Chapter 11: Gold-Eating Leopard.
The setting sun shone through the layers of treetops. Tang San, who was applying medicinal powder, caught a glimpse of unusual movement from the corner of his eye.
His mastery of the Tang Sect's unique martial arts, combined with his experience from two lifetimes, allowed him to instantly detect the sound of air piercing from the side. In a flash, Tang San stepped on a ghostly shadow and dodged the sharp claws that struck from the shadows with an extremely delicate distance.
Focusing his gaze, he saw a golden leopard cautiously watching him.
Shi Yi and the others also noticed the movement from Tang San's side and quickly gathered together.
This leopard was completely different from the usual ones. It was larger than the one Shi Yi had seen in the zoo in his previous life. Its claws, with a strong metallic sheen, betrayed its extraordinary nature. Its extremely well-developed legs were thick and powerful, and each step dug deep into the mud.
"Is this... a gold-eating leopard?" Yu Xiaogang's eyes lit up as he looked at the golden leopard.
Shi Yi's face was also filled with surprise. He had spent the past two years with Yu Xiaogang meticulously, and he could tell at a glance that the Gold Devouring Leopard before him was of the perfect age.
"Is there really such a thing as luck in this world?" Shi Yi wondered.
If the Mandragora Snake in the original novel was lucky, then was this Gold Devouring Leopard also lucky?
Shi Yi wasn't sure. To him, luck was simply a matter of destiny, and in this world, destiny often meant divine decision.
Seeing Shi Yi's overwhelming force, the Gold Devouring Leopard's face took on a humanlike seriousness and solemnity. Its golden fur erupted, its claws extended, and a faint golden aura emanated, attempting to intimidate Shi Yi and his men.
Shi Yi looked at the Gold Devouring Leopard with a touch of surprise. This soul beast's intelligence was even greater than he had imagined.
"I'll leave it to you," Yu Xiaogang smiled at the dean beside him.
The dean nodded, his expression remarkably relaxed. With his Soul Sect strength, he was confident he could slay even a common thousand-year-old soul beast, let alone this ordinary hundred-year-old soul beast.
Shi Yi was a little curious about this dean, who hadn't been described in much detail. The next second, he saw the dean instantly summon a long sword, with four white, yellow, and purple spirit rings lingering around his body.
Feeling the dean's burst of breath, the Gold Devouring Leopard couldn't help but retreat a little, as if ready to escape at any time.
Shi Yi watched carefully. This was the first time he had seen a serious fight between spirit masters. As for the children in the academy, they were just fighting.
As the dean's spirit rings lit up, the long sword in his hand also lit up. His eyes were as sharp as a knife, closely watching every move of the Gold Devouring Leopard. The blade of the long sword glowed with a faint blue light in the moonlight, and the blade was so sharp that it seemed as if it could even split the air in two. The dean's feet were steady, and his body was slightly leaning forward, ready to fight at any time.
Suddenly, the gold-devouring leopard let out a deep roar. Knowing it couldn't flee now, fleeing would be like leaving its back to its foe. With a fierce kick of its hind legs, it lunged at the dean like a flash of golden lightning. Its sharp claws, dimmed by the setting sun, carried a tearing force, accompanied by a resounding piercing sound. The dean's eyes glared, and his long sword slashed through the air in a perfect arc, meeting the attack of the gold-devouring leopard's claws.
The blade collided with the leopard's claws, making a crisp metallic clang. The dean, leveraging the momentum, twisted his body, dragging his long sword along with it. With swift and powerful force, it sliced through the leopard's fur. The gold-devouring leopard roared in pain, but it didn't retreat. Instead, it lunged at the dean with even greater ferocity.
"Is this how spirit masters fight? Simple as they are, yet with the speed and power of their spirit power, simple moves can become incredibly effective. No wonder so few people in this world study techniques," Shi Yi thought to himself.
It was clear that in an era where most soul masters couldn't reach the Soul Sage stage, techniques weren't crucial; cultivation was paramount. And those who couldn't even reach the pinnacle of cultivation clearly lacked the talent to create powerful techniques. However, the Haotian Sect was clearly an exception.
The dean advanced instead, relying on his reflexes to dodge and evade the Gold Devouring Leopard's attacks. Though a bit awkward, he weaved with pinpoint precision through the Gold Devouring Leopard's attacks. Each swing of his sword was aimed precisely at the leopard's vital points. The disparity in cultivation and intelligence was evident at this moment, as the dean's attacks successfully landed on the leopard's vital points.
The battle intensified, the dean and the leopard clashing through the forest, the flashes of swords and the leopard's shadows intertwining to create a breathtaking spectacle. Finally, in a relentless battle of strength and speed, the dean's long sword severed both of the leopard's hind legs. The leopard let out a wail, staring at the crowd with resignation in its eyes as it collapsed to the ground.
Without its hind legs, it could no longer move normally. Yu Xiaogang, having unearthed a dagger from nowhere, handed it to Tang San, saying, "Xiaosan, this decision concerns your entire soul master career. This soul beast is of the right age. If you're determined, go and kill it yourself."
Tang San took the dagger and hesitated for a moment before moving resolutely towards the gold-devouring leopard. He wasn't entirely confident in his own plan, but rather in the Tang Sect's unique skills. He believed that in this barbaric world, where even martial arts were still relatively unpopular, the Tang Sect's unique skills would surely shine brightly.
Soon, the sharp blade pierced the leopard's head, and a faint yellow light began to condense above the gold-devouring leopard's body. A yellow soul ring appeared before everyone's eyes.
Shi Yi, observing this scene with considerable interest, asked Yu Xiaogang, "Teacher, do you know why soul rings appear after soul beasts die?"
Yu Xiaogang was slightly startled. To him, such a question was like the question of why humans are born; it was unanswerable.
"It's not like no one has ever asked this question, but no one knows the answer. The current mainstream explanation for spirit rings is that they are energy bodies formed from the cultivation, bloodline, and residual soul of a spirit beast after its death," Yu Xiaogang said slowly.
Shi Yi nodded slightly. True, spirit rings generally possess these qualities, as Yu Xiaogang described. But why can spirit masters absorb spirit rings and thus push themselves beyond their limits? Why can spirit beasts, after deep cultivation, transform into humans? And where did the world's first spirit master come from? These are extremely intriguing questions.
Shi Yi didn't dwell on it, understanding that all doubts stemmed from his own lack of strength. Once his strength reached a sufficient level, many things would become clear.
Tang San had already begun absorbing the spirit ring, slowly concentrating his spirit power into his palm. With a pale blue halo, blue silver grass grew from his palm, emitting a faint aura of life and swaying gently with the fluctuations of his spirit power.
"Come, my first spirit ring. I hope you, along with the Tang Sect's unique skills, will shine in the new world," Tang San thought to himself.
Guided by the pale blue light, the Centennial Gold Devouring Leopard spirit ring slowly flew towards Tang San.
Yu Xiaogang stared at the incoming spirit ring and issued a timely warning, shouting in a deep voice, "Sit cross-legged and focus your mind on your martial spirit."
Tang San followed his instructions and sat cross-legged on the spot, concentrating his attention on the martial spirit in his right hand. At this moment, as the Centennial Gold Devouring Leopard spirit ring approached, he felt an unprecedentedly strong pressure, even his bones making a slight noise under the pressure.
Soon, a yellow halo reached Tang San's head. Without giving him a chance to react, it suddenly shrank, transforming into a bracelet-sized, yet incredibly solid, golden ring that landed directly on the Blue Silver Grass spirit in his right palm.
Tang San felt as if his right hand were being invaded by magma. A surge of scorching energy rushed into it, a fierce heat that instantly rushed into his body. Instantly, his internal organs felt like they were on fire, and his body couldn't help but tremble violently.
"No matter how the power of the spirit rings impacts your body, remember to stay awake. Only then will you be able to better utilize their power in the future."
These were the last words Tang San heard from his master. The next second, his eyes closed, his consciousness completely immersed in the scorching ocean.
As Tang San absorbed the spirit rings, he gazed at the lifeless corpse of the gold-devouring leopard. Shi Yi summoned Xiao Yi.
Shi Yi casually broke off a branch and wrote on the ground, "Can I eat it?" Over the past two years, Xiao Yi had learned a lot of words under Shi Yi's training. While her ability to express herself was still somewhat inferior to that of a normal child, Shi Yi could at least grasp the general meaning of Xiao Yi's response.
Watching Shi Yi write on the ground astonished the dean. In all his years of spirit cultivation, he had never heard of anyone achieving human-level communication with their own spirit.
When the dean saw Xiao Yi's crooked handwriting of the word "can," his surprise deepened.
Shi Yi was surprised by Xiao Yi's response, but he finally understood. The weaker something is, the more inclusive it is, just like a drop of water can absorb anything. Moreover, in modern knowledge, ants are omnivores, consuming a wide range of foods, including meat.
With this in mind, Shi Yi whispered to Xiao Yi, "Then go eat that meat."
Xiao Yi nodded humanely, even revealing a hint of eagerness and desire. Soon, he was nibbling at the carcass of the gold-eating leopard.
Yu Xiaogang sighed at this. Ever since Shi Yi's appearance, he had opened up many new avenues. He had also tried this method, attempting to make Luo Sanpao evolve on his own, but Luo Sanpao always looked at any spirit beast with disdain, as if consuming a single bite would taint its precious bloodline.
Even the thousand-year-old sub-dragon that he had asked Flender to lead him to find, Luo Sanpao didn't even glance at it.
The process didn't last long. Every scrap of flesh and blood Xiao Yi devoured, like a bottomless pit, transformed into energy, until the Gold Devouring Leopard's corpse vanished from view.
"Please, Dean, protect my junior brother," Shi Yi said, bowing slightly to the Dean.
The Dean nodded and sat cross-legged beside Tang San, while Yu Xiaogang and Shi Yi pitched their tent nearby.
As the sky darkened, Shi Yi, for once, avoided cultivating. After all, he needed to protect Tang San, who was absorbing spirit rings. A Gold Devouring Leopard had just died, and if anything came his way, the master and disciple wouldn't have much fighting power.
So, Shi Yi took this opportunity to carefully observe the changes that Xiao Yi had undergone after devouring the spirit beast's corpse. He was surprised to see the changes. Against the backdrop of the campfire, Xiao Yi's carapace took on a subtle metallic sheen, a subtle sheen that Shi Yi wouldn't have been able to detect had he not been so close.
"Gold attribute? This world doesn't seem to have gold, or perhaps sharpness?"
"As expected, plundering is the quickest and most effective method. I just wonder if the more the little ants devour, the more they'll reject other counteractive attributes."
Shi Yi's childish face flickered with a smile as he watched the little ants transform.
"Looks like I'll have to stay in the Sunset Forest for a while until I'm strong enough."
Currently, Shi Yi can only rely on the services of experts, ultimately lacking the ability to hunt spirit beasts on his own. With this in mind, Shi Yi's gaze fell on Tang San. Once Tang San forged the Zhuge Divine Crossbow, he could consider heading to the Sunset Forest.
According to Shi Yi's calculations, six years from now, when Tang San turned twelve, he would be able to travel to Shrek with Yu Xiaogang to acquire the Zhuge Divine Crossbow. With the Zhuge Divine Crossbow, as long as Shi Yi was careful, he could still roam the Sunset Forest. Furthermore, the Yin-Yang Eyes of Ice and Fire within the Sunset Forest held what Shi Yi desired most, something he must obtain before Tang San could.
With this in mind, Shi Yi took out a book from his storage belt and began to read by the firelight.
Silence reigned all night. When Tang San slowly opened his eyes, it was already bright outside. The vigorous vitality brought by the new day seemed to be calling out to his body.
Tang San looked down at himself and discovered that his body seemed to have undergone some changes due to the spirit ring. His originally thin figure seemed to have grown a little taller, his shoulders had broadened a bit, and his skin had a layer of lustrous luster.
The feeling of lightness and power in his every move was so comfortable that he didn't need to experiment deliberately. He knew that not only had his internal strength broken through the bottleneck, but all aspects of his body's functions had also been greatly improved under the influence of the spirit ring of the Hundred-Year-Old Gold-Eating Leopard.
"Teacher." After waking up, the first person Tang San thought of was Yu Xiaogang.
Yu Xiaogang, sitting not far away, smiled faintly and said, "You're awake! It seems you've gained quite a bit."
Shi Yi and the dean also cast their gazes upon Tang San. Tang San nodded excitedly, saying, "Look."
As he spoke, he raised his right hand. A faint white light appeared on the surface of his skin. Then, deep blue silver grass swarmed from his palm, its leaves radiating a faint sharpness. A clear yellow aura rose from his feet, swirling around his body. This was the hallmark of a First Ring Spirit Master.
The next moment, Tang San's left hand swung back repeatedly, sending several blades piercing the nearby tree trunk like scimitars.
"What a precise technique," Yu Xiaogang exclaimed in amazement. He suddenly understood why Tang San had developed his martial spirit in this way.
And this was just an entry-level technique among the Tang Sect's hidden weapons: the fling arrow.
(End of Chapter)