Tang San's face turned ashen as the soul ring's ability instinctively imprinted itself into his mind.
Noticing his disciple's sudden reaction, Yu Xiaogang snapped out of his daze and asked with concern, "Xiao San, what's wrong?"
Seeing his teacher's worried expression, Tang San forced a stiff smile and released his martial soul—Blue Silver Grass. Or rather, what used to be Blue Silver Grass. What emerged was now sticky like mucus, its texture slimy and grotesque. It looked more like a creature's secretion than a plant, a revolting mutation that could disgust both enemies and allies alike.
(As one must know, a martial soul evolves with each soul ring absorbed. If Yu Xiaogang had exclusively fused his martial soul luo sanpao with soul rings of dragon species bearing the light attribute, his martial soul could have evolved into Light Holy Dragon. Thus, consistency in soul ring attributes is crucial for evolving a low-level martial soul into a top-tier one.)
Unfortunately, Tang San's martial soul had taken on the characteristics of a mucus-spitting slug.
"This... What came over me?" Yu Xiaogang muttered, eyes filled with regret. "How could I do this to my own disciple's martial soul...? Poison! It must've been the datura poison that muddled my judgment... haaah..." Sighing deeply.
Tang San, ever composed, quickly brushed away his sorrow. "Yes, Teacher. How could you make such a mistake otherwise? You must not be fully recovered. We should head back and rest, or your condition might worsen."
Hmm… so filial, Tang San, thought Tang Yin sarcastically. I, Tang Yin, hereby declare you the most filial disciple alive!
But his inner monologue took a sharp turn.
No, wait—didn't he steal his clan's secret techniques? The clan took in orphaned Tang San, and what did he do in return? Broke the rules, stole all the core techniques and left without a shred of humanity. Hmph. Double-standard bastard.
The trio eventually set out on their return journey, encountering no danger along the way. As they reached the gates of the Soul Hunting Forest, Yu Xiaogang sighed in relief. This adventure had clearly left a mark on his soul.
Just as the master and disciple were about to climb into the cart, Tang Yin's telepathy detected someone—Tang Hao—rushing toward Holy Spirit Village. He narrowed his eyes and began to contemplate.
Must be going to see Ah Yin… Leaving her in that damp, sunless environment… Tch. If she had consciousness right now, she'd have ripped his beard off by now.
Tang Yin paused in thought.
Should I absorb a soul ring now… or come back later? With Tang Hao gone, I have freedom to act.
After Yu Xiaogang and Tang San settled into the horse cart, Tang Yin gave a friendly smile. "Why don't you two return first? I want to explore a little more. Master, I'll trouble you to inform the academy administration and Xiao Wu."
Tang San Nonchalantly nodded, and Yu Xiaogang responded with surprising enthusiasm. "Young people should venture out—so they don't regret it in their old age. I support you. Go on, young man," he added, eyes shining with what he thought was profound meaning.
Tang Yin, naturally, ignored the old fool.
Once the master-disciple pair departed, Tang Yin turned toward a nearby soul hunting team and approached them with a cheerful tone. "Hello, everyone. I'm looking to hunt my first soul ring. Can you help? I'll pay generously."
Seeing their disdain toward his work-student uniform, he subtly manipulated their feelings to suppress their opinion.
The team immediately responded with equal energy. "Of course, young master! Leave it to us!" they said, pounding their chests.
After completing the entrance procedures, Tang Yin quietly slipped away from the group and delved deep into the forest, heading straight toward the soul beast he had sensed earlier.
Two hours passed. Tang Yin reached the core zone, where a small lake stained with a bloody hue lay still. Within it, he sensed a powerful presence.
The Blood Devouring Plant Beast… finally, the perfect soul ring. It devours enemies by stabbing sharp roots and leaves into their bodies, draining their blood and leaving them weakened.
If my Blue Silver King only absorbs soul rings from devouring-type soul beasts, I might gain the dark attribute ultimate devour ability… like devour of Di Tian's —Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King.
But I'll need to find devouring beasts without evil attributes. That's the challenge.
He paused, thinking.
Well, at least my Body Martial Soul has no attribute restrictions. Spiritual Martial Souls are more complex… I'll worry about that later.
Without hesitation, he launched a spiritual attack that crushed the weak will of the beast. The creature rose slowly to the lake's surface under his control.
"If I'm not careful with my telepathy, someone might end up brain-dead," Tang Yin muttered with a grimace.
"Hmm… looks around 400 years old. Let's boost that." He began searching for a suitable high-aged soul beast to feed it with.
Eventually, he discovered a 600-year-old Ghost Vine—ironically, the same soul beast Tang San would've used for his second ring in the original timeline.
Using spiritual control, Tang Yin disrupted the vine's root system. A deep yellow ring hovered above the dying beast. He absorbed the soul ring with energy absorption power, savoring the process, and returned to the brain-dead Blood Devouring Beast.
Channeling the newly absorbed energy into the plant, its body began to swell, turning a rich crimson as its roots and leaves became razor-sharp.
However, just as he neared full infusion, Tang Yin frowned. "If I push it to the limit, the soul ring will turn purple… I don't want to draw attention right now. There are safer ways to raise the ring's age later."
He cut off the excess energy, leaving the ring at 950 years.
"I could cultivate with this leftover soul power… but no. I value quality over quantity."
With the right soul ring configuration, chosen carefully and tailored to each martial soul, I'll grow exponentially. There's no need to rush. Haste leads to waste.
He then prepared for the soul beast's final act.
It's said only 100,000-year-old beasts can sacrifice themselves—but that's not entirely true. Any soul beast that has developed sentience can choose to sacrifice itself.
Most just don't—except for those that experience human-like emotions… like love.
With his control, Tang Yin forced the brain-dead plant to willingly sacrifice itself. A divine light shone through the core zone. A brilliant yellow soul ring appeared as Tang Yin summoned his Blue Silver King.
As he absorbed the ring, he felt no pressure at all. That's the magic of sacrifice. No drawbacks. Only gain.