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 is 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 the Grandmaster's teachings, Tang San had a deep understanding of Soul Beasts and could readily explain the knowledge related to every kind of Soul Beast they encountered along the way.
Cheng Xiao thought to himself that he probably could not achieve that level. He recognized these Soul Beasts, but did not know much about their various traits. It seemed Yu Xiaogang was not entirely useless; at the very least, his summaries of knowledge were quite thorough.
"This is a Soul Binding Vine. Be careful and do not get close to it. It is a parasitic Soul Beast and usually attaches itself to trees. If a living creature approaches, it will trigger the Soul Binding Vine's reaction. It will tightly bind the one who comes near until they suffocate to death, then turn them into nutrients for the tree it parasitizes."
"This Soul Binding Vine should be close to five hundred years old. There is no need to be too nervous. It will not attack proactively; it only reacts when its vines are touched. It is a Soul Beast with extremely low intelligence."
Cheng Xiao narrowed his eyes and muttered, "Five hundred years..."
"It'll be this one!"
For the time being, Cheng Xiao could not awaken his 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 route in the early stages or the Agility Attack System assassin route.
And to deal with Tang San, who could turn hostile at any moment, Cheng Xiao felt that he still needed methods specifically meant to counter him.
He had only been an ordinary person in his previous life, so naturally, he could not compare to Tang San of the Tang Sect when it came to all sorts of elaborate techniques.
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 deal with hidden weapons for the time being, so he could ignore those. Tang Hao had once instructed Tang San not to use the Clear Sky Hammer lightly. Unless Tang San was pushed to the brink, there was no need to consider the Clear Sky Hammer for now. Tai Chi was vast and profound, using softness to overcome hardness, and was enough to deal with Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon's grappling techniques.
That only left Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. Cheng Xiao needed to find a soul skill that could restrict its movement technique!
And this Soul Binding Vine was very likely to provide a control skill.
Cheng Xiao intended to take a gamble.
Tang San was immediately shocked. "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 research?"
"A Soul Master's physical strength determines the upper limit of their Soul Ring. Since strengthening one's body is extremely difficult, 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 a Soul Ring was related to the quality of one's Martial Soul, physical strength, and Spiritual Power. But there was no need for him to help Yu Xiaogang complete his theory, so he naturally did not mention it further.
"Then can I infer that if my body is stronger than that of an ordinary person, I can withstand a Soul Ring of a higher age? My physique far surpasses that of others my age. According to the theory, I want to try the age of Soul Ring I can absorb."
As a transmigrator, Cheng Xiao was confident that his Spiritual Power was stronger than 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. Tai Chi had also made up for his innate shortcomings, and his physique had kept pace as well.
He met all three conditions for absorbing a Soul Ring beyond his level. How could he be willing to give up without trying?
This Soul Binding Vine was just over five hundred years old, only a few dozen years beyond the limit. The danger of absorbing it was still relatively low, making it perfect for testing where his limits lay.
Xiao Wu immediately grew anxious and grabbed Cheng Xiao's clothes. "No, I don't agree. Little Cheng, this is too dangerous. Even if the theory is true, how can you be sure your limit is five hundred years?"
When Tang San saw Xiao Wu worrying about Cheng Xiao, he did not know why, but a trace of discomfort rose in his heart. However, after two and a half years together, Tang San understood Xiao Wu's temperament, so he merely pressed his lips together and said nothing more.
Cheng Xiao held Xiao Wu's hand and gently removed it from his clothes, then persuaded her warmly, "It's fine. Unlike you two, I cannot just follow the usual steps. I want to fight for myself."
Xiao Wu's soft little hand felt boneless in his palm, delicate as silk.
Seeing Cheng Xiao's action, Tang San's pupils suddenly contracted. A cold gleam flashed through his eyes, and an inexplicable jealous rage rose in his heart. His hand unconsciously touched his sleeve.
But with Xiao Wu beside him, he ultimately moved his hand away from his sleeve, lowered his head, and clenched his teeth, forcing himself not to look at the scene.
He knew very clearly how Xiao Wu felt about Cheng Xiao. If he was Xiao Wu's brother in both name and reality, then Cheng Xiao was another "brother" in reality but not in name.
Although Tang San held an important place in Xiao Wu's heart, Cheng Xiao was no less important. Whenever Cheng Xiao trained, no matter how bored Xiao Wu became, she would wait at his side.
In Xiao Wu's eyes, both of them treated her very well, and she was unwilling to give up either one. If the two "brothers" argued over such a trivial matter, Xiao Wu would definitely become angry.
"Hmph, I don't care. You absolutely cannot choose this one. Otherwise, I won't help you anymore." Xiao Wu did not notice Tang San's abnormality at all as she pouted and 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, well, mm..."
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 share the same opinion, Xiao Wu pursed her lips and could only agree reluctantly.
"Then let's agree beforehand: the moment anything feels wrong, you must give up. You cannot force yourself!"
Cheng Xiao nodded in agreement.
After they made their agreement, Tang San and Xiao Wu moved to kill the Soul Binding Vine. The Soul Binding Vine's intelligence was already low, and its methods of attack 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, leaving it without the ability to attack. Cheng Xiao then delivered the final blow.
A yellow Soul Ring condensed from the Soul Binding Vine. Cheng Xiao did not hesitate and immediately sat cross-legged to begin absorbing it.
Watching Cheng Xiao's actions, Tang San's gaze flickered. For some reason, a trace of Evil thoughts arose within him, 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 too. It would benefit both Teacher and my future cultivation. If I truly want him dead, I should be the one to kill him personally."
"What are you doing?" Xiao Wu asked in confusion when she saw Tang San's movements.
"Cough, cough, nothing. I was just feeling a little sleepy. I shook my head to wake myself up."
P.S. The cheat ability "Stand Up" will awaken in Chapter 17 and manifest in the form of a domain.
Before you continue