"More than just suspicious."
Yue Guan stepped on a phantom of petals and looked down at the narrow path trampled through the woods.
"It's understandable that Tang Hao's son knows a few strange tricks."
"But for a six-year-old child to hit a stone with that kind of accuracy is a bit much."
Gui Mei hid behind the shadow of a tree, black mist flowing along its branches.
"Make a note of it."
"His Holiness the Pope probably wants information on more than just Su Hang."
In the woods below, Yu Xiaogang straightened his clothes and recalled Luo Sanpao.
What had just happened had been rather embarrassing.
Tang San didn't mention it and continued walking by his side.
After a few steps, Yu Xiaogang stopped in front of a muddy patch and used a stick to push aside the grass.
"Tang San, look here."
"Blue Silver Grass is fragile by nature. If you focus only on strength, it has almost no future."
"But Plant-type Martial Souls have one advantage: Soul Rings can make up for their shortcomings."
Tang San crouched down and examined the broken grass blades.
"You mean I should focus on control, teacher?"
Yu Xiaogang nodded, finally regaining some of his rhythm.
"That's right."
"For a control-type Soul Master, the key is to restrain the opponent."
"If Blue Silver Grass can gain toughness, toxicity, and the ability to Entangle, you can carve out a path for it despite its being a Trash Martial Soul."
"So your First Spirit Ring should ideally come from a Soul Beast with poison or strong Entangle abilities."
Tang San pinched a blade of grass between his fingers. The broken end had turned yellow, and its edges showed signs of corrosion.
Poison, control, Entangle.
Those words settled in his heart, dovetailing perfectly with the Tang Sect's methods.
Hidden Weapons relied on catching the enemy off guard, and poison was also about restraining before killing.
If Blue Silver Grass could tie up an enemy and he could follow up with Tang Sect Hidden Weapons, it really would be a good fit.
He set the grass down and bowed slightly to Yu Xiaogang.
"Teacher, this path could work."
Yu Xiaogang's back straightened a little at those words.
"It's good that you understand."
"Most people only look at a Martial Soul's surface, forgetting that its development depends on the path you take."
"Blue Silver Grass is weak, but with the right approach, it can still be put to use."
Not far away, Xiao Wu rolled her eyes and sidled up to Su Hang, muttering under her breath.
"Brother Su Hang, what he's saying does sound pretty convincing."
Su Hang folded his arms and tapped the ground with his toe.
"The theory sounds nice, but that doesn't mean it'll hold up in a real fight."
Xiao Wu immediately nodded.
"Got it. A king behind the keyboard; we'll see how he does when it hits the ground."
Su Hang almost laughed at her remark. This little rabbit had only been in the human world for a few days, yet she had already picked up the slang.
Yu Xiaogang heard them and rapped his stick against the ground.
"Don't get distracted in the Soul Hunting Forest."
"If you're only here to watch, stay farther away."
Su Hang didn't argue with him.
Ever since he entered the forest, the warmth left behind by the Luck Deprivation Card had been tracing along his meridians.
At first it had only been a faint warmth, but the farther he went, the more pronounced it became.
The direction was ahead and to the left.
But Yu Xiaogang was leading them toward a hollow on the right.
The Mandala Snake really was nearby, but that didn't mean it would stupidly wait along the original story's route to be beaten.
Now that luck had been marked, the ownership of opportunities was beginning to shift, and the positions of prey and hunter were changing too.
Su Hang took half a step to the left. Xiao Wu noticed immediately, tugged on his sleeve, and lowered her voice.
"Did you find something?"
Su Hang didn't look at her. He kept his eyes on the roots and grass ahead.
"From now on, don't stray too far from me."
"How far is too far?"
"More than three steps."
"Then I'll stay two steps away."
Su Hang glanced at her.
"You're good at leaving yourself some room."
Hugging her little bundle, Xiao Wu answered with perfect reason.
"It's about staying alive. Better to be cautious."
Up ahead, Tang San noticed Su Hang veering off too.
"Where are you going?"
Su Hang lifted his chin.
"Higher ground."
Yu Xiaogang immediately spoke up.
"Mandala Snakes favor the edges of wetlands. You're more likely to find traces of them in low-lying places."
"Going to higher ground will only waste time."
Su Hang crouched by a tree root and used a twig to push aside the grass.
Beneath it lay several crushed blades of grass, their edges blackened, with faint scrape marks in the dirt.
A short distance away, a scale was wedged into a crack in a stone. It was dark green, with a faint yellow sheen along its edge.
He picked the scale up with the twig.
"Then take a look. What is this?"
Yu Xiaogang came closer. He examined the grass, then the scale, and his stick stopped midair.
Tang San came over to look as well. The corroded grass, the scrape marks from a snake, and the scraps of scales all pointed to the same target.
Yu Xiaogang spoke at once.
"A Mandala Snake."
Tang San looked up.
"It's really one?"
Yu Xiaogang nodded.
"Judging by the color of the scales, it should be quite old."
"If we can take it down, it'll be just right for your First Spirit Ring."
Xiao Wu secretly tugged at Su Hang's sleeve.
"He seems pretty happy."
Su Hang tossed the scale back onto the ground.
"He's celebrating too soon."
The confidence Yu Xiaogang had just regained faltered again.
"Su Hang, what are you trying to say now?"
Su Hang stood up and pointed at several patches of grass nearby.
"The traces this snake left behind are scattered, and the grass has been flattened in different directions."
"It didn't travel in a straight line."
"It was circling around."
Tang San immediately turned toward the other side. The grass roots there also bore scrape marks, and they connected with the spot they'd just found, forming a half-circle.
Yu Xiaogang fell silent for a moment, but still stuck to his judgment.
"Mandala Snakes are cunning by nature. It's normal for them to circle around."
Su Hang continued.
"It's older than you estimated, too."
"The grass is corroded over such a wide area, and the edges of the scales have already darkened. Its poison is potent."
"An ordinary hundred-year Mandala Snake couldn't do that."
Yu Xiaogang's stick drew a line through the mud.
"An older Soul Beast means a more valuable Soul Ring."
"Tang San has Innate Full Soul Power and a body far stronger than his peers. He can try."
Tang San didn't answer right away. He watched the traces on the ground as the stone between his fingers spun faster.
An older Soul Ring meant greater danger, but if he succeeded, the rewards would be greater too.
Su Hang's first ring was purple. It had already put every new student in his shadow.
If his own First Spirit Ring was just an ordinary one, the gap between them would only grow.
He tucked the stone back into his sleeve.
"Teacher, I'm willing to try."
Xiao Wu sounded a little anxious.
"You really dare to go after it?"
Yu Xiaogang looked up.
"Isn't seizing opportunities part of cultivation? If you're afraid of the risks, you shouldn't enter the Soul Hunting Forest."
Su Hang smiled and started toward the higher ground on the left.
"Fine, then you go after it."
Xiao Wu hurried after him.
"Brother Su Hang, aren't we going to stop them?"
Su Hang walked at an unhurried pace, pausing beside a raised rocky slope.
"Stop them for what?"
"If they want to prove their theory, let them."
Xiao Wu looked back at the low-lying thicket. Tang San and Yu Xiaogang were already following the traces downhill.
The grass grew thicker there, the air was damper, and visibility was poor.
She jogged over to Su Hang.
"Then why are we going up high?"
Su Hang climbed onto a tall rock, from where he could see half the hollow below.
"To get a clear view of the whole area."
"And it'll be easier to act if we need to."
Xiao Wu immediately moved closer to him.
"Then I'll stand behind you."
Su Hang looked at the way she'd already taken cover.
"You're pretty good at picking your spot."
She poked half her head out.
"Practice makes perfect."
Below, Yu Xiaogang used his stick to push aside the thicket.
"Tang San, watch your step."
"Before a Mandala Snake attacks, it hides behind tree roots and shrubs."
"Pay attention to the grass moving."
Tang San nodded and lightened his steps.
As he walked, he scanned his surroundings from the corner of his eye.
There were far fewer insects chirping in the hollow, and even the birdsong he'd heard earlier had stopped.
It was too quiet here.
Tang San raised a hand to the cloth pouch at his waist, where he had hidden the Hidden Weapons he'd prepared.
Yu Xiaogang kept his eyes on the ground.
"Here are some fresh drag marks."
"It passed through not long ago. We should find it if we go farther."
Tang San stopped.
"Teacher."
"What is it?"
Tang San didn't answer at once. He looked around.
The shrubs reached his waist, and several tree roots twisted across the mud. There were scrape marks on the bark.
But there were no signs of lesser Soul Beasts nearby.
If the Mandala Snake had merely passed through, the area shouldn't have been this eerily undisturbed.
This area looked more like something had deliberately cleared it out, waiting for prey to wander in.
On the high ground, the heat inside Su Hang suddenly intensified, and the system prompt rang out.
[The Mandala Snake has appeared.] [Tang San's First Spirit Ring fortune-shift progress: 30%.]
Su Hang looked toward the low ground below and reached out to shield Xiao Wu behind him.
Xiao Wu immediately fell silent and froze in place.
On the distant branches, Yue Guan and Gui Mei stopped at the same time.
Yue Guan brushed aside the leaves and flowers in front of him.
"It's here."
Gui Mei edged forward half a pace, keeping to the tree's shadow.
"This snake's age is higher than Yu Xiaogang estimated."
Yue Guan chuckled.
"Now this is interesting."
"Su Hang took the high ground ahead of time, while Tang Hao's son went into the hollow."
"This good fortune really is starting to change hands."
On the low ground, Tang San had just raised his head when a pair of icy snake eyes opened in the darkness.
Before you continue