Bei Bei said with some surprise, "Little Brother Huo, you should think this through carefully. Joining a sect is no trivial matter. Although our Tang Sect has already declined, it was once the number one sect under heaven. If you ever regret it in the future and think about betraying the sect, neither I nor Tang Ya will let you off."
Huo Yuhao nodded and said, "Big Brother Bei, I've already thought it through. I have no family left, and I'm still young. It was only after coming to the Star Dou Great Forest that I realized just how dangerous the outside world is. I want to rise above others and become a powerful Soul Master, and joining the Tang Sect is undoubtedly a shortcut. Joining the Tang Sect won't just let me enter Shrek Academy, it will also allow me to receive your guidance. And I believe in you both. You were willing to tell me everything about the Tang Sect's difficulties, and I can feel your sincerity toward me. I'm willing to work together with you to restore the Tang Sect's glory."
"Good! Well said!" Tang Ya exclaimed excitedly as she pulled Huo Yuhao into a hug.
Bei Bei also looked at him and nodded slightly. Just as he had sensed, Huo Yuhao was far more mature than others his age. Even though he only obtained his first soul ring after turning ten, with effort acquired later on, he could still succeed. What was more, he was a rare possessor of a Body Spirit Soul—specifically a mental-type one. The Tang Sect had really picked up a bargain.
The faint fragrance coming from Tang Ya made Huo Yuhao's face flush bright red. He didn't dare move at all, standing there obediently and stiffly.
It was Bei Bei who helped him out of the awkward situation. "Teacher Xiao Ya."
Only then did Tang Ya release Huo Yuhao, smiling as she looked at him. Judging by her expression, she couldn't be more satisfied. Of course, she would never admit that her initial desire to recruit Huo Yuhao into the Tang Sect was because the grilled fish he made was just too delicious…
"Little Yuhao, kneel and acknowledge your master. Our Tang Sect only has three people now, so we don't have that many rules. Bow to me once, call me 'Teacher,' and from now on, you'll be a member of the Tang Sect," Tang Ya said solemnly.
Huo Yuhao nodded. With a thump, he knelt down before Tang Ya. "Disciple Huo Yuhao greets Teacher."
Tang Ya remained standing and motionless, allowing him to bow three times before helping him up.
"Very good, Yuhao. From now on, you are Teacher's second disciple. Come, greet your Senior Brother," she said, pointing to Bei Bei beside her.
"Greetings, Senior Brother," Huo Yuhao said as he bowed again to Bei Bei.
Bei Bei smiled faintly. "No need to be so formal, Junior Brother. From now on, we're family."
Tang Ya seemed to relax a little and said, "Yuhao, from now on you can call me Teacher Xiao Ya, just like Bei Bei does. But don't learn his habit of being so disrespectful all the time, understand?"
"Yes, Teacher," Huo Yuhao replied. After formally acknowledging a master, he was clearly more restrained. Yet the confusion in his heart had settled quite a bit. Joining the Tang Sect gave him an inexplicable sense of security—a feeling he hadn't experienced for a very long time.
With a flip of her wrist, Xiao Ya somehow produced a book and handed it to Huo Yuhao. "Little Yuhao, this is a copied version of our Tang Sect's Xuantian Baolu. It records the Tang Sect's supreme techniques. Among them, Xuantian Gong is the foundation of everything. Using it for meditation will definitely speed up your cultivation. Your cultivation level is still shallow, so switching to Xuantian Gong won't have any negative effects. Later on, Bei Bei and I will both guide you in cultivation. Aside from Xuantian Gong, the Xuantian Baolu also records five other supreme techniques: the hand-training method Xuan Yu Hand, the eye-training method Purple Demon Eyes, the grappling method Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon, the movement technique Ghost Shadow Perplexing Steps, and the hidden weapon techniques known as Hundred Solutions to Hidden Weapons. What the Tang Sect is most famous for is hidden weapons, but you must lay a solid foundation before learning them. For now, what you need to do is begin cultivating the first five techniques. I'll teach you hidden weapons later."
"I mentioned earlier that one of our Tang Sect techniques is especially suited for you—that's the Purple Demon Eyes. Purple Demon Eyes is an eye-training technique. Once cultivated to a certain level, it can unleash extremely powerful offensive force. Your martial soul is your eyes—there's nothing more suitable for you than this technique. You must train diligently."
Taking the Xuantian Baolu from Xiao Ya, Huo Yuhao carefully tucked it into his clothes. "Thank you, Teacher. I will definitely work hard at cultivating."
Bei Bei raised his hand and pressed it against his belt. A belt entirely black in color, embedded with round pieces of white jade, appeared in his hand.
"Junior Brother, this is a soul tool modeled after the one once owned by Tang Sect ancestor Tang San—the Twenty-Four Bridges Under the Bright Moon. I'm giving it to you as a meeting gift from your Senior Brother. With this, carrying things will be much more convenient."
As he spoke, Bei Bei helped fasten the Twenty-Four Bridges Under the Bright Moon belt around Huo Yuhao's waist and explained how to use it. It turned out that each of the twenty-four jade pieces on the belt contained a space with half a meter on each side, capable of storing various items. All it required was guidance through soul power. It was an extremely precious soul tool.
Huo Yuhao's poor talent mainly manifested in his physical condition, but he himself was exceptionally intelligent. After a few attempts, he was already able to easily control the Twenty-Four Bridges Under the Bright Moon. However, during the process, his limited soul power was also consumed quite a bit.
Tang Ya said, "Little Yuhao, this time your Senior Brother and I came out to hunt soul beasts and obtain soul rings. You'll come along with us for now. After I finish my hunt, we'll take you back to Shrek Academy."
"Yes, Teacher," Huo Yuhao answered respectfully.
Tang Ya let out a soft laugh. "Even though you've already acknowledged me as your master, you don't need to be this stiff. Our Tang Sect only has the three of us—what's the point of being so rigid?"
Bei Bei said irritably, "With a teacher like you, it'd be strange if a disciple could stay stiff. It's getting late. Let's hurry on our way. Hopefully we'll get lucky and find a suitable soul beast to hunt on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest."
"Mm." Tang Ya nodded. "Let's move."
Tang Ya walked in front, Bei Bei followed behind while holding Huo Yuhao's hand. The three of them accelerated at the same time, heading toward the Star Dou Great Forest.
After obtaining his first soul ring, Huo Yuhao could clearly feel that his cultivation had improved greatly, especially the strengthening of his physical condition, which made traveling much easier. However, compared to Tang Ya and Bei Bei, there was still a considerable gap in speed. A gentle stream of soul power came from Bei Bei's hand, practically carrying him forward. Huo Yuhao himself hardly needed to expend any strength at all.
As they traveled, Bei Bei said to Huo Yuhao, "Junior Brother, our Tang Sect's Xuantian Gong is one of the best cultivation techniques on the continent today. As long as you practice diligently, you'll definitely gain something. I'll first explain the circulation essentials of Xuantian Gong to you. You must remember them well."
"Okay." Huo Yuhao nodded, listening attentively to Bei Bei's explanation.
Not only did Bei Bei look refined, his personality was also gentle and meticulous. When explaining Xuantian Gong's cultivation methods to Huo Yuhao, he patiently went over every detail without the slightest annoyance. Whenever Huo Yuhao didn't understand something, he could explain it in simple, clear terms. Before long, Huo Yuhao was completely immersed in this marvelous technique.
Walking in front, Tang Ya couldn't help sticking out her tongue. She was completely certain that if she were the one explaining things to Huo Yuhao, she absolutely wouldn't be able to do it as clearly and logically as Bei Bei. As the Tang Sect's sect master, she really was rather unqualified…
With Bei Bei talking and Huo Yuhao listening, nearly an hour passed without them realizing it.
The road had already disappeared, replaced by dense forest all around. The air became even fresher, but a faintly oppressive aura seeped out from deep within the forest.
"That's basically how the cultivation works. The specifics will require you to try it out yourself and gradually explore. If there's anything you don't understand, just come ask me," Bei Bei said to Huo Yuhao.
"Thank you, Senior Brother." Huo Yuhao's admiration for Bei Bei had been steadily rising throughout the explanation, and his respect naturally grew even deeper.
At that moment, Xiao Ya, who was walking in front, suddenly snorted coldly. Her footsteps instantly became illusory as her body flickered repeatedly, lunging toward a large tree on the left. Huo Yuhao only vaguely saw several streaks of cold light flash past, and a Wind Baboon—the very one that had almost killed him earlier—fell from the treetop.
"These Wind Baboons are the most annoying," Xiao Ya said irritably. "They not only attack proactively, but also love ambushes."
Huo Yuhao hadn't activated his Spirit Eyes just now and hadn't seen clearly how Xiao Ya attacked at all. "Teacher Xiao Ya, was that a soul skill just now?"
Xiao Ya said proudly, "No, it was our Tang Sect's Ghost Shadow Perplexing Steps combined with hidden weapons. Impressive, right? Train hard, and you'll be able to do it in the future too."
"Xiao Ya, be careful!" Bei Bei's expression suddenly changed. He raised his right hand sharply and made a grasping motion toward Tang Ya. The two of them clearly worked together often. Tang Ya lightly tapped the ground with her toes, her body lifting as if weightless, pulled by the suction force from Bei Bei's hand and flying toward him.
A pitch-black shadow landed instantly with a soft puff. Immediately after, a rich, sweet fragrance rushed toward them.
Huo Yuhao felt his head spin, but a cold current suddenly surged out from within his body, sealing his mouth and nose. A faint mist of frost sprayed from his mouth and nose, dispersing the trace of sweet poisonous gas he had just inhaled into the air.
Ice attribute—my second martial soul? Huo Yuhao instantly thought of the source of that icy current. However, the control over it just now was clearly not something he had done himself.
While he was still rejoicing in the effect of his second martial soul, Tang Ya had already been pulled close by the suction from Bei Bei's palm. She pressed her right hand against Bei Bei's shoulder, curled her graceful body, and performed a flip that brought her behind him.
Two soul rings rose simultaneously from beneath Tang Ya's feet, bright yellow as they pulsed up and down. Both of her soul rings were actually hundred-year level.
Blue vines also burst forth from Tang Ya's body at that instant. One of them wrapped around Huo Yuhao's waist, while many more shot outward into the distance.
Compared to Tang Ya, the sight of Bei Bei standing in front was even more shocking to Huo Yuhao.
All along, in his heart, this Senior Brother had been gentle and refined. Standing beside Tang Ya, he always wore a mild smile that made people feel close to him. But at this moment, he had completely transformed into someone else.
As Xiao Ya leapt over his head, a dazzling ball of blue light lit up from the center of Bei Bei's forehead. The blue light instantly spread, flowing from his forehead down through his entire body. Blue-violet arcs of lightning burst out like small snakes, coiling and darting around him. On the surface, Bei Bei's transformation didn't seem particularly dramatic. Aside from a blue lightning symbol appearing on his forehead, there was only one part of his body that changed due to martial soul possession.
Yet that single change alone gave Huo Yuhao an entirely new understanding of Soul Masters.
The change was in his right arm. The sleeve on his right side burst apart into ash due to the arm's expansion. The arm grew more than half a foot longer, becoming immensely thick and powerful, completely covered in blue-violet scales. His hand transformed into a claw, likewise covered in scales, with every joint becoming extremely thick. The blue-violet serpent lightning swirling around his body continuously gathered on or streamed across that arm. Two yellow and one purple soul rings didn't orbit his body like those of a normal Soul Master—instead, they revolved around that specially mutated arm.
Three rings. A Soul Elder. Senior Brother Bei Bei, only four or five years older than him, was already a Soul Elder above level thirty. And his soul rings were of the optimal configuration: two hundred-year and one thousand-year.
Among soul rings, white represents ten years, yellow represents a hundred years, purple represents a thousand years, and the even higher black represents ten thousand years. As for the powerful hundred-thousand-year soul beasts that once persecuted the Heavenly Dream Iceworm—if they turned into soul rings, they would be red.
Huo Yuhao had asked earlier—Bei Bei and Tang Ya were both fifteen years old, with Bei Bei being slightly older by months. To reach the Soul Elder realm at such an age, and possess soul rings of this level, calling Bei Bei a heaven's chosen was entirely appropriate. In terms of cultivation alone, he had clearly far surpassed Tang Ya, who was a teacher yet only a Grand Soul Master above level twenty.
"Gah—gah—" Amid strange croaks, the dark shadow that had landed on the ground suddenly bounced up, lunging straight at Bei Bei.
Bei Bei snorted coldly. A layer of purple light flashed in his eyes as his massive right arm swept horizontally. Instantly, a dense web of lightning spread through the air, blocking the shadow's path.
Crack—! Amid thunderous roars, the shadow rebounded backward, while Bei Bei staggered back three or four steps, his expression changing slightly. Clearly, the opponent's strength had exceeded his expectations.
"It's a Mandala Snake. Wow, a thousand-year one—this is perfect. Bei Bei, I want this one!" Tang Ya cried out happily, not alarmed but delighted.
Huo Yuhao could now clearly see the attacker. It was a large snake nearly three meters long, entirely peach-pink in color. On its forehead was a small protrusion shaped like a flower.
Unlike Tang Ya's excitement, Bei Bei's face was solemn. Even though he was already a Soul Elder, facing a thousand-year soul beast still didn't guarantee victory. That was only because his own martial soul was strong enough. If it were an ordinary Soul Elder, encountering a thousand-year soul beast would mean only one thing—turn around and run.
"Xiao Ya, protect Yuhao," Bei Bei shouted in a low voice. As he spoke, the first soul ring on his right arm lit up. Amid intense soul power fluctuations, a blue-violet lightning dragon claw about a foot in diameter condensed and shot forward, slamming toward the Mandala Snake.
Thunder Dragon Claw—Bei Bei's first soul skill.
The Mandala Snake was extremely cunning. It had been coiled on the ground, but the instant Bei Bei launched his attack, it sprang upward into the air. Its long tail lashed violently, transforming into a streak of pink light that shot straight toward Bei Bei.
Instead of retreating, Bei Bei advanced. As his body dropped low, he stepped on Ghost Shadow Perplexing Steps and flashed away at lightning speed. The Thunder Dragon Claw he had launched earlier actually curved in midair, chasing after the Mandala Snake from behind. At the same time, the second soul ring on his right arm lit up. Countless serpent-like lightning arcs expanded simultaneously, transforming into lightning bolts that flashed violently in the air, weaving into a massive net of thunder that enveloped the Mandala Snake.
The earlier Thunder Dragon Claw was merely to force the Mandala Snake to move. The lightning net formed by his second soul skill, Thunderous Might, was the real trap. As long as the snake was covered by the net, the Thunder Dragon Claw chasing from behind would catch up. Even if it couldn't deal a heavy blow, it would at least secure the initiative.
However, the power of a thousand-year soul beast was no empty boast. As the lightning net closed in, a cloud of pink mist sprayed from the Mandala Snake's mouth. The sweet fragrance, ten times stronger than before, spread in all directions.
Tang Ya quickly retreated with Huo Yuhao, afraid of being tainted by even a trace of it. Worry finally appeared on her pretty face for the first time.
When the lightning bolts formed by Thunderous Might were sprayed by the pink poisonous mist, it was as if water had been poured over them. Their power remained, but they instantly became scattered and fragmented.
The Mandala Snake displayed its ferocity. Its body jerked violently in midair, slamming straight into the lightning net. It actually smashed open a gap in Thunderous Might. As it flew out, its tail lashed again, the tip glowing brightly pink as it struck the pursuing Thunder Dragon Claw, shattering Bei Bei's first soul skill as well.
Even so, Bei Bei's attack wasn't entirely ineffective. As one of the strongest beast-type martial souls, his offensive power was top-tier among Soul Masters of the same level. Though the Mandala Snake was fierce, after breaking through two major thunder soul skills in succession, a fine layer of lightning covered its body. When it landed, it was unable to continue attacking.
Bei Bei also didn't pursue. The pink poisonous mist was spreading through the air, and he didn't dare touch even a bit of it. As he retreated rapidly, a porcelain bottle appeared in his hand. He poured out a pill and swallowed it himself, then tossed the bottle toward Tang Ya.
Tang Ya caught it and poured out two pills, swallowing one herself and stuffing the other into Huo Yuhao's mouth.
"Bei Bei, let me help you," Tang Ya said as she took the medicine.
Bei Bei shook his head. "This thing is extremely troublesome. It's probably going to turn into a battle of attrition. There might be other soul beasts nearby. You focus on covering us. I'll handle it myself. And protect Yuhao."
This was already the second time Bei Bei had reminded Tang Ya to protect Huo Yuhao. A warm current surged repeatedly through Huo Yuhao's heart. In his entire life, aside from his mother, this was the first time anyone had treated him so well. His emotions couldn't help but surge.
I have to help Senior Brother. I'm not useless.
Huo Yuhao quickly activated his soul power and injected it into his Spirit Eyes. The first soul skill he had just obtained flashed through his mind at once.
Within his deep blue eyes, a faint golden light emerged once more. A pure white soul ring rose up from beneath his feet.
On the surface, there didn't seem to be any other change. But in the next instant, both Bei Bei and Tang Ya's bodies shook as shock filled their eyes.
Under their gaze, time itself seemed to slow down. Everything around them became extraordinarily clear. Wherever their eyes landed, massive amounts of information instantly appeared in their minds. As Bei Bei focused on the Mandala Snake, information such as the distance between him and the snake, and even the changes in strength of every muscle in the snake's body at that moment, appeared in his mind. Every tiny detail was vividly presented in the depths of his consciousness.
Not only that—within a thirty-meter radius around them, there was no need to rely on sight at all. Everything was projected into their minds in three-dimensional form. Any slight change anywhere would immediately be reflected in their brains.
This is…?
Both Bei Bei and Tang Ya thought of Huo Yuhao at the same time. Was this Huo Yuhao's first soul skill? How could it be so miraculous? With this level of detection and support, dealing with any enemy would become vastly easier. Especially against a soul beast like the Mandala Snake, which excelled in speed, this allowed one to anticipate the enemy's moves. For Bei Bei, whose attack power was more than sufficient, there was no support more effective than this.
A skill provided by a mere ten-year soul ring was actually this powerful, with such outstanding auxiliary ability. Truly worthy of being a rare mutated mental attribute!
Naturally, Huo Yuhao had no idea that Bei Bei and Tang Ya were attributing the miracle he displayed to a mutated martial soul. In reality, what he was using wasn't one skill, but two.
The million-year soul ring left behind its first soul skill—Spiritual Detection—and its second soul skill—Spiritual Sharing.
Both were auxiliary-type skills. Since this was Huo Yuhao's first time using them, he hadn't fully grasped their mysteries yet, but they still displayed tremendous effectiveness.
With his current physical strength, the soul skills provided by the Heavenly Dream Iceworm's soul ring were equivalent in power to those of a four-hundred-year soul beast. Thus, the effective range of both Spiritual Detection and Spiritual Sharing was about thirty meters in diameter. With his current strength, he could share his spiritual detection with at most three targets simultaneously. Any more would be beyond his capacity.
These two soul skills didn't consume much soul power, but they did require a certain amount of Huo Yuhao's mental energy. In other words, he was supporting these two skills with both mental power and soul power. With his current cultivation, sustaining them for at least a quarter of an hour posed no problem. As for the maximum duration, he would need to test it further.
A deep boom suddenly exploded from Bei Bei's body. Intense blue-violet lightning surged outward as scales from his right arm rapidly spread across his body, covering his right chest as well. His aura skyrocketed in an instant. The purple third soul ring on his arm shone with dazzling brilliance.
A thousand-year soul ring skill—Wrath of Thunder.
As a possessor of one of the strongest attack-oriented beast martial souls, Wrath of Thunder could instantly boost Bei Bei's soul power attack effectiveness by over fifty percent, with the lightning attribute increasing severalfold. Though it wasn't a direct attack skill, it elevated Bei Bei's overall state to an extremely formidable level. Even some four-ring Soul Ancestors with weaker martial souls wouldn't be his match.
Though Bei Bei was young, his combat experience was extremely rich. With Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection and Spiritual Sharing support, he knew his chance had arrived. Since he couldn't be sure how long Huo Yuhao could maintain it, he went all out immediately, unleashing his strongest ability at once.
Blue-violet lightning coiled around the dragon claw formed by his right hand. A Thunder Dragon Claw twice the size of the previous one condensed once again. This time, however, Bei Bei didn't launch it immediately. Instead, his figure flashed as he charged straight toward the thousand-year Mandala Snake.
The Mandala Snake was also cunning. Its thousand-year cultivation granted it a certain level of intelligence. The aura Bei Bei released made it keenly aware of danger. Without bothering to injure the enemy further, it sprayed out a mouthful of poisonous mist at Bei Bei and turned to flee.
"Hmph!" Bei Bei snorted coldly. His gaze deepened as fine arcs of lightning burst from his body, forcibly dispersing the poisonous mist. At the same time, the Thunder Dragon Claw in his right hand beckoned toward the air ahead to the left.
At this moment, the effect of Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection was fully revealed. It was precisely because he had shared his detection with Bei Bei that Bei Bei could anticipate the enemy's movements. When the Mandala Snake leapt, it fled exactly toward Bei Bei's left front. A powerful suction force appeared right along its escape route, as if the snake had delivered itself straight into Bei Bei's grasp. With a strong pull, the Mandala Snake's momentum was instantly neutralized, and it was dragged toward Bei Bei.
Facing a life-and-death crisis, the Mandala Snake erupted violently. Intense pink light flared from its head as it let out a shrill hiss. The flower-like protrusion atop its head suddenly burst open, sending a spray of pink blood arrows shooting toward Bei Bei.
Yet once again, Bei Bei reacted in advance. In the instant before the flower-like crown exploded, the Thunder Dragon Claw in his right hand had already slammed out violently, striking the Mandala Snake at the exact moment of the explosion.
The pink blood arrows were blown apart after flying only a few inches. Even so, Bei Bei broke out in a cold sweat—because the Thunder Dragon Claw he released turned pink the moment it came into contact with that blood. Had he not anticipated it in advance, being splashed by that poisonous blood would have caused serious trouble.
With a flash, Bei Bei lunged forward. This time, the thousand-year Mandala Snake had no means of resistance left. Bei Bei's right claw precisely grabbed it at the seven-inch point. The snake tried to coil around him, but Bei Bei unleashed a burst of Thunderous Might, releasing terrifying lightning that shocked it unconscious.
The thousand-year Mandala Snake was known for its powerful physical body and lightning-fast speed. But in the hands of Bei Bei, who possessed a powerful martial soul, its defenses were utterly insignificant. In the state of Wrath of Thunder, Bei Bei exerted force with his dragon claw, producing cracking sounds as he crushed the snake's head. Its bones seemed on the verge of shattering.
"Xiao Ya," Bei Bei shouted.
Tang Ya naturally wouldn't miss such a perfect opportunity. She swiftly led Huo Yuhao to the Mandala Snake's side. A flying knife about half a foot long appeared in her hand, which she plunged straight into the snake's mouth that Bei Bei had pried open, ending the thousand-year Mandala Snake's life.
The lightning light faded, and Bei Bei finally let out a sigh of relief. A purple soul ring slowly condensed above the Mandala Snake's head.
Tang Ya looked at Bei Bei excitedly. Bei Bei nodded at her. "Hurry and begin. I didn't expect to encounter a thousand-year soul beast even on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. The quality of soul beasts here really is getting higher and higher."
Tang Ya giggled. "I didn't expect it to go so smoothly. Guard me." As she spoke, she quickly sat cross-legged beside the Mandala Snake. A blue glow lit up in her right hand as she raised it lightly and tapped the purple soul ring above the snake. Immediately, the purple soul ring was drawn toward her by the blue light, fusing into her body.
The smile on Tang Ya's face faded as she focused entirely on absorbing the soul ring. Only then did Huo Yuhao realize that Tang Ya had also reached the bottleneck at level thirty. This trip to the Star Dou Great Forest with Bei Bei must have been to find a suitable third soul ring for her. But… what exactly was Teacher Xiao Ya's martial soul? Blue vines?
"Xiao Ya's martial soul is Blue Silver Grass," Bei Bei said gently, as if sensing Huo Yuhao's confusion.
"Blue Silver Grass? The same as the one from the Tang Sect legend?" Huo Yuhao asked in surprise.
Bei Bei nodded. "Ten thousand years ago, the first generation Tang Sect Master forged the Tang Sect's glory with the Blue Silver Grass martial soul. Later, he ascended to godhood and left, without leaving any descendants within the Tang Sect. To commemorate him, later generations of the Tang Sect stubbornly regarded Blue Silver Grass as a symbol of honor when selecting sect masters, and made great efforts to nurture Soul Masters with Blue Silver Grass martial souls. Unfortunately, reality proved that not just anyone can bring out the powerful potential of Blue Silver Grass. Since that legendary powerhouse departed, the Tang Sect has never again produced a Blue Silver Grass Soul Master who could stand at the pinnacle of the continent. Yet the tradition persisted, and no one could change it. Xiao Ya's talent with Blue Silver Grass is already quite good. I hope she can achieve a breakthrough."
Huo Yuhao asked curiously, "Senior Brother, if the Tang Sect was truly as powerful as the legends say, why did it decline?"
Bei Bei smiled faintly. "You'll gradually understand that once you reach Shrek Academy. There are many internal and external reasons. Now that the Tang Sect only has a few of us left, it might not necessarily be a bad thing. At least some constraints no longer bind us. But you, Junior Brother—you really gave me a huge surprise today!"
Huo Yuhao naturally understood that Bei Bei was referring to the soul skill he had just used. He scratched his head embarrassedly. "I was just trying it out. As long as it worked, that's good."
Bei Bei said seriously, "More than just working. I wasn't confident I could handle a thousand-year soul beast. Without your strange mental ability supporting me, I probably wouldn't have been able to retreat unscathed just now."
Earlier, when he was fighting the Mandala Snake at the most critical moment, it was Huo Yuhao's shared Spiritual Detection that allowed him to accurately predict the snake's movements every single time. More importantly, the decisive moment came when the Mandala Snake exploded its crown at the very end.
At that instant, within the world of Spiritual Detection, Bei Bei clearly sensed a kind of brightening from the Mandala Snake's crown—something completely invisible to his physical eyes. It came entirely from the three-dimensional perception of Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection. That was why he could react instinctively at the first moment. Otherwise, if even a bit of that poisonous blood had splashed on him, he likely wouldn't have escaped unharmed.
This made Bei Bei realize just how enormous the role of the skill Huo Yuhao displayed was in battle. Conservatively speaking, if he had this skill assisting him while fighting an enemy, it could increase his combat strength by at least twenty to thirty percent. That was an astonishing boost! And this was only Huo Yuhao's first skill.
With lingering fear, Huo Yuhao said, "That snake just now was really powerful. Senior Brother, what kind of soul beast was it?"
Bei Bei replied, "It's called a Mandala Snake. Its poison is extremely potent—it not only has paralyzing effects, but also severely damages the nervous system. It's one of the most terrifying poison-attribute soul beasts. Its body is extremely tough, ordinary blades can hardly injure it. Only its mouth and eyes are weaknesses. But it always protects those two spots very well, and its speed is astonishingly fast. Most frightening of all is its aggression. Once it locks onto a target, it rarely gives up."