Tang San Lost His Pig Bristles ("Pig Bristles" Sounds Like "Spider Spear"-An Amusing Pun)

After Oscar absorbed his soul ring, everyone rested where they were for a day.

Early the next morning, Zhao Wuji rose bright and early, intending to call everyone together to return to Shrek, only to find...

"Teacher Zhao, I'm afraid we can't go back today." Tang San jumped down from a treetop as he spoke.

Zhao Wuji froze for a moment. "We can't leave? Why? Little San, the Star Dou Great Forest isn't a playground. Now that Little Oscar has his soul ring, we should head back to the academy."

Tang San hurriedly said, "Teacher Zhao, please hear me out. Just now, I broke through to rank thirty too."

"What?" Zhao Wuji stared at Tang San in astonishment.

Tang San released his martial soul. The fluctuations of his soul power were indeed at rank thirty.

"In that case..."

"Teacher Zhao!"

Just as Zhao Wuji was about to suggest gathering everyone and setting out shortly, a voice interrupted him. He turned to see Lin Ye and the two girls.

"Teacher Zhao, he might not be the only one who's broken through. Take a look." As Ning Rongrong spoke, she pushed Lin Ye forward.

Zhao Wuji checked the soul power fluctuations of Lin Ye's martial soul. Sure enough, he was at rank forty.

To think two of them had broken through at once.

"Lin Ye, what are your plans for your fourth ring?" Zhao Wuji looked at him.

Lin Ye glanced at Tang San and smiled. "Teacher Zhao, look at my soul rings. Surely my fourth soul ring has to be at least ten thousand years old?"

At those words, the corner of Zhao Wuji's mouth twitched.

Ten thousand years? This Lin Ye was selfish, and he certainly dreamed big.

Still, he was somewhat curious about how Lin Ye had managed to absorb soul rings that far exceeded the limits.

"In that case, let Tang San go first."

Zhao Wuji finally settled on that decision, and Tang San had no objections.

The sooner he obtained his third soul ring, the sooner he could advance.

His teacher, Yu Xiaogang, had already planned out which types of soul beasts he should choose for his third soul ring.

These soul beasts would be easier to find than the one Oscar had needed.

After all, the soul beasts Yu Xiaogang had selected for him were relatively common. As long as their age was suitable, any of them could become his third soul ring.

But...

Tang San looked at Lin Ye and couldn't help thinking, Do I really still need to follow Teacher's prescribed limits when choosing the age of my soul ring?

Though he hated to admit that his teacher's theories might contain an error, every soul ring Lin Ye possessed had indeed exceeded the theoretical limits.

"Nope."

Tang San shook his head and quickly suppressed the thought.

Absorbing a soul ring beyond his limits was simply too dangerous. The slightest carelessness could cause problems, and any resulting consequences would be more than he could currently bear.

As for Lin Ye, perhaps his martial soul was unusually special. With a sect backing him as well, he might be able to reduce the risks when absorbing soul rings beyond his limits.

Teacher said that older soul rings aren't necessarily better. I only need to choose the most suitable ones, those that complement my other soul skills perfectly.

After settling on the next stage of their soul hunting plan, everyone continued through the Star Dou Great Forest.

Yet after a full day of searching, Tang San had not found a single one of the three soul beasts he wanted.

Just as everyone was about to sit down and rest, Lin Ye spoke up. "Teacher Zhao, I'm going to relieve myself nearby."

"All right, go ahead."

With permission granted, Lin Ye turned and walked into the woods.

Not long after he entered the woods, however, Zhu Zhuqing, who had been keeping watch from a tree, suddenly spoke.

"There's a spider soul beast up ahead. It has a human face and looks pretty frightening."

At that description, Tang San sprang to his feet.

"It's a Man Faced Demon Spider! Check how many markings it has!"

"Fifteen in total."

Hearing Zhu Zhuqing's answer, Tang San's expression brightened.

He had found his third soul ring.

"Teacher Zhao, this Man Faced Demon Spider is just right for me."

Zhao Wuji nodded and immediately sprang into action. A few seconds later, he slammed a Man Faced Demon Spider heavily onto the ground.

"Damn it, this Man Faced Demon Spider is crafty. Good thing I acted fast, or it would've sprayed venom."

A Man Faced Demon Spider's venom was extremely corrosive. Even someone as powerful as a Soul Saint like him would suffer if so much as a drop got on him.

A flicker of excitement crossed Tang San's eyes as he looked at the limp Man Faced Demon Spider on the ground.

This Man Faced Demon Spider was exactly fifteen hundred years old, making it a very suitable choice.

Although the Man Faced Demon Spider was not among the soul beasts his teacher had suggested, its venom and web-spinning abilities would greatly improve his Blue Silver Grass if he could inherit either one.

Just as Tang San finished off the Man Faced Demon Spider and began absorbing its soul ring, Lin Ye returned.

"Oh? Tang San, you found a suitable soul ring so quickly?" Lin Ye asked with a smile.

"A Man Faced Demon Spider... Not bad at all."

Zhao Wuji rolled his eyes at Lin Ye. "Now that you're back, sit down quietly. It'll be your turn tomorrow."

Lin Ye nodded, returned to Ning Rongrong's side, and sat down.

Since everyone was focused on watching Tang San absorb his soul ring, no one noticed Lin Ye secretly exchange a glance with Ning Rongrong.

The absorption went fairly smoothly, and Tang San finally obtained the third soul ring he had wished for.

As in the original storyline, the soul skill Tang San obtained from his third soul ring was Spider Web Restraint.

The difference was that he did not obtain an external soul bone along with it.

His Spider Web Restraint soul skill was also somewhat weaker than in the original story.

"Congratulations, Tang San."

Everyone applauded him, and Lin Ye joined in alongside Ning Rongrong.

But no one noticed the hint of mockery in Lin Ye's eyes as he looked at Tang San.

By the time Tang San obtained his third soul ring, the sky was already growing dark. Zhao Wuji found a relatively safe cave nearby for them to spend the night.

"Tomorrow, we'll venture farther into the Star Dou Great Forest. None of you can afford to let your guard down then. Ten-thousand-year soul beasts are far more terrifying than thousand-year ones," Zhao Wuji said.

"Don't worry, Teacher Zhao. We'll stay doubly alert," Oscar said enthusiastically.

"Lin Ye, this time we're helping you obtain your fourth soul ring. I hope you'll do more fighting instead of standing by with your hands tucked into your sleeves."

Hearing Zhao Wuji's words, Lin Ye nodded rather perfunctorily. "All right, Teacher Zhao."

"That's enough. Get some rest, everyone. Turn in early tonight."

After those final words, Zhao Wuji sat on a rock to one side, and everyone began setting up camp.

That night, the moon shone bright among sparse stars, and all was silent outside the cave.

Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Lin Ye went outside together and sat in a circle. A sound-blocking barrier quietly appeared around them.

"Brother Lin Ye, were you the one who lured that fifteen-hundred-year-old Man Faced Demon Spider here?" Ning Rongrong asked.

Lin Ye smiled mysteriously at her. "Perhaps it lost the will to live and came running here to die?"

"Brother Lin Ye, there's nobody else here. You don't need to keep up the act." Ning Rongrong winked at him.

"All right, it was indeed my doing," Lin Ye admitted outright.

"So has Tang San been weakened, or has he become stronger?"

Lin Ye smiled and said, "Of course he's..."