Tang San Fights a Thousand-Year Soul Beast Alone

"Come, Xiao San. I'll take you to obtain your Second Soul Ring."

Ling Han appeared beside Tang San just as he finished practicing the Purple Demon Eye.

"Yes, Master!"

Tang San was thrilled. At last, he was about to receive his Second Soul Ring.

Only a year had passed since he obtained his First Soul Ring, but he could hardly wait.

The Snow Empress accompanied them to the Star Dou Great Forest to help Tang San obtain his Second Soul Ring.

After all, the mighty ruler of the Ferocious Beasts of the Far North couldn't stay cooped up in a small place like Nouding Academy forever. She needed to get out once in a while.

With Di Tian and the others still asleep, even the Snow Empress, not yet fully healed, was invincible in the Star Dou Great Forest.

Tang San was genuinely happy that the Snow Empress had come along.

It wasn't because he had another helper on his hunt for a Soul Ring. He was happy for Ling Han.

In Tang San's eyes, only his master was worthy of a woman as beautiful as the Snow Empress.

Hunting Soul Beasts together would give them a chance to grow closer.

Ling Han had estimated that, with Tang San's physique after taking the Tenfold Tonic Pill, absorbing a Thousand-Year Soul Ring would be easy.

With the benefits of four Immortal Herbs, a Soul Ring from a beast two or three thousand years old should pose no problem.

Led by Ling Han and the Snow Empress, two Limit Douluo-level powerhouses, they reached the Mixed Zone of the Star Dou Great Forest before long.

"The Star Dou Great Forest. It's been so long since I was last here," the Snow Empress said wistfully.

She had lived for hundreds of thousands of years and visited the Star Dou Great Forest more times than she could count.

But she had not returned since suffering her hidden injury.

Coming back now stirred a flood of memories.

Since they had decided Tang San's Second Soul Ring would come from a thousand-year Soul Beast, Ling Han took them straight to the Mixed Zone to find one quickly.

Thousand-year Soul Beasts were more common there, making it much easier to find one suited to Tang San.

"Xiao San, your First Soul Skill is fairly versatile. For your Second Soul Skill, we'll follow the control path and find you a control-type Soul Beast," Ling Han said.

Tang San nodded. "I'll follow your lead, Master!"

Ling Han smiled, and the three of them began searching the Mixed Zone.

With Ling Han and the Snow Empress there, a sweeping scan with their formidable spiritual power soon located a suitable Soul Beast.

In a dim stretch of forest, ghostly green vines wound around a towering tree.

"A Netherworld Ghost Vine. Not bad. It looks to be over two thousand years old—perfect for Xiao San."

The Netherworld Ghost Vine was an extremely rare plant-type Soul Beast. Besides using its vines to ensnare and restrain its enemies, it could also attack them on a spiritual level.

Its spiritual attacks struck directly at the soul.

When its vines wrapped around someone, they bound not just the body but the soul as well.

Someone with strong spiritual power had little to fear from such a beast. Breaking its hold on the soul was as simple as breaking its hold on the body.

But anyone whose spiritual power fell short of the vine's would suffer terribly.

"Xiao San, this one is yours. I'll step in if you can't hold out."

Tang San's cultivation was still low, but there was no question that his spiritual power was strong.

That gave him an innate advantage against the Netherworld Ghost Vine.

Tang San nodded and released his Martial Soul.

Blue Silver Grass appeared in his hand, followed by a yellow Soul Ring.

"First Soul Skill: Blue Silver Enhancement!"

At Tang San's low shout, the Blue Silver Grass in his hand swiftly broke apart and reformed into a spear.

Spear in hand, he charged the Netherworld Ghost Vine.

Sensing an approaching enemy, the vine attacked at once.

Several ghostly green tendrils swept toward Tang San.

His powerful spiritual energy meant he did not fear having his soul bound, but freeing himself would still take some effort if the vines caught him.

So he summoned enough Blue Silver Grass to block them and kept charging toward the vine's main body.

Its thickest section was wrapped around the tree. Tang San drove forward with unstoppable force, spear thrusting straight at it.

The Netherworld Ghost Vine did not wait helplessly for the blow. It dodged his attack and wrapped its main body around him.

Its soul-binding power activated, and it tried to ensnare Tang San's soul.

But how could a mere thousand-year Netherworld Ghost Vine match the spiritual power of Tang San, who had lived two lives, practiced the Purple Demon Eye, and taken the Tenfold Tonic Pill?

Purple light flared in Tang San's eyes and shot toward the vine.

The thick ghostly green vine binding him instantly came apart and fell away.

Seizing the opening, Tang San gripped his spear with both hands, leaped, and drove it deep into the Netherworld Ghost Vine's main body.

A sound like wailing ghosts rang out as the Netherworld Ghost Vine died.

A purple Soul Ring rose from the thick section of its body.

"Go on, Xiao San. Absorb its Soul Ring."

Tang San nodded and walked to the vine's corpse. He sat cross-legged, circulated the Mysterious Heaven Skill, and drew the Soul Ring onto himself.

The instant the purple ring settled around him, a vast surge of Soul Power flooded every part of his body.

Even an ordinary Soul Elder would struggle to withstand a Soul Ring over two thousand years old as a third ring. Tang San had chosen one for his Second Soul Ring, making the task far harder.

But the Tenfold Tonic Pill had transformed his physique. Absorbing this ring would be difficult, but it would not make his body explode.

Time passed, and Tang San's absorption of the Soul Ring gradually neared its end.

He endured it and successfully absorbed the Netherworld Ghost Vine's Soul Ring.

A purple ring appeared outside his first, yellow one. Tang San had become a Soul Grandmaster.

"I did it, Master! I've reached rank twenty-four!" Tang San said excitedly.

Ling Han had half-sealed the Tenfold Tonic Pill within Tang San, so little of its medicinal power contributed to his Soul Power growth this time.

The portion Tang San had absorbed earlier had only brought his Soul Power to the threshold for his Second Soul Ring. Now, after absorbing the Netherworld Ghost Vine's older-than-normal ring and digesting a little more of the pill's power, his Soul Power had risen to rank twenty-four.

"Well done, Xiao San. Keep working hard and absorb the pill within you. You have a brilliant future ahead."

"Don't worry, Master! I won't let you down!" Tang San said firmly.

"By the way, Xiao San, what's your Second Soul Skill?"

Ling Han was curious what sort of Second Soul Skill the Netherworld Ghost Vine had granted Tang San.

Tang San sensed his new Soul Skill, and excitement and delight gradually spread across his face.