Second Spirit Ring, 600-Year Ghost Vine

Inside the Soul Hunting Forest.

A scorching blade of light slashed through, carving a path through the wall composed of countless thorns ahead.

Klay moved his Blazing Fire Blade to one side, then flexed his right hand, which had grown somewhat stiff.

"Is this right, Xiao Gang? Are you sure there's a Ghost Vine here?"

"I am certain." Yu Xiaogang stepped forward, scooped up some soil from the ground, and held it to his nose. After sniffing carefully, he caught the faint scent of blood drifting into his nostrils.

"The soil here is moist and soaked in blood, and these surrounding thorns are companion plants to the Ghost Vine. There is no mistake."

Klay nodded, then looked toward Mo Hen.

Mo Hen understood. He raised his right hand and channeled his soul power. A black writing brush appeared in his hand out of thin air, and two yellow soul rings flew out from his body, settling upon it.

He then gripped the brush. The first soul ring upon it flickered slightly, and the brush seemed to gain a life of its own, sketching a mysterious black rune in mid-air.

Mo Hen pointed with the brush, and the black rune flew out lightly, landing on Klay.

This was Mo Hen's first soul skill, Soul Power Rune. It could conserve a soul master's soul power and increase the casting speed of soul skills.

The group continued their search forward. During this time, Yu Xiaogang constantly judged the direction by examining the soil, while Klay released flames of Blade Qi to hack through the path.

After about ten minutes, the group finally emerged from the barrier of thorns and arrived inside the Ghost Vine Nest.

What came into view was a massive ancient tree with a diameter of about three meters. Wrapped around its trunk was a giant vine as wide as a person; it was blue-black in color, looking at first glance like a giant python.

This was the target of their trip: the Ghost Vine.

The moment they stepped into the nest, the Ghost Vine raised its body like a python. Then, with a shudder, countless vines as thick as wrists burst from the ground, coiling toward the group.

An excited expression appeared on Klay's face as he brandished his Blazing Fire Blade and charged out.

Seeing this, Yu Xiaogang immediately shouted from behind: "Those outside are just tentacles! Don't get bogged down in the fight; the Ghost Vine's weak point is in the heart of that ancient tree!"

Klay gave a casual acknowledgment. The first yellow soul ring on his Blazing Fire Blade glowed slightly, and several streaks of flaming Blade Qi were instantly unleashed, cutting a clearing in the surroundings.

He then plunged his blade into the ground. As his second yellow soul ring flashed, a highly compressed fire-attribute soul power was injected into the earth, spreading rapidly toward the front.

BOOM!

A narrow pillar of fire erupted from the ground, instantly incinerating the vines nearly twenty meters in front of Klay into nothingness, leaving the ancient tree inside completely exposed.

Klay channeled soul power into his legs, his entire body turning into a blur as he dashed in front of the ancient tree.

Then, his third, purple soul ring lit up. He swung his flaming blade, unleashing a ten-meter-wide semi-circular wave of Blade Qi.

The ancient tree, along with the Ghost Vine upon it, was severed in an instant. A blue-black heart fell out from the core of the ancient tree, and the surrounding vines all hung limp at that moment.

Seeing that the battle had ended, Yu Xiaogang and the others followed along to the Ancient Tree.

Klay laughed and said to the group, "How about that? Blade Qi, Earth Burst, and Half Moon Slash—a single combo chain and this 600-year Soul Beast was easily handled."

The group nodded noncommittally. Klay let out a hearty laugh, then patted Mo Hen on the shoulder, saying, "I'm not just saying this, Mo, your Soul Power Runes are really useful. My blade feels much faster than it used to be. Keep it up, kid, you've got a bright future!"

Mo Hen replied with a smile, praising Klay's superior strength and claiming he was merely basking in the Dean's glory.

Yu Xiaogang glanced at the two of them and ignored them, instead instructing Tang San to draw his dagger and stab it into the blue-black heart on the ground.

As the dagger pierced the heart, a stream of foul-smelling blood flowed out, and simultaneously, a yellow Soul Ring emerged from within, drifting in mid-air.

Tang San sat cross-legged on the spot, released his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, guided the Soul Ring to settle onto it, and began to absorb the soul power.

The others stood guard for him. By the time the sun was about to set, Tang San finally finished absorbing his second Soul Ring, and the system entries updated accordingly.

[Entry updated: 600-year Ghost Vine Soul Ring]

Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy, top-floor dormitory.

Yu Xiaogang summoned the system and opened his personal panel.

[Name: Yu Xiaogang]

[Soul Power: Level 29]

[Martial Soul: Luo Sanpao, Blue Electric Tyrant Dragon]

[Skills: Mysterious Heaven Skill - Third Layer (0%), Purple Demon Eye - Overview (30%), Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track - Minor Success (30%), Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon - Minor Success (30%)]

"The Mysterious Heaven Skill has already broken through to the third layer. If converted into soul power, I have already recultivated 20 levels in these past three years."

Because he had his original soul power as a foundation, Yu Xiaogang's speed when practicing the first two layers of the Mysterious Heaven Skill was extremely fast, even surpassing the cultivation speed of his own disciple, Tang San.

"If only it could stay this fast afterward. Unfortunately..."

After entering the third layer, he clearly felt the circulation of his soul power become sluggish, and his cultivation efficiency had dropped by more than half compared to before.

Shaking his head, Yu Xiaogang cast aside these distracting thoughts, scrolled down the panel, and selected the new entry.

[Select entry "600-year Ghost Vine Soul Ring", activate corresponding mission: Enter the Illusion Realm, defeat the 600-year Ghost Vine]

He tapped the challenge mission button. After a bout of dizziness, Yu Xiaogang found himself standing inside the Ghost Vine Nest.

Vines as thick as bowls surged in from all directions. Yu Xiaogang immediately activated Martial Soul Possession and simultaneously launched his first soul skill, Thunderous Poison Dragon Claw.

A pair of dragon claw phantoms, each thirty centimeters long, instantly appeared over his hands. Yu Xiaogang swung the dragon claws, slicing through the vines while rapidly closing in on the Ancient Tree at the center.

Seeing this, the Ghost Vine immediately mobilized its vines to intercept, but the power of the dragon claw was immense; it didn't take long before it broke through the vine cage set by the Ghost Vine.

Yu Xiaogang leaped forward, reaching out to grab the heart of the Ancient Tree. The main body of the Ghost Vine immediately moved to block him, the entire vine lunging forward like a python.

Thwip!

The dragon claw embedded itself only halfway before it could cut no further. Yu Xiaogang executed Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, flipping several times to put some distance between them.

Just as he was contemplating how to launch his next attack, countless tiny vines began to sprout rapidly from the surface of his body. The thorns on the vines constantly scraped against the phantom dragon scales covering his skin, failing to break his defense. However, the sheer number of vines was overwhelming, and it looked as though they were about to cover his entire body.

Yu Xiaogang quickly channeled his soul power. While he could still move, he immediately formed hand seals and released Luo Sanpao.

"Fart like thunder, shake the heavens and shatter the earth, Luo Sanpao!"

A deafening boom exploded instantly. The powerful shockwave sent the surrounding Ghost Vines—and Yu Xiaogang himself—flying backward.

The vines on his body were shattered by the blast. Relying on the formidable physique granted by Martial Soul Possession, Yu Xiaogang suppressed the metallic taste of blood rising in his throat, his mind remaining sharp and clear.

He keenly sensed the opportunity at hand. He actively adjusted his posture in mid-air and utilized Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon to borrow force from the void, steering his flight path.

Once he had aligned his direction toward the Ancient Tree, Yu Xiaogang poured all his remaining soul power into his first soul skill. The dragon claw on his hand instantly extended, and several blue electric arcs began to dance across its surface, emitting muffled crackling sounds.

Although the attack method of Luo Sanpao's first soul skill was singular, its impact was truly formidable—a fact already proven when it had flipped the Mandala Snake earlier.

With the help of this thrust, Yu Xiaogang shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, piercing into the Ancient Tree in the blink of an eye.

Having observed the structural composition of the Ancient Tree's heart back in the Soul Hunting Forest, Yu Xiaogang had already aimed for the location of the Ghost Vine's heart while adjusting his trajectory.

As he twisted the dragon claw inside the tree heart, a foul-smelling blood gushed out. The Ghost Vine was declared thoroughly dead.

[Task complete, obtained 600-year Ghost Vine Soul Ring]

The scene shifted, and Yu Xiaogang's soul returned to his body.

He steadied himself for a moment and then looked at the panel.

[Please select an action for the Soul Ring: 1. Absorb 2. Decompose]

Yu Xiaogang did not hesitate for long and tapped the "Decompose" icon on the panel.

He then added the soul ring's age to his 400-year Mandala Snake soul ring for the Blue Electric Tyrant Dragon, while attaching the soul skill to Luo Sanpao.