Mandala Snake

Early the next morning, Tang San met Yu Xiaogang at the academy gate.

He had finished reading both sets of reference materials and had separately organized everything in them related to Blue Silver Grass.

"Have you decided?" Yu Xiaogang asked.

"I'm willing to go with you, but I won't decide whether to absorb a Soul Ring until I've seen the Soul Beast."

"Very well."

Yu Xiaogang did not press him. He led Tang San out of the city.

Not long after they left the academy, Tang San asked,

"The materials describe seventeen cases of plant Martial Souls absorbing animal Soul Rings. Twelve produced the expected results, three produced different results, and in two, the Soul Skills mutated."

"Correct."

"In both cases of mutation, the Martial Soul's nature conflicted with the Soul Beast's attributes."

"In other words, absorbing a Soul Ring across categories is possible, but we can't look only at the abilities the Soul Beast possesses."

Yu Xiaogang slowed his steps.

He had not expected Tang San to find the key point in a single night.

"A Soul Ring's effect on a Martial Soul has never been a simple matter of adding abilities together."

"The Martial Soul's characteristics, the Soul Beast's attributes, and the Soul Master's constitution all affect the final result."

"Where does the Mandala Snake match with Blue Silver Grass?"

"Toughness, venom, and the ability to restrain."

Yu Xiaogang explained, "Blue Silver Grass has abundant vitality, but it lacks strength."

"The Mandala Snake's body is exceptionally tough, and its venom can weaken an opponent."

"If you absorb its Soul Ring successfully, your First Soul Skill may well gain an Entanglement effect."

Tang San said, "If all we need are toughness and the ability to restrain, there should be options among plant Soul Beasts too."

"Of course, but suitable plant Soul Beasts are harder to find."

"The varieties of Soul Beasts in the Soul Hunting Forest are limited. A Soul Master can't wait forever for the ideal target."

Tang San nodded.

That explanation was practical enough.

Theory could pursue perfection, but hunting for a Soul Ring was constrained by location, time, and strength.

Finding a reasonably suitable choice under limited conditions was a problem every Soul Master had to face.

By the time they reached the Soul Hunting Forest, it was nearly noon.

Yu Xiaogang presented a Soul Hunting Writ issued by the Spirit Hall. Only after the guards inspected it were they allowed inside.

Tang San glanced back.

From awakening Martial Souls for free and providing Soul Master stipends to managing the Soul Hunting Forest, the Spirit Hall was involved in nearly every step of an ordinary Soul Master's growth.

His father disliked the Spirit Hall, yet he had never told Tang San to refuse the benefits its systems provided.

Tang Hao had told him only one thing:

An organization's good deeds did not mean everything it did was right; having a feud with it did not mean everyone in it was an enemy.

For now, most of what the Spirit Hall did seemed reasonable.

If Soul Masters were allowed to hunt without restraint, young Soul Beasts would eventually disappear.

Once inside the forest, Yu Xiaogang raised his right hand.

Pale purple Soul Power gathered before him, and a creature resembling both a pig and a dog landed on the ground.

"His name is Luo Sanpao. He's my Martial Soul."

Two Yellow Soul Rings rose with him.

Tang San took one look, then turned his gaze away. He did not ask why Yu Xiaogang, who was approaching middle age, still had only two Soul Rings.

A person's Martial Soul and cultivation were private matters.

If Yu Xiaogang wanted to tell him, he would find out in time.

Luo Sanpao scouted ahead. The two avoided several unsuitable Soul Beasts and continued deeper into the forest.

Along the way, Yu Xiaogang explained how to judge a Soul Beast's age and had Tang San identify the beasts that had left claw marks, droppings, and other signs of activity.

Tang San did not simply repeat what he had read.

He made his own judgment first, then compared it with Yu Xiaogang's conclusion.

After several such attempts, he found that Yu Xiaogang truly knew common Soul Beasts well. He could even estimate roughly when one had passed by from broken branches and leaves.

Theoretical knowledge did not necessarily make someone a good teacher.

But Yu Xiaogang was at least willing to explain how he reached his conclusions, rather than merely telling Tang San to memorize them.

Dusk fell, and they still had not found a suitable target.

Yu Xiaogang did not venture farther. He stopped in a relatively open area.

"Soul Beasts are more active at night. It's too risky to keep moving. We'll rest here tonight and look for the Mandala Snake in the morning."

Tang San surveyed their surroundings, took out the fine thread and bells he carried, and set up several alarms around the camp.

Yu Xiaogang watched him work.

"Did your father teach you that?"

"Some of it."

Tang San did not explain the Hidden Weapons or Tang Sect methods. He merely adjusted several Sleeve Arrows into positions where he could use them most easily.

After nightfall, they took turns keeping watch.

Even late into the night, nothing seemed amiss.

Tang San leaned against a tree and circulated the Mysterious Heaven Skill. Suddenly, he heard a faint sound in the distance.

It came from underground.

He opened his eyes at once, and Blue Silver Grass appeared in his palm.

"Something's approaching from the northwest."

Yu Xiaogang sprang to his feet.

Luo Sanpao had just turned when a long, thick black shape burst from the bushes, jaws open as it lunged for his neck.

"Thunderous Fart, Earth-Shattering Luo Sanpao!"

A Yellow Soul Ring flared, and a blast of air struck the shape head-on.

It tumbled several times, snapped a young tree, then coiled its body and let out a piercing hiss.

By the firelight, Tang San finally saw what it was.

The snake's body was dark green all over, its belly pale yellow. A fleshy crest rose from its triangular head, and its scales reflected a cold, eerie gleam in the night.

"A Mandala Snake."

Yu Xiaogang's expression turned grave, with little sign of excitement.

He studied the snake's body for a moment, and his face gradually changed.

It was already more than four meters long, with part of its tail hidden by the bushes.

By the method described in the materials, it had to be at least four hundred years old.

Tang San had noticed the problem too.

"It's older than you expected."

"Yes."

Yu Xiaogang stepped forward, placing himself between Tang San and the snake.

"It's close to four hundred and thirty years old, perhaps even older."

"We can't pursue the absolute limit for a First Soul Ring at any cost. This Mandala Snake is more dangerous than expected."

"Let's retreat."

Yu Xiaogang did not force Tang San to remain in danger for the sake of his theory.

He took a firestarter from his robe and threw it to one side, trying to draw the Mandala Snake's attention away.

But before it hit the ground, the snake's tail swept across them.

Luo Sanpao could not dodge in time and was sent flying by the heavy blow.

His Martial Soul injured, Yu Xiaogang went deathly pale and staggered.

Yet the Mandala Snake did not attack him again.

It raised its head, its cold, slit-pupiled eyes fixed on the Blue Silver Grass in Tang San's palm.

The life force of a plant Martial Soul seemed to hold a special attraction for it.

The next instant, the Mandala Snake bared its venomous fangs, swept past Yu Xiaogang, and charged straight at Tang San.

"Little San, run!" Yu Xiaogang shouted.

Tang San did not retreat at once.

His gaze swept over several shattered scales on the snake's belly, where Luo Sanpao's attack had struck, then settled on the slight stiffness along the left side of its body.

It was older than Yu Xiaogang had expected, but wasn't this precisely the ideal age Tang San had estimated for himself?

More importantly, the snake was not at full strength. He could fight it!

Tang San lowered his right hand, and several cold glints slipped silently between his fingers.