But a five-hundred-year Plant-type Soul Beast ultimately had no particularly strong offensive abilities.
Its instincts were limited to two things—absorbing nutrients and entangling prey.
And Tang San's footwork had rendered its second instinct completely useless.
Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.
Tang San's figure flitted unpredictably around the vines. Every time a tendril was about to touch him, he slipped away at an impossible angle.
After a few exchanges, he had already figured out the vines' attack range.
His dagger struck precisely where the vine's root connected to the tree trunk.
One slash.
The phosphorescent glow abruptly went out.
The main body of the vine lost its vitality in an instant. Its emerald-green sheen rapidly faded, leaving behind an ordinary dead vine.
At the same time, a yellow Soul Ring slowly rose from the vine's corpse, hovering in midair and radiating a gentle light.
A yellow Hundred-Year Soul Ring.
Tang San took a step back and gazed at the hovering Soul Ring, a flicker of excitement in his eyes.
His First Soul Ring.
Yu Xiaogang stepped forward and carefully examined the vine's corpse. Only after confirming that it was completely dead did he turn to Tang San and say, "Sit down, relax, and release your Soul Power. Guide the Soul Ring to fuse with your Martial Soul. Remember, don't rush or force yourself. If you feel your body can't take it, stop immediately."
Tang San nodded, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes.
He activated the Mysterious Heaven Skill within him. Pale blue Soul Power spilled from his body and resonated with the hovering yellow Soul Ring.
As if drawn by some force, the Soul Ring slowly descended and settled around Tang San. Then it began to rotate at a leisurely pace.
One turn. Two turns. Three turns.
Tang San's face went from calm to flushed, then from flushed to pale.
Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead one after another, but he gritted his teeth and didn't make a sound.
A four-hundred-and-thirty-year Soul Ring was no small burden for a seven-year-old child.
But he could bear it.
After roughly the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the Soul Ring finally slowed. Its light gradually faded until it stabilized above Tang San's ankle, a uniform yellow halo.
Tang San opened his eyes and let out a long breath.
"You did it." Yu Xiaogang stepped forward, his gaze alight as he looked at Tang San. "How does it feel? What's your Soul Skill?"
Tang San raised his right hand, and Blue Silver Grass emerged from his palm.
This time, the Blue Silver Grass was different from before.
Its stems were thicker, its leaves broader, and its color a deeper shade—not the tender green it had been, but a rich emerald green brimming with vitality.
At a thought from Tang San, the Blue Silver Grass shot from his palm and transformed in midair into an emerald-green vine, which wrapped precisely around the trunk of a tree ten paces away.
The vine wound tightly around the trunk. Tang San tried pulling it, but it didn't budge.
"Entangle."
Tang San spoke the Soul Skill's name, unable to hide the excitement in his voice.
"It can release vines to entangle a target. They're far tougher than ordinary Blue Silver Grass, and..."
He closed his eyes to sense it. "The vines themselves have vitality. Even if they're cut, as long as I still have Soul Power, they can quickly grow back."
Yu Xiaogang's eyes lit up.
Regeneration. This was the effect of a First Soul Ring with the vitality attribute.
Not poison, not control, but the purest ability to survive.
"How fast can they regenerate?" Yu Xiaogang pressed.
Tang San tried again, letting a tree branch slice through the vine before urging his Soul Power.
New fibers sprouted from the cut almost at once. Within three seconds, the entire vine had returned to normal.
Yu Xiaogang fell silent.
He had to admit that the Life Flow path for Blue Silver Grass displayed astonishing potential even at the First Soul Ring stage.
Once Blue Silver Grass on the poison path was cut, it stayed cut; Tang San would have to release it again.
But Blue Silver Grass on the life path could keep regenerating in the middle of a battle.
What did that mean?
It meant an absolute advantage in drawn-out fights.
"Not bad."
Yu Xiaogang nodded, his tone restrained, though he had already begun to reassess his judgment of the Life Flow path.
Tang San stood up, brushed the dirt off his clothes, and turned to Huang Fei.
"Huang Fei, your turn."
Huang Fei straightened up from the tree trunk.
He had watched Tang San absorb his Soul Ring from beginning to end, missing none of the details.
Tang San's Blue Silver Grass had changed noticeably. It was thicker, tougher, and more full of life.
Huang Fei had seen it all.
Now it was his turn.
What would the system give him?
Would it be the same Soul Ring Tang San had received, only older?
Or would he get an upgraded version outright?
He had no idea, but he kept his composure.
Huang Fei glanced around and quickly spotted a similar vine about thirty paces from where Tang San had made his kill.
It was an ordinary Green Vine, around one hundred and twenty years old—the most common kind in this forest.
The slender vine clung to the branches of a short tree, giving off a faint green glow.
Its quality was ordinary, and its age low.
Exactly what Huang Fei wanted.
He didn't need to risk his life like Tang San or absorb a Soul Ring beyond his level. He only needed the most ordinary, inconspicuous vine. He would absorb it in front of everyone and receive a "normal First Hundred-Year Soul Ring." Then they would all think he was a novice who had only just crossed the threshold of becoming a Soul Master.
The real surprise could wait until he got back.
Huang Fei walked toward the Green Vine.
Tang San started to follow, but Yu Xiaogang stopped him.
"Let him handle it himself."
Yu Xiaogang's tone was bland, even touched with a hint of casual coolness. "A one-hundred-and-twenty-year Plant-type Soul Beast poses no danger."
Tang San hesitated, but eventually stopped.
He watched from where he stood, never taking his eyes off Huang Fei.
Huang Fei walked up to the Green Vine, crouched down, and gave it a casual look.
A one-hundred-and-twenty-year Soul Beast was as weak as a real vine before his current level twenty Soul Power.
He reached out, pinched the vine's main stem between two fingers, and gave it a gentle tug.
The glow on the vine flickered violently, like a final struggle, then quickly dimmed.
A yellow Soul Ring rose from the withered vine and hovered quietly in the air.
A one-hundred-and-twenty-year Soul Ring. Yellow, just like Tang San's, but with a slightly dimmer glow.
Huang Fei sat cross-legged, released his Soul Power, and guided the Soul Ring into his body.
The whole process was much faster than Tang San's.
Not because he had more experience absorbing Soul Rings, but because his Soul Power Level was twice Tang San's. The meridians in his body were broader, and his Soul Power flowed more smoothly.
For his body, a one-hundred-and-twenty-year Soul Ring was like pouring a bowl of water into the sea. It placed almost no burden on him.
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