Sword Orchid

In the end, there were still six Dragon Rhyme Immortal Ganoderma Pills left.

But for the moment, Lin Rong could not find any suitable candidates among his subordinates.

"I have treasures in hand, yet I don't know whom to give them to. What a happy kind of trouble!"

"Since that's the case, I'll keep them for now and decide later depending on the situation."

After putting away the jade bottle, Lin Rong looked in the direction of Sunset Forest.

Half a day earlier, he had received a message from the Shadow Guards:

Tang San and his group had left Heaven Dou City early that morning and were heading toward Sunset Forest.

If Lin Rong's guess was correct, Tang San's Soul Power had broken through to level twenty. He had left the city this time to hunt for his Second Soul Ring in Sunset Forest.

In the original story, Tang San had first entered Sunset Forest after being abducted by Dugu Bo, which was how he discovered the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye.

He had then used the Immortal Grade Medicinal Herbs there to forge an unparalleled foundation.

This time, however, Tang San had entered Sunset Forest on his own.

Moreover, every herb within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye had already been dug up by Lin Rong, roots, soil, and all. Not even a single blade of grass remained.

Even if Tang San still happened to encounter Dugu Bo and successfully helped him detoxify, once he entered the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye, he would only see the Extreme Cold Blazing Sun Twin Springs still in their recovery period. He would gain no real benefits whatsoever.

Aside from the news concerning Tang San.

There was also new information from Nuoding City.

"Grandmaster" Yu Xiaogang seemed to have left Nuoding Academy for some unknown reason.

According to the Shadow Guards' report, Yu Xiaogang appeared to be heading toward Suotuo City in the Balak Kingdom.

And Shrek Academy was located near Suotuo City.

This gave Lin Rong some ideas.

Could it be that, after waiting all these years without finding an experimental subject as exceptional as Tang San, he could no longer wait and wanted to take a chance at Shrek Academy?

To see whether Shrek Academy had a suitable experimental subject capable of verifying Yu Xiaogang's theories.

If that was truly what Yu Xiaogang had in mind, then reality was bound to leave him bitterly disappointed.

Because even now, Shrek Academy still had only one student: Oscar.

In terms of talent alone, Oscar certainly met Yu Xiaogang's requirements.

But unfortunately, Oscar was a Food System Soul Master, not a battle Soul Master.

That fact alone was enough to crush Yu Xiaogang's plan before it could even begin.

Not to mention that Oscar was Shao Xin's disciple. With Shao Xin's personality, there was no way he would hand his direct disciple Oscar over to anyone.

There was more news from Nuoding City as well.

Yu Xiaogang had made a move, but Tang Hao remained the same as before.

According to the bribed villagers, he stayed indoors drinking himself into a stupor all day and rarely took on any blacksmithing work anymore.

He also disappeared for a day or two every now and then, with no one knowing where he went.

This news gave Lin Rong quite a headache.

Tang Hao kept going behind that waterfall to visit his wife, making it impossible for Lin Rong to find a chance to steal the soul bone hidden there.

Actually, if Lin Rong did not interfere with Tang San's growth trajectory, then when Tang San went to Shrek Academy at the age of twelve, that would be the perfect opportunity to steal the soul bone.

But for the grand plan of seizing the Heaven Dou Imperial Throne, Lin Rong had to accelerate Tang San's growth so that Tang San would be qualified to fight Qian Renxue ahead of time.

Therefore, interfering with Tang San's growth trajectory was something he had to do.

As for that one-hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone, he could still find another opportunity to steal it. He merely needed someone to keep constant watch over Tang Hao's movements.

Sunset Forest.

Tang San's party of four walked through the mountains and woods.

Aside from Tang San himself, the other three were his little follower Tailong, Tai Tan's son Taino, and Niu Gao's son Niu Ben.

Both Taino and Niu Ben were Soul Kings. One excelled in strength, while the other excelled in defense. Working together, they were more than capable of protecting Tang San while he obtained his Second Soul Ring.

As for Tailong, as a qualified follower, he naturally had to remain by Tang San's side at all times.

Of the three clans that had already pledged allegiance to the Tang Sect, only the Speed Clan had no one appearing in this party.

It was not because Bai He was reluctant to send anyone. Of the three clans, he was the one most eager to build a closer relationship with Tang San.

And the clan member Bai He had sent was none other than his granddaughter, Bai Chenxiang, who had only recently turned six.

With Tang Yuehua's guidance, Tang San had long since ceased to be socially inexperienced.

When he saw what Bai He was doing, how could he fail to see what Bai He was planning? Thus, he tactfully declined.

A distant younger cousin with whom he barely shared any relation carried less weight in Tang San's heart than a Silent Sleeve Arrow.

Besides, Tang San, who had always prided himself on his purity, could not bring himself to lay a hand on a six-year-old girl.

By noon, the group found a spot beside a stream to rest.

After a while, Tang San accepted the roasted rabbit meat Tailong had prepared, took a bite, and praised him.

"Not bad. Your skills have improved! It may not compare to Auntie's Spicy Rabbit Head, but it's already much better than the burnt one you made last time."

Tailong smiled somewhat sheepishly and replied.

"Thank you for the praise, Young Master. For this rabbit meat to earn the Young Master's approval is its good fortune."

Tang San was quite pleased by those words, though he was also somewhat puzzled.

Ever since the day his aunt, Tang Yuehua, had received a letter from his father, she often made Spicy Rabbit Head for him.

Strangely enough, once Tang San had tasted it, he became hopelessly addicted.

Tang San had his own explanation for this.

Since ancient times, people from Chuan-Shu had loved spicy food. Perhaps this was the taste of his hometown.

After resting for a while, the group continued searching Sunset Forest for a suitable soul beast.

Tang San had set a minimum age of seven hundred years for his Second Soul Ring. As for the type of soul beast, it would ideally be a high-quality plant soul beast.

His First Soul Ring had come from Ink Bamboo that was over four hundred years old.

After Blue Silver Grass absorbed the Ink Bamboo soul ring, it not only became tougher, but also inherited the sharpness of its leaves. Combined with Tang San's own techniques, it could be used entirely as a hidden weapon.

However, the sharpness granted by a mere four-hundred-year Ink Bamboo soul ring was far from sufficient.

Therefore, when choosing his Second Soul Ring, Tang San not only required a high-quality plant soul beast with no less than seven hundred years of cultivation, but also preferred one that could make Blue Silver Grass even sharper.

Yet such soul beasts were often impossible to find by searching. Even if one was encountered, its age might not be suitable—it could be too high or too low.

Several days passed in a flash before Tang San's group finally found a satisfactory target.

It was a Sword Orchid growing within a canyon, with seven orchid leaves.

One of those leaves was slightly smaller than the rest, indicating that this Sword Orchid's cultivation was close to eight hundred years.

A Sword Orchid—a high-quality plant soul beast with cultivation close to eight hundred years and innate sharpness—was practically perfect for Tang San's expectations for his Second Soul Ring.

Moreover, the sharpness of a Sword Orchid was not something Ink Bamboo could compare to.

Tang San could already imagine what kind of evolution Blue Silver Grass would undergo after he absorbed this Sword Orchid's soul ring.