"Qing, what do you think? Is the legend of the Lingyun Turtle true or false?"
Tang San asked curiously as he helped Zhou Qing rub his back. "Why was the shell of the Lingyun Turtle, which the Martial Soul Hall finally caught, still intact?"
"There are two main possibilities," Zhou Qing replied. "First, that Lingyun Turtle's shell is incredibly hard. Both the Martial Soul Hall and the people from Notting City couldn't believe the villagers there could break it with just hoes."
"Three days and three nights— that sounds exaggerated."
"And besides, the environment around Shenghun Village and nearby villages isn't likely to support two soul beasts."
"Second possibility, the whole story is made up. A child once drowned in a deep part of the stream, so the villagers became cautious and invented the tale to warn children not to play near the water."
Tang San nodded, feeling the second possibility was more likely.
In his previous life, villagers near the Tang Sect also told ghost stories to scare children, warning them not to play with fire or water — things that could cause accidents.
Splash!
Suddenly, ripples appeared near Zhou Qing and Tang San, as if something had fallen from the small waterfall above.
If it had been a small stone or fish, they wouldn't have noticed, since the waterfall's roar was loud enough to drown such sounds.
But both clearly heard the splash, and the water below the waterfall stirred wildly.
"What's that?" Zhou Qing frowned. "I thought I removed the bigger stones from above."
He often cleared large stones and thick branches from the slope near the waterfall during his "body refining" exercises, to avoid injury. Kids' bodies were fragile — he didn't have Tang San's Xuantian Skill protecting him!
"It's a fish!"
Tang San's eyes flickered with purple light as he saw the fallen creature—a large white carp about forty centimeters long. Even in the pond water, its silver scales shimmered brightly under the sunlight.
However—
The carp's back looked bitten, with a noticeable chunk missing. After swimming slowly for a while, it floated to the surface, its lips opening and closing, as if dying.
"Fresh big fish!"
Zhou Qing's eyes lit up. He swam quickly and grabbed the carp, inserting his fingers into both gills.
Instantly, the carp thrashed wildly, dragging Zhou Qing through the pond.
Tang San hurried over, joining Zhou Qing in holding the carp, inserting his fingers into the gills as well. He activated his Xuantian Skill and performed the Xuan Jade Hand technique, gently tapping inside the fish's cheek.
The carp's dull eyes grew even more vacant.
Seeing the fish calm down, Zhou Qing realized Tang San was helping secretly and together they pulled the carp ashore.
"Look closely, this fish is actually kind of cute," Tang San said, admiring the silver carp shimmering in the sunlight.
"Yeah, really adorable."
Zhou Qing put on his pants and grabbed a stone near the pond, smashing the carp's head hard — the necessary step to kill the fish.
Tang San was speechless.
"San'er, go to my house and get the flint, seasoning, and stuff. We're going to have grilled fish!" Zhou Qing said, seeing Tang San's shocked expression.
"Don't be so surprised, it's just killing a fish. I watched the villagers do it. Later, you can take half of it to Uncle Tang — we two can't eat it all…"
Before he finished, Zhou Qing noticed something near the carp.
A faint white ring appeared.
"This is—"
"A soul ring!" Zhou Qing gasped, staring in disbelief at the carp he held down with one hand, the stone dropping from his other. "It's a soul beast!"
After the shock, he quickly urged Tang San to fetch the flint and seasoning:
"We're lucky! The books say soul beast meat is delicious! Eating it long-term can also improve a soul master's physical strength!"
"This white carp must be incredibly nourishing!"
"What are you waiting for? Go!"
Tang San snapped out of it, using Ghost Shadow Stealth to dash toward Zhou Qing's home. Soon, he returned with flint, seasoning, scissors, and dry firewood.
Zhou Qing took the scissors to scale and gut the carp while Tang San prepared the fire. Yet Tang San's eyes kept drifting back to the pale soul ring.
So this is a soul ring?
Amazing!
From reading the "Martial Soul Hall's Beginner Meditation Manual," Tang San had a rough understanding of how soul masters cultivated in this world.
Though based on martial souls, the circulation of soul power essentially followed the pattern of the "Zhou Tian" (Cycle of Heaven) circulation.
In other words, internal energy was essentially equivalent to soul power—just different names in different worlds.
Soul masters here needed soul rings to progress to the next cultivation stage.
Tang San wondered: if one reached the first layer of the Xuantian Skill but hadn't awakened a martial soul or obtained a soul ring, could they continue cultivating? He suspected not.
"All done."
After preparing the carp, Zhou Qing skewered it on a simple branch and roasted it over the fire, occasionally brushing on seasoning sauce.
Five minutes later, the fish gave off a tantalizing aroma.
"Can we really eat this?"
The smell pulled Tang San back to reality, and he swallowed.
Zhou Qing tore off a large piece, placing it on a flat, cleaned stone, handing it to Tang San. He tore a piece for himself and immediately bit in.
"Phew—hot! But delicious!"
Despite the heat, Zhou Qing swallowed greedily, feeling warmth spread through his body.
Tang San took a bite, feeling his whole body grow warmer and his internal power stirring with renewed vigor.
Ignoring manners, he quickly ate his share.
The nearly forty-centimeter carp was entirely consumed by these two four-year-olds!
They lay on the shore, stomachs full, burping and resting.
When the fish was mostly digested, Tang San was surprised to find his physical strength had increased, albeit barely noticeable.
Though minute, the improvement was real. More importantly, his Xuantian Skill internal power had advanced slightly, in step with his physical boost.
Soul beast meat actually has this effect!
Tang San realized soul masters in this world might be stronger than he'd originally thought. The Tang Sect's hidden weapons... the strongest few might affect high-level soul masters, but crafting those weapons took too much time and effort. Ordinary hidden weapons might only work by surprise.
The Tang Sect's hidden weapons... I must make them famous here. I have to create even stronger ones that surpass Buddha's Wrath Tang Lotus, Storm Pear Blossom Needles, and Peacock Plume!
Otherwise, even if we catch soul masters off guard initially, once they adapt, what then?
I must surpass the Tang Sect!
But where to start with weapons here? This world's weapons... Hmm? Zhou Qing seems to have some books on soul-guided tools maybe I can learn from them...