Snake Undying opened his mouth, but could only spit out mouthful after mouthful of blood.
The vitality of the Lone Bamboo still unrefined inside him was like a wild horse that had broken free of its reins, rampaging through his body and viciously turning against him.
"You... you'll regret this..." A vicious madness flashed in Snake Undying's eyes. "The Holy Temple won't let you get away with this... Lord Blood Shadow will avenge me..."
Zhu Shen crouched down and met his gaze.
"Blood Shadow?" The corner of his mouth curled into a smile. "Let him come."
With that, he raised a hand and lightly flicked Snake Undying on the head.
"Bang!"
Snake Undying's eyes rolled back, and he died for good.
The battle was over. From start to finish, it had taken no more than twenty breaths.
The system's notification sounded. At the same time, a black shadow silently swept past a tree in the Soul Hunting Forest.
[Congratulations, Host! You successfully wiped out three Evil Soul Masters and completed the side quest. Reward: Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo Left Arm Bone]
[Congratulations, Host! You tricked Tang San big-time. Reward: one 10,000-year Dragon God External Spirit Bone.]
"Holy crap, Little San, you're my personal ATM. The kind that doesn't need a PIN."
After excitedly cleaning up the battlefield, Zhu Shen looked at Tang San.
Tang San was still unconscious on the ground. That last blow must have hit pretty hard.
Growing anxious, Zhu Shen hurried to Tang San's side to check on him, afraid something had really happened.
Thankfully, Tang San, that old schemer, was fine. He looked more like he was pretending to be unconscious.
Zhu Shen was speechless. You've lived two lives, and you're still this cautious? The moment things go south, you play dead—twice, no less.
But Zhu Shen didn't call him out. Let him pretend. He'd have plenty more chances to trick him later.
Zhu Shen shook Tang San. "Little San, Little San, are you all right?"
Tang San cracked open one eye. Seeing Zhu Shen unharmed, he seemed a little dumbfounded.
Had his teacher really made a comeback?
Zhu Shen saw Tang San looking him over and could barely keep a straight face. He gripped Tang San's shoulder with his right hand and pinched him hard.
"Ah!" Tang San cried out in pain. "Teacher, I'm fine."
[Congratulations, Host! You completed the opportunity quest: Shatter Tang San's self-righteous belief that he's a scheming genius.]
[Reward: one 10,000-year Dragon God Left Arm Bone.]
Looking at the line of text before him, Zhu Shen laughed to himself. Little San, Little San, I'm liking you more and more.
Composing himself, Zhu Shen looked at Tang San. "Little San, with my help, you can absorb the Soul Ring from this 900-year-old Lone Bamboo."
Then his tone shifted. "But its age far exceeds the limit most Soul Masters can withstand, so the process might be painful. Are you willing to trust me and give it a try?"
Zhu Shen had always disliked Gangzi's habit of using his own disciple to test the limits.
But he wasn't worried at all. With the suppression of his Dragon God and Lord of Soul Beasts powers, absorbing a Soul Ring beyond the usual age limit could only benefit Tang San. There'd be no harm in it.
Thinking this, Zhu Shen looked at Tang San.
Tang San thought for a moment, then nodded firmly. "I trust you, Teacher."
Tang San sounded so resolute that Zhu Shen was moved. He had to admit that Tang San, a clever man who'd lived two lives, was quite respectful of his teacher.
After speaking, Tang San walked over to the dying Lone Bamboo and killed it.
A yellow Hundred-Year Soul Ring appeared, and Tang San sat down to absorb it.
Zhu Shen stepped beside Tang San and released his Dragon God Martial Soul.
An overbearing force burst forth and pressed down on Tang San, helping him suppress the Lone Bamboo's power.
With Zhu Shen's help, Tang San took an hour to absorb the Soul Ring. By the end, he was drenched in sweat.
[Congratulations, Host! You completed the opportunity quest. Reward: one Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo Right Arm Bone.]
Zhu Shen let out a sigh of relief. At last, he'd completed the quest.
The deadline was almost up. If he'd lost such a great reward for nothing, he would've been heartbroken.
He gathered his things, and Tang San got to his feet.
"Little San, what's your new Soul Skill?"
Tang San replied, "I can summon a Lone Bamboo, strike it hard with the Clear Sky Hammer, and launch it."
Zhu Shen couldn't hide his grin. It reminded him of a weapon from his old world—a very modern one: a gun.
Considering Tang San's temperament, Zhu Shen said, "Little San, let's call this Martial Soul skill the Clear Sky Barrett."
Tang San was baffled again. Why were there so many words his teacher used that he'd never heard before? Could such strange things really exist on this continent?
Still, he didn't care. As long as the Soul Skill was powerful, that was what mattered. Only he knew that the force behind the Lone Bamboo launched by his hammer was no weaker than his Hidden Weapons.
What's more, he could control the size of the summoned Lone Bamboo. A small one could be used as a needle-like Hidden Weapon, while a large one could even serve as an area-of-effect attack.
Tang San looked at Zhu Shen, feeling that he still had more to say.
Zhu Shen saw the look of dissatisfaction in Tang San's eyes and felt helpless. This schemer was just too clever.
"Little San, I've got two more Soul Bones here, one for the left arm and one for the right. Absorb them in a moment."
Tang San had rarely heard Grandmaster talk about Soul Bones, but he knew they were extremely rare. He was curious where Zhu Shen had gotten them.
Seeing Tang San's curious expression, Zhu Shen made something up. "I came across them by chance. Don't worry about where they came from. Just absorb them. Your teacher would never harm you."
Zhu Shen handed the two Soul Bones to Tang San. Tang San sat down on the ground without a word and began absorbing them.
This time, Tang San absorbed them very quickly. He was done in just fifteen minutes.
Zhu Shen figured it was probably because they came from the system and suited Tang San perfectly. Their age was low, too, which was why the absorption had gone so smoothly.
Once Tang San had finished, Zhu Shen asked him, "What do these Soul Bones do?"
Zhu Shen now looked more like a child who knew nothing. The system's gifts might look weak, but their actual effects were extraordinary.
Now Zhu Shen understood. So the system had been using the excuse of tricking Tang San to help him train.
That had made things tough for Zhu Shen, but since the system had given him cheats too, he forgave it without a moment's hesitation.
Tang San smiled at Zhu Shen. He'd been astonished by the Soul Bones' effects himself.
"Both of them increase the effects and range of all my Soul Skills by 10%, and let me negate 10% of the damage I take."
"Stacked together, that makes 20%."
Hearing this, Zhu Shen couldn't help but exclaim, "Holy crap!"
He was a little envious now. With their ages increasing, these percentage-based boosts would surely grow too. If they ever reached 90% or more, the effects would be terrifying.
Zhu Shen couldn't even imagine how powerful that would be.
He wasn't worried anymore. He could explain things to Tang Hao when they got back. Equipment this powerful couldn't be judged by its age alone.
That way, he could also make Tang San a Pure Bamboo Douluo without anyone questioning it.
But Zhu Shen had two Soul Bones of his own now, and he was considering whether to absorb them. He hadn't hunted down his third Soul Ring yet, and a 10,000-year Soul Bone was a very high age for him. He didn't know if his body could take it.
What was more, Evil Soul Masters might still be waiting to kill him.
He glanced at Tang San, uneasy. If those Evil Soul Masters targeted him now, he'd be in trouble.
Forget it. They should get back to Nuoding City first. He'd figure out the rest later.
The two returned to their campsite, gathered their things, and prepared to head back to Nuoding City.
Just as they were about to set off, a black shadow rushed toward them from afar.