In the end, there would still be six Dragon Rhythmic Immortal Grass Pills left.
However, for the time being, Lin Rong couldn't find anyone suitable to use them.
"Having a treasure on hand but not knowing who to give it to—this truly is a happy trouble!"
"Since that's the case, I might as well hold on to them for now and decide when the time comes."
He put the jade bottle away and looked towards the direction of the Sunset Forest.
Half a day ago, he received news from his shadow guards:
Tang San and his group had left Heaven Dou City early this morning, heading toward the Sunset Forest.
If Lin Rong's guess was correct, Tang San had likely broken through to level 20 in soul power, and this trip out of the city was to hunt for his second soul ring in the Sunset Forest.
In the original story, Tang San's first trip into the Sunset Forest was when Dugu Bo kidnapped him, which led to the discovery of the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye.
He also used the immortal herbs there to create a perfect foundation for his team.
This time, however, Tang San entered the Sunset Forest of his own accord.
Moreover, Lin Rong had already dug up all the medicinal herbs from the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye, roots and all, leaving nothing behind.
Even if Tang San were to unexpectedly encounter Dugu Bo and successfully help him detoxify, entering the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye would only reveal the still-recovering Extreme Cold and Fiery Yang Springs, offering no substantial benefits.
In addition to the news from Tang San, there was also news from Notting City.
"Master" Yu Xiaogang had, for some unknown reason, left Notting Academy.
According to the information from the shadow guards, Yu Xiaogang seemed to be heading toward Soto City in the Barak Kingdom.
Shrek Academy was located near Soto City.
This made Lin Rong speculate.
Could it be that after waiting for so many years and still not finding an excellent test subject like Tang San, Yu Xiaogang couldn't wait any longer and decided to head to Shrek Academy to give it a shot?
Perhaps he hoped to find a qualified test subject to validate his theories there.
If that was Yu Xiaogang's plan, the outcome would likely disappoint him.
Because, as of now, Shrek Academy only had one student—Oscar.
Oscar was certainly talented enough to meet Yu Xiaogang's standards.
But unfortunately, Oscar was a Food System soul master, not a Battle Spirit Master.
This alone would cause Yu Xiaogang's plans to fall apart.
Not to mention that Oscar was a disciple of Shao Xin, and with Shao Xin's character, he would never allow Oscar, his direct disciple, to be given to anyone else.
As for the news from Notting City, while Yu Xiaogang had made a move, Tang Hao was still the same as always.
According to the information from the bribed villagers, he spent his days getting drunk in his house, rarely taking on even the blacksmithing work.
Moreover, he occasionally disappeared for a day or two, and no one knew where he went.
This news made Lin Rong a bit troubled.
Tang Hao often went to visit his wife behind the waterfall, which had delayed Lin Rong's plans to steal the soul bone from there.
If Lin Rong hadn't interfered with Tang San's growth trajectory, the best time to steal the soul bone would have been when Tang San was 32 years old and went to Shrek Academy.
But to seize the throne of the Heaven Dou Empire, Lin Rong needed to accelerate Tang San's growth so that Tang San could qualify to fight with Qian Renxue earlier.
Therefore, interfering with Tang San's growth was a necessary step.
As for the 100,000-year Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone, there would still be other opportunities to steal it; it just required constant monitoring of Tang Hao's whereabouts.
Sunset Forest
Tang San and his group of four were walking through the mountains and forests.
Apart from Tang San, the other three members were his little follower, Tai Long, Titan's son, Tai Nuo, and Bull Gao's son, Niu Ben.
Both Tai Nuo and Niu Ben were Soul Kings—one skilled in strength, the other in defense. Together, they were fully capable of protecting Tang San while he hunted for his second soul ring.
As for Tai Long, as a competent follower, he naturally stayed by Tang San's side.
The three families that had already aligned with the Tang Sect were all present, except for the Min Clan. This wasn't because Bai He was unwilling to send anyone; among the three families, he was the one most eager to build a relationship with Tang San.
Bai He's chosen member was none other than his granddaughter, Bai Chenxiang, who had just turned six years old.
Tang San, having received guidance from his aunt, Tang Yuehua, was no longer a social novice.
When he saw what Bai He had done, it was clear to him what Bai He was thinking, and so he politely declined.
A mere distant cousin to Tang San meant little more than an unnoticed, silent dart.
Moreover, Tang San, who prided himself on his purity, could not bring himself to lay a hand on a six-year-old girl.
After resting by a small stream for a while, Tang San received some rabbit meat roasted by Tai Long. After tasting it, he praised:
"Not bad, you've improved! Although it doesn't compare to Aunt's spicy rabbit head, it's already much better than the one you burnt last time."
Tai Long chuckled awkwardly and replied, "Thank you, young master. If the rabbit meat earns your praise, then it's the rabbit's good fortune."
Tang San enjoyed the praise but felt a bit puzzled.
Ever since the day when his aunt, Tang Yuehua, received a letter from his father, she had frequently made spicy rabbit heads for him.
It was strange. After Tang San tasted the spicy rabbit head, he became irresistibly addicted.
Tang San had his explanation for this:
"People from the Sichuan-Chuan area have always liked spicy food. Maybe that's the taste of my hometown!"
After resting for a while, the group continued to search for a suitable soul beast in the Sunset Forest.
Tang San had set his goal for the second soul ring to be at least 700 years old, and ideally, it would be a high-quality plant-type soul beast.
His first soul ring came from a 400-year-old Ink Bamboo.
After absorbing the Ink Bamboo's soul ring, his Blue Silver Grass became not only tougher but also inherited the sharpness of its leaves. With Tang San's skills, it could be used as a hidden weapon.
However, the sharpness from the 400-year-old Ink Bamboo's soul ring was still not enough.
Therefore, when choosing his second soul ring, Tang San preferred a plant-type soul beast that could make his Blue Silver Grass even sharper.
But such soul beasts were rare and could not be sought after at will. Even if he encountered one, it might not be the right age, or might be too young or too old.
After a few days of searching, Tang San and his group finally found a suitable soul beast target.
It was a Sword Orchid, growing in a gorge, with seven orchid leaves.
One of the leaves was smaller than the others, indicating that this Sword Orchid's age was close to 800 years.
The Sword Orchid, a high-quality plant-type soul beast, with its age nearing 800 years, possessed sharpness, which perfectly matched Tang San's expectations for his second soul ring.
Moreover, the sharpness of the Sword Orchid far surpassed that of the Ink Bamboo.
Tang San could already imagine the evolution of his Blue Silver Grass after absorbing the Sword Orchid's soul ring.