"Hiss~"
"Hiss, hiss~"
Inside the Demon Suppressing Pagoda, the four-meter-long Datura Snake affectionately coiled around Xia Yan, constantly rubbing its cheeks against him. Its ruby-like eyes showed not the slightest trace of savagery.
If no one said otherwise, no one would have recognized this obedient creature.
It was the bloody, brutal Datura Snake from the Soul Hunting Forest.
This submission and gentleness were something only Xia Yan could enjoy.
Xia Yan patted its forehead. Its scales were icy cold and exceptionally hard; even ordinary arrows could not pierce them.
Not to mention the compact, powerful muscles beneath that hard armor of scales.
Fast, strong, highly defensive.
It was simply perfect.
"This is a small space. There won't be any danger here, but I can't let you out for now. Cultivate here first."
The Datura Snake showed no dissatisfaction. "Hiss, hiss~"
In the Soul Hunting Forest, it had to avoid danger all day long, but here, it could sleep to its heart's content.
However—
"Hiss, hiss~"
Xia Yan understood what it meant. "You mean there's no food here?"
The Datura Snake nodded.
That was right. There was no food here.
Over the past few days, aside from wandering through the entire forest and grassland once at the beginning, it had spent the rest of its time sleeping and cultivating.
Because other than itself, there was nothing moving that it could eat.
It did not even know what it was supposed to eat.
Although it could go months without food, cultivating required sufficient physical strength.
So it still needed to eat.
Xia Yan fell into thought. That really was a problem.
His monthly allowance of one Gold Soul Coin looked like a lot, but he was still growing and needed to cultivate, so naturally he had to eat nutritious food.
And nutritious food meant expensive food.
He did not have much money left to begin with, and now he also had to cover the Datura Snake's meals.
It definitely would not be enough.
"Hmm..."
He had to find a way to make money...
Ordinary low-level Soul Masters had many ways to earn money. They could guard caravans, acting as muscle in daily life and fighting when danger arose; they could join soul-hunting teams to hunt souls; they could also gather herbs, ores, and other materials from Soul Beast habitats.
But Xia Yan definitely could not choose any of those. In Notting City, the only suitable place for him was the Soul Fighting Arena.
Soul fighting was a sport enjoyed by both commoners and Soul Masters throughout the Douluo Continent.
It was also a good place to make money...
As Xia Yan pondered, stroking the Datura Snake's sturdy, powerful body, he suddenly thought of something.
Ah, right.
The Datura Snake's venom could be sold too!
Many Soul Masters had the habit of coating their weapons in poison, which could greatly increase their lethality.
If they cut through an enemy's or Soul Beast's skin, the poison could rapidly take effect, ending the battle with as little expenditure as possible.
And the Datura Snake's venom was highly paralytic and corrosive. Yu Xiaogang might be weak, but he was still a Two-Ring Soul Master. Even he had nearly died from a single bite.
Someone would definitely buy it.
Thinking of this, Xia Yan did not linger. "I have an idea. I'll be right back."
His body vanished in an instant.
Without a sound, as though he had never existed.
As his body disappeared, the Datura Snake fell onto the grass. But that little drop was nothing to it.
"Hiss?"
The Datura Snake was still unaccustomed to this method of instant departure. Its ruby-like eyes looked left and right.
In the end, it could only lie down on a patch of grass and bask in the sun again.
Xia Yan went to the market north of Notting Academy and found a pottery workshop.
He bought four celadon bottles.
Returning to the small space, he had the Datura Snake inject venom into the bottles.
The Datura Snake did not understand what Xia Yan was trying to do at all, but obediently did as it was told.
It opened its mouth and aimed its snow-white fangs at two celadon bottles. Milky-white venom flowed out, filling the two small bottles in moments.
"Hiss?"
They were full. What now?
It swayed its tail and looked at Xia Yan in confusion.
Xia Yan stroked its head. "If we can sell these, we can make a lot of money."
"Hiss!"
The Datura Snake did not understand what making money meant, but if Xia Yan was happy, it was happy too.
Afterward, Xia Yan found a shop.
The owner marveled at the excellent quality and fierce toxicity of the venom. It was undoubtedly top-grade venom that only a high-level Soul Beast could produce!
He offered half a Gold Soul Coin per bottle, a fair price for young and old alike.
Xia Yan sold all four bottles on the spot and earned two Gold Soul Coins.
His assets instantly tripled.
They shot from one Gold Soul Coin to three Gold Soul Coins.
As for where the venom came from, the owner naturally did not ask too many questions. It would not benefit him anyway.
As long as Xia Yan came to sell it in the future, he would buy it.
Then Xia Yan used the money to buy some meat. The Datura Snake ate until its belly was round and bloated.
Then it happily rolled onto its back.
Sell venom—buy food—produce venom—sell venom.
A perfect positive cycle.
And Xia Yan could eat more nutritious food as well.
A perfect four-way win.
The venom was sold for money to buy food for the Datura Snake, a win once.
Xia Yan got to enjoy it too, a win twice.
Because the Datura Snake won, Xia Yan won along with it, a win three times.
Because Xia Yan won, the Datura Snake won along with him, a win four times!
Soul Hunting Forest.
A black spear snake over two meters long lay sprawled in a pile of fallen leaves, knocked unconscious by a foul fart.
The Black Rot Spear Snake was best known for its venom. If someone was bitten once, half their body would rot away within half an hour.
That was how it earned the name Black Rot Spear Snake.
Yu Xiaogang waited for the murky stench to disperse.
"Little Three, this snake is around two hundred years old. It's perfect for you."
Tang San had no doubts.
But Tang Hao was startled. The first Soul Ring could reach four hundred years, yet this one was only two hundred!
How could he let his son absorb a two-hundred-year Soul Ring?!
In his urgency, he found a Black Rot Spear Snake between three hundred and fifty and four hundred years old.
He cleanly beat it half to death and threw it over.
"Who's there?!"
Yu Xiaogang noticed movement in the canopy and immediately became alert. Most of the Ferocious Beasts here were over two hundred years old, and they were not easy to deal with.
Then he saw a Black Rot Spear Snake with half its body severely injured.
It roared as it fell from the canopy.
It twisted its body painfully on the ground, its dark brown mouth hanging open. Its sharp fangs had been broken, leaving bright red blood flowing from them.
It was extremely conspicuous.
Yu Xiaogang froze.
A Black Rot Spear Snake?
And its age was just right?
He was overjoyed. "Quick, Little Three, use your longsword to finish it! Its age is higher, so it's more suitable for you!"
Tang San did not suspect a thing. He directly took a longsword from Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges and executed the Black Rot Spear Snake, which no longer had the ability to resist.
A yellow Soul Ring slowly emerged.
"Little Three, quickly use your Soul Power to draw in the Soul Ring. Let's leave first and find a safe place to absorb it."
The Black Rot Spear Snake definitely had not fallen and beaten itself half to death.
It had definitely been attacked by a Soul Beast or a Soul Master.
Either way, they needed to leave first.
The two then retreated the way they had come. Twenty minutes later, they reached a concealed thicket, where Tang San slowly guided the Soul Ring onto his Blue Silver Grass.
The absorption went very smoothly.
He obtained the soul skill Binding, with a radius of twenty meters and corrosive snake venom attached.
The Blue Silver Grass also underwent a subtle change. It seemed to have become slightly darker, though it might not be noticeable without looking closely.
Of course, both Tang San and Tang Hao noticed.
But neither of them cared. Wasn't it normal for absorbing a Soul Ring to alter the appearance of a martial soul?
"Mm, it's exactly as I expected."
Yu Xiaogang nodded in satisfaction. As expected of the theory I approved of. He had already planned the next steps: venomous snakes, poisonous vines, toxic spiders, poisonous moths, venomous scorpions...
He would definitely fill the Blue Silver Grass with deadly poison!
I truly am a fine teacher of the continent!
He seemed to have already seen the future where his fine disciple stood at the Soul Master Tournament and cleared his name!
Tang San nodded in satisfaction as well.
The first Soul Ring had already been absorbed. Could the second Soul Ring be far behind?
As long as I listen to Teacher, I'll definitely grow strong!
In the shadows.
Tang Hao nodded in satisfaction too, though his satisfaction carried a trace of helplessness.
Sigh, Yu Xiaogang was only a Two-Ring Soul Master in the end. He was too weak.
It truly would not work without him.
Thinking about how much effort he had put into his son's growth, he felt deeply satisfied.
As expected, he was a devoted and diligent father...
He seemed to have already seen his son fighting beside him, crushing Spirit Hall together.
For a time, everyone was satisfied, and the atmosphere was warm and harmonious.
A bright future lay right before their eyes.
Before you continue