Second Soul Ring Acquired!

"Need any help?" Yu Xiaogang shouted.

"No!" Tang San's voice came from the battlefield ahead, his tone firm.

He needed to deal with this spirit beast himself.

It wasn't out of arrogance, but because he needed to understand himself through this battle.

He needed to understand the limits of his Blue Silver Grass, the practical effects of his spirit skills, and just how much he could achieve—and what he still lacked—when facing a true eight-hundred-year spirit beast.

Tang San took a deep breath and pushed his Mysterious Heaven Skill to the limit, his level twenty spirit power surging through his body like a tide.

He stopped retreating and instead charged toward the Life Ancient Vine.

Having been disrupted by the first wave of attacks, the Life Ancient Vine's vines were currently reorganizing their offensive.

But Tang San would not give it another chance.

With his speed boosted to the limit by Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, he moved like a wisp of blue smoke, piercing through the blockade of vines and rushing straight to the main trunk of the ancient vine.

Blue Silver Grass vines shot out from both of Tang San's hands simultaneously; one to the left and one to the right, they coiled around the main trunk and a thick branch nearby.

Tang San pulled hard, launching himself into the air, flipping once, and landing steadily on the main trunk of the ancient vine.

His position was exactly the same as before.

He drew his dagger from the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges, pointed it downward, and drove it fiercely into the junction between the main trunk and the roots.

The dagger sank in halfway, and green sap gushed from the wound, carrying a pungent, grassy scent.

The ancient vine shuddered violently, and all its vines lost their strength in an instant, drooping limply. The green light on the main trunk began to fade, like a lamp being slowly extinguished.

A yellow spirit ring rose slowly from the corpse of the ancient vine, hovering in mid-air.

An eight-hundred-and-twenty-year yellow spirit ring.

Tang San jumped down from the trunk, his knees slightly bent as he landed steadily on the ground.

His chest heaved violently, his forehead was covered in sweat, and the clothes on his back were soaked through with sweat and the sap of the ancient vine, clinging to his skin. Yet, he did not sit down, for he had one last thing to do.

He had to determine if he truly wanted to absorb this spirit ring.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

The eight-hundred-and-twenty-year Life Ancient Vine possessed a life-force attribute, belonging to the same lineage as his first spirit ring, the Vine of Life. This meant continuity and synergy between his spirit skills.

Since the two rings were of the same origin, the transition between spirit skills would be smoother, and the life-force attribute of his Blue Silver Grass would be further enhanced by the stacking of the two rings.

Tang San mentally reviewed every piece of information in Yu Xiaogang's notes regarding the Life Ancient Vine, combined it with his own feelings and judgment, and finally made his decision.

This is the one.

He sat down with his back against the trunk of the ancient vine, steadied his breathing, and projected his spirit power outward to guide the spirit ring into merging with him.

The yellow spirit ring descended slowly, settling around him and beginning to rotate.

This time, he was not as calm as he had been before.

The impact of an eight-hundred-and-twenty-year spirit ring on his body was nearly twice as intense as the four-hundred-and-thirty-year one. The energy of the spirit ring surged into his meridians like a river, making his entire body feel bloated, and every bone in his frame creaked.

However, his body had been tempered by his first spirit ring; his meridians were much wider than they had been a year ago, and the strength of his muscles and bones had increased significantly.

He gritted his teeth, endured the shockwave, and used the Mysterious Heaven Skill to guide the surging spirit power into his dantian, then slowly and orderly released it into his limbs and bones.

This process lasted for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea.

When the spirit ring finally stabilized and began to rotate slowly above his ankles, Tang San opened his eyes and let out a long breath.

Level twenty-one.

The second spirit ring had pushed his spirit power from level twenty to level twenty-one.

Tang San raised his right hand, and the Blue Silver Grass emerged from his palm.

This time, it was different from before.

The stalks were nearly twice as thick as before, the color had shifted from deep emerald to ink-green, the leaves were broader and thicker, and the surface sheen had taken on a warm, jade-like luster.

With a thought, Blue Silver Grass vines sprouted simultaneously from his palm, his wrist, and even his forearm.

It wasn't just a single vine, but three.

Three vines extended from his right arm at the same time, swaying flexibly in the air. Each one could be controlled independently without interfering with the others.

Tang San tried to make the three vines extend in three different directions.

One coiled around a branch ten paces away, another wrapped around a stone on the ground, and the third formed a spiral-shaped defensive circle in mid-air.

His eyes lit up.

Multiple control.

The second spirit ring hadn't just brought a simple improvement to his spirit skill; it was a qualitative change.

His Blue Silver Grass had evolved from "a single vine" to "multiple vines."

Although it was only three for now, as his spirit power increased and he accumulated more spirit rings, this number would continue to grow.

Six.

Nine.

Twelve.

By then, his Blue Silver Grass would no longer be a single-target control Martial Soul, but an area-of-effect crowd control Martial Soul.

Tang San sat beside the remains of the ancient vine, watching the three ink-green vines in his palm sway slowly in the sunlight, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Huang Fei stood not far away, his hands tucked into his sleeves, watching it all quietly.

Tang San's Blue Silver Grass had changed.

It had shifted from deep emerald to ink-green, and from one vine to three.

He did not know what he would become by then.

Six? Nine? Or twelve all at once?

What would the system give him?

Huang Fei chuckled inwardly.

He glanced at Yu Xiaogang and found him with his head down, scribbling something rapidly in his notebook.

His expression was focused, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned; he was clearly very satisfied with Tang San's performance this time.

Huang Fei withdrew his gaze and fixed it back on Tang San.

Tang San had already stood up and was rotating his wrists, testing the strengthening effects of the second spirit ring on his body.

He looked spirited, even a bit exhilarated, but there were clear traces of fatigue on his body.

Absorbing an eight-hundred-and-twenty-year spirit ring, even with his physical constitution, was no small burden.

"That's enough, that will do."

Yu Xiaogang closed his notebook and walked over. "You just absorbed your second spirit ring today, and your spirit power is still unstable. Go back and rest well for a few days; don't rush to cultivate. Let the spirit ring fuse completely with your body."

Tang San nodded and retracted his Blue Silver Grass.

Huang Fei pulled his hand from his sleeve and patted him on the shoulder.

"Congratulations, the second spirit ring is yours."

Tang San smiled. "Thank you."

Three ink-green vines, twenty-one levels of spirit power, and the qualitative transformation of the second spirit ring.

Tang San knew better than anyone what these things meant.

It meant that his Blue Silver Grass was growing steadily in the direction he had envisioned.

Yu Xiaogang walked in the lead to guide the way, Tang San followed behind him, and Huang Fei brought up the rear.