Ten Years of Lone Bamboo Soul Ring

"It's alright, Xiao Wu. Those two were likely just playing a prank." Tang San's voice was gentle, yet a flicker of cold sharpness crossed his eyes. The youth who had carried away the silver-haired girl had given him a sense of extreme danger—a feeling akin to encountering a natural predator, triggering his instinct to reach for his Tang Sect hidden weapons.

Xiao Wu's small face remained pale. She gripped Tang San's sleeve tightly, her voice trembling, "Third Brother, that girl... she was holding a Spicy Rabbit Head. The way she looked at me, it was as if she wanted to eat me."

As a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in the form of a Soft Bone Rabbit who had undergone human reincarnation, Xiao Wu was hypersensitive to the scent of her own kind. The pure, clear aura Na'er had exuded, paired with that bloody rabbit head, had become an instant psychological trauma.

"Don't be afraid. I'll take you to the Soul Hunting Forest the day after tomorrow." Tang San patted her back, his tone firm. "Teacher says there are soul rings there suitable for you. Once you become stronger, no one will be able to hurt you."

Xiao Wu hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. She truly needed to find a sense of security right now.

Elsewhere, in a luxury hotel in Nuoding City.

Gu Tian sat on the sofa with his eyes closed. Within his sea of consciousness, he was communicating remotely via a crystal ball with Gu Yuena, who was far away in the Star Dou Great Forest.

"Wife, that's the plan... Have Er Ming set off immediately. He needs to suppress his aura and sneak into this Soul Hunting Forest in Fasinuo Province. That old man Tang Hao is definitely following Tang San in the shadows; only Er Ming's aura can lure him away from Tang San's side."

"Hmph, you're certainly willing to expend the power of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast for that little rabbit." Gu Yuena's cold, clear voice came through, tinged with an inexplicable hint of jealousy, yet she agreed nonetheless. "Er Ming has already departed. At his speed, he will arrive by tomorrow."

"Thanks, wife." Gu Tian replied with a grin before cutting the connection.

Beside him, Gu Yue leaned against the window, her ink-green eyes fixed on the street. She spoke coldly, "Young Master, since Er Ming is in position, shall we set off now?"

"Indeed, let's go." Gu Tian stood up, a cunning light flickering in his eyes. "We must arrive before them. Before the play begins, we need to set the stage."

Three days later.

Heaven Dou Empire, Fasinuo Province.

Located four hundred li northeast of Nuoding City, the Soul Hunting Forest was an artificial forest created by the empire to farm soul beasts. While the trees were lush, it lacked the primitive, savage atmosphere of the Star Dou Great Forest, possessing instead a sense of artificial order. The forest was surrounded by massive iron fences, with large detachments of troops patrolling the entrance.

Gu Tian and his two companions had long since bypassed the guards using Na'er's space-warping abilities, lurking now on a tall, ancient tree deep within the forest.

"Shh, they're here," Gu Tian signaled in a low voice.

On the forest path below, Yu Xiaogang walked at the front, dressed in a black tight-fitting suit with his hands behind his back, his expression reserved. Tang San carried a large pack, while Xiao Wu followed cautiously at the rear.

"San, Xiao Wu, this is the Soul Hunting Forest. We will certainly find a soul ring suitable for you here today." Up close, one could see a hint of spirit in Yu Xiaogang, though his rigid face made him seem unapproachable.

"As it happens, since we are here, I shall give you both a proper lesson."

"To put it simply, soul beasts are just wild animals with soul power. Generally, we categorize them into five levels based on their age: Ten-Year, Hundred-Year, Thousand-Year, Ten-Thousand-Year, and Hundred-Thousand-Year. The soul rings produced by soul beasts of different ages have different colors: white, yellow, purple, black, and red. Within the same tier, a deeper color indicates a longer lifespan."

As the Master's favorite disciple, Tang San naturally knew how to play along. Rule 91 of the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record: Never let an elder's words fall to the ground.

"Teacher, according to what you've said, in what way does the power of a high-tier soul ring manifest?" Tang San asked.

A smug smile appeared on Yu Xiaogang's face. He loved inquisitive students, as they highlighted his vast erudition. "San, that's a good question. The power lies in the fact that soul rings of different ages provide different attributes to the soul master."

"According to my theory, every soul master gains a certain amount of soul power upon awakening their martial soul. Multiplying this Soul Power Level by ten gives the soul master's initial stat points. For example, your Blue Silver Grass is a control-type martial soul with an initial level of ten, meaning your initial control stat is one hundred. A Ten-Year soul beast can increase this by ten, while a Hundred-Year soul beast increases it by one hundred. Among soul masters of the same attribute and level, the one with higher stats usually holds the advantage."

Tang San took out his notebook to record this, putting on a thoughtful expression. "In that case, wouldn't disciples of great families be able to rely on their clan's resources to hunt Thousand-Year soul beasts at the start, making themselves much stronger?"

"That is true in theory, but according to my Ten Great Martial Soul Competitiveness Theories, the limit for a first soul ring is four hundred and twenty-three years. Exceeding this limit will cause the soul master to be unable to withstand the energy, leading to their body exploding! Furthermore, when you absorb a soul ring, outside soul masters cannot provide any assistance; you must rely entirely on yourself. Therefore, disciples from large sects are naturally unable to bypass this fundamental logic."

"San, look at this Lone Bamboo." Yu Xiaogang pointed to a cluster of bamboo by the roadside emitting a faint green light. "It has ten segments, each representing one year of cultivation, meaning it has ten years of age. Yet, it is a plant-type existence with extreme resilience. In this Soul Hunting Forest, it remains unaffected by its surroundings—untainted by the mud, unstained by the ripples."

"Straight inside and out, without vines or branches." Tang San recited internally. Wait, what on earth is this? Why am I reciting this?

"If we can't find anything better later, this is your fallback option. My Martial Soul Mimicry Theory tells us that for a trash martial soul like Blue Silver Grass—ah, I mean, for this martial soul—absorbing a resilience-type soul ring is the safest bet."

Tang San looked at the thin Lone Bamboo, feeling somewhat unwilling. He wanted to become stronger, not just safe.

"Come out, Luo Sanpao!" Yu Xiaogang pressed his palms together and then pulled them apart. Two yellow soul rings appeared beneath his feet, and a strange creature manifested before him.

It looked like a pig, yet had the ears of a dog, with a body length of over one and a half meters and a height of about eighty centimeters.

"San, Xiao Wu, this is my martial soul. You can call it Luo Sanpao."

The creature, looking like a cross between a pig and a dog, sniffed around, attempting to track the trail of higher-tier soul beasts.

However, for the entire morning, they encountered nothing but a few Ten-Year Wind Baboons and wild dogs.

"Brother Gu Tian, where did the soul beasts go? Why isn't there a single one?" Na'er asked, puzzled. Even if the Soul Hunting Forest was artificially farmed, the soul beasts shouldn't have vanished without a trace!

"Because I had Er Ming come here yesterday to clear the area. The aura of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast is enough to scare those common soul beasts into hiding," Gu Tian explained. This was the other reason he had specifically asked for Er Ming.

"Wow! So that big monkey is that powerful! I always thought he was just a big mount!" Na'er's eyes lit up. In the world of soul beasts, the Dragon Clan was supreme; it was no wonder a mere Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast would be bullied by a little girl.

Meanwhile, in the shadows a few hundred meters behind Gu Tian, a figure draped in tattered black robes floated silently in mid-air.

It was a middle-aged man, tall and burly, appearing to be around fifty years old. Yet, compared to Yu Xiaogang, who was the same age, he looked far more weathered.

Tang Hao.

In his hand, he held a four-meter-long snake emitting a faint purple glow. It was a four-hundred-year-old Mandala Snake, the perfect first soul ring he had specifically selected for Tang San.

Tang Hao was just about to toss the snake in front of Tang San to manufacture an accidental opportunity when his body suddenly stiffened.

He felt an aura of extreme violence—one sufficient to make even a Title Douluo like him tremble—flash briefly from the deepest part of the forest.

"This aura... a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast?!" Tang Hao's pupils contracted violently.

As a powerhouse at the Title Douluo level, he knew all too well the terror of such a beast. It was the king of the Star Dou Great Forest, the Titan Giant Ape. Why would it appear in a small, farmed forest like this? Had the soul beasts rioted?

Tang Hao glanced at Tang San below, then toward the depths of the forest. If a creature of the Titan Giant Ape's caliber charged over, not only would Tang San be killed, but the entire Fasinuo Province would be destroyed.

"San, wait for me here!" Tang Hao muttered. Though Tang San could not hear him, he could no longer concern himself with the Mandala Snake in his hand. He tossed the half-dead snake aside, transformed into a trail of black smoke, and chased toward the depths of the forest with all his might.

That was an aura deliberately released by Er Ming, acting like a highly tempting lure, solely to draw Tang Hao, that guardian deity, away from the battlefield.

"Plan successful." Gu Tian revealed a devilish smile atop the tree canopy.

In the grass below, that four-hundred-year-old Mandala Snake had originally been slithering about in a daze. It had sensed the aura of Tang San and was preparing to launch an attack.

However, Gu Tian simply sat on the tree branch and pelted the head of the Mandala Snake with a pebble in his hand.

The Mandala Snake was furious at first, emitting "hissing" sounds, but after looking up, its cold, sinister eyes were instantly filled with terror. As a serpent, its fear of bloodlines was carved into its very bones. It didn't even dare to hiss, turning and fleeing with such speed that it left a blur in the grass, vanishing into the depths of the dense forest in the blink of an eye.

"What's going on? It seemed like something was over there just now." Tang San looked toward the bushes, alert.

Yu Xiaogang was panting heavily, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a grim expression as he said, "What on earth is wrong with this Soul Hunting Forest today? We've been walking all morning and haven't even seen a single century-level soul beast."

The sun was already beginning to slant westward; if they couldn't find a soul ring soon, they would be forced to camp in the dangerous forest.

"Teacher..." Tang San looked at the Lone Bamboo ahead, his tone filled with helplessness. "It's getting dark. Since we haven't found anything suitable, perhaps..."

Yu Xiaogang sighed and sat dejectedly on a rock. His once-proud treasure-hunting ability had completely failed him today.

"Very well, San. Perhaps this is fate. Blue Silver Grass paired with Lone Bamboo—though a bit mediocre, it is better than nothing. You must believe that there are no trash martial souls, only trash soul masters. Once you become stronger in the future, you can slowly make up for it."

Hearing this, a nameless fire ignited in Tang San's heart. He clenched his fists, looking at the Lone Bamboo swaying in the wind with only ten years of cultivation, his heart filled with humiliation and unwillingness. But he had no choice; he had to break through as soon as possible.

Damn, he insulted himself twice in one sentence. If this trash Gangzi had worked harder, would he still be over fifty years old without even reaching level thirty? Tang San cursed inwardly, but ultimately walked up to the ten-year Lone Bamboo and slowly sat down cross-legged.

"Brother San, do you really want to choose this one?" Xiao Wu, standing nearby, also felt it wasn't worth it. She could sense that the energy of this bamboo was pitifully weak, but compared to letting Tang San hunt a soul beast, she preferred him to choose a plant-type soul beast; after all, she had grown up eating those herself.

"There's no other way, Xiao Wu." Tang San gritted his teeth and summoned that thin, small Blue Silver Grass.

In the shadows, Gu Yue watched Tang San, who was currently absorbing the white soul ring, and curled her lip in disdain. "Is this the Child of the Plane you spoke of? He's struggling so much just to absorb a ten-year soul ring."

Gu Tian pulled a leftover rabbit head from his pocket, took a bite, and laughed vaguely. "Let him absorb it. A white soul ring suits his Blue Silver Grass so well. A trash martial soul paired with a trash soul ring—now that is a true match made in heaven."

It was a shameful white, and also the first grand gift Gu Tian had bestowed upon him.