The next day.
The sky had barely begun to lighten.
Tang San and Yu Xiaogang set out early.
At the market, they bought several days' worth of dry rations, jerky, and fresh water.
Most eye-catching of all, Yu Xiaogang picked out a full twenty pounds of white radishes and had Tang San store them in his Soul Tool.
After that, the two rented a carriage and headed straight for Soul Hunting Forest, four hundred miles away.
Meanwhile!
Su Chen, still lost in a beautiful dream, suddenly felt a weight on his chest and snapped awake.
He looked down. A pair of long, fair legs was pressing hard against his chest.
His face darkened. No wonder even breathing had been a struggle.
This rabbit's sleeping posture was an absolute disaster!
She was twisted up like a pretzel, with most of her body already well past the "Yellow River Boundary Line" they'd drawn the night before.
"Her sleeping posture is something else."
Su Chen stretched, looked at the over-the-line Xiao Wu, and curled his lips into a wicked smile.
He raised a foot and shoved it against Xiao Wu's waist, then gave her a light kick.
"Ow! Who kicked Sister Xiao Wu?"
Xiao Wu woke with a start, rubbed her waist, and glared angrily at Su Chen.
The moment she met his half-smiling gaze, she instantly remembered the fear of being ruled by "spicy rabbit head." All her bravado vanished.
"Um... good morning, boss."
As soon as she came to her senses, Xiao Wu immediately backed down!
"What's so good about it?" Su Chen glared at her. "Get up already. Who was it that said last night that crossing the line would make you a puppy?"
Xiao Wu blushed and didn't dare argue. She obediently scooted back onto her own bed.
The scene shifted! Two days later.
After a long, bumpy carriage ride, Tang San and his teacher finally arrived at their destination.
Soul Hunting Forest!
The market on the outskirts was bustling, packed with merchants and mercenaries.
Yu Xiaogang led Tang San through the crowd, pointing out the surrounding shops and mercenary groups. He launched into a detailed explanation of the Soul Beast industry, from organizing hunting parties to purchasing materials, and spoke as if he knew every detail.
At the forest entrance, fully armed guards blocked their way.
Yu Xiaogang pulled a token from his robes and held it up.
When the guards saw the emblem on it, their attitude changed at once. They respectfully stepped aside.
Yu Xiaogang puffed out his chest, clasped his hands behind his back, and led Tang San into the forest.
Inside Soul Hunting Forest.
The light was dim, and towering ancient trees blotted out the sky.
Along the way, they encountered plenty of low-level Soul Beasts, including ten-year Variegated Cats and Solitary Bamboos.
With his hands clasped behind his back, Yu Xiaogang pointed at a Variegated Cat that was about to flee and said proudly, "Little San, look. Variegated Cats are timid by nature. As soon as they sense a powerful presence, they'll keep their distance. That's the principle of Soul Beasts avoiding harm and seeking benefit, as I explained in my theory."
Tang San nodded repeatedly, growing ever more impressed by his teacher's vast knowledge.
But as they ventured deeper, things began to grow strange.
A Green Bamboo Snake, barely over a decade old, suddenly shot out of the bushes.
Its eyes were blood-red. Ignoring Yu Xiaogang entirely, it bared its fangs and lunged straight for Tang San's face!
Whoosh!
Tang San reacted in a flash, raising his hand to pin it to a tree trunk with a Sleeve Arrow.
Before he could catch his breath, a speckled venomous snake dropped headfirst from the canopy above and lunged for Tang San again!
Tang San's pupils contracted. He sprang backward and flung out Hidden Weapons one after another.
Yu Xiaogang frowned. "These Soul Beasts are only a decade or so old. They may not be very poisonous, but they shouldn't attack everyone on sight."
Tang San was just as baffled. Why were these snake-like Soul Beasts ignoring his teacher in front and attacking him instead?
They were both men. What was the difference?
They were coming for him.
As if he held some fatal allure for them.
But that was only the beginning.
For the next half hour, Tang San was like someone who'd kicked open the lair of the Snake Ancestor.
Whether they slithered through the trees or burrowed out of the ground, every snake-type Soul Beast seemed to have been pumped full of stimulants. They charged Tang San one after another, fearless of death!
Tang San ran himself ragged. He had used up most of his Hidden Weapons, and his Purple Demon Eye was nearly bloodshot from staring.
"Teacher, what on earth is going on?!"
Tang San backed away in alarm, his heart turning cold as he watched the snakes rushing toward him.
Yu Xiaogang stood frozen, drenched in sweat.
He racked his brain for every scrap of knowledge he had, but couldn't explain this bizarre frenzy that had drawn every monster in the forest to them!
The aura of the Master of Theory shattered to pieces in the face of this inexplicable turn of events.
As the snakes closed in, Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth and shouted, "Come forth, Luo Sanpao!"
Two strangled, wheezing cries rang out. A creature resembling a purple piglet appeared out of thin air and rolled comically across the ground.
Tang San's eyes widened. This was his teacher's Martial Soul?
It could actually exist outside the body!
Yu Xiaogang pulled out two white radishes and stuffed them into Luo Sanpao's mouth, then ordered, "Sanpao, clear the way!"
Though Luo Sanpao looked like a piglet, he had ultimately come from a mutated Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon and still carried a trace of the Golden Sacred Dragon's bloodline.
The low-level snakes were finally cowed by his bloodline and stopped charging. They all glared at Tang San with bloodshot eyes.
Tang San let out a long breath. "Thank you for stepping in, teacher."
Yu Xiaogang wiped away his cold sweat and forced himself to look composed. "A forest is full of unpredictable changes. I came prepared. Stay close to me."
Seeing that the snakes still hadn't retreated, Yu Xiaogang formed another hand seal.
"Farts like thunder, Earth-Shattering Luo Sanpao!"
At the command, Luo Sanpao turned around and pointed his rear at the snakes.
Pffft.
Boom!
A thick, vivid yellow gas blasted from Luo Sanpao's rear, visible to the naked eye. It became a powerful shock wave that sent the dozen venomous snakes at the front flying.
Tang San seized the chance to hide behind Yu Xiaogang. Watching this outrageous attack, he furrowed his brows and couldn't help twitching the corner of his mouth.
"Little San, run!"
Taking advantage of the opening, the two rushed out of the encirclement.
As they passed through the foul stench,
Tang San couldn't help inhaling some. His face instantly turned ashen.
The smell was overwhelming!
He had almost thrown up on the spot!
Survive a great calamity, and there's always another trick up your sleeve!
The teacher and student who had just escaped with their lives slumped against a tree, panting.
"Something is seriously wrong."
Yu Xiaogang muttered, "Why are all the other Soul Beasts acting normally, while the snake-type Soul Beasts are going berserk and attacking you?"
"Little San, are you carrying anything that might attract beasts?"
Leaning against a tree, Tang San shook his head with his eyes closed.
He had overused his Purple Demon Eye, and now his eyes were killing him.
Unable to figure it out, the two could only scatter insect repellent and find a place to make camp.
Yu Xiaogang told Tang San to rest, and they took turns keeping watch.
In the middle of the night.
Yu Xiaogang was dozing on watch when Luo Sanpao suddenly began pacing restlessly in circles.
Rustle, rustle.
A nauseating, fishy stench swept toward them.
"Little San, wake up!" Yu Xiaogang jolted awake and hurried to rouse Tang San.
By the light of the moon, Tang San abruptly activated his Purple Demon Eye!
He saw a gigantic snake coiled around a thick tree trunk. It was more than four meters long and dark green from head to tail! Its triangular head bore a pair of ruby-red, vertical pupils fixed on Tang San. The venom dripping from its mouth instantly corroded the weeds into black sludge.
"Mandala Snake!" Yu Xiaogang cried in shock, cold sweat soaking through his back.
"Judging by its length, it's at least four hundred years old! Little San, get behind me!"
Before the words had left his mouth, its massive body turned into a dark green blur and shot toward Tang San like lightning.
The extreme allure of the Snake Star Grass had driven it completely mad!
Tang San rolled away in a panic and hurled several Hidden Weapons at it, but they only sparked against the Mandala Snake's hard scales. They couldn't even pierce its defenses!
"Sanpao, fart into a mist, put them to sleep—Luo Sanpao!"
Seeing his good student in danger, Yu Xiaogang hurriedly unleashed his Soul Skill.
Yellow smoke billowed out, but the Mandala Snake only gave its head a vigorous shake. Its speed didn't slow in the slightest!
The powerful resistance of a four-hundred-year Soul Beast rendered the Trash Martial Soul's sleep-inducing attack completely useless!
It grew even more frenzied. Its gaping maw opened wide, and a dense stream of dark green venom shot toward Tang San like water from a fire hose!
The venom covered a huge area, instantly sealing off every route of escape.
"Not good!"
At the critical moment, Tang San's face turned deathly pale. The Mysterious Heaven Skill surged wildly through his body, and he used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track without hesitation!
His body twisted into an extremely strange position, forcibly sliding clear of the center of the venom's spread.
But with that dodge,
he left Yu Xiaogang, who had been preparing to charge forward and shield him, in dire straits!
The moment Tang San moved aside, Yu Xiaogang's shriveled body was left completely exposed beneath the dark green rain of venom!
A large swath of foul-smelling venom sailed past the spot Tang San had occupied and drenched Yu Xiaogang's lower body without missing a drop!
The fragile fabric melted through instantly, releasing a pungent white smoke,
and the terrifying corrosive venom struck his three-inch little thing directly.
"Ahhhhhhh!!!"
Yu Xiaogang let out a bloodcurdling shriek, as tragic and piercing as a eunuch's!
He fell stiffly to the ground, clutched his crotch with both hands, and rolled frantically in the dirt, writhing in agony.
"Teacher!!!"