This time, it was your turn

The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent skimmed past the branch tips. Shao Heng moved after it, only to discover that it had already changed direction.

The Red Crown they had spotted in the woods earlier had appeared for only an instant. The teachers leading the group tried to narrow its escape routes from both sides, but twice in succession, they were a step too slow. The serpent slid along the low branches and slipped through the gap before it closed.

"Don't chase it yet." Chen Xin pressed a hand to Chen An's shoulder, keeping him in the rear.

Shao Heng did not rush forward rashly either. His Black Panther Martial Soul had already possessed his body. If he charged in alone, he might get close once, but this serpent would not even let them see clearly where it would land. What could he do even if he caught up?

The teacher leading them first examined its head and fan-shaped tail, then waited until it circled past an open patch and revealed the pale red short wings tucked against its body before saying quietly, "It's the right species."

"What about its length?" Shao Heng asked.

"Judging by that length, it's roughly between thirteen hundred and eighteen hundred years old. That range is still too wide. We need to get closer and check its short wings, crest shape, and Soul Power aura together."

Shao Heng looked at Chen Xin. The old man had examined his body and his two existing rings before they left the sect. Now, he said only, "If a closer look puts it within the range we set earlier, you can try. Before we make a move, you decide for yourself."

Shao Heng nodded. Yesterday, he had said he did not want that fast serpent, and they had let it go. This one truly suited his plans better, but he still had to wait until the teachers had assessed the risks accurately before asking for it.

The serpent dropped from the branches again, its belly almost brushing the tips of the grass. It lacked the dark markings of the deep brown serpent from earlier, and the pale red of its short wings showed more clearly in the light. Shao Heng's master exchanged a glance with another teacher. Only after examining its fleshy crest and short wings up close and sensing its Soul Power aura did he signal Shao Heng.

"About fourteen hundred years old, within what you can withstand. This one will do. Get ready."

Shao Heng answered quietly, and the Black Leopard crouched low. Several adults from the sect spread out, first blocking two narrow passages through the woods. None attacked the Red Crown head-on. The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent's strength lay in its speed. If they pressed it too hard and it suddenly accelerated, it might vanish in the blink of an eye.

Chen An watched clearly from behind. The first time, it had slipped around the roots on the left; the second, it had brushed past the same gray stone. Just before its body turned, its Red Crown always tilted half an inch in that direction first. He did not know whether this was a habit or whether it was searching for a gap, so he did not call out immediately. When he saw it a third time, the little path hidden behind a fallen tree beyond the gray stone happened to come into view.

"There's still a gap under the fallen tree on the left!"

His words had barely fallen when the serpent indeed veered that way. The lead teacher moved at the sound, blocking its way beside the roots a step ahead of it. The serpent's fleshy crest lit up, and its speed abruptly surged again. Its body hugged the ground, almost slipping past his feet.

A streak of sword energy struck before the fallen tree, severing several crosswise branches and sealing the escape route completely. Chen Xin had not slashed at the serpent's body; he had merely closed that gap for the people leading the hunt. The serpent jerked its head up, trying to go over the top, but another teacher was already guarding the side. It coiled once in the narrow space, its tail flinging mud and leaves, still refusing to stop.

"Wait until it comes down, Shao Heng!" the lead teacher shouted.

Shao Heng held himself back from charging too early. The Black Leopard's two yellow rings lit up beside him. His legs were already brimming with strength, but he insisted on waiting until the serpent's head was forced down and its retreat truly blocked. In his earlier training, he had always wanted to finish everything first through speed alone. Today, it was his turn to obtain a ring, and impatience alone would not catch it.

Together, the adults forced the serpent back to the ground. The lead teacher wounded its body, then pinned the side of its neck. It was still writhing, and its Red Crown could still glow faintly, but it no longer had a chance to bolt away.

"Now!"

Shao Heng lunged forward. He did not grab wildly at those impossibly slippery scales. Following the angle the teacher had left open, he gripped his short blade and drove it into the exposed vital spot below the Red Crown. The serpent's body convulsed violently, making even the Black Leopard sway. Chen Xin raised a hand to protect Shao Heng's back, but did not hold the blade for him.

Shao Heng steadied his feet and drove the short blade all the way in.

The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent finally stopped struggling. A ring of purple light slowly rose from its body. Shao Heng stood beside it, his chest heaving, but he never loosened his grip on his knife hilt. Only after confirming that the Soul Beast had breathed its last did the lead teacher have him withdraw to the safe spot they had cleared beforehand.

"Sit down. Keep your Soul Power steady."

Keeping his Black Panther Martial Soul active, Shao Heng sat cross-legged as instructed. When the thousand-year Purple Soul Ring was drawn toward him, his shoulders and back tensed, and sweat appeared on his forehead. Remembering the hardship of his own night, Chen An almost stepped forward, but Chen Xin stopped him.

"He's already begun. Wait here."

Chen An stopped. Everyone's Martial Soul, body, and Soul Ring were different. Having absorbed a seven-thousand-year ring himself did not mean he could endure the force of these thousand-odd years for Shao Heng. The teachers stood guard around the outside, while Chen Xin kept watch over the woods as usual. All Chen An could do was ready the waterskin and wait to hand it over when Shao Heng opened his eyes.

Shao Heng's breathing was somewhat uneven at first, but after a while, it gradually steadied. The purple glow drew close to the Black Panther Martial Soul, lining up with the original two yellow rings. He remained seated until dusk approached, then slowly reined in his Soul Power and opened his eyes.

"How are you?" The lead teacher was asking about his body.

Shao Heng moved his shoulders and arms, then stood and took a couple of steps. Only after confirming that his Soul Power flowed smoothly did he accept the water Chen An offered.

"I'm not hurt."

Only upon hearing that did Chen An release the breath he had held in his heart. After drinking, Shao Heng looked at the newly added Purple Soul Ring beside him and could not help smiling. What exactly the skill did would have to wait until they returned and tested it somewhere safe. Right now, he only wanted something to eat and somewhere to rest.

The lead teacher did not let him show off immediately after absorbing the ring either. The group retraced their route out of the woods, rested outside overnight, then returned to the sect at their original pace. Along the way, Shao Heng wanted several times to try the Black Leopard's new move, but whenever a teacher spotted him, he had to suppress that impatience.

"There's a training ground back home," Chen An said. "However many runs you want to make, someone will be there watching."

"I only want to run once."

"The day before yesterday, you also said you'd only eat one piece of Guobaorou."

Remembering the extra piece he had taken afterward, Shao Heng argued no further.

When they returned to the sect, Uncle Zhou had already prepared dinner. Rongrong first caught hold of Chen An and looked him over. Only after seeing that he was perfectly fine did she turn to inspect the Purple Soul Ring Shao Heng had obtained as he wished. Smiling, Shao Heng showed it to her briefly, then put away his Martial Soul and went to eat, leaving the testing of his new skill for tomorrow.

Chen An spread his notes from the journey on one corner of the dining table and took the initiative to point them out to Rongrong. The edge of that half-piece of shed snakeskin had been brittle, crumbling at a touch, while the mud marks beside it had still been wet. Though the two had been close together, they had been left at different times and could not be pieced together as traces of the same serpent. For the fast serpent that had darted out later, he had only recorded the pointed tail and lack of a crest that he had seen clearly with his own eyes. He had still left the beast's name blank.

"Leaving this box blank was right." Rongrong lightly held the paper down, withdrawing her hand only after he had finished looking.

She did not alter Chen An's field notes. Instead, she took out the book she had brought back from the academy and added "different ages" beside her earlier conjecture that had linked the shed skin and sliding marks into a single trail. She recorded the later pale red short wings, fan-shaped tail, and age estimated by the teachers separately. The next time she looked through the book, she would not piece two serpents into one.

The following afternoon, they gathered at the sect's training ground. Gu Rong set the wooden post with the cloth strip tied to it back in its place from a few days earlier, and again called on the same two adult disciples to spar with Shao Heng. One would take his attacks from the front, while the other sought a chance to circle toward the post; touching the cloth strip counted as passing. Gu Rong allowed them only two rounds and forbade moves that could injure anyone.

As the first round began, Shao Heng pressed forward as usual, forcing the man in front back several steps. The disciple behind seized the opening and headed for the post. This time, Shao Heng did not simply chase the man ahead. He first checked his momentum, then turned and activated his third Soul Ring. Purple light flashed, and the Black Leopard took several successive steps, each landing on solid ground, only turning back far faster than usual. Before the rear disciple's hand could touch the cloth strip, Shao Heng was already blocking the post.

"I made it this time." Shao Heng laughed aloud, though his shoulders also heaved with the abrupt stop.

Gu Rong let him regulate his breathing for a moment before calling the sparring partners back into position. In the second round, the man in front kept him occupied for a few more steps, and the man behind moved a little later as well. Shao Heng activated his Third Soul Ring again, and those few steps back were still fast. But when he tried to continue around to the other side of the post, his speed had already fallen back to normal, while his Soul Power had dropped a chunk. Gu Rong immediately called a halt. The two adult disciples stopped as well, no longer forcing him to chase another lap.

"It's enough to make up those few steps." Shao Heng wiped his brow. "If I try to keep it active while I run, I can't last long."

Gu Rong nodded. His timely return in the first round had also owed something to Shao Heng checking his own position first. His third skill gave him a brief burst of speed when turning back; it could not watch the companions behind him in his stead.

Rongrong looked at the wooden post, remembering how Gu Rong had taught her which way to retreat first a few days earlier. She added a line to her own notes: even with someone protecting her, she still had to leave herself a way out. She did not have to wait until Shao Heng charged back before moving.

Watching from the side, Chen An was happy for Shao Heng. That one step he had fallen short by a few days earlier had now truly been made up. As for identifying beasts and selecting rings, Chen An could finally understand some of it too. When he went out with Grandpa Sword in the future, he would not merely have to wait for others to give him the answers.

As soon as practice ended and Shao Heng put away the Black Leopard, Fang Ming came over and asked, "You're still coming to the Small Kitchen tomorrow, right?"

"I am," Shao Heng answered even faster than he had attacked earlier. "A new ring is one thing. I still have to eat."

Chen An tucked his notes back into his pack and headed toward the Kitchen with a smile. Shao Heng could now make it back on his own. Tomorrow, the Small Kitchen would surely have one more person urging them to serve the food.