Man-Eating Vine

Shi Quan spent the entire morning in the Library. After lunch, Marde finally returned in the afternoon.

He also brought news that the Hall Master of Notting City Spirit Hall wanted to meet him personally.

Not wanting to delay tomorrow's soul hunt, Marde gave Shi Quan a brief explanation before personally taking him to Spirit Hall.

Unlike the Spirit Hall in the small village, Notting City's Spirit Hall was exceptionally grand. Its front alone was over a hundred meters wide and twenty meters tall, with three floors in total.

Led by Marde, Shi Quan went straight to a room on the third floor. Without knocking, Marde pushed the door open and entered.

"President Ma, you're back already?" A vigorous voice sounded from within the room, carrying none of the irritation of being suddenly disturbed.

It was a bright office, large enough to span seventy or eighty square meters. Behind the broad desk sat a middle-aged man in a neat Spirit Master uniform, the badge on his chest engraved with the symbol of five swords.

Spirit Scholar, Spirit Master, Soul Grandmaster, Soul Elder, Soul Ancestor.

It showed that he was a Soul Ancestor-level Battle Spirit Master, just like Marde.

"I didn't want to delay this child's cultivation." Marde pointed at the middle-aged man and introduced him. "Xiao Quan, this is Dawson, the Hall Master of Notting City Spirit Hall. Just call him Dawson Hall Master."

"Hello, Dawson Hall Master." Shi Quan greeted him politely.

"You're Shi Quan, then? Good, good, good. A true young hero indeed. Come over and let me have a look." Dawson's eyes visibly lit up when he saw Shi Quan. Rising from behind his desk, he beckoned Shi Quan over as he walked toward him.

He said he wanted to look, but he was actually examining him.

How could someone who became the master of a Spirit Hall branch be ordinary? During the time Marde had been away, Dawson had already learned the basics of Shi Quan's situation from Su Yuntao, who had helped awaken his spirit soul.

If someone else had told him that a Spirit Scholar with only Level 1 Innate Soul Power could Breakthrough to Level 10 in a year and a half, his first thought would have been that they were an Evil Spirit Master.

If Marde had not repeatedly assured him and tirelessly explained it to him all morning, Dawson would never have believed it.

After examining Shi Quan's body and Spirit Power, Dawson inspected Shi Quan's spirit soul as well. He even had Shi Quan personally demonstrate his cultivation process.

Only then did Dawson begin to trust him.

Once he had confirmed that there was nothing wrong with Shi Quan's strength and that it had all come from his own cultivation, the topic finally returned to the soul hunt.

After a brief discussion, Marde and Dawson decided that the two of them would personally take Shi Quan to the Soul Hunting Forest tomorrow to hunt a spirit beast.

After leaving Spirit Hall and returning, Marde reminded Shi Quan a few more times to rest well.

Back in the Dormitory, Shi Quan did not relax. He continued cultivating through the night.

The next morning, Shi Quan rose early and finished packing. He then left the academy with Marde and boarded the Carriage Dawson had prepared.

With two Soul Ancestors hunting a century-old spirit beast together, there was no need for the three of them to prepare anything else.

They set off directly.

"Take a look. These are the spirit beasts currently remaining in the Beginner Soul Hunting Forest. This record was updated just last week, so there shouldn't be much discrepancy."

As he spoke, Dawson pulled a Booklet from his robes and handed it to Shi Quan.

The spirit beasts in the Soul Hunting Forest were specially raised, so Spirit Hall naturally kept some basic records. Besides enforcing the law, the enforcement squads in the forest also periodically recorded the spirit beasts within it. That was how the Booklet in Shi Quan's hands had come about. Such Booklets were for internal use within Spirit Hall and were generally not shown to outsiders.

As Shi Quan flipped through the Booklet, a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes. It not only recorded the types of spirit beasts in the Beginner Soul Hunting Forest, but even their approximate ages and locations. This Booklet was practically an internal map of the Soul Hunting Forest.

Rustle, rustle, rustle. The sound of pages turning continued. Shi Quan did not want to flip so quickly, but he had no choice. In such a vast Soul Hunting Forest, plant-type spirit beasts over four hundred years old were shockingly scarce. Most were beast-type spirit beasts. After looking through seven or eight plant spirit beasts in a row, he still had not found a suitable one.

"No way... Don't tell me there isn't one I want?"

With a mixture of apprehension and nervousness, Shi Quan continued flipping through the Booklet.

"This is it!"

Shi Quan's hand finally stopped.

"Found a suitable one?" Marde tilted his head curiously to look at the Booklet in Shi Quan's hands.

"Man-Eating Vine?" When he saw the age listed afterward, Marde immediately frowned. "Around five hundred and fifty years old. That's too old."

"I think we can try it." Shi Quan's gaze remained fixed on the Man-Eating Vine.

The name Man-Eating Vine sounded frightening, but it was actually a very common spirit beast. Under normal circumstances, the vines curled into a mass, forming a delicate and brilliant shape. But when a person or spirit beast came within a certain range, its vines would instantly spread open and grow several times larger in a short span of time, swallowing people and spirit beasts like a giant mouth before tightly Binding them.

The Man-Eating Vine's vines were unusual. Their toughness was not especially high among spirit beasts of the same level, nor were they particularly thick, and they contained no poison. However, they possessed a special trait: growth. As long as one could not break free from their Bind in one go, the severed vines could rapidly heal and continue growing.

Rapid growth and the ability to heal—when these two traits appeared in a plant-type spirit beast, they represented vigorous vitality.

What Shi Quan wanted was a spirit beast known for its vitality, and the Man-Eating Vine's traits also met his requirements for his First Spirit Ability.

According to Shi Quan's own estimates, given his current condition, he could successfully absorb a stronger top-tier spirit beast ring of the same age. With an ordinary, low-level spirit beast like this, he could even challenge the limit of his Second Spirit Ring, which was more than seven hundred years. But he could not do that.

If the age he absorbed was too high and the spirit ring's quality too strong, people would begin to suspect his true circumstances. Therefore, he had to make some compromises with the First Spirit Ring of his Blue Silver Grass Spirit Soul—enough to make himself seem special, but not so extraordinary that it stood out too much.

So, after giving up spirit ring age and strength, Shi Quan's requirement for his First Spirit Ring was that it had to grant him a support ability he found satisfactory!

The Man-Eating Vine's traits met Shi Quan's requirements. If he absorbed a Man-Eating Vine Spirit Ring, there was a high chance that Blue Silver Grass would gain a spirit ability related to rapid growth.

Although he could use Inner Force to extend the length of Blue Silver Grass, the Spirit Power required increased exponentially with distance. If he had a growth ability, it would not only reduce the consumption needed to extend Blue Silver Grass, but perhaps even increase its attack and control range.

"Let's see if there are any other suitable ones first."

Shi Quan was in no hurry to make a decision. He also wanted to see whether there were any spirit beasts that suited him better. Yet after reviewing the entire Booklet, considering every aspect, the Man-Eating Vine was still the most suitable. With Shi Quan's insistence, the target of this trip was ultimately decided: the Man-Eating Vine.

The nearest Soul Hunting Forest was several hundred li from Notting City. It was neither particularly far nor particularly close. The Carriage traveled all the way until noon the next day before the group finally arrived at the Market Town outside the Soul Hunting Forest.

"Forming a group to hunt speed-type spirit beasts..."

"Seven-Waiting Order..."

All sorts of cries rose one after another. Looking around, Shi Quan saw a large number of shops catering specifically to Spirit Masters.

"So many people." Through the Carriage window, Shi Quan could not help curiously surveying his surroundings.

The Carriage did not stop in the Market Town. Once they left the marketplace and saw the vast forest in the distance, Shi Quan could not help showing a look of awe.

Towering trees stood densely intertwined. Even the primeval forests from his previous life could not compare to such a sight.

Around the forest's perimeter stood a massive Steel Fence. Outside it, Spirit Hall soldiers wore Refined Iron Full Body Armor and carried long spears as they patrolled in disciplined formation.

The Carriage did not stop until it entered the military camp of the Spirit Hall soldiers. The Carriage they rode bore Spirit Hall's exclusive insignia, so no one stopped them for inspection along the way.

After getting off the Carriage, the three did not linger. As they headed toward the entrance of the Soul Hunting Forest, Marde began explaining some precautions for the forest.

As he spoke, the three had already reached the entrance of the Soul Hunting Forest.

Walking at the front, Dawson took out a Token and showed it to the guarding soldiers. At a loud command, the soldiers quickly opened a passage and personally led Dawson into the forest.

"My lord, the location you mentioned should be in that direction." The soldier respectfully pointed southeast.

Dawson nodded and looked at Marde beside him. "Marde, delays can breed complications. Let's end this quickly."

"No problem." Marde agreed, scooping Shi Quan into his arms. "Let's go!"

The moment his words fell, the two shot forward. Both were Soul Ancestors, and century-old spirit beasts posed no threat to them at all.

The two hurried through the forest. The spirit beasts they encountered were all low-level ten-year spirit beasts, with only a rare century-old one among them. Dawson, charging at the front, released the Spirit Power Fluctuation unique to a Soul Ancestor. Along the way, no foolish spirit beast came looking for trouble.

Several hours later.

"It should be nearby." Dawson gradually slowed down.

The surroundings were still dense jungle. Before they had gone much farther, Dawson stopped. "Found it."

Following Dawson's gaze, Shi Quan saw a Dark Red flower. It was ring-shaped and sun-like, beautiful and vibrant like a blazing sun. Yet upon closer inspection, its seemingly floral petals were actually formed from countless long, slender Vines.

"That red flower is it." Dawson lifted his chin toward it as he spoke, his gaze shifting to Marde.

Marde strode forward. His cloudy eyes instantly sharpened, and a Dark Gold iron staff appeared in his hand. As Spirit Power surged around him, four spirit rings—white, yellow, yellow, purple—rose from beneath him and circled his body.

Whoosh! The long staff swept through the air, stirring a fierce gust.

Before the mighty blow could land, a rapid rustling of shaking branches and leaves rang out. The huge Dark Red flower seemed to explode as countless slender Dark Red Vines burst outward, wrapping toward the staff.

"So this is a spirit beast?" Watching the Man-Eating Vine suddenly erupt, Shi Quan felt his scalp prickle.

An image immediately appeared in his mind: someone stepping closer out of curiosity, only to be wrapped into a vine cocoon by the suddenly attacking Man-Eating Vine.

Seeing a spirit beast's method of attack and a battle between a spirit beast and Spirit Masters for the first time, Shi Quan could not help feeling his blood surge with excitement.

He secretly put himself in that situation, considering how he would respond.

Marde's response was simple and brutal. Every swing of his powerful Dark Gold iron staff shattered large numbers of Vines outright.

The Man-Eating Vine's most troublesome trait was that its Vines constantly regenerated, but its weakness was equally obvious. Its Vines were relatively thin and long, and not particularly tough. For a Power Attack System tool spirit master like Marde, as long as his Spirit Power was somewhat higher, he could easily crush it.

Under the heavy swings of the long staff, the Man-Eating Vine's regeneration speed clearly could not keep up with Marde's destruction. Moreover, its Vines could not regenerate without limit. That required Spirit Power.

Under Marde's brutal staff strikes, the Man-Eating Vine was soon reduced to a final segment of vine trembling limply on the ground. Even when it occasionally moved, it appeared weak and powerless.

"You can come over now, Xiao Quan." Only after holding his staff and carefully checking everything did Marde speak.

Century-old spirit beasts possessed no real intelligence, only beastly instincts. Thus, before reaching ten thousand years, there was generally no need to worry about a spirit beast pretending to be dead before counterattacking.

"Thank you, Teacher." Shi Quan came back to his senses. He had not expected Marde, who usually appeared refined and stubborn with a hint of a businessman's air, to be so fierce in battle.

As the thought crossed his mind, Shi Quan had already strode to Marde's side. Marde then took a Long Dagger from his waist and handed it to Shi Quan.

Shi Quan accepted the Long Dagger, bent down, and crouched. He drove the dagger diagonally into the vine at the center of the Man-Eating Vine.

After one final death throe from the Man-Eating Vine, a faint yellow glow slowly rose from its corpse, gradually forming a yellow spirit ring.

"Be careful." Marde worriedly patted Shi Quan's shoulder. Things had come to this, and all he could do was encourage Shi Quan.

Shi Quan nodded and sat down cross-legged, taking a deep breath before summoning his spirit soul.

Blue Light intertwined with the yellow glow in Mid-air. Drawn by the Blue Silver Grass, the yellow spirit ring in Mid-air immediately drifted down at tremendous speed toward Shi Quan's head. It rapidly shrank, eventually becoming a glittering golden bracelet-sized ring that fell straight down and wrapped around the Blue Silver Grass in Shi Quan's hand.

The next moment, Shi Quan's body suddenly trembled violently.

Marde and Dawson stared fixedly at Shi Quan.

"The spirit ring's energy has begun to strike him. Xiao Quan, keep going. You have to hold on." At some point, Marde had clenched his fists tightly. Beyond worry, his gaze toward Shi Quan held even more anticipation—anticipation for Shi Quan's success!