Just as Tang San's mind was still screaming and struggling wildly.
Fu Qin had already noticed all the changes appearing on his panel.
[Successfully absorbed a 250-year Camouflage Snake Vine Soul Ring!] [Soul Power increased to level 12!] [First Martial Soul: Blue Silver Grass unlocked Soul Skill—Entangle (ordinary): +5% toughness, +5% hardness, no other effects] [Soul Skill rating: Ordinary (the Soul Beast's quality was average, greatly weakening the Soul Skill's effects)]
Tang San furrowed his brows tightly. This was completely different from what he had expected.
In his previous life, the Mandala Snake Soul Ring had not only greatly increased Blue Silver Grass's toughness and hardness, it had also granted it a potent poison. Its power had been immense.
But this "Mandala Snake" Soul Ring had only slightly increased the grass's toughness and hardness. It didn't even have poison. It was practically a useless Soul Ring!
Only then did he realize he might have been tricked!
This wasn't a Mandala Snake at all, but another Soul Beast disguised as one!
But it was too late now. Nothing he said would change that.
He had already absorbed the Soul Ring. He couldn't replace it.
All he could do was feign calm and pretend to be satisfied with his Soul Skill.
[Thoughts: Damn it! I've been tricked! No, I can't let Fu Qin and Yu Xiaogang see through me yet. That would be too embarrassing!]
"So, Tang San? Are you satisfied with the Soul Skill?"
Yu Xiaogang stepped forward to ask, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.
Tang San forced a smile.
"I'm very satisfied, teacher. This Mandala Snake's Soul Ring really is good. My Blue Silver Grass has become quite a bit stronger."
Fu Qin spoke up at just the right moment.
"Brother San is amazing! He killed a Hundred-Year Mandala Snake so easily and even successfully absorbed its Soul Ring!"
[Intelligence-Reducing Halo takes effect. Yu Xiaogang completely believes that "Tang San is satisfied with his Soul Skill."] [Tang San's favorability toward Yu Xiaogang -2] [Thoughts: If it weren't for you, how would I have ended up with a useless Soul Ring? I'll make you compensate me someday!]
Yu Xiaogang nodded, a pleased smile appearing on his face.
"Good to hear you're satisfied! Now that you've all obtained Soul Rings, we should leave the Soul Hunting Forest as quickly as possible. It's not safe here."
Tang San nodded, suppressed his frustration, and turned toward the edge of the forest.
He secretly swore that he would find a chance to obtain another high-quality Soul Ring and make up for this loss.
Fu Qin followed behind them, a faint, barely perceptible smile on his lips.
He had reaped a bountiful harvest on this trip to the Soul Hunting Forest. Not only had he obtained a 400-year mutated Soul Ring, he'd also made Tang San absorb a useless Soul Ring. It was a win-win.
The three of them walked in silence. Before long, they had left the Soul Hunting Forest and were heading toward Nuoding Academy.
Six years passed in the blink of an eye.
On the Nuoding Academy training ground, the dust slowly settled as the last strand of Blue Silver Grass was withdrawn.
Fu Qin staggered back two steps, covering his chest with his right hand. A deliberately induced trickle of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth as he looked at Tang San with "astonishment" and "reluctance."
"Brother San, you're incredible! You're only level 28, yet your power is terrifying. Even I, a level 33 Soul Elder, couldn't withstand your combo of Blue Silver Grass Bind and Entangle."
His third Soul Ring, "Heavenly Eye: Construction," had already been quietly deactivated. That moment of Unity of Heaven and Man during the fight had let him see through every one of Tang San's moves.
He knew the flow of Soul Power through the Blue Silver Grass, the openings between Soul Skills, and even the rhythm of Tang San's carefully controlled breathing like the back of his hand.
But he couldn't win. The Intelligence-Reducing Halo was still in effect, and Tang San's view of him as his "junior" couldn't be shaken.
Ten metal needles, each the size of a fingertip, had taken shape through his first Soul Skill, "Hundred Refinements: Materialization."
Under the control of his second Soul Skill, "Divine Mechanism: Object Manipulation," they could have pierced Tang San's defenses in an instant. But he forcibly changed their trajectory, making them graze the edge of the Blue Silver Grass and giving Tang San a chance to counterattack instead.
Tang San stood with his hands behind his back, his blue eyes holding just the right measure of reserve and pride.
He gave a slight nod. His tone was calm, but he could hardly hide his satisfaction.
"Those were basic moves. Your combination of Soul Skills is clever, and being able to control ten steel needles at once makes it useful for both offense and defense. But you still lack real combat experience."
He didn't notice that Fu Qin's seemingly panicked retreat had actually let him avoid the strongest point of Tang San's Blue Silver Grass restraint.
That trickle of blood at the corner of Fu Qin's mouth was merely the result of him using Soul Power to lightly injure his own lip. He'd acted the part to perfection.
The wariness he'd developed as an outer disciple of the Tang Sect in his previous life had long since worn away, eroded by the Intelligence-Reducing Halo and Fu Qin's "admiration" over the past six years.
"Yes, yes," Fu Qin hurriedly agreed, asking for guidance with an earnest expression.
"Next time we spar, please give me more pointers. Your combat skills are incredible, especially your second Soul Skill, Parasite. Even though it only came from a Hundred-Year Soul Ring, it's more powerful than my Thousand-Eyed Flying Locust Soul Ring, which is over eight hundred years old."
His words hit Tang San right where it tickled.
His Ghost Vine Soul Ring was actually only a little over a hundred years old. He'd spent all these years relying on his disguise to keep anyone from exposing it.
Fu Qin's "praise" made him feel that his deception was flawless. He looked at Fu Qin with a little more satisfaction, as though he were a promising pupil.
"Train hard and follow me from now on. There'll be plenty of benefits in it for you." Tang San patted Fu Qin on the shoulder, his tone carrying the condescension of a superior handing out favors.
Fu Qin lowered his head, a trace of mockery flashing through his eyes, but his face still wore the look of someone overwhelmed by an unexpected honor.
"Thank you, Brother Tang San! I'll work hard!"
Just then, a pretty figure came running over. Her pink skirt swept across the training ground, her light footsteps trailing behind her.
"Fu Qin! Are you all right?"
Xiao Wu ran to Fu Qin's side. Not caring that Tang San was standing there, she reached out and took hold of his arm. Her fingertips unconsciously rubbed his sleeve, and the worry in her eyes was plain to see, tinged with a faint reproach.
"Why weren't you more serious when you fought Tang San? Your Soul Skills are much more flexible than his."
Her voice was soft and sweet, with her usual endearing innocence. But only Fu Qin could feel the cool touch of her fingertips and her undisguised closeness.
The favorability score on his panel flickered slightly before settling at 383 points.
Those few brief words of concern had actually raised it by another three points.
Fu Qin felt helpless.
Over the past six years, he'd tried every way he could think of to keep his distance, but Xiao Wu's favorability was like a wild horse that had broken free of its reins. There was no stopping it.
An ordinary couple's favorability score might be around seventy or eighty points. Hers was more than five times that. The look she gave him was almost tangible, and her undisguised possessiveness made his scalp prickle.
"Sister Xiao Wu."
Fu Qin quietly withdrew his arm, his tone just the right amount of bashful.
"Brother San is too strong. I gave it my all, but I still couldn't beat him. Besides, it was only a friendly spar. There's no need to take it too seriously."
His deliberate show of distance only made the light in Xiao Wu's eyes shine brighter.
She liked Fu Qin's handsome, bashful manner. Compared with Tang San's pretentiously solemn air, it was a hundred times more pleasing to the eye.