Tang San's First Soul Skill

"Teacher, why do we need to enhance the martial soul's vitality?" Tang San asked in confusion.

Having practiced the Tang Sect's supreme arts, he naturally favored a style of strong offense and weak defense. He liked ambushing people and unleashing explosive bursts of damage, so he was puzzled by Fang Yuan's proposal to enhance vitality.

Fang Yuan explained, "Blue Silver Grass is inherently weaker than other martial souls. If you want to follow the path of a control-type Soul Master, you need to strengthen Blue Silver Grass's toughness so you can connect with allies and restrain enemies.

"Absorbing a Soul Ring with life attributes can grant Blue Silver Grass the greatest increase in toughness. At the same time, it can greatly enhance your physical condition, giving you quite an advantage when fighting with methods other than soul skills.

"Most importantly, you have Twin Martial Souls. After improving your physical condition through life-attribute Soul Rings, it will be a considerable advantage in the future, whether in the age of the Soul Rings you attach to the Clear Sky Hammer or when using the Clear Sky Hammer in close combat."

After hearing Fang Yuan's words, Tang San suddenly understood, and excitement surged within him.

According to his teacher, if he developed Blue Silver Grass in the direction of a control-type Soul Master focused on Life Amplification, then he would have means to restrain his enemies.

When the time came, using the Tang Sect Hidden Weapons he was best at would no longer mean shooting moving targets—it would mean shooting stationary ones.

Combined with the benefits that improved physical condition would bring to his second martial soul, Tang San decisively accepted this path of development.

At the same time, his admiration for Fang Yuan deepened considerably.

He had analyzed Tang San's martial soul so thoroughly and given him the cultivation path most suited to him. How could such a teacher possibly be the incompetent fraud who misled students that the man calling himself Grandmaster had described?

Whenever he thought of that expressionless man with the buzz cut, Tang San's anger flared. He had slandered Tang San's most respected teacher right in front of him. That so-called Grandmaster had chosen the path to death!

Fang Yuan led Tang San onward, following the direction where the aura of life grew increasingly dense. Before long, they encountered a suitable target.

"Look over there." Fang Yuan pointed in one direction and said to Tang San, "That is a ten-year Solitary Bamboo. Its defining trait is toughness, making it perfect for bamboo tube rice, but it isn't our target.

"Opposite that ten-year Solitary Bamboo, the bamboo stalk as thick as a person is a Green Wine Bamboo of around four hundred years. The strange thing about Green Wine Bamboo is that if you split it open down the middle, the liquid inside is a fragrant, crisp wine.

"This Green Wine Bamboo is of a very suitable age, and it also possesses fairly strong life attributes. It is ideal for your first Soul Ring."

With that, Fang Yuan brought Tang San before the Green Wine Bamboo and threw a punch, leaving the plant soul beast swaying on the verge of collapse, with only a small section still connected to its roots.

"Little San, you finish it. Only the person who deals the final blow to a soul beast can absorb the Soul Ring it produces."

Tang San nodded, took a short knife from his Soul Tool, and chopped down the Green Wine Bamboo in just a few strokes.

Faint yellow specks of light emerged from the Green Wine Bamboo, slowly gathering in midair before finally forming a yellow Soul Ring.

Tang San raised his right hand and summoned his Blue Silver Grass martial soul. Guided by Soul Power, the yellow Soul Ring in midair slowly flew toward the Blue Silver Grass.

Following the method Fang Yuan had taught him earlier on the road, Tang San sat cross-legged and guided the Soul Ring down onto the Blue Silver Grass.

As the Soul Ring descended onto the Blue Silver Grass martial soul, Tang San's body trembled. He felt a powerful energy pour into him. Within his body, the Mysterious Heaven Skill began circulating on its own, absorbing the energy within the Soul Ring.

Fang Yuan watched from where he stood for a while, then determined that Tang San would have no problems absorbing this Soul Ring.

The Soul Ring's age was just right, and it came from a plant-type soul beast that matched Tang San's Blue Silver Grass martial soul. On top of that, the boy had the Mysterious Heaven Skill protecting him. Absorbing this Soul Ring was a sure thing.

While Tang San was busy absorbing the Soul Ring, Fang Yuan did not remain idle. He casually chopped down the nearby ten-year Solitary Bamboo and began preparing a meal.

By the time Tang San finished absorbing the Soul Ring and his consciousness returned, slowly opening his eyes, he smelled a rich aroma of food.

He excitedly got to his feet, walked before Fang Yuan, and summoned his martial soul.

"Teacher, look. My martial soul really has become much tougher."

Tang San's Blue Silver Grass martial soul had previously been as frail as the most common weed. Yet after absorbing the Green Wine Bamboo Soul Ring, the Blue Silver Grass became much thicker, and its color turned a vibrant blue-green full of life.

"Not bad. Everything went as I expected. What is your first soul skill?" Fang Yuan asked with a smile and a nod.

Tang San answered, "My first soul skill is Life Amplification. It can further enhance my physical strength and the toughness of Blue Silver Grass, while also accelerating the recovery of my injuries and Soul Power."

After pondering for a moment, Fang Yuan said to Tang San, "This is a very practical skill. My suggestion is that for the next period of time, you should become more familiar with controlling your martial soul, until you can manipulate Blue Silver Grass to perform actions such as binding and entangling. Then, with the enhanced Blue Silver Grass, you will have a way to control your enemies."

"Ah?" Tang San was surprised. "Making Blue Silver Grass wrap around and bind enemies is something only a soul skill can do, isn't it? Can my martial soul really do that?"

Fang Yuan's mouth twitched. "Who told you that only soul skills could make Blue Silver Grass entangle enemies? That is an inherent trait of Blue Silver Grass itself. As long as you are skilled enough at controlling your martial soul, doing that will be effortless."

Tang San's face reddened, and he lowered his head. "I understand, Teacher."

Fang Yuan waved a hand and beckoned to him. "All right, after absorbing for so long, aren't you hungry? Come eat."

The two of them held bamboo tube rice and ate heartily.

After finishing their meal, master and disciple rested for a while before Fang Yuan led Tang San onward once more.

Although he had helped Tang San obtain a suitable Soul Ring, the two did not immediately return home and leave Sunset Forest. Instead, they continued deeper into Sunset Forest.

Naturally, this was to search for the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Fang Yuan told Tang San that he had once heard of a treasure land in Sunset Forest that was extremely suitable for plant growth. Since they were already here, they might as well take a look.

After all, Tang San would still need to obtain Soul Rings in the future. Perhaps that place had plant-type soul beasts suitable for Tang San to hunt later on.

Tang San naturally had no objections. Exploring this unfamiliar continent under his teacher's guidance was a novel and thrilling experience for him.

Before this, neither the Tang Sect in his previous life nor Tang Hao in this life had ever taken Tang San on a long journey. Now, following Fang Yuan to obtain a Soul Ring and search for a blessed land could be considered his first outing with an elder. Naturally, his mood could not have been better.