"Uh..."
Hearing Yu Xiaogang's words, Tang San looked hesitantly at the Mandala Snake that had died from a ruptured anus.
"Teacher, are you sure?"
Yu Xiaogang was so excited that a flush even rose to his pale face.
"Of course!"
"The Mandala Snake suits you perfectly. Its body is tough, and it possesses deadly venom. Blue Silver Grass is trash enough that its rejection is very low, enough to fully accept the Mandala Snake's traits."
"Little San, you have to trust me!"
"My Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul is a theory even the Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall praised to the skies. Absorbing the Mandala Snake's soul ring will absolutely let your trash martial soul, Blue Silver Grass, shed its old skin and be reborn."
Yu Xiaogang's solemn assurances did make Tang San believe him a little more.
He walked up to the Mandala Snake's corpse, sat cross-legged, circulated his Mysterious Heaven Skill, and sent out a summons to the soul ring.
One second, three seconds, five seconds...
Soon, a minute had passed.
But the soul ring did not budge. Tang San opened his eyes, filled with confusion.
"Teacher, I did what you said, so why can't I absorb this Mandala Snake's soul ring?"
Still very weak, Yu Xiaogang scrambled over, his brows tightly knitted.
"That shouldn't be possible! Whoever kills the soul beast can absorb its soul ring!"
Once Yu Xiaogang drew close, he immediately sensed the soul ring resonating with his soul power.
If his soul power had already reached a bottleneck, he could have absorbed this four-hundred-year Mandala Snake soul ring right then.
Yu Xiaogang was dumbfounded.
"How could this happen..."
He was actually the one who had killed the Mandala Snake, yet he had done nothing!
Could Luo Sanpao's foul fart have taken effect?
But with how formidable the Mandala Snake was, what use could Luo Sanpao's foul fart possibly be?
Only when Yu Xiaogang saw the "blessed grotto" left by the Mandala Snake's ruptured anus did he fall silent. His stomach churned, nauseated, and he wanted to vomit.
So the Mandala Snake had shat itself to death while shitting him out.
Only after a long while did Yu Xiaogang come up with a flimsy excuse.
"Little San, it seems this Mandala Snake wasn't destined for you. You didn't seize the opportunity to deliver the fatal blow before it died, so it wasn't counted as your kill."
Hearing this, Tang San felt as though he had boarded a roller coaster.
Up one moment, down the next.
Yu Xiaogang had praised the Mandala Snake to the heavens, and Tang San had been full of anticipation just moments ago.
Yet now Yu Xiaogang was saying that this Mandala Snake wasn't destined for him, that he hadn't been credited with the final kill.
Tang San's little face darkened.
"How exactly is the final blow on a soul beast determined?"
"I shot out the Mandala Snake's eyes, and I knocked it to the ground with a hammer. Why doesn't it count as my kill?"
"Who else besides me hurt the Mandala Snake?"
Tang San looked at Yu Xiaogang suspiciously.
This useless Gangzi had been swallowed by the Mandala Snake after blasting a fart at it.
If Tang San hadn't beaten the Mandala Snake to death, could Yu Xiaogang have done it instead?
Tang San's composure practically exploded.
He actually couldn't absorb the Mandala Snake soul ring Yu Xiaogang had praised to the heavens.
It left his eyes bloodshot and his breath coming like a panting bull's.
Noticing Tang San's suspicious gaze, Yu Xiaogang awkwardly dug his toes into the ground. Of all the ways the Mandala Snake could have died, it just had to die from a ruptured anus.
He really didn't want to admit that he had killed the Mandala Snake.
"Little San, trust your teacher."
"We can do without this Mandala Snake soul ring. I will definitely find you a soul ring that suits you even better."
Tang San pursed his lips. What could he do?
Since he couldn't absorb the Mandala Snake's soul ring, he could only follow Gangzi to look for another.
"All right, Teacher. I trust you."
Tang San got up, dug the Silent Sleeve Arrow out of the Mandala Snake's eye, and reloaded it.
He glanced at Yu Xiaogang, whose face was pale and whose steps were unsteady even as he walked.
Tang San could only take on the task of scouting ahead himself.
What level of useless trash took a disciple to acquire a soul ring, only to get himself covered in injuries and then make the disciple scout ahead?
Yu Xiaogang's heart sank too, bitterness filling his mouth. This time, he probably wouldn't be able to preserve his glorious image in Tang San's eyes.
He had wanted to put on a grand display, only to take a giant shit instead. He should never have brought Tang San to the Soul Hunting Forest alone. He would let it go this time, but next time, he had to bring the dean.
Tang San's Purple Demon Eye had already reached the Minute Detail realm. His observations were meticulous, and before long, he discovered a python coiled around a large tree, constantly rubbing its body against it.
The python was grayish-brown, its skin covered in bumps, and it gave off a faint, fishy stench.
"Teacher, look at that python up ahead."
Yu Xiaogang looked in the direction Tang San pointed and immediately slapped his thigh in delight.
"Little San, we've found your first soul ring."
"This snake is called a Mangy Snake. Its venom is even more terrifying than the Mandala Snake's. Judging by its length and size, it's also a hundred-year soul beast."
"It's simply the perfect first soul ring for you."
"My first soul skill is too terrifying. Farting Like Thunder is too powerful. In a moment, I'll use my second soul skill, Farting Like Mist, to hypnotize this Mangy Snake into sleep. Then you can seize the chance to kill it."
As he spoke, Yu Xiaogang summoned Luo Sanpao. Tang San had drained his poisoned blood, and his body was still somewhat weak, but his soul power had almost fully recovered.
"Second soul skill, Farting Like Mist, Hypnotic Slumber, Luo Sanpao!"
The belly of Yu Xiaogang's purple-skinned pig swelled again. He turned around, stuck out his rear, and sprayed yellow gas at the Mangy Snake coiled around the tree.
This was hypnotic gas, and it did have some effect.
The Mangy Snake visibly grew sluggish.
Tang San glanced at Luo Sanpao in disgust. Why were both of his teacher's attack skills so revolting?
Fortunately, the effect was decent. Taking advantage of the Mangy Snake being hypnotized,
Tang San used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to approach it swiftly, then fired the Silent Sleeve Arrow straight into its eye.
Then he summoned the Clear Sky Hammer and hurled it, striking the Mangy Snake seven inches below its head.
The Mangy Snake hissed. After those successive heavy blows, its life swiftly ebbed away.
A yellow soul ring emerged from the Mangy Snake's corpse.
Tang San let out a relieved breath. Surely this would count as his kill now?
But was this Mangy Snake's soul ring really as suitable for him as Yu Xiaogang claimed?
Yu Xiaogang had praised that Mandala Snake's soul ring to the heavens before, too.
Yu Xiaogang seized the opportunity to encourage Tang San.
"Little San, what are you still hesitating for? This is the hundred-year soul ring that suits you best, carefully selected for you by your teacher. A tough body and deadly venom-it suits you even better than the Mandala Snake's soul ring."
In truth, Yu Xiaogang was uneasy himself.
The Mangy Snake did possess deadly venom, but whether it was stronger than the Mandala Snake's was another matter.
Moreover, the Mangy Snake had a major flaw. As it aged and more toxins accumulated, bumps would grow all over its body. Those bumps itched unbearably, and ordinary scratching couldn't relieve them at all.
The Mangy Snake had been rubbing back and forth against the tree for no other reason than to relieve the itching.
There shouldn't... be any problems... right...?
Blue Silver Grass is a plant martial soul. It manifests outside the body rather than possessing it. Even if Blue Silver Grass absorbs the Mangy Snake's soul ring, it shouldn't make Little San inherit the Mangy Snake's flaw and grow ugly, unbearably itchy bumps as more toxins accumulate.
But Yu Xiaogang had gotten that wrong.
Tang San wasn't even a pure-blooded human. His bloodline was half human and half Blue Silver, and Blue Silver Grass was part of his body.
Any flaw Blue Silver Grass inherited, Tang San himself would inherit too.