"That seems to be the case." Xiao Wu was amazed, then asked, "But aren't Blue Silver Grass seeds very light? Wouldn't they scatter with a gust of wind?"
"That's true," Tang San admitted, "but if the enemy can't even see the Blue Silver Grass seeds, how would they think to use wind against them?" He said this with pride. "This secret—so long as you don't tell and I don't mention it—no one else will know. Even if they do find out, it's useless. Don't you remember my Endless Grassland?"
"Right, Endless Grassland!"
Xiao Wu suddenly understood. Tang San's Endless Grassland could absorb the power of the land. If his second soul skill was integrated with Endless Grassland, then the seeds could be continuously supplied while enemies, unable to tap into the earth's power, wouldn't have the soul power to keep creating wind to scatter them.
However, Xiao Wu thought of another issue. "If that's the case, why use seeds at all? Wouldn't it be better to spread your enhancement through flower fragrance?"
To her, using floral pollen would be even more concealed.
"You're talking about flower fragrance," Tang San rolled his eyes, "but other people aren't nose-deaf. They'll immediately sense what I'm doing. Besides, pollen is even more easily blown away. More importantly, Blue Silver Grass doesn't bloom—or rather, it doesn't bloom the way normal flowers do."
"That's true. I've never seen Blue Silver Grass with flowers… So then, how does it produce seeds?" Xiao Wu's curiosity was piqued.
"When Blue Silver Grass reaches its reproductive period, small protrusions grow between the veins of its leaves. Those are the flowers—but they're even smaller than the seeds."
Tang San lifted his arm and gestured. "They're finer than body hair—tiny fluff. When the wind blows, they pollinate each other. The entire blooming and fruiting process happens in a single day. It's extremely fast. And based on my calculations, a single Blue Silver Grass plant can produce millions of seeds at once."
"Heavens, millions?" Xiao Wu's mouth hung open in disbelief.
"That's right. It's really that many," Tang San confirmed. "Every time we breathe, we might be inhaling countless Blue Silver Grass seeds—and exhaling just as many."
Xiao Wu shivered. "Isn't that kind of gross?"
Tang San just smiled and pointed at the light filtering through the carriage slats. "Take a closer look at the light. What do you see?"
Xiao Wu squinted and noticed that the thin ray of sunlight was filled with tiny motes, floating and shifting endlessly.
"Are these… Blue Silver Grass seeds?"
"Only a small portion. Most of it is dust—microscopic particles invisible to the naked eye," Tang San explained. "Every breath we take draws in these particles. But don't worry—they don't all make it to our lungs. Our nasal hairs and mucus filter out the larger ones."
Xiao Wu processed this for a moment, then asked, "So… is that why boogers turn black? Because they collect dust?"
"That's part of the reason, yes." Tang San nodded. "So don't worry about the seeds germinating inside you. Without the proper environment, the seeds lose their activity quickly."
Only then did Xiao Wu relax. Still, she had another question. "Didn't you say that your martial soul is different from real Blue Silver Grass? Why not have it bloom into a large flower instead?"
"There's a difference, but I don't want my martial soul to be too conspicuous," Tang San shook his head. "It's still the same reasoning—if my Blue Silver Grass bloomed with big, flashy flowers, anyone would know immediately that my soul skill is related to fragrance and pollen."
"Then… what kind of plant soul beast do you want to hunt?"
As a Soft-Boned Rabbit, Xiao Wu sympathized with cute soul beasts—but not with plant ones. Before she transformed, they had been her food. She felt no pity for them.
"Wood Spirit Mushroom."
Tang San uttered the name calmly.
The Wood Spirit Mushroom wasn't strictly a plant or an animal—it was a fungus. It grew in symbiosis with other plant-type soul beasts and was packed with immense life force. Its main method of attack was releasing spores that enhanced its host plant soul beast's abilities in all aspects.
Its spores also had a significant effect on soul beasts and humans. Prolonged exposure could subtly improve physical fitness—but the spores were highly addictive and hard to quit.
For this reason, the Spirit Hall classified the Wood Spirit Mushroom as poisonous. And where it grew, aside from its host plant, there were usually animal soul beasts stationed as guardians.
"It's addictive?" Xiao Wu was a little wary.
"Don't worry," Tang San reassured her. "I bought a sample of Wood Spirit Mushroom spores from a pharmacy in Nuoding City and studied them. The so-called addiction comes from a chemical in the spores that causes cellular degeneration, which in turn stimulates the nervous system and causes excitement... But I can absorb the Wood Spirit Mushroom's soul ring without reproducing that chemical. After all, my martial soul is Blue Silver Grass—not the mushroom itself."
Eight days later, Tang San and Xiao Wu finally arrived in the Balak Kingdom. It took another five days to travel through most of the kingdom's cities before they reached the Balak Hunting Soul Forest.
During the journey, Tang San also visited the local Spirit Hall once, showed them Matthew Nuo's letter, and obtained formal authorization to enter the forest.
Compared to Nuoding Forest, the Balak Forest was vast. Various ten-year and hundred-year plant soul beasts were scattered throughout, and many insect-type soul beasts could also be seen.
Plant soul beasts under ten thousand years couldn't move. The insect soul beasts in this forest largely ignored human soul masters. When touched, they wouldn't retaliate but would dodge or flee quickly.
"It seems like most of the soul beasts here are already used to humans," Tang San observed thoughtfully. "Plant soul beasts can't move and can't resist effectively. Insect soul beasts, lacking vertebrate intelligence, behave no differently from normal insects. Judging from this, our hunt for the Wood Spirit Mushroom might be relatively smooth."
But Xiao Wu wasn't paying attention. She had caught a palm-sized, seven-star ladybug and was playing with it gleefully, as if reminiscing about her soul beast days.
Tang San didn't mind. According to the map he had bought from the town outside the forest, he led Xiao Wu to the area where the Wood Spirit Mushroom was said to grow.
"Huh?"
Upon reaching the site, Tang San spotted the head-sized, jade-like Wood Spirit Mushroom—but what shocked him wasn't the mushroom itself. It was the plant soul beast it was attached to.
It was a Demonic Eye Demon Tree!
What's more—it had already developed an eye on its trunk, meaning it had reached the thousand-year level.
But the tree looked sickly and drained of vitality. Something was off.
And on top of the Wood Spirit Mushroom… lay a finger-thick, emerald-green little snake, with nine fingernail-sized jade-green scales on its back.
That was the Nine-Jointed Jade Snake!
Author's note: In this story, Blue Silver Grass is classified as a gymnosperm.