Fu Qin slowly opened his eyes, feeling the surging Soul Power within him. A satisfied smile curled his lips.
The External Soul Bone on his right palm hadn't attracted Tang San or Yu Xiaogang's attention while it was merging with him.
Moreover,
the Soul Ring's effect had far exceeded his expectations. It had raised his Soul Power directly to level fifteen.
"Success!" Yu Xiaogang exclaimed, his face lighting up with delight. He was especially excited.
"A 400-year mutated Soul Ring—you really managed to absorb it! Fu Qin, you truly are a genius!"
He was now even more determined to take Fu Qin on as his second disciple.
Tang San was also surprised. He hadn't expected Fu Qin's talent to be so exceptional.
Even some Power Attack System Soul Masters might not be able to absorb a 400-year Soul Ring successfully. Yet Fu Qin, a support-type Soul Master, had managed it—and seemed to have done so with ease.
[Tang San's thoughts: Fu Qin is even more talented than I imagined. I have to take him on as my underling. He'll definitely be a great help to me in the future!] [Fu Qin's favorability +5 (82), possessiveness +10]
"Fu Qin, congratulations!"
Tang San stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder, his voice carrying a hint of praise. "I didn't expect you to be this impressive. You didn't disappoint me."
"It's all thanks to Brother Xiao San and Grandpa Grandmaster!"
Fu Qin said modestly, wearing the same obedient smile as ever.
But when he saw the words "possessiveness +10" appear on the panel above Tang San's head, a chill of revulsion ran through him.
What the hell? Did Tang San develop some kind of twisted fetish after being reborn?
Over the next five days, the three of them continued searching for a Mandala Snake in the Soul Hunting Forest.
Tang San was baffled. He had searched every area where Mandala Snakes had appeared in his previous life, yet he still hadn't seen one.
"What's going on? The Mandala Snake should be around here."
He furrowed his brow, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.
Could his and Fu Qin's arrival have caused the plot to veer off course?
Fu Qin knew perfectly well that it was all the work of his God-Level Luck.
His luck was so overwhelming that it had eclipsed Tang San's. It had led him to a top-grade mutated Soul Ring and even inadvertently changed the Mandala Snake's movements.
Tang San simply couldn't find that Mandala Snake.
On the sixth day, just as the three of them were preparing to give up, a rustling sound suddenly came from the bushes ahead.
"There's something over there!"
Tang San immediately went on alert. As his Purple Demon Eye activated, he made out a "Mandala Snake," emerald green from head to tail, coiled around an ancient tree. Its markings were almost indistinguishable from those of a Mandala Snake.
[Soul Beast: Snake Vine Flower] [Age: 250 years] [Attribute: Entangle + Camouflage] [Soul Ring effect: Unlocks basic Entangle Soul Skill; average resilience; no poison] [Quality: Ordinary (disguised as a Mandala Snake, but actually a Plant-type Soul Beast)] [Current state: Camouflaged, hunting]
Fu Qin's panel clearly displayed information about the Soul Beast, but Tang San and Yu Xiaogang were misled by the Intelligence-Reducing Halo.
[Intelligence-Reducing Halo in effect. Tang San identifies it as "a Hundred-Year Mandala Snake (380 years)."] [Yu Xiaogang identifies it as "We've finally found one! This Mandala Snake's age is just right for Tang San!"]
"It's a Mandala Snake!"
Yu Xiaogang's face lit up with joy.
"Xiao San, that's the one! This Mandala Snake is over three hundred years old and of excellent quality. It's just right for you!"
A flash of excitement crossed Tang San's eyes. He had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
Without giving it another thought, he darted forward and charged straight at the "Mandala Snake."
Reborn, he was much stronger than he had been at the same age in his previous life. Taking on a Hundred-Year Mandala Snake would be child's play.
"Blue Silver Grass, Entangle!"
Tang San barked the command. Several strands of Blue Silver Grass shot out at once, wrapping around the Snake Vine Flower.
The Snake Vine Flower writhed in pain and tried to break free, but Tang San had excellent control over his Blue Silver Grass. It couldn't escape in such a short time.
Seizing the opportunity, Tang San rushed forward and plunged the Mysterious Iron dagger in his hand into the Snake Vine Flower's vital point.
"Thwack!"
The dagger struck true. The Snake Vine Flower twitched a few times, then lay still.
"Done!"
Tang San put away his dagger, a smug smile on his face.
He turned to Fu Qin and Yu Xiaogang, hoping for their praise.
Yu Xiaogang stepped forward and carefully examined the Snake Vine Flower's corpse. His brow creased ever so slightly.
"Something's wrong. A Mandala Snake's scales should be harder, and where's its venom sac?"
But Tang San had looked down on Yu Xiaogang ever since his rebirth, and simply ignored him.
Seeing a yellow Soul Ring rise from the Snake Vine Flower's corpse, he smiled smugly.
He was already at level ten Soul Power and needed to absorb a Soul Ring as soon as possible to break through. Otherwise, it would hinder his future cultivation.
"A Hundred-Year Mandala Snake Soul Ring! I, Tang San, am back!"
Tang San gritted his teeth, sat cross-legged, and reached for the Soul Ring.
Yu Xiaogang wanted to say more, but Tang San had already begun absorbing the Soul Ring, so he had no choice but to let it go.
Although he felt a little suspicious, he didn't dwell on it, assuming this Mandala Snake simply had an unusual constitution.
Fu Qin stood to the side, doing his best to stifle a laugh.
He put on an expression of pure admiration.
"Wow! Xiao San, you're amazing! That's a Hundred-Year Mandala Snake—a Mandala Snake comparable to a thousand-year Soul Beast!"
Hearing Fu Qin's praise, Tang San's pride soared to its peak.
Now that was what a proper underling should be like.
He didn't need to know much—just that his boss was strong and that sticking close to him meant there'd be meat to eat.
Fu Qin's performance made Tang San absorb the Snake Vine Flower's Hundred-Year Soul Ring even faster.
He thought that the Intelligence-Reducing Halo really was powerful. It had even fooled Tang San, a God King reborn.
Although the Snake Vine Flower's Soul Ring was also a hundred-year one, its quality was far inferior to that of a real Mandala Snake Soul Ring. Naturally, the Soul Skill produced by merging with it would be much weaker, too.
An hour later,
Tang San finished absorbing the Soul Ring. He slowly opened his eyes, sensing the Soul Power within him.
But he was soon left dumbfounded.
After absorbing this "300-year Mandala Snake Soul Ring," his Soul Power had only risen to level twelve—nowhere near the peak of level thirteen he'd reached in his previous life.
Moreover, when he had absorbed this Soul Ring in his previous life, the pain had been so intense that his life had flashed before his eyes, and he had nearly died. But now, he hadn't felt anything like that.
Most importantly, he could feel that his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul had barely changed at all.
In his previous life, after absorbing his First Soul Ring, not only had his Martial Soul's resilience increased dramatically, but the ring had also imbued it with the Mandala Snake's paralyzing venom.
But what about now?
He hadn't inherited the venom, and even his Martial Soul's resilience remained unchanged!
That made no sense!