That Damned Feeling, It's Back!

Inside Hunting Soul Forest.

The master shook his head and answered Tang San's question. "Not yet. If we still haven't found a better choice by the end, it won't be too late to come back and consider it."

Turning around, he spoke to Tang San earnestly. "Xiao San, remember this: every soul ring is irreplaceable. A soul master can possess no more than nine soul rings in their lifetime, and every one of them is crucial. When a Soul Scholar advances to Soul Master, the theoretical maximum they can absorb is the soul ring of a century-old soul beast. More precisely, a soul beast with less than four hundred and twenty-three years of cultivation."

"Four hundred and twenty-three years?" Tang San was slightly startled. "That number is so precise?"

A flash of pride passed through the master's eyes. "This is the conclusion I reached after devoting half my life to studying the growth experiences and failure cases of countless soul masters. Four hundred and twenty-three years is the absolute limit the first soul ring can withstand. Even one year more carries the risk of one's body exploding and death following. Therefore, I hope your first soul ring gets as close to that limit as possible. You must not make do with some random ten-year soul ring."

Tang San suddenly understood, and his admiration for his teacher deepened by several degrees. This was true theoretical research—behind every number lay countless deductions and verifications.

"Let's go." The master called for Luo Sanpao to continue onward. "It'll be dark soon. Let's keep looking and try to find a suitable century-old soul beast today."

Tang San followed behind the master. After taking a few steps, he could not help turning back for another look at the Lone Bamboo. It still stood quietly beneath the tree, its leaves rustling in the wind. It looked like nothing more than an ordinary ten-year plant soul beast.

Yet something felt off to him, like a fishbone stuck in his throat—neither spit out nor swallowed.

Strange. Why was a ten-year Lone Bamboo making him feel so inexplicably irritated?

Tang San shook his head, forcibly suppressing the unease before quickly catching up to the master.

Once the three figures had completely vanished into the depths of the forest, the space beside the Lone Bamboo suddenly twisted soundlessly.

Tang Ling stepped out of the void, his azure robe fluttering, not a speck of dust upon him. He lowered his head to look at the Lone Bamboo swaying gently in the wind, and the corner of his lips slowly curled upward.

The Lone Bamboo seemed to sense something. Its stalk trembled slightly, and the rustling of its leaves abruptly grew more frantic, as though it were afraid.

Tang Ling extended a hand, and a cluster of gentle azure spiritual power surged from his palm, enveloping the entire Lone Bamboo.

The bamboo struggled desperately. Deep purple patterns emerged along its stalk, and an ancient, noble aura erupted with a boom, shaking the surrounding trees until they shuddered and rustled.

However, before that aura could spread, Tang Ling's spiritual power completely wrapped around and compressed it. In the end, the bamboo, roots and all, was cleanly stripped from the soil and transformed into a streak of purple light that entered his storage space.

Tang Ling patted away nonexistent dirt from his hands, then turned to look in the direction Tang San had gone. A hint of amusement flashed through his eyes.

"Xiao San, go search for soul rings with your teacher. I'll take this bamboo as your filial offering to your godfather." Tang Ling was about to leave when he suddenly stopped, as if remembering something, and pulled up the mission information in his mind.

It clearly stated that Tang San's first soul ring was a Datura Snake more than four hundred years old—a snake-type soul beast with paralysis as an added effect, well suited to the control-system path of Blue Silver Grass.

"Xiao San, you can't handle Innate Purple Bamboo. But since your godfather has taken your opportunity, I can't treat you too poorly. You want a Datura Snake? Then your godfather will give you one. Whether you can swallow it is up to your own fortune."

His vast divine sense spread out like spilled mercury, instantly covering nearly half of Hunting Soul Forest.

Very soon, he found his target for this trip in a cave thirty li to the southeast: a Datura Snake with a dark green body and a dark red fleshy crest on its head.

Judging by its size and aura, its cultivation was right around four hundred years—not too much, not too little.

Tang Ling raised his right hand and flicked a finger through the void from thirty li away.

An invisible burst of force pierced through layer upon layer of trees and struck the tip of the Datura Snake's tail with perfect precision.

The snake jolted awake from its slumber. Its vertical pupils contracted sharply, its scales bristled all over, and a terrifying aura that made its soul tremble descended from every direction.

It was pressure equivalent to that of a deity. Even a trace of it was enough to send this century-old soul beast's soul scattering in terror.

The Datura Snake let out a piercing hiss. It did not even dare look back, instead fleeing madly toward Tang San and the others.

It was incredibly fast. Its dark green body shot through the grass like lightning, and wherever it passed, low-level soul beasts fled in terror. Beastly roars rose and fell throughout the entire forest.

Seeing this, Tang Ling took a step forward, and his figure vanished into the woods once more, leaving behind only a shallow pit in the ground as proof that a bamboo had once grown there.

Elsewhere.

The sky was gradually darkening. The master looked up and said, "It seems we'll be spending the night in Hunting Soul Forest. Let's find a safe place to make camp first. We'll continue the search at dawn tomorrow."

Yet Tang San seemed not to have heard him. He stood blankly in place, staring toward the direction they had come from, his eyes vacant and confused.

"Xiao San, what's wrong?"

Noticing something was off about him, Xiao Wu walked over and waved a hand in front of his eyes.

This feeling was not unfamiliar to Tang San.

Could it be... that something important was about to leave him again?

"Xiao San!" Xiao Wu raised her voice slightly and smacked him on the forehead. "I'm talking to you. What are you spacing out for?"

Tang San abruptly came back to his senses. The pain in his forehead finally pulled his awareness back to reality.

Looking at Xiao Wu's little face, which carried a trace of dissatisfaction, he took a deep breath and forced out a smile. "...It's nothing. Maybe I'm tired."

Xiao Wu eyed him suspiciously, clearly unconvinced. But she did not press him, merely snorting. "If you're tired, get some rest early. Don't end up too exhausted to even run when we encounter a soul beast."

Tang San nodded, but he did not move. He merely clenched his fists tightly.

The instant his fingers closed, he had the vague illusion that he ought to be holding something. Something important, something precious. Yet his palm was empty now. There was nothing there.

He looked once again toward where the Lone Bamboo had been. The forest was deep, and he could see nothing.

"Stop looking." Xiao Wu suddenly reached out and tugged at his sleeve. Her tone was unusually less fierce. "Come on. Teacher has already found a place ahead."

Tang San withdrew his gaze, nodded, and walked over.

The master had chosen a hollow for their campsite. The terrain around it was complex, and it was surrounded by many towering trees.

The sky gradually darkened, but the forest was far from quiet. Insect chirps, bird calls, and even the roars of wild beasts rose one after another.

They did not light a fire, and the surroundings were completely pitch-black.

Tang San, the master, and Xiao Wu ate a simple dinner before leaning against a large tree to rest.