A Plan to Counter Tang San

A few days later, Cheng Xiao set out with Tang San and Xiao Wu for the Soul Hunting Forest under Spirit Hall's jurisdiction.

"That one is a Ghost Vine, around three hundred years old. My second soul ring came from one. Among plant-type soul beasts, it's considered rather vicious..."

"This is Bitter Bamboo, the greenest plant-type soul beast. It can promote the growth of Blue Silver Grass..."

"This is a Tengu Gourd..."

Thanks to Grandmaster's teachings, Tang San had a deep understanding of soul beasts, casually recounting all sorts of knowledge about the various soul beasts they encountered along the way.

Cheng Xiao reckoned he probably could not reach that level. Though he recognized these soul beasts, he did not know much about their various traits. It seemed Yu Xiaogang was not completely useless after all; at the very least, his compilation of knowledge was quite thorough.

"This is a Soul Binding Vine. Be careful and don't get close to it. It's a parasitic soul beast that usually grows on trees. If a living creature approaches, it will trigger the Soul Binding Vine's reaction. It will tightly entangle the intruder until they suffocate to death, then turn them into nourishment for the tree it inhabits."

"This Soul Binding Vine should be close to five hundred years old. There's no need to be too nervous—it won't attack proactively. It only reacts if you touch its vines, so it's one of the less intelligent soul beasts."

Cheng Xiao narrowed his eyes and murmured, "Five hundred years..."

"It'll do!"

For the time being, Cheng Xiao could not awaken shadows into soldiers. He could only use the basic Power of Shadow, which was comparable to the power of an ordinary martial soul.

In that case, it would be more suitable for him to take either the control-system path or the agility attack-system assassin path in the early stages.

And to deal with Tang San, who could turn hostile at any time, Cheng Xiao felt that he still needed methods specifically meant to counter him.

In his previous life, he had merely been an ordinary person. Naturally, his methods could not compare to Tang San's, who had been born into the Tang Sect.

Tang San's most difficult methods to deal with were roughly the Hundred Solutions to Hidden Weapons, the Clear Sky Hammer, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, and Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon.

He had no way to handle hidden weapons for now, so he could ignore them. Tang Hao had once instructed Tang San not to use the Clear Sky Hammer lightly. Unless Tang San was pushed to the brink, the Clear Sky Hammer could also be set aside for now. Tai Chi was broad and profound, using softness to overcome hardness, and was enough to deal with the grappling technique Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon.

That only left Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. Cheng Xiao needed to find a soul skill that could restrict its movement technique!

And the Soul Binding Vine was very likely to provide a control skill.

Cheng Xiao intended to take a gamble.

Hearing this, Tang San was immediately stunned. "Little Cheng, have you lost your mind? This Soul Binding Vine is five hundred years old! The absorption limit for a first soul ring cannot exceed four hundred and twenty-three years!"

Cheng Xiao smiled. "I haven't lost my mind. Have you forgotten your teacher's own research?"

"A soul master's physical strength determines the upper limit of their soul ring. Since strengthening one's body is extremely difficult, that is why there is a generally accepted limit to soul ring age."

Yu Xiaogang's theory was not correct—or rather, it was incomplete.

Cheng Xiao knew very well that the age limit for absorbing soul rings was related to martial soul quality, physical strength, and Spiritual Power. But he had no need to help Yu Xiaogang refine his theory, so naturally, he did not mention more.

"Then can I infer that if my body is stronger than an ordinary person's, I can withstand a soul ring of a higher age? My physique already far surpasses those of my peers. According to the theory, I want to try testing the age limit of the soul ring I can absorb."

As a transmigrator, Cheng Xiao was confident that his Spiritual Power exceeded that of ordinary people. Although his martial soul had conflicts and the power he could use was limited, its essence was still that of a God-tier Martial Soul.

On top of that, he had relentlessly tempered his body over the years, while Tai Chi had compensated for his innate deficiencies. His physique had kept pace as well.

He met all three conditions for absorbing a soul ring beyond his level. If he did not give it a try, how could he be satisfied?

This Soul Binding Vine was only a little over five hundred years old, merely a few dozen years beyond the limit. The danger of absorbing it was still relatively low, making it perfect for testing where his limit lay.

Hearing this, Xiao Wu immediately grew anxious and grabbed Cheng Xiao's clothes. "No, I don't agree. Little Cheng, this is too dangerous. Even if that theory is true, how can you be sure your limit is five hundred years?"

Seeing Xiao Wu worry over Cheng Xiao, Tang San felt an inexplicable discomfort in his heart. But after two and a half years of living together, Tang San understood Xiao Wu's temperament. He pursed his lips and said nothing more.

Cheng Xiao held Xiao Wu's hand and gently removed it from his clothes before coaxing her softly, "It'll be fine. Unlike you two, I can't just follow the usual steps. I want to fight for myself."

Xiao Wu's soft little hand seemed boneless in his palm, delicate as silk.

At Cheng Xiao's action, Tang San's pupils abruptly contracted. A cold gleam flashed through his eyes as an unprovoked jealousy flared in his heart, and his hand unconsciously touched his sleeve cuff.

But thinking of Xiao Wu beside him, he ultimately moved his hand away from his cuff, lowered his head, and clenched his teeth, forcing himself not to look at the scene.

He knew perfectly well that Xiao Wu liked Cheng Xiao. If he was Xiao Wu's acknowledged brother in both name and reality, then Cheng Xiao was another "brother" who had the reality but not the name.

Although his place in Xiao Wu's heart was not low, Cheng Xiao's weight there was not insignificant either. Whenever Cheng Xiao trained, no matter how bored Xiao Wu became, she would wait beside him.

In Xiao Wu's eyes, both of them treated her very well, and she was unwilling to give either one up. If her two "brothers" argued over something so minor, Xiao Wu would definitely become angry.

"Hmph, I don't care. You just can't choose this one. Otherwise, I won't help you anymore." Xiao Wu did not notice Tang San's abnormality at all, pouting as she huffed.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine." Seeing that he could not persuade Xiao Wu, Cheng Xiao could only shift his attention to Tang San. "Besides, Xiao San should be very confident too, right? This is your teacher's theory."

"Ah? Uh, um, yeah..."

When both of them looked at Tang San, he immediately felt as though he were sitting on pins and needles. Their gazes were like sharp blades, tearing open the darkness in his heart and exposing it before them. Panicking, Tang San stammered before nodding in agreement.

"See? Xiao San agrees too. If you don't trust me, don't you trust Xiao San?"

Seeing Tang San and Cheng Xiao agree, Xiao Wu pursed her lips and could only reluctantly agree.

"Then let's agree beforehand: the moment anything feels wrong, you must give up. You can't force yourself!"

Cheng Xiao nodded in agreement.

After making their agreement, Tang San and Xiao Wu moved to kill the Soul Binding Vine. The Soul Binding Vine was not very intelligent to begin with, and its attack methods were rather limited, so it was far less dangerous than other soul beasts.

Before long, Tang San and Xiao Wu had cut off all the Soul Binding Vine's vines together, leaving it without any attack power. Cheng Xiao then delivered the final blow.

A yellow soul ring condensed above the Soul Binding Vine. Cheng Xiao did not hesitate and directly sat cross-legged to begin absorbing it.

Watching Cheng Xiao's movements, Tang San's gaze flickered. For some reason, a wicked thought actually arose in his heart, hoping that Cheng Xiao would fail and explode to death.

He shook his head and laughed at himself. "If he succeeds, it can verify Teacher's theory as well. It will benefit both Teacher and my future cultivation. If I truly want him dead, I should do it myself."

"What are you doing?" Xiao Wu asked in confusion when she saw Tang San's movement.

"Cough, cough, nothing. I was just feeling a little sleepy. I was shaking my head to wake myself up."

PS: The cheat ability "Stand Up" will awaken in Chapter 17 and appear in the form of a domain.