"I've got something I want to talk to you about." Huang Fei twirled a foxtail grass stem, his tone as casual as if he were commenting on the nice weather. "Your Blue Silver Grass."
Tang San blinked. "What about Blue Silver Grass?"
"What do you think Blue Silver Grass's strengths are?"
Tang San looked at the great mass of Blue Silver Grass covering the ground, packed tightly together and brimming with life.
He thought for a moment, then answered seriously, "You can find Blue Silver Grass everywhere. It's full of vitality and can grow just about anywhere, but it's very fragile and has little offensive power. I've heard people say it's found practically everywhere across the entire continent."
"Full of vitality."
Huang Fei repeated those words, then nodded. "You're right. Blue Silver Grass's greatest advantage is its vitality. Do you know why it can be found all over the continent? It's not because it can fight, but because it's tenacious and adaptable. It can survive in just about any environment."
Tang San nodded thoughtfully.
"So I was thinking."
Huang Fei held the foxtail grass stem between his teeth, making his words somewhat muffled. "If your Blue Silver Grass is going to follow the path of a Soul Master, what kind of Soul Beast should you absorb for your First Soul Ring?"
Tang San was stumped by the question.
He really had been thinking about Soul Rings these past few days.
According to what he'd read in books,
because of the butterfly effect, after Tang Hao confirmed Tang San was his own son, he had given him a book to read.
That was where he'd gained his knowledge.
And it was how he'd learned why his Mysterious Heaven Skill had been stuck without progressing.
He was probably missing a Soul Ring.
Only by absorbing his First Soul Ring could he continue to raise his Soul Power Level.
The optimal age limit for a Soul Master's First Soul Ring was 423 years,
and a Plant-type Martial Soul like Blue Silver Grass
was usually paired with control- or poison-type Soul Rings,
so it could be useful in battle.
Otherwise, it had no combat ability and could only serve as support.
"Probably a control-type one?" Tang San said uncertainly. "Plant-type Martial Souls usually follow the control path, using vines to entangle their opponents and things like that."
"That's other people's Blue Silver Grass." Huang Fei shook his head. "Have you ever considered that Blue Silver Grass isn't an ordinary Plant-type Martial Soul? It's the most ordinary kind. That means it has no set path; its direction depends entirely on how its Soul Rings are matched."
Tang San's eyes lit up. "You mean..."
"I mean, Blue Silver Grass's greatest advantage is its vitality. So why not make the most of it?"
Huang Fei turned to look Tang San in the eye. "Absorb Soul Rings with vitality attributes and make Blue Silver Grass tougher, more tenacious, harder to destroy. Think about it: what would happen if your Blue Silver Grass weren't weeds that snapped at the slightest touch, but vines as tough as iron, that couldn't be cut or burned?"
Tang San fell silent.
He pictured the scene in his mind.
If Blue Silver Grass truly gained powerful vitality, it would no longer be a fragile support-type Martial Soul. It would be an all-around Martial Soul combining control, defense, and entanglement.
More importantly, a Martial Soul with strong vitality would also have great staying power.
After a battle, when everyone else had run out of Soul Power, his Blue Silver Grass would still be growing, still entangling, still fighting.
This was completely different from what he'd been thinking before.
"But..." Tang San still had some doubts. "Control-type Soul Rings can make Blue Silver Grass stronger too. For example, adding a poison effect to poison the enemy..."
After all, in his previous life, he'd been an expert in poisons at the Tang Sect, and poison had always been his favorite.
"Poison is certainly useful, but it isn't Blue Silver Grass's foundation."
Huang Fei waved a hand. "Think about it. Blue Silver Grass is grass. What's the nature of grass? Growing, spreading, flourishing endlessly. Poison is just an embellishment; vitality is the foundation. If you take the poison route from the start, it's like planting a great tree in a flowerpot. It'll never grow big."
That comparison struck Tang San.
He suddenly realized something.
His plans for Blue Silver Grass had indeed been too utilitarian.
He'd been thinking, "Blue Silver Grass is weak, so I need Soul Rings to make up for its weaknesses," instead of, "What is the essence of Blue Silver Grass, and how can I bring that essence to its full potential?"
"One more thing." Huang Fei held up a finger. "The age of the Soul Ring."
Tang San furrowed his brow slightly. "I know. The optimal age for the First Soul Ring is a little over four hundred years."
"That's for ordinary Soul Masters." Huang Fei smiled. "Do you think you're an ordinary Soul Master?"
Tang San opened his mouth to say yes, but swallowed the words before they came out.
Innate Full Soul Power, the Mysterious Heaven Skill, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Hidden Weapon techniques...
He really wasn't an ordinary Soul Master.
"With Innate Full Soul Power, you can't possibly be an ordinary Soul Master."
Huang Fei counted on his fingers. "So you're fully capable of absorbing a Soul Ring with a higher age. Five hundred years, six hundred years, even seven hundred years are all possible."
"But the book says..."
"The book describes the limit for ordinary people. You're not ordinary."
Huang Fei stood up and brushed the dust off his backside. "Xiao San, I'll ask you just one thing. Do you trust me?"
Tang San looked into Huang Fei's eyes.
They were usually half-lidded, as if he'd never quite woken up, but now they were unusually serious.
They'd grown up together, and Tang San knew better than anyone that although Huang Fei was lazy, he never said anything pointless.
When Tang San had gotten lost gathering herbs in the mountains as a child, Huang Fei had casually told him, "Follow the stream downhill," and led him out.
Only later had Tang San learned that Huang Fei had never been to that mountain. He'd just made the call by instinct.
Huang Fei's instincts had never been wrong.
"I trust you." Tang San nodded.
"Then take my advice." Huang Fei grinned, showing a row of white teeth. "For your First Soul Ring, find a Plant-type Soul Beast with a vitality attribute. The older, the better. Don't worry about whether it's control-type or poison-type. Get Blue Silver Grass's foundation solid first."
"What about you?" Tang San suddenly asked. "How are you planning to match your First Soul Ring?"
Huang Fei froze, then yawned.
"Me? I'll just do the same as you."
Tang San frowned. "The same as me? You're not going to follow your own path?"
Huang Fei thought to himself, What path of my own? I'll just follow yours.
"I trust your judgment."
Huang Fei patted Tang San on the shoulder, his tone so sincere it was almost unbelievable. "You've chosen the right path, so I can't go wrong by following you."
Tang San was touched by those words. He felt that although Huang Fei was usually laid-back, he really did trust him when it mattered.
What he didn't know was that Huang Fei meant exactly what he'd said about following along.
Wherever Tang San went, Huang Fei would follow. Whatever Soul Ring Tang San absorbed, Huang Fei would absorb too—and his Soul Power Level would always be ten levels higher.
There was nothing more comfortable in this world than having a reliable teammate blaze the trail ahead.
And all Huang Fei had to do was lie back and wait until the road was built, then stroll along it at his leisure.
"By the way, Xiao San." Huang Fei reached the door, then suddenly turned back. "What are we having for dinner?"
Tang San: "..."
He took a deep breath, telling himself not to get angry. They'd been brothers since childhood; he had to be generous and patient.
"Sweet potato rice."
"Sweet potato rice again?" Huang Fei's face fell. "Can't we have something different for a change?"
"You don't cook, so you should be glad there's anything to eat." Tang San turned and walked away, expressionless.
Huang Fei watched him go, chuckled twice, then headed back inside and flopped onto the bed.
Comfy.
Before you continue