First Soul Skill, Vitality Vine Bind

Tang San stared at the vine, then glanced at Li Hanqiu, his voice wavering. "Teacher, five hundred years... isn't that too high?"

Li Hanqiu smiled and said meaningfully, "Yes, for a first soul ring, its age is indeed a little high. But Little San, don't you want to become stronger?"

"Of course I do, Teacher!" Tang San nodded, looking firmly at Li Hanqiu.

"My father doesn't acknowledge me, and everyone says I have a trash martial soul. I admit all of that. My martial soul really is weak, but I will never accept being called trash myself!"

A glint of cold light appeared in Tang San's innocent eyes. Only then did Li Hanqiu see the resolve and determination of the original story's Tang San in this adorable little fellow.

So Li Hanqiu struck while the iron was hot, goading him. "You want to become stronger, but you won't take even the slightest risk. How do you expect to get stronger?"

Tang San gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "Teacher, I want this one."

The corners of Li Hanqiu's lips curled up, and he chuckled in relief. "Good! Since you're showing some backbone, Little San, I'll lend you a hand!"

As he spoke, the soul rings beneath Li Hanqiu's feet lit up again, and two bright yellow rings rose slowly into view.

"Sanpao, hit it with lightning first. Hold it in place."

The golden puppy growled and spat a beam of lightning from his mouth. It struck the vine with a boom. The Devouring Spirit Vine jerked inward, its tendrils convulsing as wisps of smoke rose from them.

"Second soul skill, Holy Light Breath!" Li Hanqiu called out.

Luo Sanpao raised his head, gathering a ball of milky-white light in his throat. Then he unleashed a torrent of holy light that thundered over the entire vine.

The light was scorching and blinding. The Devouring Spirit Vine sizzled as it burned, writhing violently, yet it seemed pinned in place by the holy light, unable to break free.

Li Hanqiu's first soul skill, Thunderlight Fang, was purely offensive. His second soul skill, Holy Light Breath, was a utility skill that combined attack, purification, and restraint.

"Quick, Little San! Kill this Devouring Spirit Vine!" Li Hanqiu urged in a low voice.

"Yes, Teacher!" Tang San rushed forward, stopping firmly about fifteen meters from the Devouring Spirit Vine. With a flick of his wrist, a sleeve arrow struck precisely at the vine's vital point.

Yet things did not go as Tang San had expected, even though his hidden weapon had hit its vital point.

The Devouring Spirit Vine continued waving its emerald-green tendrils, showing no sign whatsoever of being near death.

"What incredible vitality!" Tang San exclaimed, his eyes wide.

His teacher had been right. The Devouring Spirit Vine's vitality far surpassed that of soul beasts of the same age, and it stood out even among plant-type soul beasts.

Tang San gritted his teeth, drew the dagger at his waist, and rushed forward to finish it with another stab.

The Devouring Spirit Vine thrashed a few final times before collapsing, unable to endure any more. A yellow soul ring slowly rose from its body.

"Sit cross-legged and draw the soul ring into your body," Li Hanqiu said from beside him. "Steady your mind. Leave the rest to your Blue Silver Grass."

Tang San sat down as instructed and guided the soul ring into his body.

His little face flushed red, beads of sweat seeped from his temples, and his body trembled slightly. Blue Silver Grass burst uncontrollably from his palm, dancing wildly before slowly drawing together, as though devouring something.

Li Hanqiu stood guard beside him, while Luo Sanpao pricked up his ears and watched their surroundings.

After two hours, Tang San slowly opened his eyes.

Blue Silver Grass sprouted from his palm. Its stems and leaves were tougher than before, its color brighter, and a faint pale-green sheen lined the edges of its leaves.

"Teacher, my first soul skill... seems to be able to absorb other people's soul power."

Tang San tried activating it. With a swish, Blue Silver Grass wound around a broken branch beside the path. The soul power remaining inside that branch was actually "swallowed" bit by bit by the grass's leaves.

A trace of satisfaction flashed in Li Hanqiu's eyes. Absorption? No, this is more like plundering.

"Try it on something alive."

Tang San nodded, his gaze settling on a herbivorous soul beast near the stream that was around ten years old. He raised his hand, and Blue Silver Grass shot out like lightning, instantly binding the beast.

In a mere instant, the soul beast's soul power was drained completely dry. Its four legs buckled, and it slumped to the ground, barely breathing.

Tang San's heart softened. He crouched down and transferred some of the absorbed soul power back into the beast.

The soul beast recovered, nuzzled his fingers, and staggered off into the grass.

Then Tang San stood properly before Li Hanqiu. "Teacher, my first soul skill is called Vitality Entanglement. Its specific effects are..."

Before Tang San could finish, however, Li Hanqiu nodded and cut in. "Your first soul skill, Vitality Vine Bind.

"It controls Blue Silver Grass, making it spread rapidly to bind an opponent. It possesses abundant vitality, and upon contact with an opponent's body or soul skill, it can briefly siphon off some soul power to nourish itself. That's the effect of your first soul skill, isn't it?"

Tang San's eyes widened in disbelief. "Teacher, you're amazing! You got every bit of it right!"

Li Hanqiu smiled, paused, and continued, "Vitality, in a sense, is absorption and conversion. From the looks of it, you've found the right first soul skill."

"From now on, you need to make vitality the core of your soul ring choices. Understood?"

Tang San tilted his face up, his eyes blazing bright. "Teacher, I'll remember."

Li Hanqiu ruffled his hair and looked toward the edge of the forest. "All right, it's getting late. Time to go home."

"Yes, Teacher!"

Li Hanqiu led Tang San out of the Soul Hunting Forest and took him to register at the Spirit Hall branch in Nuoding City along the way.

After all, once soul masters registered, they could receive one gold soul coin a month. A small stream flowing steadily would still add up to a decent income.

Once his registration was complete, Tang San held a gold soul coin in his little hand, his face full of delighted smiles.

The two had only just entered the school gates when they heard Xiao Wu's furious voice.

"Say that again, I dare you!"

Li Hanqiu looked toward the voice and saw several upper-year students surrounding her nearby, all wearing mocking grins.

Their leader had a close-cropped head. With his hands on his hips, he deliberately put on an affected tone. "What's this? A work-study student living in Building One? Since when does a penniless rabbit deserve that?"

The others joined in. "Exactly! Just look at that bumpkin."

Xiao Wu clenched her fists, so furious that even her scorpion braid seemed to bristle. "You're asking for a beating!"

Li Hanqiu stopped and turned to Tang San. "Do you want me to step in?"

Tang San shook his head. His voice was soft, but exceptionally firm and decisive. "These people aren't worth your trouble, Teacher."

He paused, then added, "They'd only dirty your hands."

Li Hanqiu said nothing, merely tipping his chin.

Meanwhile, Xiao Wu was about to charge into battle when a little hand gently caught her wrist.

"Xiao Wu... let me."

Tang San's voice was soft and sweet, yet carried a note of utter seriousness.

Xiao Wu lit up with delight. "Little San, you're back? Perfect timing! Let's team up and teach these upper-year students a proper lesson!"

Tang San shook his head and said in his childish voice, "Xiao Wu, I can handle this alone."

With that, he stepped forward, his little face slightly flushed as his fingertips nervously twisted the hem of his clothes. Then he raised his head to look at the upper-year students.

The boy with the close-cropped head froze for a moment, then laughed even harder. "Oh, another work-study student. What, you think you can do anything with that trash martial soul?"

Before he could finish saying "trash martial soul"-

Tang San opened his palm. Blue Silver Grass sprouted from it, its leaves emerald-green, their edges glimmering with a pale-green sheen.

Beneath Tang San's feet, a bright yellow soul ring slowly rose.

"Tang San, martial soul: Blue Silver Grass. Rank eleven control-type tool soul master with one soul ring. Please instruct me!"