Afternoon, Gucao Village.
"Grandpa Tai, I'm back!" As soon as Yang Yunhai stepped into the orphanage carrying his bedding and gifts, he called out loudly.
"Brother Xiaohai is back!" The children playing in the courtyard immediately rushed over, eyes sparkling with excitement.
In just a few breaths, Yang Yunhai's hands were completely empty. Of course, the large bag of snacks he had bought on the way back was gone too.
"Xiaohai, why are you back early?" the village chief asked as he walked out of the house.
"I've reached level 20 in soul power, so I applied for early graduation from the academy," Yang Yunhai said with a smile.
"Level 20?!" The village chief was shocked.
"Brother Xiaohai is amazing!" The children looked at him with admiration.
Stay low-key... Yang Yunhai kept his expression calm.
Later, in the village chief's office.
"Xiaohai, what are your plans now?" the village chief asked after calming down.
"After I get my soul ring, I plan to stay at the orphanage for a while and spend the New Year with you," Yang Yunhai replied. "After that, I want to explore the outside world alone to broaden my horizons and then try my luck in the imperial capital, Heaven Dou City."
"When the time comes, I'll go watch the Continental Soul Master Tournament. As for everything else, I'll decide after the tournament."
Hearing this, the village chief nodded slightly. "Xiaohai, you've always had a strong will. Since you've already made your plan, I won't say much more. Just remember, this will always be your home. I'll always welcome you back."
"Mm." Yang Yunhai nodded firmly.
So, after tidying up and resting for the night, Yang Yunhai set off the next day for the Spirit Hall sub-branch in Nuoding City.
"Blue Silver Grass can cultivate this fast?!" Ma Xiunuo was once again stunned.
"What is going on with the world?!" Chang Gongdi also began doubting reality.
After some small talk, Yang Yunhai successfully obtained his command token, then hired a carriage in the city and headed for the beginner-level Soul Hunting Forest.
Because he departed at noon, he arrived by dusk the following day.
This fit Yang Yunhai's plans perfectly. Once he got off the carriage, he entered the forest under cover of night.
Soon after, he met Chang Gong'ao again.
"Xiaohai, your cultivation speed really is something." Hearing that Yang Yunhai came to get his soul ring, Chang Gong'ao couldn't help but admire him.
Then he leaned in and asked, "Xiaohai, have you decided what kind of soul beast to hunt for your second soul ring?"
"That Bloodthirsty Thorn Vine with over 950 years of cultivation," Yang Yunhai answered without hesitation.
"The Bloodthirsty Thorn Vine is extremely tough, which is a quality my martial soul needs to enhance. If my martial soul can also inherit its sharp barbed thorns, then it will gain offensive power and better control."
The Bloodthirsty Thorn Vine is non-poisonous but extremely tough, covered in sharp barbs. When it touches prey, it curls back quickly, stabbing the prey and absorbing its energy. The more it absorbs, the tighter it wraps, until the prey is strangled to death.
It's known as the power-type representative among vine-type soul beasts. Once bound, it's almost impossible to escape.
However, because it's not poisonous and has bright red color and large barbs, it's easily recognizable and poses little threat to experienced soul master teams.
But for soul beasts, especially low-intelligence ones, it's a deadly predator.
Below 10,000 years of cultivation, it's fatal. Above 10,000 years, even stronger beasts avoid it.
Incredible toughness, barbs, and absorption ability, poison or not, Yang Yunhai didn't care. His martial soul couldn't absorb poison anyway.
Perhaps because his martial soul had lightning properties that countered poison, he couldn't inherit any poisonous traits. Even when he absorbed a mildly poisonous Sky Blue Vine last time, not a trace of poison was inherited.
Bind tightly, absorb continuously, the tighter the better. That was why he chose the Bloodthirsty Thorn Vine.
Of course, there was a deeper reason too.
Even though he planned to contact the Blue Silver Emperor's true body, absorb its right leg bone, and explore the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, what if those efforts didn't help him break the level 30 bottleneck?
What if he couldn't get close to Dugu Yan and failed to reach the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well?
To be safe, he needed a backup plan, adding an absorption trait to his martial soul was that plan.
If all else failed, he would rely on absorbing soul beasts' cultivation to break through.
"The Bloodthirsty Thorn Vine really is a terrifying plant-type soul beast." Chang Gong'ao nodded and then warned seriously, "But Xiaohai, if your martial soul inherits its energy absorption ability, I don't want you to use it to accelerate your cultivation or harm other soul masters. Cultivation must be done step by step, never seek quick results."
"And if you do gain it, you must report to the Spirit Hall immediately upon return."
"Otherwise, if you're discovered using it in the wild, you might be labeled a Fallen Soul Master. That would be a huge problem. There have been cases where soul masters were taken away by the Spirit Hall's law enforcement team for not reporting such abilities, and never seen again."
Could they have been sent to the City of Slaughter...? Yang Yunhai speculated.
"In the current soul master world, a Fallen Soul Master is defined as one who kills other humans or uses absorption abilities to consume soul rings, vitality, flesh, or martial souls, especially if it causes irreversible harm."
"What's debated is soul power and spiritual power. Since they recover naturally, some argue they shouldn't count."
"Take the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, for example, they can boost spirit and soul power. So why can't others reduce it?"
"Thus, soul skills that only absorb spirit or soul power haven't yet been classified as exclusive to Fallen Soul Masters."
If they were, then even the Spirit Hall's Pope Bibi Dong would be labeled Fallen… Yang Yunhai thought.
The Soul Devouring Spider Emperor, its name alone says enough.
"But excessive use is still dangerous. If you drain all of someone's spirit and soul power, they'll die. And who can guarantee that this ability won't evolve further? That's why anyone with such powers must report to Spirit Hall for monitoring," Chang Gong'ao continued.
No wonder in the original story Tang San could use the Eight Spider Lances without issue. Everyone knew they came from the Man-Faced Demon Spider, which had devouring abilities. Tang San even used them in the Soul Master Tournament to absorb poison from Hu Liena. Wait, Tang San never reported to Spirit Hall either!
Privilege really is everything… Yang Yunhai sighed inwardly.
Later, Tang San's Devouring Golden Threads evolved too, and all of Shrek Seven Devils knew it could absorb life force!
Oh right, he had a divine test on him too!
In the end, strength is all that matters.
Looks like if I do inherit this absorption ability, I'll need to train hard to control it, make sure it only absorbs soul power, Yang Yunhai reminded himself.
Tight bindings and stronger absorption, it'll be a long road. With these thoughts, he nodded. "Uncle Ao, I understand."
Only then did a smile appear on Chang Gong'ao's face. "Get some rest early. We'll set off at dawn."
"Okay." Yang Yunhai nodded.
The next day, by noon, they reached a shrub-covered area in the core region of the Soul Hunting Forest.
Looking ahead, a bright red vine covered in barbs was coiled tightly around a giant tree. Its twisting body crawled up the trunk and drooped down like a curtain, shrouding a few meters of ground.
From afar, the sharp barbs were dotted with beast corpses, and the blood-soaked soil made one's scalp tingle.
Without hesitation, Chang Gong'ao drew his bow. A purple soul ring lit up under his feet.
The next second, an arrow as thick as a leg shot from the bowstring, striking the tree's base with a loud boom. Wood chips flew in all directions.
Immediately, a stream of red liquid gushed from the impact point like a small fountain.
At the same time, the red vine began twisting violently.
But in less than 30 seconds, the violent thrashing weakened to mere trembling.
"It's done," Chang Gong'ao said.
"Okay." Yang Yunhai nodded, took his spear, walked over, and stabbed deeply into the wound, then twisted.
Not long after, a yellow soul ring floated out.
Only then did Yang Yunhai stop, circle to a clean spot behind the tree, spread out a mat, and sit down.
He summoned his martial soul and began the absorption process.
A sharp wave of pain quickly followed. His body trembled uncontrollably, veins bulged on his forehead, and his teeth clenched.
"Xiaohai!" Chang Gong'ao's fists clenched, but there was nothing he could do, he could only silently pray.
Time passed slowly.
Several hours later, Yang Yunhai's tightly shut eyes finally opened.
"Phew!" Chang Gong'ao breathed a sigh of relief, relaxed his fists, and strode forward with pride on his face.
"Xiaohai, congratulations!" His tone carried genuine admiration.
"Thanks to Uncle Ao for helping me hunt and protect," Yang Yunhai said with a cheerful grin.
"No big deal." Chang Gong'ao laughed heartily, then asked, "So, how is it?"
"My soul power increased by about the same as last time, just over one level. I'll need more time to reach level 22," Yang Yunhai replied while injecting soul power into his martial soul.
In a flash, a blue-green vine covered in barbed hooks appeared before them.
"As for the soul skill, it's called Absorb. It can draw soul power from those it touches, including residual energy in the air."
Thank goodness it only absorbs soul power. As long as it's reported, it's fine... Chang Gong'ao relaxed slightly, then grinned.
"A great soul skill! First control with the vine, then absorb soul power, weakens the opponent while boosting your endurance. Very practical."
It's not a thousand-year ring, so the absorption trait isn't too overpowered... Yang Yunhai sighed inwardly.
Still, it was enough for now.
There'd be more chances to evolve in the future.
With that thought, he nodded with a smile. "Not bad. Once I get back to Nuoding City, I'll go report it at the Spirit Hall."
"Good." Chang Gong'ao nodded too. "In that case, let's head back."
"Alright." Yang Yunhai responded and began walking.
Around midnight, they returned to camp. After a quick meal, they each went to sleep.
The next morning, before dawn, Yang Yunhai said goodbye to Chang Gong'ao and started his journey home.
"First soul ring nearly 500 years, second one over 950... what about the third one?" Watching the figure disappear into the distance, Chang Gong'ao felt a surge of emotion and murmured, "Xiaohai, Uncle Ao believes in you. You will succeed."
"In the near future, your name will echo across the entire continent."
With that, he turned and walked back to camp.
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