Mandala Snake

Tang San's gaze sharpened slightly as Yu Xiaogang continued his lesson.

"Once a soul ring is applied to your martial soul, you can release a soul skill by channeling soul power into it."

With that, Yu Xiaogang circulated his soul power, and the first yellow soul ring instantly settled over Luo Sanpao.

"First Soul Skill, Thunderclap!!"

"Roar!!"

Luo Sanpao let out a furious roar that sounded almost like a dragon's. A surge of dragon might spread out, and the Wind Wolves instantly froze in place as though cowed.

Lightning erupted around Luo Sanpao as he charged.

Boom!!

With a deafening crash, all seven Wind Wolves were sent flying backward.

White soul rings rose one after another.

"After a soul beast is killed, a soul ring automatically rises from its corpse. Only the person who delivered the final, fatal blow can absorb it. If it isn't absorbed, it will dissipate on its own after two hours."

As he spoke, Yu Xiaogang drew a dagger from his sleeve and handed it to Tang San.

"I told you yesterday what kind of soul ring you should choose. None of these soul beasts suit you. Take this dagger. You can use it to defend yourself or deliver the finishing blow."

Yu Xiaogang thought for a moment, then added a warning. "If a soul master doesn't need a soul ring, they must never slaughter soul beasts indiscriminately. If all soul masters hunt without restraint, it won't take many years before our descendants find themselves with no soul rings to absorb."

Tang San took the dagger and nodded. "Yes, Teacher. I understand."

The two continued onward, heading deeper into the Soul Hunting Forest.

As they walked, Yu Xiaogang explained the basics of soul rings to Tang San.

These included the colors corresponding to soul ring ages, the greater difficulty of absorbing rings dropped by higher-level soul beasts, and even the increased difficulty of absorbing rings produced by higher-quality soul beasts.

"The maximum age a soul master can withstand for their first soul ring is around 423 years, but that isn't absolute. The stronger your physique, the older the soul ring you can naturally withstand."

"Suppose your cultivation is at Soul Ancestor, but your physique and spiritual power already rival a Soul King's. Then you can absorb a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring beyond your rank. Knowledge about soul masters can only serve as a reference. You must learn to adapt and apply it flexibly."

"I understand."

The two continued onward and soon reached a verdant bamboo grove.

"Teacher, are these soul beasts too?"

Yu Xiaogang stepped forward and patted a bamboo stalk. "This is a stalk of ten-year solitary bamboo, a type of plant soul beast. Its defining trait is toughness, but it doesn't suit you. First, it's too young. Second, as I told you, the best fit for you is a plant soul beast with the life attribute."

"Lone bamboo has vitality, but not much. Absorbing it would most likely only give you a pole-vaulting soul skill. It's trash among trash."

"So that's how it is."

Tang San immediately lost interest in the lone bamboo.

By now, Tang San had absorbed the whale rubber Yu Xiaogang had prepared, raising his soul ring absorption limit by roughly five hundred years, but he still wasn't completely certain of absorbing a Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

To be safe, Yu Xiaogang still planned to find a hundred-year soul beast, but it had to be at least eight hundred years old.

"By the way, Teacher, you said that the older the soul ring we absorb, the stronger the soul skill we gain. Would it be possible to stay at a bottleneck and train our bodies, then obtain a soul ring once we've reached our limit?"

Yu Xiaogang raised an eyebrow. "It's very good that you have this question, and worthy of praise, but the idea is completely wrong, because soul masters have a golden period for cultivation."

"A soul master's golden cultivation period is usually before the age of thirty. Past that age, cultivation slows down. Wasting a great deal of time before then training your physique without obtaining a soul ring would be putting the cart before the horse."

"Yes, Teacher."

Yu Xiaogang smiled. "I'm not telling you not to train your physique. Physical training is just as important. You simply need to find a balance between the two."

"All right, let's go farther in. Having absorbed whale rubber, you can now absorb a soul ring close to a thousand years old as your first soul ring. Most of the beasts on the outskirts of the Soul Hunting Forest are only ten-year soul beasts."

The two ventured farther in. As they went deeper, the surrounding soul beasts grew older and older. Suddenly, Yu Xiaogang stopped, and Luo Sanpao ahead of them grew restless as well.

Tang San instantly sensed something was wrong too.

"Teacher, something's happening."

Yu Xiaogang said nothing, his gaze instantly locking onto the bushes to the left.

Whoosh!!

An emerald blur shot out, rushing straight at Yu Xiaogang with tremendous speed.

"Roar!!"

Just as the green blur was about to strike Yu Xiaogang, Luo Sanpao became an afterimage and slammed hard into it.

Boom!!

After a dull crash, the green blur flew backward and struck a tree.

Tang San drew his short blade and watched the area ahead warily.

"This is a 422-year-old Mandala Snake. It also has another name: the Poison Arrow Demon! Xiao San, stand behind me and don't run around."

Yu Xiaogang gave his warning as Luo Sanpao stared fixedly at the Mandala Snake.

So this is the Mandala Snake that knocked me unconscious in the original story? It certainly has an imposing presence, but unfortunately, I'm no longer the Yu Xiaogang I once was.

"First Soul Skill, Thunderclap!"

"Second Soul Skill, Holy Dragon's Claw!"

"Roar!"

Luo Sanpao let out a furious roar. Dazzling lightning erupted around him, and his foreclaws instantly sharpened, wreathed in a pale golden glow.

"Attack!"

Luo Sanpao roared and charged, moving as fast as a bolt of golden lightning!

The Mandala Snake clearly hadn't expected the strange golden soul beast before it to burst forth with such astonishing speed!

Its emerald body twisted sharply in midair, narrowly avoiding Luo Sanpao's head-on charge.

But it was still a fraction too slow. The Holy Dragon's Claw grazed its belly, drawing a trail of scarlet blood droplets.

"Hiss!!"

The Mandala Snake gave a piercing hiss of pain, its tail sweeping over like a steel whip. Luo Sanpao pushed off with all four feet and evaded the blow with an extraordinarily nimble flip. When he landed, his foreclaws sank deep into the soil, and once he steadied himself, he lunged again.

"What quick reactions!"

Tang San tightened his grip on the dagger, a flicker of surprise flashing through his eyes.

Yu Xiaogang stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the battlefield. "The most frightening things about a Mandala Snake are its venomous fangs and speed. But as long as you suppress its speed, it's nothing more than a long worm."

Before he finished speaking, Luo Sanpao had already closed in on the Mandala Snake.

The golden glow around the Holy Dragon's Claw flared as he swiped down. The Mandala Snake abruptly drew its head back while opening its mouth to spit out a cloud of dark green poisonous mist.

"Watch out for the poisonous mist!"

Tang San cried urgently.

But Luo Sanpao seemed to have anticipated it, and a dragon's roar exploded from his mouth!

Thunderclap!

Dragon might erupted, an invisible wave of intimidation rippling outward and actually scattering the poisonous mist in all directions!

Cowed by the dragon might, the Mandala Snake's pupils instantly contracted, and its body stiffened for a split second.

That split second was all it took!

Luo Sanpao abruptly accelerated, slashing with his foreclaws in a crossing strike!

The sound of tearing flesh set teeth on edge. The Mandala Snake's body was ripped apart three inches behind its head, spraying blood and fragments of internal organs across the ground.

Its body writhed feebly on the ground twice, then gradually stilled.

Immediately afterward, a yellow soul ring slowly rose from the snake's corpse.