As that blade of grass was clasped in his palm, Ji Yuan did not withdraw the connection. Instead, he sent a gentle current of soul power along the host's meridians, allowing him to receive the response in full.
Tang San opened his eyes. The Blue Silver Grass in his hand had become translucent, fine golden patterns hidden within its stems and leaves. When he circulated his soul power, those patterns lit up as well.
"Senior, is this it? Has my martial soul already..."
The rest of the sentence died on his lips. Through the mycelium hugging the ground, Ji Yuan sensed the host lift his head. The once-thick vine before him was now nothing but dry, cracked bark.
Tang San gathered the rabbit back into his arms and pressed his other hand against the grass mat. Only after checking his father's breathing did he brace a hand on his knee and stand.
"Senior, can you hear me?"
The tree face did not respond. When his fingertips touched a vine, a piece of dry bark fell away. Tang San pinched that thin shell, then looked around.
Ji Yuan sent a sequence of images along his perception.
Nearby plants drooped with withered leaves, their roots stretching across the ground stripped of vitality. Farther away, Blue Silver Grass still bowed toward the center, its leaf tips carrying a faint blue glow.
"You said there was no need to take the life of a single plant. How did it end up like this?"
Tang San crouched before the vine and circulated the Mysterious Heaven Skill, sending his newly recovered soul power into the cracked bark. Inside, no pathways remained to receive it.
Ji Yuan drew that power back.
The host's palm was gently pushed away, yet several clear responses appeared in his perception. The