Mutated Ginseng

Su Yang sucked in a sharp breath.

Seven to eight hundred years?! He remembered that Tang San's first Spirit Ring in the original story had been a Mandala Snake, only a little over four hundred years old. Even that had been considered astonishing. Yet he was starting out with a seven- or eight-hundred-year one?!

"Isn't this... a little too risky?" Su Yang hesitated before asking.

"Risky?" A faint curve touched Yu Xiaorou's lips. "How do you think the gap between geniuses and ordinary people is created? It comes from daring to take risks where others do not, daring to break through where others do not. Besides..."

She adjusted her glasses, her gaze serious. "You have a plant-type martial soul, so a plant-type Soul Beast suits you best. Plant-type Soul Beasts under a thousand years are already quite rare. Finding one that is seven or eight hundred years old is considered good luck. A thousand-year Soul Beast would naturally be better, but with your current physique, attaching a Thousand-Year Spirit Ring would be courting death. Unless you had some heavenly treasure to protect your body."

Hearing that, Su Yang silently muttered to himself, A heavenly treasure?

My martial soul itself is a heavenly treasure. Does Lovesick Heartbreak Red count?

But he did not say it aloud. He merely nodded and obediently followed behind Yu Xiaorou as they continued deeper into the forest.

However, things did not go as smoothly as they had imagined.

There were indeed plenty of plant-type Soul Beasts on the outskirts of Soul Hunting Forest, but after wandering around for nearly two hours, the ones they encountered were either far too young, only a few decades old. Absorbing those would be a complete waste.

Or they were the right age, but happened to be highly aggressive beast-type Soul Beasts, incompatible with a plant-type martial soul. As for plant-type Soul Beasts with both the right age and compatible attributes, they had not encountered a single one.

The farther Su Yang walked, the more discouraged he felt. The sky gradually darkened, and a thin mist spread through the forest. The road beneath their feet became increasingly difficult to traverse.

Just as he was considering whether to suggest taking a break first, a burst of noisy commotion suddenly came from ahead.

"Awwooo—!"

"Roar!"

"Hiss, hiss—"

Dozens of different roars mixed together, as though some kind of disturbance had broken out. Then the ground began to tremble faintly, as if something were racing at high speed.

Su Yang and Yu Xiaorou exchanged a glance and quickened their pace at the same time. They pushed aside a patch of shrubs, and the sight before them made both of them pause in surprise.

Dozens of Soul Beasts were charging forward like mad. Wild boars with tusks, pangolins covered in scales, giant lizards flicking their tongues... these Soul Beasts, which would normally fight the moment they met, now seemed to have reached some unspoken agreement as they all frantically chased in the same direction.

Ahead of them, a golden-yellow thing was desperately hopping away.

It was thin and long, roughly the length of a forearm. Its entire body was golden and translucent, even its roots golden in color. Looking closely, it seemed to have two short root-like "legs"... and was actually running like a person.

As it ran, it occasionally looked back at its pursuers before accelerating again and fleeing with all its might, like a tiny sprite.

Su Yang froze for a moment before blurting out, "What the hell is that? A radish that became a spirit?"

"That isn't a radish." Yu Xiaorou's voice carried undisguised excitement.

"It is ginseng... a mutated Soul Beast! Judging by its age, it is at least close to a thousand years old! And it has already grown legs, which means it has gained intelligence. This kind of mutated plant Soul Beast is an enormous tonic. No wonder all those Soul Beasts are chasing it like crazy."

She turned to look at Su Yang, her eyes blazing. "This is the most suitable one for you! It is plant-type, old enough, and because of its mutation, its quality far surpasses that of ordinary Soul Beasts below a thousand years!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Yu Xiaorou raised her right hand, and a somewhat comical sound rang out.

"Luo Sanpao!"

A white figure condensed from the glow of Soul Power before her.

It was a white creature, plump and round, somewhat like a pig yet somewhat like a dog. Its fur was fluffy, its belly bulging, and it stared adorably ahead.

Su Yang: "..."

Although he had already known what Yu Xiaorou's martial soul was, seeing such a thing emerge from a mature, intellectual beauty still made the corner of his mouth twitch.

He truly could not imagine such a beautiful woman as Yu Xiaorou farting in battle.

Yu Xiaorou did not notice Su Yang's expression. Looking at Luo Sanpao before her, an almost imperceptible complexity flashed through her gaze before she spoke softly.

"Luo Sanpao, first soul skill—Fart Like Thunder, Luo Sanpao Shatters Heaven and Earth!"

Luo Sanpao drew in a deep breath, its belly abruptly swelling into a round ball, and then—

"Pff!!"

An earth-shaking boom erupted from behind Luo Sanpao. It was so loud that the entire forest seemed to shake three times.

A powerful blast of air exploded outward like a shockwave. The dozens of Soul Beasts chasing the ginseng were blasted senseless by the sudden "cannon fire," howling as they scattered in all directions. Some were sent flying by the airwave, tumbling several times before scrambling up and fleeing without looking back.

An indescribable stench filled the air.

Su Yang silently held his breath, thinking, The contrast is a little too strong.

An elegant and intellectual Yu Xiaorou had summoned a chubby white pig that could blast Soul Beasts away with its farts... if those people from Spirit Hall saw this, who knew what expressions they would make.

"Stop standing around, hurry and chase it!" Yu Xiaorou did not blush in the slightest, as though she had long grown accustomed to this fighting style. She raised a hand and pointed at the golden figure ahead.

Su Yang came back to his senses, pushed off the ground, and shot forward like an arrow released from its bow.

The boost from his Innate Full Soul Power made him far faster than others his age. Combined with the gentle Soul Power flowing into his limbs when the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum martial soul was activated, he felt as if his legs had been fitted with springs.

But that golden figure was not slow either. It ran by hopping and bouncing. Though small, it was astonishingly nimble, weaving and leaping through shrubs and between tree roots. It was just about to get away.

Su Yang was about to grit his teeth and speed up when he suddenly noticed that the ginseng had slowed down.

No, it had not slowed down. It had stopped.

Su Yang was startled, and his steps subconsciously slowed as well. The golden ginseng stood upright not far ahead, its body slightly tilted as though it were examining Su Yang.

A moment later, its two little root-legs began moving again, and it actually hopped toward Su Yang.

It circled Su Yang twice, then stopped and gently rubbed against his ankle. The gesture looked exactly like it was acting cute.

Su Yang looked down at the scene, and a thought sprang into his mind... Was this a mutual resonance between Immortal Herbs? Lovesick Heartbreak Red... had attracted it?

"Su Yang, make your move!"