Tang San bent down to look at the edge of his shoe. When his fingers reached over, the purple-black vine tip shrank back into the gap, leaving only a small opening where the old cloth had been stretched apart.
Yu Xiaogang leaned against his back, his breathing weak. "What is it?"
Tang San pinched the sole. "The sole split."
Yu Xiaogang was too weak to examine it closely. "Don't worry about the shoe for now. We'll talk after we leave."
Tang San hummed in acknowledgment, but pressed his foot down more firmly and continued carrying Yu Xiaogang outside.
Ji Yuan was hidden inside the gap in the sole. The newly transformed vine had been forcibly compressed into a thin piece, clinging between the leather and the old cloth.
If Tang San took the shoe apart now, he would only see a darkened wooden insole.
He would never allow such a low-level mistake to happen.
The newborn main body was called the Bloodthirsty Demon Vine.
When the name surfaced in his consciousness, Ji Yuan felt no unnecessary emotion. He only examined the powers he could use.
Tough Entangling, basic poison immunity, barbed bloodsucking, and venom storage.
Compared with the Blue Silver Grass that might snap from a single stomp, he now finally possessed the qualifications to be a predator.
Tang San had not gone far when a rustling sound suddenly came from behind him.
Yu Xiaogang immediately raised his head. "Don't stop. It might be a low-level soul beast drawn by the smell of blood."
Tang San asked, "Teacher, can you still command Luo Sanpao?"
Yu Xiaogang's expression turned ugly. "Sanpao was injured. Don't count on it for the time being."
Blue Silver Grass extended from Tang San's hand. "Then I'll try my new soul skill."
Ji Yuan happened to want to try it too.
Tang San turned around. A ten-year Poison-Toothed Badger burst from the bushes. It was not large, but its eyes had reddened from the smell of the Datura Snake's blood, and it charged straight at Tang San's calf.
Tang San shouted in a low voice, "Entangling!"
The Blue Silver Grass shot from his palm and wrapped around the Poison-Toothed Badger's body. Poison seeped into it through the blades of grass.
The Poison-Toothed Badger struggled for a while, then slowed down, but did not immediately collapse.
Tang San frowned. "The poison is still too weak."
Yu Xiaogang panted from his back. "Don't get distracted. Choke it."
Tang San controlled the Blue Silver Grass as it tightened. The Poison-Toothed Badger finally stopped moving.
Ji Yuan watched coldly from inside the sole.
A weakened soul skill was still a weakened soul skill. It was usable, but Tang San shouldn't dream of relying on it to run rampant.
If it had been his demon vine just now, the Poison-Toothed Badger would never have lasted long enough to struggle.
Tang San released the Blue Silver Grass and looked at the Poison-Toothed Badger lying on the ground. "Teacher, is the power of the Datura Snake's Soul Ring really only this strong?"
Yu Xiaogang did not answer immediately. He only lowered his head and examined Tang San's Blue Silver Grass.
The grass blades had decent toughness, and the poison was also above standard. However, compared with a four-hundred-year Datura Snake, it was indeed lacking in ferocity.
He said solemnly, "Your body's endurance is limited. When the Soul Ring fused with you, it would automatically cast aside part of the violent poison. That's a good thing. If all the poison had entered you, you might not have survived."
After hearing this, much of the doubt in Tang San's heart was suppressed. "In other words, it protected me?"
Yu Xiaogang nodded. "You can understand it that way."
Ji Yuan scoffed inwardly.
I'm the one who protected you.
But you'll never need to know that in this lifetime.
The two continued walking toward the outskirts of the Soul Hunting Forest.
Along the way, they encountered several more ten-year soul beasts drawn by the smell of blood. Tang San dealt with them using his new soul skill, Entangling, combined with hidden weapons. Although Yu Xiaogang was weak, he continued offering guidance.
"Don't only bind the limbs. Bind the joints."
"If the poison isn't strong enough, use control to buy time."
"Blue Silver Grass isn't a blade. Don't expect to kill your opponent in one strike."
Tang San responded while dealing with the beasts and committed the advice to memory. "Teacher, I understand."
Taking advantage of the force Tang San exerted each time, Ji Yuan continued familiarizing himself with his new main body.
The tip of the demon vine moved lightly inside the gap in the sole, trying to store power along the rudimentary path of Disorder Splitting Wind.
He had not truly learned the core of the hammer technique yet, but the force-exertion memories Tang San had left behind while smithing were enough for him to touch the threshold.
Vines were flexible. They could bind, stab, and whip.
As long as he built up enough force, their lethality would far surpass that of Blue Silver Grass.
When they reached the edge of the forest, a Spirit Hall patrol discovered that Yu Xiaogang was poisoned and injured, and immediately surrounded them.
The middle-aged soul master leading them glanced at Tang San. "What did you encounter?"
Tang San supported Yu Xiaogang. "A Datura Snake."
The man's expression changed. "You two encountered a Datura Snake in the outer area and still came out alive?"
Yu Xiaogang coughed several times. "We were lucky."
The patrolling soul master looked at the snake blood beside Tang San's feet, then at the Blue Silver Grass in his hand. "Your first Soul Ring?"
Tang San did not conceal it. He released the yellow Soul Ring.
The several patrolling soul masters around them exchanged glances, their expressions filled with surprise.
The leader said, "Kid, you've got some nerve."
Yu Xiaogang immediately cut in. "I misjudged the situation. Take me to get the poison treated first."
The man did not ask any more questions. He waved for someone to help.
Ji Yuan tightened all his aura.
The people from Spirit Hall might not be top-tier, but there were many of them here, and their Soul Power was mixed together. Any leakage could cause trouble.
Now that he had evolved, what he needed most was not to show off, but to hide even more deeply.
After returning to Notting City, Yu Xiaogang was sent off to have his poison injury treated. Tang San stayed beside him, his face full of exhaustion.
The physician cut open Yu Xiaogang's sleeve and saw the purplish patch of skin. He could not help frowning. "Fortunately, you took an antidote. If it had been any later, this arm would have been crippled."
Yu Xiaogang looked at Tang San. "Did you hear that? You can't rely on luck every time in the Soul Hunting Forest."
Tang San said quietly, "Teacher, I was too reckless this time."
Yu Xiaogang shook his head. "No, I underestimated that snake. You survived and absorbed the Soul Ring. You did well enough."
Tang San looked at his right hand. The Blue Silver Grass swayed lightly in his palm. "But I lost my memory for a moment."
The hand Yu Xiaogang was bandaging stopped.
The physician glanced at them and tactfully stepped aside to organize the medicine chest.
Yu Xiaogang suppressed his pain. "What do you remember?"
Tang San said, "The snake pounced over, and I prepared to stab it. When I woke up again, it was already dead, and its gallbladder had been torn apart."
Yu Xiaogang stared at him. "What about your left hand?"
Tang San spread out his left hand. "It aches, as if I used too much force."
After a moment of silence, Yu Xiaogang continued wrapping the bandage. "The second Martial Soul protecting its master is the most reasonable explanation for now. You can't let it lose control again."
Tang San asked, "Then how do I control it?"
Yu Xiaogang raised his eyes. "Cultivate Blue Silver Grass, strengthen your body, and don't deliberately provoke your left hand. Once your foundation is stable enough, I'll think of a way."
Tang San nodded. "I trust you, Teacher."
Coiled inside the sole, Ji Yuan nearly spread out his newly formed barbs.
Good. Keep trusting him.
The more Tang San trusts Yu Xiaogang, the less likely he is to suspect a parasite.
That night, the two returned to Notting Academy.
The moment the door to Dorm Seven opened, Xiao Wu jumped down from the bed. "Tang San, you're finally back! I thought a soul beast had carried you away."
Wang Sheng also came over. "Boss, did you get a Soul Ring?"
Tang San released his yellow Soul Ring, and Dorm Seven instantly erupted.
"A hundred-year Soul Ring!"
"Boss really became a soul master!"
Xiao Wu circled around him, then suddenly twitched her nose. "You smell strongly of snakes."
Tang San withdrew his Soul Ring. "We encountered a Datura Snake, and Teacher was injured."
The playful look disappeared from Xiao Wu's face. "What about you?"
Tang San shook his head. "I'm fine."
Xiao Wu snorted. "Liar. Your face is as pale as a sheet."
When she moved closer, her scorpion braid slipped from her shoulder, and its end brushed Tang San's sleeve.
The Sub-spores on her wooden comb and braid, both hidden by Ji Yuan, simultaneously transmitted the aura of a hundred-thousand-year origin.
After completing his evolution, this aura tempted him even more strongly.
But he still did not rush to devour it.
Tang San had just absorbed a Soul Ring, and residual fluctuations still remained in his body. Yu Xiaogang would also be watching him closely.
This blood bag needs to be raised first.
Tang San sat down beside the bed and was just about to circulate the Mysterious Heaven Skill to stabilize his cultivation when a feeling of blockage came from his meridians.
The new roots of Ji Yuan's vine curled lightly inside his body, drawing out a stream of newborn internal power while forcing the residual poison from the Soul Ring absorption toward the edge of his blood.
Tang San's chest felt stifled, and he gripped the edge of the bed.
Xiao Wu immediately asked, "What's wrong?"
Tang San was about to say that he was fine when his throat turned sweet. Black blood surged from the corner of his mouth and dripped onto the floor.
Dorm Seven fell silent at once.
Wang Sheng jumped to his feet in fright. "Boss!"
Xiao Wu reached out to support him. "Tang San, don't scare me!"
Tang San clutched his chest. His left hand was too heavy to lift, and Ji Yuan had driven himself even deeper into the edge of the Clear Sky Hammer's origin. A dragging pain spread through his entire arm.
He raised his head toward the doorway and spoke hoarsely. "Go call Teacher."
But hurried footsteps sounded outside the door first.
Yu Xiaogang stood there draped in an outer garment. When he saw the black blood on the floor, his expression changed instantly. "Tang San, extend your left hand!"
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