Grass Sea Controls the Field, Everlasting Life

"You've got a stubborn mouth, kid!"

Tang Hao gave an annoyed snort, planted his huge iron hammer on the ground, and plopped down beside his daughter like a sulking black bear to stand guard over her.

Huo Yuhao smiled and stopped needling him. Instead, he focused on Tang Sanmei as she absorbed the Soul Ring.

Thanks to the perfect compatibility of their shared origin, and because the four-hundred-year-old Blue Silver Grass had no violent properties to begin with, Tang Sanmei's absorption went exceptionally smoothly.

Without the torment of the Mandala Snake's potent venom from the original story, the Mysterious Heaven Skill flowed through her body like a fish in water, voraciously devouring and merging with that vast, pure life force.

In less than an hour, the pale blue glow around Tang Sanmei gradually faded.

The bright yellow Hundred-Year Soul Ring hovered steadily beneath her feet.

"Phew."

Tang Sanmei slowly opened her eyes. A faint glimmer of gold flashed in their clear depths.

"It worked!"

Xiao Wu ran over happily and took her hand.

"Sanmei, how do you feel?"

Tang Hao came over too. For all his complaints about the lousy grass, he could not hide the concern in his eyes.

"Sanmei, how do you feel? That grass didn't give you any trouble, did it?"

Tang Sanmei did not answer right away. She turned to Huo Yuhao, her eyes full of admiration.

"Sect Master! You were absolutely right! Using the original broth to digest the original meal really is the proper way! After absorbing that Blue Silver Grass, I completely broke through the bottleneck in my Mysterious Heaven Skill, and my Soul Power shot straight to level thirteen!"

Hearing "level thirteen," Tang Hao relaxed a little, but he still could not resist throwing cold water on her excitement.

"Gaining Soul Power is all well and good, but this lousy grass doesn't even have the poison that old freak talked about. Don't tell me your skill is inviting people to eat grass?"

"Just watch."

Tang Sanmei slammed both hands onto the ground, pouring her Mysterious Heaven Skill and all her level-thirteen Soul Power into the earth.

The yellow Hundred-Year Soul Ring beneath her feet lit up!

"First Soul Skill: Everlasting Life!"

Boom!

The earth within thirty meters of Tang Sanmei churned in an instant.

Countless Blue Silver Grass blades surged from the soil like a tide!

In just one second!

The bare clearing around them became a deep-blue sea of grass!

Tang Hao frowned, casually pinched a blade of Blue Silver Grass beside him, and gave it a light tug.

It snapped with almost no effort, as brittle as tofu.

Tang Hao burst out laughing.

"That's it? Brat, this is what you called a perfect match? This grass is so brittle I could break a whole patch with a fart! Forget killing enemies—it couldn't even tie up a child! You call this a Soul Skill?"

Huo Yuhao did not so much as blink at Tang Hao's mockery. He slipped his hands into his pockets and smiled.

"Uncle Tang, don't be so quick to judge. Try taking a couple of steps."

Tang Hao snorted, hefted his hammer, and strode forward.

With his first step, the Blue Silver Grass beneath his foot snapped like paper.

But before Tang Hao could lift his foot, a dozen identical blades sprang from among the broken stalks and tangled around his shoe one after another!

Tang Hao frowned and tore them apart with another step. The next instant, dozens more burst from the ground!

Break ten, and thirty grew back!

Crush a hundred blades, and five hundred shot up around him!

The Blue Silver Grass was absurdly brittle, with no toughness or defensive power to speak of. But its strength lay in its incredibly low cost and endless regrowth!

This Soul Skill consumed barely any of Tang Sanmei's Soul Power. For anyone trapped inside it, though, it was an unending nightmare!

In moments, dense blue grass had spread wildly up Tang Hao's trouser legs. It could not hurt him in the slightest, but it clung like endless sticky taffy, pinning both his feet in place and throwing him into a fluster.

Tang Hao lifted his feet and ripped it apart; the grass filled the gaps at once. He swung his hammer and smashed it flat; the grass surged higher!

"What... what the hell is this stuff?!"

Tang Hao was dumbfounded.

It felt like holding a divine weapon while stuck in an anthill where you could never catch them all or beat them to death!

The ants could not hurt you, but they could drive you mad and wear you out!

"This is the path I chose for Sanmei."

Huo Yuhao watched his future father-in-law flounder in the Grass Sea and explained at an unhurried pace.

"Blue Silver Grass is a Trash Martial Soul to begin with. Forcing toughness and poison onto it would be putting the cart before the horse. Its weakness is exactly what I want! Because it's a Trash Martial Soul, it costs almost nothing to use. Because it's a Trash Martial Soul, it can truly keep growing without end!"

"Sanmei is level thirteen now. As long as she's standing on the ground, Soul Masters at her level won't even touch the hem of her clothes before this endless Grass Sea drains all their Soul Power and stamina!"

"Just imagine: when an enemy is as exhausted as a dead dog, without even the strength to raise a hand..."

Huo Yuhao glanced sideways at Tang Sanmei, amusement in his eyes.

"What happens when Sanmei pulls out the tricks I taught her?"

Gulp.

Tang Hao, still clearing grass from his feet, swallowed hard. A chill ran down his back.

Wear the enemy into a wreck with a boundless, ever-regrowing sea of grass, then finish them off with Hidden Weapons!

That tactic was not only sinister—it was impossible to counter!

Tang Sanmei withdrew her Soul Power, and the surrounding Grass Sea instantly withered into nutrients.

Beaming, she ran back to Huo Yuhao.

"Sect Master! I get it now! This is what you meant by overwhelming everything with sheer numbers!"

"Smart girl."

Huo Yuhao gave the little girl an approving pat on the head, then turned to the ashen-faced Tang Hao.

"Come on, old man. Stop staring."

Hands in his pockets, Huo Yuhao swaggered toward the edge of the forest as if he owned the place.

"Time to head back."

The carriage rattled back to Nuoding City.

Outside the Blacksmith Shop across from the academy, Tang Hao jumped down with a dark expression. Without a word, he picked up his huge iron hammer and went straight inside.

Over the past few days in the Soul Hunting Forest, he had served as a free high-level detector for the three little tyrants, as well as their bodyguard, porter, and even cook.

Worse, every day he had endured the trio looking at him as though he were an idiot.

The mighty Clear Sky Douluo felt more stifled by the past few days than he had in a Spirit Hall prison cell.

All he wanted now was a couple of swigs of cheap ale and a good sleep to soothe his battered heart as a father.

"Bye, Dad! I'll take good care of the Sect—my cousin!"

Tang Sanmei obediently waved toward the Blacksmith Shop, then turned and followed Huo Yuhao like a little tail.

The three crossed the street and entered Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy.

Classes had just let out, and students were scattered across the field in twos and threes.