Vine of Life!

"Let's go." He turned around and strode toward the city gates. "I have already selected our hunting location. Not far from Nuoding City, there is a small Soul Beast Forest. It is home to many plant-type soul beasts between one hundred and eight hundred years old, which is perfect for Soul Grand Masters who have just awakened."

Tang San followed quickly, while Huang Fei trailed behind at a leisurely pace.

Exiting the north gate of Nuoding City, they found a dirt path leading into the mountains.

On both sides of the road lay vast fields; the Maze had been harvested recently, leaving only golden stubble in the earth.

In the distance, a range of rolling low hills covered in deep green vegetation marked the direction of the Soul Hunting Forest.

"Grandmaster, what kind of soul beast are we hunting?"

Tang San walked beside Yu Xiaogang, glanced back at Huang Fei, and then turned to ask.

"Plant-type, life-force attribute."

Yu Xiaogang's tone was flat but clear:

"Since you are determined to follow the Life Flow path, we shall proceed in that direction. I have done my homework in advance and locked onto two targets in this forest—one is a Vine of Life around four hundred years old, and the other is a Healing Grass around three hundred years old. Both are pure life-force attribute soul beasts, suitable for the first soul ring of Blue Silver Grass."

He paused, then added, "If we can hunt the Vine of Life, and its age is between four hundred fifty and five hundred fifty years, it would be the most ideal for you."

Tang San's eyes brightened slightly upon hearing this.

Huang Fei listened from behind, nodding to himself.

It seemed Gangzi had truly turned over a new leaf this time.

Regardless of his motives.

Whether it was to win Tang San over or to verify his own theories.

At the very least, regarding the soul ring, he had not insisted on the poison-control path from the original story, but instead respected Tang San's choice.

That was enough.

As for whether he was still thinking, Once Tang San cooperates with my research, I will slowly steer his path back, that was a matter for the future. For now, let's just get the soul ring.

"Grandmaster, what about Huang Fei?" Tang San asked again. "He has the same martial soul as me; shouldn't his first soul ring be the same?"

Yu Xiaogang's brows furrowed.

He did not want to answer this question.

Not because it was difficult, but because he did not want to admit that Huang Fei following the same path as Tang San was the correct choice.

In his heart, Tang San following the Life Flow path was Tang San's business, but Huang Fei?

Just finding him any decent soul ring to brush him off would suffice.

"Let's see the situation first," Yu Xiaogang said evasively. "If we can find two, that would be best. If not, we can equip yours first, and we can come back for Huang Fei's later."

"Oh," Tang San replied, saying nothing more.

Huang Fei followed behind, taking in every change in Yu Xiaogang's expression.

He did not rush to state his position, nor did he make any demands.

One cannot be too impatient.

The primary task this time was to ensure Tang San's soul ring was problem-free. As for his own soul ring—if he could get it done while they were at it, great; if not, there was no rush.

In any case, his soul power was stuck at level twenty, so he wasn't in a hurry to break through.

It took about an hour to travel from the city gate to the Soul Hunting Forest.

Yu Xiaogang led them along a small path, avoiding the main road where they might encounter merchant caravans or other hunting parties.

The journey was uneventful, so smooth it was almost boring.

Upon entering the forest, the light dimmed.

Tall trees blocked most of the sunlight, and the ground was covered in a thick layer of fallen leaves, feeling soft and silent underfoot.

The air was filled with a damp, grassy scent, and occasionally, the chirping of birds drifted down from the canopy above, only to be quickly scattered by the wind.

Yu Xiaogang walked in the lead, using a wooden stick to push aside low shrubs with practiced, cautious movements.

Although his cultivation was not high, in this low-level forest containing only century-old soul beasts, a level twenty-nine Soul Grand Master was more than capable.

Tang San walked in the middle, glancing left and right, his Purple Demon Eye already quietly activated.

With his current realm nearing the microscopic, his vision far exceeded that of an ordinary person, allowing him to see the veins on leaves dozens of steps away.

Huang Fei walked at the very back, hands tucked into his sleeves, following at a steady pace.

His Purple Demon Eye was at a much higher realm than Tang San's—the threshold of the Mustard Seed Realm, sufficient to see through the true form of a soul beast.

However, he did not deliberately push it, letting it remain in its most basic state, just enough to capture any abnormal movements in the surroundings.

After walking for about half an hour, Yu Xiaogang suddenly stopped.

He raised his left hand, signaling those behind him to be silent.

Tang San and Huang Fei stopped simultaneously, watching him quietly.

Yu Xiaogang's gaze fell on a bush not far ahead, where a pale green glow stood out prominently in the dim forest.

"Found it," he whispered, a hint of a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. "Good luck. It's a Vine of Life. The age is about four hundred thirty years."

Tang San's eyes lit up, and just as he was about to step forward, a hand pressed down on his shoulder.

He turned his head to see Huang Fei.

Huang Fei's gaze drifted past his shoulder, landing on that cluster of green light, a flash of purple-gold radiance flickering deep within his eyes.

It was indeed a Vine of Life.

A pure plant-type spirit beast, its true form was an emerald-green vine about the thickness of an adult's arm, coiled around the roots of a large tree. A faint green luminescence clung to the vine—the manifestation of its life force.

The age was just about right, somewhere over four hundred and thirty years.

It was a perfect fit for Tang San.

"Go," Huang Fei said, releasing his grip and nodding. "Stay safe."

Tang San took a deep breath and walked toward the cluster of green light.

Huang Fei stood where he was, watching Tang San's back disappear into the depths of the shrubbery.

A question suddenly occurred to him—if Tang San truly succeeded in absorbing this Vine of Life, how would his system grant him a spirit ring?

Would it directly provide an upgraded version of a first spirit ring?

Or would he need to find a target spirit beast of his own again?

He would know the answer to this question soon enough.

The Vine of Life coiled quietly at the roots of the old tree, its emerald-green surface shimmering with a faint glow, as if soaked in moonlight.

Tang San stood ten paces away, his Purple Demon Eye pushed to its limit. He could clearly see the patterns on the vine's surface and the aura of life radiating from its core.

"A four-hundred-and-thirty-year-level life-type spirit beast," Yu Xiaogang whispered, his tone carrying a hint of satisfaction. "For your first spirit ring to reach this age is already beyond the standard. The optimal absorption limit for a normal spirit master's first ring is four hundred and twenty-three years; given your physical constitution is stronger than the average person's, four hundred and thirty is just right."

Tang San nodded, but he did not act immediately.

He turned to glance at Huang Fei.

Huang Fei was leaning against a tree trunk a few paces away, his hands tucked into his sleeves, giving him a slight nod.

The meaning was clear—no problem, go ahead.

Tang San took a deep breath, drew a short dagger from his waist, and slowly approached the Vine of Life.

The vine seemed to sense the danger; its luminescence suddenly brightened, and several tiny tendrils extended from the main body, swaying slowly in the air as if warning the intruder.