Third Son, You Still Need Practice

"Let's see whose poison is more potent," Tang San said. His voice was so calm that even Yu Xiaogang felt this youth before him didn't seem like a spirit master with only one ring.

"I'll have Luo Sanpao distract it first. You use your hidden weapons to seal off the trajectory of its vines from the side, then use your Blue Silver Grass to lay a binding net at the roots. Finally, wait for the right moment to launch a frontal assault with the high-damage sleeve arrows. We've practiced this; it will work," Yu Xiaogang said, sounding somewhat nervous.

Tang San took a deep breath and threw his flying knife first. He had coated the blade with a substance beforehand that would instantly reach its ignition point upon striking the Ghost Vine, setting the toxins on the vine's surface ablaze.

The Ghost Vine's vines were not only thick but also reacted with incredible speed. Before Tang San's first flying knife had even traveled ten meters, one of the Ghost Vine's side branches whipped over like a lash, swatting the knife away with a crisp crack. The blade grazed Tang San's hair and embedded itself into a tree behind him.

"Hmph, let's see whose control is superior. First Spirit Skill: Bind!"

Luo Chen stood behind a large tree fifty meters away, eyes closed, sensing Tang San's every move. Tang San's mental power far exceeded that of his peers, even approaching the level of a Spirit Grandmaster. This was related to his two lifetimes of experience and his ability to cultivate internal energy, but it still wasn't enough.

The Ghost Vine's attacks grew increasingly fierce. The main vine whipped the ground, sending wood chips and gravel flying. Tang San dodged and weaved, firing several short bolts from his Zhuge Crossbow. They left numerous minor wounds on the vines but failed to strike any vital points.

"Farts like thunder, shaking the heavens and splitting the earth, Luo Sanpao!" Following Yu Xiaogang's shout, a thunderous fart echoed across the clearing. Luo Sanpao leaped into the air, turned its backside toward the Ghost Vine, and unleashed a massive blast directly at it.

The yellow gas transformed into a shockwave, dealing a sliver of damage to the Ghost Vine. The vine's tentacles writhed violently upon contact with the yellow mist, appearing thoroughly disgusted.

The Ghost Vine's roots suddenly erupted from the ground, wrapping tightly around Yu Xiaogang's ankles.

Toxin surged through the roots into Yu Xiaogang's body. His movements slowed instantly; his complexion turned sallow, and his lips began to tremble. Tang San's face went pale. He knew he couldn't delay any longer and reached for that lethal weapon at his waist—a mechanical hidden weapon that looked ordinary but was ingeniously designed, firing in complete silence.

Those mechanical hidden weapons, paired with poison-tipped needles as thin as hair, meant death upon the slightest touch. The techniques of the Tang Sect were designed to sever souls; they left no survivors.

Tang San's finger hooked onto the trigger...

"Stop." A casual voice drifted from behind him.

Tang San's finger froze.

He turned slowly to see a silver-haired youth walking out from behind a tree, hands in his pockets, his pace as leisurely as if he were strolling through his own back garden.

His long, silver-white hair shimmered with a cold light amidst the shadows of the trees. His left eye was a purple slit pupil, while his right was a silver-white round pupil. The two distinct lights intertwined, resembling an ancient god awakening.

Tang San's pupils contracted sharply. He couldn't sense any spirit power fluctuations from this person, yet his demeanor suggested he was no ordinary man. Was this the legendary "returning to simplicity"?

Yu Xiaogang's expression shifted as well. He instinctively tried to shield Tang San, but he was already trapped by the Ghost Vine. Luo Sanpao stood up from the ground, emitting a low, guttural whine, as if it had seen something that made it extremely uneasy.

"Who are you?" Tang San's voice was deep, laced with caution and hostility.

Luo Chen didn't look at him. His gaze remained fixed on the silver-haired youth.

"Are you Tang San?"

Tang San's muscles tensed. Having grown up in the Tang Sect and survived countless life-or-death crises, his intuition told him—this person was dangerous. Extremely dangerous.

"Who might you be?" Tang San's tone was calm, but Luo Chen could detect a faint, imperceptible tremor in his voice. It wasn't fear; it was awe of an unknown power.

"Just a passerby. I happened to take a liking to the same spirit beast."

Luo Chen tilted his chin toward the Ghost Vine, his face devoid of emotion. "This Ghost Vine is mine."

Yu Xiaogang was stunned, sweat pouring down his face. "We found this Ghost Vine first. We've been waiting here for days. This spirit beast belongs to us!"

"You found it first? Based on your measly twenty-something levels of spirit power?"

Luo Chen's gaze swept over Tang San, his tone as nonchalant as if he were commenting on the weather. "You still have a chance to take him and leave, and you won't have to suffer any physical pain."

At this critical juncture, Tang San actually made his move. He felt he had to land a lethal blow on this person; his hidden weapons should be enough to kill a four-ring Spirit Ancestor!

Tang San's hooked finger released the Zhuge Crossbow's trigger. The tiny, poison-tipped needles whistled through the air with a blue-tinged glow, aiming straight for Luo Chen's face and throat.

The hidden weapons moved with blinding speed, trailing a sound like a whistling arrow as they left the crossbow, striking like a viper's tongue in the dark of night.

Clang! Luo Chen didn't even tilt his head.

He reached out, his two fingers clamping firmly onto the poison needle. Silver-white power of time swirled at his fingertips, wrapping around the toxin and dissolving it into the air.

"An ambush?" Luo Chen looked at the needle in his hand and gently crushed it with his fingers. The weapon crumbled into fine metallic powder that slipped through his fingers. "You're playing with this kind of thing in front of me?"

Tang San's face turned completely white. How could he have caught his fast, venomous hidden weapon?

Seeing the humans fighting among themselves, the Ghost Vine tried to flee. It realized this newcomer was someone it couldn't afford to provoke, so it tore its roots from the withered tree and bolted toward the dense forest on the left.

Luo Chen flicked his left hand, and a Gulu Ball shot through the air. The sphere struck the center of the Ghost Vine's main vine, and a burst of white light exploded, engulfing the entire plant.

The whole process took less than two seconds. The Ghost Vine struggled, writhed, and contracted violently as dark green sap seeped from the cracks in its vines.

Before this, Luo Chen had used his Evil Eye Gaze with lightning speed to directly control the Ghost Vine. Furthermore, after reaching level forty, his success rate for capturing century-level spirit beasts with ordinary Gulu Balls had increased significantly; it was a matter of level suppression.

Capture successful.

"You! You... what kind of spirit tool is that?" Yu Xiaogang's eyes bulged.

Tang San stared wide-eyed at the pitch-black sphere in Luo Chen's hand, his lips parting, unable to utter a single word. He and his master had studied the Ghost Vine for days and prepared several tactical plans, even risking the exposure of some Tang Sect weapons. He never expected that such a spirit beast would be snatched away like a bug by this person in less than a single breath.

Seeing the complex expressions in their eyes, Luo Chen smiled slightly. "San, you still need practice. Your hidden weapons are as limp as a wilted flower; they have no punch at all."