"Let's get a good night's rest and save our strength. We'll set out again early tomorrow morning. I'm sure it'll take less than a day to reach the Dead Volcano in the Core Zone."
"Ye Chen, make sure you stick close to me when we get there. If you get lost in the Core Zone, those Soul Beasts will make a meal of you. During a Soul Hunting Operation, the Soul Beasts may be our prey, but we're their prey too."
"If either side takes pity on its prey, it'll become the real prey. So when you're killing Soul Beasts, don't go soft, understand?"
After hearing Dean Ding's explanation, Ye Chen took a bite of his rations and nodded. "Dean, I understand. I won't hesitate when it's time to kill Soul Beasts. Once we enter the Core Zone, I'll stay on high alert and stick close to you, doing my best not to hold you back."
Dean Ding patted Ye Chen on the shoulder and laughed. "It's not quite as dangerous as I made it sound. This is only a Soul Beast forest built by people, after all, and patrols from the Spirit Hall come through from time to time. If you get lost, remember to fire the signal flare I gave you. If I can't reach you in time, at least the Spirit Hall patrols can help."
"Okay." Ye Chen answered, then fell into thought.
Though he'd spent less than a day in the Soul Hunting Forest, everything he'd seen, heard, felt, and learned along the way was far beyond what the original story's simple words could describe.
After today's Soul Hunting Operation, he'd not only learned how to judge a Soul Beast's cultivation, but had also fought one himself. He'd learned more about Soul Beast habits and what to watch out for during a Soul Hunting Operation, and had come away with a great deal.
As Ye Chen reviewed what he'd felt and learned that day, a foul stench swept over from ahead.
It wasn't too strong at this distance, but it hung in the air, making anyone who smelled it drowsy.
"Hypnotic Sleep Luo Sanpao? That's Xiaogang's second Soul Skill." Dean Ding sniffed the air, then exclaimed in surprise, "Oh no! Xiaogang's in trouble!"
At that, Ye Chen remembered that Tang San hadn't attended the opening ceremony yesterday morning. Instead, he'd gone out early with Yu Xiaogang to hunt a Soul Beast.
According to the original story, Yu Xiaogang should have brought Tang San to the Soul Hunting Forest to hunt a Soul Beast. While they were there, they would encounter a four-hundred-year-old Datura Snake in the Outer Zone.
Yu Xiaogang was using his second Soul Skill to fight. He must have run into the Datura Snake.
"Come on, let's hurry over and see. We can't let anyone die!" Dean Ding said, dashing toward the woods without even putting out the fire.
Ye Chen followed close behind, his Torchic appearing at his side in case a Soul Beast ambushed them.
In the woods ahead, Yu Xiaogang was fleeing in a sorry state with Tang San. A nearly four-meter-long emerald-green snake was hot on their heels, making a low, hissing sound.
Just as Ye Chen had expected, this emerald-green snake was a Datura Snake with a cultivation of over four hundred years. It possessed a terrifying paralyzing venom, and was vicious and highly aggressive by nature.
Seeing that his second Soul Skill, Hypnotic Sleep Luo Sanpao, couldn't knock the Datura Snake out, Yu Xiaogang was at his wits' end. He could only drag Tang San along by the hand and run.
What left him helpless was that Luo Sanpao's fart attack had not only failed, but the Datura Snake had bitten its right foreleg with its venomous fangs.
Because his External Martial Soul had been injured and the damage had rebounded on him, Yu Xiaogang's right arm was now poisoned.
Even so, Yu Xiaogang didn't stop to treat the wound or deal with the poison. He didn't have a chance to stop, either. The Datura Snake was too vicious and too fast. If he stopped, he and Tang San would die without a burial place.
Just as Yu Xiaogang was nearly despairing, he felt Tang San stir in his grasp. When he turned to look, Tang San had reached to his waist with his left hand and flung a streak of black light behind them.
With a sharp whoosh, the black light became a needle-like Hidden Weapon and shot straight toward the Datura Snake's eye.
They were at a life-or-death turning point. Tang San knew exactly what would happen if the Datura Snake caught them, so he had no choice but to use Tang Sect Hidden Weapons in the fight.
He suddenly let go of Yu Xiaogang's hand and spun in midair. He raised his left hand, quietly cocked the Sleeve Arrow hidden at his wrist, and sent a flash of silver streaking out from his sleeve.
The Datura Snake clearly hadn't expected a sneak attack. It dodged the needle-like Hidden Weapon in time, but the silver bolt from the Sleeve Arrow struck its left eye, spraying blood everywhere.
Sss—
With its left eye shot out, the Datura Snake threw its head back and let out a strange cry of pain.
Seeing that his Sleeve Arrow sneak attack had succeeded, Tang San used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to close the distance, his Mysterious Jade Hand gripping a sharp dagger. At the instant the Datura Snake threw back its head and cried out, he drove the dagger hard into its throat.
With the Mysterious Heaven Skill operating at full power, the dagger not only pierced the Datura Snake's throat, but sank all the way into its body.
The next moment, the Datura Snake's body thrashed violently. Sand and stones flew across the ground. Wherever its hard body swept, bushes and saplings alike were battered as if a Twister had torn through them, their leaves and branches shredded and sent flying in all directions.
After thrusting the dagger with all his strength, Tang San used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to dart away. He just barely evaded the Datura Snake's tail as it swept past.
A centipede may die, but it never falls straight over. Tang San knew the habits of snakes far too well to assume the Datura Snake would die right away.
Still, the outcome was clear. The Datura Snake was already at the end of its strength.
Watching the Datura Snake suddenly collapse to the ground, Tang San's lips curved into a faint smile.
Before entering the Soul Hunting Forest to hunt Soul Beasts, he'd fought Xiao Wu once. He'd thrown stones using Tang Sect Hidden Weapon techniques and, with the help of Blue Silver Vine Bind, had easily subdued her.
It was clear that in Dorm Seven, Ye Chen was the strongest, he came second, Xiao Wu was third, and Wang Sheng and the others were at the bottom.
That meant he wasn't weak compared to others his age. His Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul wasn't as useless as he'd imagined, and the Tang Sect techniques weren't lacking, either.
The real reason he'd struggled to win was that Ye Chen had an unusually powerful Torchic Martial Soul.
Against anyone his age except Ye Chen, he would surely win.
Now that he'd used Tang Sect Hidden Weapons in a fight, he'd actually managed to kill a vicious Soul Beast. Ye Chen and Torchic probably couldn't have done that, could they?
At that thought, Tang San's confidence soared, and his whole outlook suddenly brightened.
He was now completely certain that if he used Tang Sect Hidden Weapons to launch a sneak attack, Ye Chen would be doomed.
But they were friendly rivals, not enemies, and he didn't want to kill him.
Once he'd confirmed that, all the resentment Tang San had suppressed for so long vanished. Having regained his confidence, even the smile on his lips became a little more self-assured and open.
Just then, Dean Ding arrived with Ye Chen. They were astonished to see that Tang San had already subdued the Datura Snake.
Yu Xiaogang was just as astonished. He never would have thought that his disciple, Tang San, could defeat a Datura Snake.
This Datura Snake was incredibly vicious. It was no ordinary Soul Master's match.
Yet his disciple Tang San, a Soul Scholar without a Soul Ring, had defeated it just like that?
"Xiao San, you—!" Yu Xiaogang blurted out in shock.
Only then did Tang San snap out of his delight at defeating the Datura Snake. When he'd used Tang Sect Hidden Weapons, he'd inevitably revealed them to his teacher.
His soul didn't belong to this world, and no one could ever find that out. What should he do?
Should he kill his teacher to silence him?
Tang San believed that, with the power and concealability of the Silent Sleeve Arrow, he had at least a seventy percent chance of killing his teacher.
He turned to look at Yu Xiaogang, but his murderous intent faded. He didn't want to do that.
What's more, his teacher Yu Xiaogang wasn't the only one standing before him. Dean Ding and Ye Chen were there too.
If he killed them, he would have to kill all three of them at once. The Silent Sleeve Arrow alone wouldn't be enough, so he could only lie and keep the Tang Sect Hidden Weapons secret.
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