smile as he descended.

"Fine. The Crimson Fire Scorpion is a spirit beast with both fire and poison attributes, and its shell is exceptionally hard. You really do need to make a move." Master nodded.

Flender stepped forward, ready to attack, but Tang Jiu suddenly blocked his path. "Teacher, I want to try it alone first!"

"You? Don't joke with your life! This is a Thousand-Year Spirit Beast. Even ?-level Soul Masters would need a five-person team to hunt a Crimson Fire Scorpion with both offense and defense!"

Flender snorted, thinking Tang Jiu far too arrogant.

"Little Jiu, do you really want to try? This is very dangerous!" Master's expression turned grave.

"With you teachers guiding me and a Soul Sage standing guard for me, if I still don't dare risk my life, how can I call myself invincible against higher ranks?" Tang Jiu took out the War Hammer and gripped it in his hand.

"Invincible against higher ranks? First become invincible among those of your own rank! Kid, don't throw your life away. No matter how good your talent is, it'll be useless if you die!" Flender felt it necessary to give Tang Jiu a warning.

"How about a bet? I can take down this Crimson Fire Scorpion by myself! I have one thousand Gold Soul Coins on me, and I was just worrying about where to spend them." Tang Jiu grinned at Flender.

"One thousand Gold Soul Coins! Your family really is generous. Rather than letting you waste them, I might as well hold on to them for you first!" Flender's eyes lit up. He happily patted Tang Jiu on the shoulder and said, "Kid, I actually think highly of you. Go on! Young people should be bold and unrestrained—that's what vitality is!"

"Money-grubber!"

Master rolled his eyes, though a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He cast Flender a pitying glance, then began instructing Tang Jiu.

"The Crimson Fire Scorpion is like an Assault Type Soul Master. What it lacks most is speed. Be careful of its tail stinger and pincers. Especially the stinger—it can fire flames and carries a neurotoxin. If it stings you, all you can do is wait for death!"

"Understood!" Tang Jiu immediately grasped the point. In other words, as long as he found a way to break the Crimson Fire Scorpion's tail stinger first, it would become a turtle without teeth.

Tang Jiu immediately activated Martial Soul Possession. His physical strength surged, and he charged at the Crimson Fire Scorpion with the War Hammer in hand.

"Am I seeing things? Not even one spirit ring?" Flender was so shocked that he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes in disbelief. He could only see the Bullet Ant after Martial Soul Possession, not a single spirit ring!

"That's right! Strictly speaking, Little Jiu is a zero-ring Level 19 Soul Master!"

A smile appeared at the corner of Master's mouth. When he had learned this, he had not reacted much better than Flender. He had nearly begun doubting life as well.

Flender swallowed hard. He truly could not understand how someone without spirit rings had reached Level 11!

Tang San's mouth twitched. He finally felt a little more balanced. Even a Level 78 Soul Sage had not handled the revelation much better than he had!

At that moment, a sharp insect cry rang out. The Crimson Fire Scorpion was furious. Though it feared Flender's immense Soul Power, it could not tolerate a mere Tang Jiu charging into its territory!

Its enormous ruby-like pincers swung at Tang Jiu. Tang Jiu did not rush to use his Spirit Ring Spirit. Instead, he swung the War Hammer at the Crimson Fire Scorpion's pincer, intending to test its strength.

Clang!

The hammer and pincer collided with the sound of clashing metal. Tang Jiu was sent flying three or four meters by the Crimson Fire Scorpion's tremendous strength, only regaining his footing after a graceful backflip.

Tang Jiu roughly calculated the Crimson Fire Scorpion's strength. It was around ? jin, not enough to crush him outright!

But the Crimson Fire Scorpion did not see it that way. Knocking Tang Jiu away with a single pincer strike greatly boosted its confidence. After all, strength was not its specialty—fire and poison were!

Having succeeded with one blow, the Crimson Fire Scorpion immediately rushed at Tang Jiu at full speed. Its tail stinger swayed high in the air, ready to deliver a fatal strike at any moment.

"How's it going, kid? If you can't take it, say so quickly! Don't be too heartbroken over those one thousand Gold Soul Coins!" Flender laughed loudly. He had never seen someone so eager to give away money. Though Tang Jiu's strength surprised him, he truly could not see how Tang Jiu had any chance of winning!

"You should be the one worried about the money!"

Seeing the Crimson Fire Scorpion charge at full speed, Tang Jiu advanced instead of retreating. The Spirit Ring Spirit in his hand encircled the charging Crimson Fire Scorpion.