Vajra Ape and the Azure Vine

After repelling two waves of surprise attacks from the Nether Wolf and the Datura Snake, and with the blood spilled by the Datura Snake lingering in the vicinity, no other reckless soul beasts dared to disturb their rest for the remainder of the night.

Yu Xiaogang refused the offers from Lin Mo and Tang San to take watch, choosing to stand guard alone throughout the night.

He did not sleep a wink.

Following the events of the previous day, Yu Xiaogang found himself increasingly curious about Lin Mo.

He was curious about what exactly Lin Mo's martial soul was.

Without having obtained a first soul ring, Lin Mo had somehow managed to unilaterally crush a soul beast of the Datura Snake's caliber in terms of combat power.

Moreover, it seemed that if Lin Mo hadn't been wary of the Datura Snake's venom, he would have killed the creature even more swiftly!

Yu Xiaogang searched his memory repeatedly, only to find that he could not locate any records of a martial soul that matched Lin Mo's performance.

An ordinary beast martial soul user, without the augmentation of a soul ring, could never unleash such terrifying power.

Even a top-tier beast martial soul could not suppress a Datura Snake with physical strength alone while still at the soul master stage.

Time passed bit by bit, and the eastern horizon gradually began to pale.

When Lin Mo crawled out of his tent, his face still bore traces of fatigue.

He rubbed his eyes and instinctively scanned his surroundings, only letting out a sigh of relief once he confirmed there was no danger nearby.

Tang San had risen earlier than him and was already helping Yu Xiaogang pack up the camp.

The three of them ate some simple dry rations, drank some water, dismantled the tents, and prepared to venture deeper into the Soul Hunting Forest.

After the experiences of the first day, the trio moved with greater caution as they prepared to push further into the Soul Hunting Forest.

The first day could be considered a total loss.

They still needed to press deeper to help Lin Mo and Tang San find suitable soul beasts to assist them in obtaining their first soul rings.

However, Lin Mo, walking at the very end of the group, instinctively looked around, feeling a sudden sense of unease.

While resting in his tent last night, he had constantly felt as though a vague gaze was fixed upon him.

It was as if someone were lurking in the shadows, watching his every move, yet whenever he tried to investigate, that sensation would immediately vanish.

With Luo Sanpao, an expert in perception and scouting, the trio's progress was quite smooth.

Whenever they encountered stronger soul beasts, they simply bypassed them, avoiding any direct conflict.

They did not encounter any more cunning soul beasts like the Datura Snake that specialized in sneak attacks.

The sun gradually climbed to its zenith, casting light straight down from above.

After a morning of searching, the three had ventured significantly deeper into the Soul Hunting Forest. As noon approached, just as Yu Xiaogang was about to call for Lin Mo and Tang San to rest and prepare, Luo Sanpao seemed to discover something and let out a series of "luo-luo" cries.

Following the direction of Luo Sanpao's discovery, Lin Mo witnessed an unexpected scene.

Not far from their position, an ape was locked in battle with a mass of vines.

The ape was sturdy, covered in brown-black fur, and its arms were gripping the vines wrapped around its body, tearing them off one by one.

Yet, these vines seemed to be living things; every time the ape tore one off, a new one would immediately take its place.

It let out an angry roar, pounding its fists against the ground and creating shallow craters, but the constriction of the vines did not loosen in the slightest.

"Teacher, what is this?" Tang San asked instinctively, looking at the two soul beasts fighting not far away.

He had only been studying under Yu Xiaogang for a short time and did not know much about soul beasts.

"That monkey is called a Vajra Ape; its greatest strength is defense, followed by raw power..."

A flash of excitement crossed Yu Xiaogang's eyes as he pointed to the vines wrapped around the Vajra Ape and said:

"If I am not mistaken, this plant-type soul beast is an Azure Vine!"

Yu Xiaogang's tone grew even more excited as he continued, "Xiao San, this is fate!"

"Judging by their size, both this Azure Vine and that Vajra Ape have cultivation levels of just over four hundred years..."

"The soul rings for both you and Lin Mo are finally within reach!"

Upon hearing his teacher's words, a bright light flashed in Tang San's eyes.

Lin Mo, however, did not rush to act as he usually did, but instead stared at the Azure Vine and the Vajra Ape locked in combat.

For a moment, he felt a flicker of doubt.

He was not surprised that there were soul beasts suitable for him in this Soul Hunting Forest.

To encounter spirit beasts simultaneously suitable for both him and Tang San at the same time...

Could there really be such a coincidence in this world?

Furthermore, the age of both these spirit beasts was just over four hundred years, which, on the surface, did not exceed the limit for the first spirit ring that he and Tang San could withstand.

This was a bit too coincidental.

And the most coincidental part was that these two spirit beasts were currently locked in battle, a conflict that had caused their conditions to plummet significantly.

If it were under normal circumstances, either the Azure Vine or the Vajra Ape could have easily repelled the Datura Snake he had just finished off.

But given their current states, the Datura Snake could probably have taken them both on without any effort.

Could his luck really be this good?

This level of good fortune was no less than hitting the jackpot the moment one stepped outside!

The Vajra Ape's body was covered in wounds, and there were even signs that its stamina was completely exhausted.

The Azure Vine, currently entangled with it, was in no better shape.

It was equally withered and listless.

Lin Mo's doubts grew heavier.

The condition of these two spirit beasts was indeed dire, so dire that any random three or four-hundred-year-old spirit beast could have come along and picked up a bargain.

But the problem was, how did they end up fighting each other?

The Vajra Ape did not feed on vines, and the Azure Vine would not proactively provoke an ape capable of easily snapping its vines.

This was getting to be a bit too much of a coincidence!

Before Lin Mo could snap out of his thoughts, Yu Xiaogang raised his hand and patted him on the shoulder. "Lin Mo, can you handle that Vajra Ape by yourself?"

"I can, no problem." Lin Mo nodded instinctively.

He withdrew his gaze from the Vajra Ape not far away. "But Master, can you and Tang San successfully deal with that plant-type spirit beast, the Azure Vine?"

"I see that although its condition has dropped quite a bit, plant-type spirit beasts have always been known for their extremely tenacious vitality..."

"That won't be a problem." Yu Xiaogang nodded.

Tang San nodded as well.

Through his recent observations, he had already gained a preliminary understanding of the Azure Vine.

Plant-type spirit beasts excelled at control and possessed relatively tenacious vitality; its condition was significantly better than that of the Vajra Ape.

With the assistance of his teacher's Luo Sanpao spirit and his own Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Tang San was still confident he could wear this century-old spirit beast down to death.

The Azure Vine was not as dangerous as the Datura Snake, at least not on the surface.