Unlocking the System Mall

The next morning, Yu Xiaogang set off with Tang San and Gu Han toward the Soul Hunting Forest.

Along the way, the Master carefully explained the knowledge of soul beasts and planned out the ideal first soul ring for Tang San.

It was to be a snake or vine-type soul beast that excelled in Bind and possessed great resilience.

Tang San listened intently, while Gu Han, though appearing to listen, kept his eyes fixed on Tang San's belt.

Noticing Gu Han's gaze, Tang San spoke with a hint of pride in his tone:

"This is a storage-type soul tool called Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges; it was a gift from my teacher."

They soon entered the Soul Hunting Forest.

The air was filled with a faint scent of blood, and the low growls of beasts could be heard lingering in the distance.

Yu Xiaogang summoned his martial soul, Luo Sanpao, to scout the path ahead, watching his surroundings with vigilance.

Gu Han silently circulated his soul power, the phantom of the Karma Scissors flickering in his palm.

He quietly activated the soul skill [Karma Sight], observing the threads of karma swirling around Tang San that represented "opportunity."

One of these threads pointed faintly toward a direction in the forest, carrying a cold, sinister aura.

It seems that is the place. This first soul skill is what leads Tang San's Blue Silver Grass further and further astray, Gu Han thought to himself.

Sure enough, not long after, Luo Sanpao suddenly let out a warning sound.

There was a rustle in the bushes ahead.

Suddenly, a giant snake nearly four meters long, its entire body a deep green with faint black patterns along its sides, lunged out. Its brownish-yellow eyes stared at Gu Han and the others as if it had already marked them as prey.

"It's a Mandala Snake! Highly venomous and swift—it's perfect for your first soul ring!"

The Master was both shocked and delighted, immediately commanding Luo Sanpao to attack: "Fart like thunder, shake the heavens and shatter the earth, Luo Sanpao!"

However, the Mandala Snake was extremely fast and nimbly dodged Luo Sanpao's foul-smelling attack, instead lunging at Tang San, who was closest to it.

"Watch out, San!" Yu Xiaogang exclaimed.

Tang San reacted with lightning speed, stepping into his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to narrowly avoid the fangs while his sleeve arrow was already primed.

Seeing that its prey had escaped, the Mandala Snake paused for a few seconds before rapidly changing targets, noticing Gu Han standing not far away.

It bared its fangs and spat venom toward Gu Han's position.

At this critical moment, a flash of light crossed Gu Han's eyes. He dodged quickly, and after steadying himself in the distance, he locked onto the thread of karma connecting Tang San to the "successful acquisition of the Mandala Snake soul ring," which was rapidly solidifying!

The invisible scissors gave that thread a gentle snip!

Snap!

The thread of karma vibrated violently; although it did not break completely, it grew significantly dimmer.

At the same time, the Mandala Snake's originally ferocious pounce inexplicably suffered a moment of stiffness and lag.

As if disturbed by something, the venom it had aimed at Gu Han veered off course.

It grazed Tang San's shoulder, instantly corroding the fabric of his clothes, but failing to inject any toxin.

Tang San broke out in a cold sweat, but he seized this fleeting opportunity.

The Purple Demon Eye flashed in his gaze, capturing the Mandala Snake's weak point. He instantly activated his Mysterious Jade Hand, his palms turning white as jade as he lunged forward, precisely grabbing the Mandala Snake by its seven-inch mark.

However, even with all his trump cards, Tang San's current physique could not fully contend with the Mandala Snake.

The snake thrashed its tail wildly, and Tang San let out a muffled groan, holding on with his Mysterious Jade Hand for dear life.

Suddenly, the Mandala Snake made a desperate final struggle, twisting its head at a tricky angle. Its fangs pierced the skin of Tang San's arm, injecting a trace of venom.

"Oh no!" Seeing this, the Master rushed forward to help.

But the Mandala Snake's death throes were incredibly violent, and as venom sprayed everywhere, the Master accidentally inhaled some of the toxic mist. His face turned blue, and he swayed before collapsing into unconsciousness.

Seeing this, a fierce glint flashed in Tang San's eyes. He held nothing back, extending his left hand to summon the Clear Sky Hammer, and struck the Mandala Snake.

The snake went completely limp from the blow, and a yellow soul ring slowly condensed over its corpse, though it was noticeably dim.

[Ding! Successfully interfered with the key plot node "Tang San acquires the Mandala Snake soul ring," causing the toxicity of his soul ring quality to vanish. Reward: 100 Magic Modification Points!]

[Current Magic Modification Points: 250. Requirements for opening the System Store met! System Store officially opened!]

It's finally open. Let me see what's for sale. Gu Han felt a surge of excitement; he didn't even care that Tang San was currently absorbing the soul ring.

He immediately sank his consciousness into the system. A virtual interface appeared in his mind.

System Store:

Supreme (Extremely high Magic Modification Point requirement, unreachable):

[Godhood Weaving Authority] (100 million Magic Modification Points): Can define and create brand-new godhoods.

[World Rule Correction Paper] (50 million Magic Modification Points): Can modify the underlying rules of the Douluo world on a small scale.

[Boundary-Severing Sword Spirit Martial Soul] (30 million Magic Modification Points): A martial soul containing the power to sever time.

"The magic modification points required for these are all so high; I'd better not think about them for now and just see what I can afford."

Gu Han shifted his thoughts, and the system shop scrolled to the very bottom.

[Breath Concealment Technique] (200 magic modification points): Perfectly conceals one's presence and soul power fluctuations; difficult for anyone below Title Douluo rank to see through.

[Basic Space Ring (1 cubic meter)] (200 magic modification points): Contains one cubic meter of storage space.

The [Breath Concealment Technique] can better hide myself, and my future plans won't be easily detected by those people, especially when facing a Title Douluo.

The [Space Ring] is even more incredibly convenient, as it can store many things, but I have no use for it right now.

After a brief moment of thought, Gu Han made his choice: "Exchange for [Breath Concealment Technique]."

[Ding! Exchange successful, consumed 200 magic modification points! Remaining magic modification points: 50]

As a surge of information flooded into his mind, Gu Han instantly mastered the Breath Concealment Technique.

Outside, Tang San had already sat cross-legged, beginning to absorb the Mandala Snake's soul ring.

Because of Gu Han's interference, the toxicity contained within this soul ring was greatly reduced, perhaps even non-existent, yet the absorption process was still far from comfortable.

Not long after, Tang San successfully absorbed the soul ring, and a bright yellow soul ring appeared around his body.

He opened his eyes, feeling the newly acquired soul skill, "I'll call it Bind."

He looked at the unconscious Grandmaster nearby, his eyes filled with worry.

But when his gaze swept over Gu Han, who was standing not far away, his heart sank abruptly.

He saw it. He must have seen me use the Clear Sky Hammer, Tang San's eyes turned icy in an instant. The fact that I have a second martial soul must never be known by a third person.

Although they came from the same village, the two had no friendship. In Tang San's perception, anyone who threatened his own safety had to be eliminated.

Gu Han naturally sensed Tang San's cold gaze, but he did not care.

Just then, a crisp voice tinged with anxiety drifted in from outside the woods:

"Gu Han, are you two in there?"

Xiao Wu came running over, panting, her pretty face full of worry.

In the end, she couldn't stop worrying about Gu Han and had followed him secretly.

Seeing Xiao Wu appear, a flash of surprise crossed Tang San's eyes. Why does she give me such a familiar feeling?