"Solitary Bamboo?" Tang San repeated the name, his expression thoughtful. "Teacher, are you talking about that plant-type soul beast we saw on our first day in the forest?"
When they first entered the Hunting Forest, they had come across a ten-year-old Solitary Bamboo.
"Yes," Yu Xiaogang nodded, his voice weak from his injuries. "The Solitary Bamboo is a plant-type soul beast. While its offensive power isn't strong, its defense is quite good. It's a very suitable match for your Blue Silver Grass martial soul."
"But Teacher, your body…" Tang San was happy to have found a spirit ring, but his joy was overshadowed by his concern for Yu Xiaogang, who was clearly in bad shape.
"I'm fine, don't worry about me," Yu Xiaogang said, waving his hand dismissively. "The attack power of plant-type soul beasts is generally low, especially one with such a weak cultivation. A ten-year Solitary Bamboo's attacks are negligible. You'll have no trouble hunting it on your own."
In truth, Yu Xiaogang was deeply unhappy, even depressed. A large part of it was because he had lost an arm on this trip. Though he was grateful to be alive, the joy of survival didn't completely erase the pain of his injury. But there was another reason for his disappointment: his grand theories about martial souls had not been properly tested on Tang San. In the end, they were forced to settle for a simple ten-year Solitary Bamboo as Tang San's first spirit ring.
Alas, Yu Xiaogang sighed to himself and slowly closed his eyes. He would just have to wait for another chance to prove his theories in the future.
Because their food and water were nearly gone, the group rested for only half a day before preparing to leave the Hunting Forest. But first, Tang San had to get his spirit ring.
Yu Xiaogang was still too weak to move on his own and was out of breath even when he spoke, so Tang San had to carry him. The problem was, Tang San himself was also badly injured. By the time he found the Solitary Bamboo with Yu Xiaogang on his back, he was drenched in sweat and utterly exhausted. This was despite having the support of his Xuantian Gong cultivation.
Meanwhile, Huo Feng, who walked beside them, seemed completely oblivious to Tang San's struggle. He followed a simple rule: if it wasn't his problem, he stayed out of it. Tang San was Yu Xiaogang's disciple, not his. What did it have to do with him? Besides, Huo Feng didn't look much better than Tang San. Although Tang San thought about asking for help, he was ultimately too embarrassed to say anything.
After a short rest, Tang San looked up at the Solitary Bamboo hidden among the other trees. It was only about five or six meters tall, which meant its cultivation was around fifty or sixty years.
"Teacher, how do I hunt it?" Tang San asked, unsure of where to begin.
Following Yu Xiaogang's instructions, he took a sword from his Twenty-Four Bridges on a Moonlit Night storage belt. He aimed for the base of the bamboo and swung the sword with all his might.
Crash!
The Solitary Bamboo was cut down and fell heavily against the surrounding trees, startling nearby birds and beasts into fleeing. After a moment, small white spots of light began to rise from the fallen plant, eventually gathering together. A faint, blurry white halo floated quietly above the bamboo. It looked so fragile that a strong gust of wind might blow it away.
Tang San stared at the spirit ring, not daring to touch it yet. Standing close, he could feel the weak energy it contained.
"Xiao San, start absorbing the spirit ring," Yu Xiaogang said softly from where he lay nearby. A ring of this level, from a Solitary Bamboo, posed no danger at all.
Tang San nodded. He raised his right hand and focused the spirit power in his body into his palm. A soft blue light glowed as the Blue Silver Grass grew from his hand.
"Come on, my first spirit ring!" Tang San whispered, a spark of excitement in his eyes. This trip to the Hunting Forest had been a near-death experience, but now he had found a suitable spirit ring. As the saying goes, if you survive a great disaster, you will be blessed with good fortune.
Guided by the blue light, the white spirit ring slowly drifted toward him.
"Sit cross-legged and focus your mind on your martial soul," Yu Xiaogang reminded him in a deep, serious tone.
Huo Feng, watching from a distance, was speechless. It's just a ten-year spirit ring, but they're treating it like it's a thousand-year one, he thought. The old man is barely hanging on, and he's still lecturing Tang San like this?
But Tang San was obedient. He sat down and focused all his attention on the Blue Silver Grass in his hand. Soon, the white spirit ring floated over his head, then suddenly shrank and enveloped his martial soul. The ring, now much smaller, looked far more solid than before.
Tang San, who had been bracing himself for a difficult process, only felt a warm current enter his body from his right palm. It circulated once through his meridians and then disappeared. The next moment, the Blue Silver Grass detached from his hand and floated above his head, still encircled by the white spirit ring.
Under the ring's white glow, the Blue Silver Grass began to change subtly. The blades of grass became slightly wider, a change so small it was almost unnoticeable. The color change, however, was much more obvious. The grass transformed from its original light blue to a lush green, with only a few blue lines remaining on its leaves.
Tang San nodded to himself. The Solitary Bamboo was green, so it made sense that the Blue Silver Grass would change color. It seemed more fitting to call it Green Silver Grass now.
With that, the Solitary Bamboo's spirit ring was completely absorbed.
My Xuantian Gong still hasn't reacted? Tang San noticed that his internal energy was still stuck at the bottleneck of the first level. He had hoped that absorbing his first spirit ring would trigger a breakthrough, and he couldn't help but feel a little let down.
He stood up and took a deep breath of the fresh forest air. After absorbing the ring, he felt much better, as if 70% to 80% of his strength had returned.
"Xiao San, were you successful?" Yu Xiaogang asked when he saw Tang San get up.
"Yes, Teacher, I succeeded. Don't worry," Tang San replied with a grin. Though he was slightly disappointed by the ring's effect, he put on a happy face for his teacher. He raised his right hand, and a faint green light emerged as the Green Silver Grass grew from his palm. What was once a single blade of grass was now two. A clean, white halo rose from his feet, circling his body. It was Tang San's first spirit ring.
A stiff smile appeared on Yu Xiaogang's face. "Xiao San, what is your first spirit skill?"
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