Intercepting wasn't enough? Su Hang made Tang San fall into the trap himself

On the high ground of the Soul Hunting Forest, Su Hang pulled Xiao Wu half a step behind him.

The corpse of the Mandala Snake lay across the muddy ground, its blood corroding the blades of grass and hissing as it emitted black smoke.

The spirit ring hovered above the carcass, its color somewhat dim, swaying in circles; the poison attribute remained, but the spirit power within had been scattered by the thunder.

Tang San stood at the edge of the depression, his sleeves torn in several places, a red welt from a lash of the snake's tail visible on his shoulder.

He did not step forward immediately.

Yu Xiaogang did not move either.

Both of them could see that something was wrong with this spirit ring.

Xiao Wu pressed against Su Hang's side and spoke in a low voice.

"Brother Su Hang, can this spirit ring still be used?"

Su Hang swept a glance at the ring.

"It can be used."

Just as Xiao Wu was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she heard him add another sentence.

"It's just that it might be disgusting to use."

Tang San raised his head, shifting his gaze from the spirit ring to Su Hang.

"What do you mean?"

Su Hang brushed the dust off his sleeves, standing in a relaxed posture.

"The meaning is simple."

"This Mandala Snake was originally suitable for Blue Silver Grass."

"Poison, toughness, and binding; all three were a perfect match."

"But it was pierced by thunder just now, and I extracted the most critical adaptation point."

"Now, it still has the poison and a bit of toughness, but the core is in disarray."

"After absorbing it, the spirit skill might turn out strange."

Yu Xiaogang immediately stepped forward, tapping his wooden staff against the mud.

"The essence of the spirit ring still comes from the Mandala Snake."

"If Blue Silver Grass absorbs it, the control path remains valid."

"Tang San, don't let him distract you."

Tang San did not respond immediately.

The spirit ring on the muddy ground was still swaying.

This spirit ring had already been touched by Su Hang.

To be more precise, it had been ruined by Su Hang.

Yet, if he gave it up and went looking for another snake-type spirit beast of the same level, he didn't know how long it would take.

In the Soul Hunting Forest, you couldn't just find whatever spirit beast you wanted.

Mandala Snakes were already rare.

A Mandala Snake approaching six hundred years was even rarer.

Yu Xiaogang suppressed the chaos in his heart and continued to add.

"Tang San, this spirit ring still has value."

"Its toxicity remains, and the toughness of the snake body is still there."

"Even if the spirit power is a bit scattered, it can still strengthen your Blue Silver Grass after absorption."

"In the short term, it will be very difficult for you to find a more suitable target."

Su Hang did not refute him.

He even stepped aside to make room.

"Whether you absorb it or not, that is for you to decide."

"I won't persuade you, nor will I stop you."

Upon hearing this, Tang San instead straightened his cuffs.

Throughout this journey, Su Hang had suppressed him at every turn.

Entering the academy, snatching the dormitory.

Entering the forest, dismantling his teacher.

Now, even his first spirit ring had been interfered with by the other party.

If he gave up on this spirit ring now, it would be equivalent to admitting that Su Hang had already cut off his path.

Tang San could not accept that.

He stepped toward the spirit ring.

"Teacher, I'll absorb it."

Yu Xiaogang nodded immediately.

"Good."

"Sit cross-legged; I will guard you."

Xiao Wu tugged at the corner of Su Hang's clothes.

"Are you really not going to stop him?"

Su Hang lowered his hand, letting her hold it.

"The path a person chooses for themselves only hurts when they step into a pit."

Xiao Wu pursed her lips.

"But if something happens to him..."

Su Hang turned his head.

"Are you feeling soft-hearted?"

Xiao Wu lowered her head, her toes scuffing the edge of the muddy ground.

"I just think he looks quite miserable right now."

Su Hang did not mock her, only lowered his voice.

"If you save him once, he won't necessarily take any less advantage of you in the future."

Xiao Wu's hand stilled.

Sacrifice.

Daming.

Erming.

The contents of that diary came pressing back down on her.

She stepped behind Su Hang.

"Then I won't interfere."

"I'll listen to you."

In the low-lying hollow, Tang San had already sat down.

Yu Xiaogang stood by his side, while Luo Sanpao lay on the other side, ears drooping, still not recovered from the effects of the poisonous mist.

"Tang San, steady your mind."

"Use your spirit power to guide the spirit ring."

"Release your Blue Silver Grass martial soul."

Tang San raised his right hand.

Blue Silver Grass sprouted from his palm, the thin, weak blades swaying in the air.

The spirit ring felt the pull and began to move toward him.

The moment it touched the Blue Silver Grass, a chaotic, poisonous force drilled into Tang San's body.

Tang San's shoulders and back stiffened, his teeth clicking together.

His Mysterious Heaven Skill began to circulate on its own.

His spirit power raced through his meridians, forcibly resisting the backlash of that poisonous force.

However, the problem with the residual ring was exposed at this very moment.

The toxicity of the Mandala Snake did not merge gently through the Blue Silver Grass; instead, it split into several strands and rampaged.

One strand traveled through his meridians.

One strand rushed toward his arm.

And another pressed directly toward the area near his dantian.

Sweat quickly beaded on Tang San's forehead.

Yu Xiaogang stood nearby, speaking incessantly.

"Steady."

"The Blue Silver Grass has the capacity to bear it."

"Controlling the path will not go wrong."

"Channel the toxicity into your martial soul; don't let it spread throughout your body."

Standing on the high ground, Su Hang listened and gave a soft click of his tongue.

"He's in this state, and he's still reciting theory."

Xiao Wu whispered in response.

"Is he afraid to admit he chose wrong?"

Su Hang tapped his chin.

"Some people want resources, others want face."

"When you put them together, trouble is bound to happen."

The spirit power within Tang San circulated faster and faster.

His sleeves bulged from the pressure of the spirit power, and several small hidden weapons slipped out from the torn fabric.

One of the Sleeve Arrows fell onto the muddy ground, the metal mechanism making a soft click as it touched the snake's blood.

High up in the branches.

Yue Guan reached out to push aside the leaves, staring at the Sleeve Arrow.

"Did you see that?"

Gui Mei hid behind the tree shadows, black mist flowing against the trunk.

"I saw it."

Yue Guan lowered his voice.

"The structure of that thing is ingenious, and it can be hidden in a sleeve."

"He used that just now to injure the Mandala Snake."

Gui Mei paused for a moment.

"Tang Hao couldn't have taught him this kind of technique."

Yue Guan tapped a petal with his fingertip.

"Report it when we return."

"Aside from his Twin Martial Souls, Tang San has other secrets."

"If these hidden weapons were to fall into the hands of a Spirit Master Army, it would be quite troublesome."

Gui Mei said nothing more, merely noting it down from the shadows.

Down in the hollow, the absorption continued.

Tang San's Blue Silver Grass began to change color.

Faint, dark green patterns appeared on the otherwise ordinary blades of grass.

However, these patterns were distributed unevenly.

In some places, the poison markings clustered together, causing the grass blades to turn black.

In other places, they remained fragile, with even the grass clippings stirred up by the wind cutting them into thin strips.

Yu Xiaogang watched with clenched palms, but he could only continue to stabilize the situation.

"Very good."

"The spirit ring has already entered the martial soul."

"Continue to suppress the toxicity."

"As long as you hold on, your First Spirit Skill will be complete."

Su Hang stood on the high ground, not interrupting.

This was exactly the result he wanted.

If Tang San didn't absorb it, he would at most lose one opportunity.

But since Tang San was absorbing it, this flawed fortune would be etched into his foundation.

A low-tier start.

And it came with side effects.

That was a real loss.

Xiao Wu watched the fluctuations of spirit power on Tang San's body and couldn't help but speak up.

"Brother Su Hang, will he succeed?"

Su Hang replied calmly.

"He will."

Xiao Wu was stunned for a moment.

"Then didn't we go through all this trouble for nothing?"

Su Hang raised his hand and tapped her on the head.

"Success comes in different grades."

"A perfect score and barely scraping by—can they really be the same?"

Xiao Wu rubbed her head and muttered under her breath.

"Got it."

"He's just barely scraping by."

Su Hang chuckled.

"Pretty much."

After a long while, the spirit ring finally settled completely into Tang San's body.

Tang San's spirit power surged violently before quickly stabilizing.

He raised his right hand, and Blue Silver Grass sprouted from his palm.

His First Spirit Skill rose.

A yellow spirit ring circled his side.

However, the color of this ring was somewhat dull, and its edges were marked with chaotic, venomous patterns.

Yu Xiaogang hurried forward.

"Tang San, try your spirit skill."

Tang San stood up and swung his right hand forward.

"Bind."

Several strands of Blue Silver Grass shot up from the ground, wrapping around a piece of broken wood nearby.

Once the blades of grass coiled around the wood, they tightened rapidly.

The venomous patterns spread along the grass, corroding black spots onto the surface of the wood.

But in the next instant, the Blue Silver Grass itself began to fail.

Unable to withstand the backlash of the poison, several blades withered and turned black, snapping in two.

Tang San's arm went numb, and a portion of his spirit power was drained away.

He forcibly suppressed the discomfort and retracted the Blue Silver Grass.

Yu Xiaogang stood to the side, his words stuck in his throat for a long moment.

The spirit skill had indeed succeeded.

It had binding, and it had poison.

But it lacked durability, the poison was impure, and it even backlashed against his own spirit power.

This was a far cry from the perfect control-type spirit skill he had envisioned.

Xiao Wu poked her head out from behind Su Hang.

"Is this the control path the Master was talking about?"

Su Hang gave him a very "supportive" jab.

"It can control."

"It controls the enemy for half a second, and yourself for a full one."

Xiao Wu nearly burst out laughing, but quickly covered her mouth.

Yu Xiaogang's face stiffened, but he still tried to hold his ground.

"The spirit skill was just acquired; it needs practice."

"Once Tang San practices more, the backlash issue will diminish."

Su Hang replied indifferently.

"Let's hope so."

Tang San retracted his Blue Silver Grass.

His sleeve was torn, his hidden weapons had fallen to the ground, and his First Spirit Skill had failed to meet expectations.

This spirit hunt had been a pathetic victory.

He bent down to pick up his Sleeve Arrow, tucking the pieces back into his cloth bag one by one.

Afterward, he walked to a spot not far in front of Su Hang.

Xiao Wu instinctively leaned back behind Su Hang.

Su Hang did not move.

Tang San stopped, suppressing the lingering pain in his body.

"I've noted this debt."

Su Hang patted the back of Xiao Wu's hand as she gripped him, then raised his eyes to look at Tang San.

"Make sure you remember it clearly; there's plenty more to come."