In the hollow, a pair of icy snake eyes opened, and the grass was pressed aside, leaving a long trail.
A dark green snake shot out from behind the tree roots.
Its body was three or four meters long, with dark yellow markings along the edges of its scales. A fleshy crest bulged from its head, and the foul breath streaming from its mouth blackened the nearby grass.
Yu Xiaogang had only just raised his wooden staff halfway when the Mandala Snake was already in front of Tang San.
Too close.
And much faster than he had just estimated.
"Tang San, fall back!"
Yu Xiaogang retreated, hurriedly pointing his other hand forward.
"Luo Sanpao!"
Yellow light hit the ground. The moment Luo Sanpao appeared, the poisonous mist the snake spat from its mouth splattered all over his face.
"Luo! Luo!"
Luo Sanpao kicked wildly with all four short legs, his belly swelling, but the distance was too short for him to get into position.
Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth and sidestepped.
"Thunderous Fart, Earth-Shattering Luo Sanpao!"
Bang!
A wave of yellow air burst out, barely dispersing some of the poisonous mist.
But the Mandala Snake twisted its body, skimming half its length over the mud to slip around the blast. Its jaws lunged straight for Tang San's shoulder and neck.
Tang San didn't panic.
He shifted his footing and slid half a step along the tree roots.
The Mandala Snake's fangs grazed his collar before sinking into the bark beside him.
The bark blackened on the spot, releasing a pungent, scorched smell.
Tang San planted his right foot on a protruding stone and used it to spring diagonally backward, flicking his wrist.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Several short Sleeve Arrows shot from his cuff.
At the same time, the pebbles between his fingers flew.
The Sleeve Arrows flew straight, while the pebbles arced.
They attacked from both sides, aiming for the snake's head.
The Mandala Snake's head jerked aside. Several Sleeve Arrows scraped across its scales, sending up tiny sparks.
Two pebbles struck the soft flesh beneath its head.
It recoiled in pain, thrashing its body across the mud and snapping a swath of grass.
Tang San took the chance to put some distance between them. His left hand was already reaching for the cloth pouch at his waist, while his right foot kept moving, using the tree roots and muddy hollows to change position.
On the high ground, Xiao Wu had been hiding behind Su Hang.
After seeing Tang San's movements, she stopped clutching the strap of her bundle.
"Brother Su Hang..."
"He's not like an ordinary child."
Xiao Wu was usually lively, but now she had grown much quieter.
She hated the path of fate Tang San was on, and didn't want anything to do with him.
But if the students at Notting Academy had faced those attacks, the snake would have caught them in its fangs already.
Tang San didn't just know how to endure. He knew how to kill.
If someone like him really grew along the path described in the diary, he would be a huge problem later.
Su Hang stood on the rocky slope, unmoving.
Tang San's Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Sleeve Arrows, and pebble-throwing technique flowed together seamlessly.
No Soul Ring.
No Martial Soul Possession.
Yet he could hold his own against a Mandala Snake.
That said plenty.
The contempt in Su Hang's heart was pushed aside.
Some of the Protagonist Halo had been stripped away, but Tang San himself wasn't a wooden dummy.
If Su Hang treated him like an ordinary six-year-old, he'd get blindsided sooner or later.
Down in the hollow, Yu Xiaogang finally reacted.
He had seen the techniques Tang San had just used and was about to ask him about them, but the Mandala Snake gave him no chance.
"Tang San, don't get caught up in a fight!"
"This Mandala Snake is older than I estimated, and its venom is stronger too!"
Tang San kept moving, using a short tree to block the snake's charge.
"Teacher, how old is it?"
Yu Xiaogang quickly examined the patterns on its body, then looked at the fleshy crest.
"Over four hundred years old!"
"Possibly close to six hundred!"
After hearing that, Tang San grew even steadier.
Over four hundred years old.
The risk was greater, but so was the reward.
If he could absorb its Soul Ring, Blue Silver Grass would get a head start over most Soul Masters his age.
He couldn't back down.
Su Hang already had a thousand-year First Spirit Ring.
If Tang San couldn't even seize this opportunity, he'd only fall further and further behind.
The Mandala Snake lunged again.
Tang San ducked low, hurling three pebbles with his right hand while firing two Sleeve Arrows from his left sleeve.
This time, the pebbles struck the snake's mouth first, and the Sleeve Arrows came after its eyes.
The Mandala Snake raised its head to dodge the arrows, but its tail swept in from the side.
Bang!
Tang San was struck in the shoulder and slammed toward the mud.
Before hitting the ground, he braced himself with his right hand and flipped away, managing to absorb most of the force.
The snake's tail ripped his sleeve, and a red mark quickly spread across his shoulder.
Yu Xiaogang rushed forward two steps in alarm.
"Luo Sanpao, stop it!"
Luo Sanpao trembled as he hopped forward, but the Mandala Snake was ignoring him completely.
Tang San's repeated attacks on its head had thoroughly enraged the snake.
Its body coiled up, and its fleshy crest trembled.
Its predatory focus had settled squarely on Tang San.
Among the branches overhead,
Yue Guan had been watching with amusement.
But when he saw the path of the Sleeve Arrows, his fingers stopped twirling the flower.
"Gui Mei, did you see that?"
The black mist shifted half a foot along the tree trunk.
"He's hiding weapons in his sleeves."
"Small, fast, and the Soul Power fluctuations are very weak before he fires."
Yue Guan stared down at Tang San.
"If things like these spread widely through the Soul Master World, they'll be a serious problem for low-ranked Soul Masters."
"Especially the patrolling Soul Masters in Spirit Hall Branches. Most of them wouldn't be able to defend against them."
Gui Mei didn't reply right away.
Tang San used another pebble to alter the direction of the Mandala Snake's attack.
The angle was tricky, the timing precise.
No ordinary child could have learned such techniques.
Even if Tang Hao had taught him the Clear Sky Sect's skills, this still wasn't the sort of thing he'd expect.
"Should we report this now?"
Yue Guan put aside his usual flippancy.
"Report it."
"Su Hang is someone His Holiness the Pope specifically ordered us to keep an eye on."
"List Tang San separately as well."
Gui Mei murmured his assent.
"Son of Tang Hao, Twin Martial Souls, suspected of possessing a specialized weapon."
Yue Guan added,
"And close-combat footwork."
"This kid's hiding quite a bit."
Beneath the trees, Tang San had already put more than ten paces between himself and the Mandala Snake.
Yu Xiaogang wanted Luo Sanpao to use his Spirit Skill again, but Luo Sanpao had just been blasted with poisonous mist and was clearly in poor shape.
If he forced himself to act again, the backlash might hit Yu Xiaogang himself.
Tang San had noticed that too.
"Teacher, don't let Luo Sanpao get close."
"I'll keep it occupied."
Yu Xiaogang's expression changed.
"Don't be reckless!"
"You haven't even got a Soul Ring. How can you keep it occupied?"
Tang San didn't explain.
He took several Fine Needles from the cloth pouch and hid them between his fingers, then set his footwork in motion again.
Watching how composed Tang San was, Xiao Wu felt increasingly stifled.
"Brother Su Hang, he really can fight."
"If no one stops him, could he actually wear the snake down?"
Su Hang didn't answer right away.
The system interface had already appeared before his eyes.
[Warning: Tang San is resisting Luck Deprivation through his own combat abilities.] [Tang San's First Spirit Ring luck is returning.] [If the host continues to watch from the sidelines, the Mandala Snake opportunity may return to Tang San.] [Current deviation progress: decreased from 30% to 20%.]
Su Hang watched the situation below.
Tang San was being beaten back, but he hadn't lost his composure.
The angrier the Mandala Snake grew, the more it focused on Tang San.
The opportunity Su Hang had pried away with the Luck Deprivation Card was gathering around Tang San again.
That was the Protagonist Halo for you.
As long as he wasn't crushed outright, even if his path veered off course, he could still drag it back by force.
Yu Xiaogang might have botched things, but Tang San could make up for it himself.
That was what made him so troublesome.
Su Hang moved, and Dark Purple Lightning coursed along the rocky slope.
Xiao Wu immediately stepped two paces behind him, moving with practiced ease.
"Are you going to make a move?"
Su Hang raised his right arm, and the aura of the Chaos Thunder Shadow Dragon began pressing outward.
Below, the Mandala Snake lunged at Tang San once more.
Tang San had raised the Fine Needles in his hand and was about to aim for the soft flesh inside the snake's mouth.
At that moment, Su Hang's gaze turned cold.
"Just as I thought. Standing by and watching isn't enough if I want to snatch the protagonist's opportunity."
Before you continue