Tang San's First Soul Ring

The night wind swept past, and the bamboo leaves brushed against one another with soft rustling sounds.

That solitary bamboo was rooted at the edge of the hillside, its stalk no thicker than an arm, and the Soul Power it gave off was pitifully weak.

Ten years—even among the weakest soul beasts, that was only the lowest tier.

Tang San had never expected that after searching all over the outskirts of the Soul Hunting Forest, the only thing he would find in the end was this.

Not long ago, he had been facing a dazzling yellow soul ring.

If he could have attached that soul ring to his Blue Silver Grass, his first soul skill surely would not have been weak.

But now, all that lay before him was a Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo.

"No."

Tang San forced out the two words through clenched teeth.

Every soul ring slot a soul master possessed was incomparably precious. Once a ring was absorbed, it could never be replaced.

If his first soul ring was only ten years old, then no matter how powerful he became in the future, this white soul ring would follow him forever.

Tang San could even imagine the looks in other people's eyes when he left the Soul Hunting Forest and they saw that white soul ring. All they would see was the most laughable white ring.

A soul master with Innate Full Soul Power, yet his first soul ring was only ten years old.

He turned around and dragged his heavy body away from the bamboo grove, continuing toward the distance.

There had to be other soul beasts. Though Jiangmo Douluo's aura was terrifying, he could not possibly have swept every corner clean. Perhaps some soul beasts were hiding in underground burrows, or injured soul beasts had been unable to flee far away.

As long as he found another century-old soul beast, he would still have a chance.

Tang San forced himself to stay alert as he searched area after area.

He occasionally found several caves, but there was only scattered fur and lingering scents within. The soul beasts inside had fled long ago.

Time passed little by little, and Tang San's steps grew slower and slower. The surging blood and qi he had forcibly suppressed earlier began churning through his body again.

He leaned against a large tree to catch his breath for a moment, then suddenly opened his mouth and spat out blood.

Tang San raised a hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth. Lowering his head, he looked at the bloodstains on his clothes, which had already begun to darken, and knew he could not delay any longer.

His injuries were too severe. If he continued to linger in the forest, then even without encountering an attack from a soul beast, these wounds might cost him his life.

As long as he absorbed a soul ring, his Soul Power could break through its current bottleneck, and the Mysterious Heaven Skill might have a chance to advance further.

When that time came, even if he could not immediately recover from his injuries, he would at least gain a little more ability to protect himself.

But at the thought of that Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo, Tang San's fingers dug deeply into the soil.

A white soul ring—the lowest-grade soul ring, one that even ordinary soul masters would never consider.

Qian Renyuan might have anticipated all of this long ago. He had deliberately sent Jiangmo Douluo to drive away every soul beast capable of moving, while leaving behind those plant-type soul beasts.

"You think this is enough to destroy me?"

Tang San gritted his teeth, and his gaze gradually turned vicious. He swept his Purple Demon Eye across the surroundings, confirming that no one else was nearby. Then he slowly raised his left hand, and a small pitch-black hammer silently appeared in his palm.

This was a secret he had never revealed to outsiders. His father had repeatedly warned him that he must never expose this hammer in front of others, much less rush to attach a soul ring to it.

As long as this martial soul remained, he had not lost completely.

So what if Blue Silver Grass's first soul ring was weaker?

Once he became powerful enough in the future, he could attach the strongest soul rings to this hammer and repay everything he had suffered today a hundredfold!

Tang San gripped the black hammer, and some of the humiliation that had built up in his chest finally dissipated.

He summoned his martial soul back into his body and used the tree trunk to pull himself upright.

"Qian Renyuan, just wait."

"One day, I'll make you regret not killing me today."

Tang San turned around and followed the path he had come by back toward the bamboo grove.

Tang San entered the bamboo grove, his eyes fixed coldly on the solitary bamboo.

Though the solitary bamboo was merely a plant-type soul beast, it instinctively sensed danger. The bamboo leaves that had been swaying in the wind suddenly stiffened, and several slender bamboo branches lashed toward Tang San.

Smack!

Tang San tilted his head to dodge the first branch, but the second struck his shoulder.

His wound was pulled open, and his body immediately swayed.

If it had been before, an attack of this level could never have touched him.

Tang San pushed off with his feet and rushed directly before the solitary bamboo. His left hand rapidly turned lustrous white like jade as he seized the incoming bamboo branch.

The Mysterious Jade Hand exerted force, and the bamboo branch snapped in response.

The solitary bamboo's stalk shook violently. Several faint lines at its roots lit up as more branches lashed toward Tang San.

Tang San raised his left arm to shield his face, allowing the bamboo leaves to cut small wounds across his clothes and skin. He took a step forward and slammed his left palm heavily against the solitary bamboo's roots.

Bang!

The earth exploded, exposing a mass of roots. The solitary bamboo's struggle visibly weakened.

Tang San raised his palm again and struck the same spot repeatedly.

Crack!

The bamboo stalk, never especially sturdy to begin with, broke at the roots. Pale green sap flowed from the fracture.

Tang San stood beside the broken solitary bamboo, his chest heaving continuously.

A plant soul beast with only ten years of cultivation was something he could normally deal with effortlessly, yet it had now cost him no small amount of strength.

A moment later, a faint white ring of light slowly condensed above the broken bamboo.

The white light shone over Tang San's bloodstained face.

He stared blankly at that soul ring, and the yellow glow that had risen after the Datura Snake's death flashed through his mind once more.

Tang San closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When he opened them again, only coldness remained in his eyes. Then he silently thought, "While there is life, there is hope."

Immediately afterward, Tang San sat cross-legged beside the solitary bamboo and summoned his Blue Silver Grass martial soul.

Slender Blue Silver Grass sprouted from his palm. Tang San circulated his Soul Power and raised a hand, drawing the white soul ring toward himself.

The white soul ring trembled faintly and slowly floated above Tang San's head. That circle of white light carried almost no discernible power.

Tang San's teeth ground together, yet he still did not stop drawing it in.

The white soul ring slowly descended and settled over the Blue Silver Grass martial soul.

A wisp of weak Soul Power flowed into his body through the martial soul.

The soul ring had begun to fuse.

Just then, a tall figure draped in a tattered cloak sped over from afar and landed soundlessly atop a large tree outside the bamboo grove.

The newcomer was tall, with disheveled hair and a face hidden in shadow that bore unmistakable exhaustion.

He was Tang Hao.

Jiangmo Douluo's earlier burst of aura had traveled an immense distance. Sensing that something was wrong, Tang Hao had rushed here at once, only to witness this scene.

Tang San sat cross-legged on the ground, and a white soul ring had already completely settled over his Blue Silver Grass.

"White..."

Tang Hao's pupils contracted violently.

He had considered that without a teacher to guide him, Tang San's first soul ring might not reach its limit.

But he had never imagined that his son's first soul ring would come from a Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo.

When he saw Tang San covered in blood and grime, the ferocity Tang Hao had suppressed for years instantly surged in his eyes.

Tang Hao's hand beneath his cloak clenched sharply. Black light gathered in his palm, and a heavy Clear Sky Hammer slowly emerged.

But in the end, he had still arrived one step too late.