radicalducati Chapter 16 Qin Ruins' Third Soul Ring: Bloodthirsty Vine
Chapter 16 Qin Ruins' Third Soul Ring: Bloodthirsty Vine
"Sir, that black iron cypress may be over three hundred years old."
Soul Sect guard Lin Hui's expression was not good.
In three days, they only found this one black iron juniper, and it was even over the age limit?
The Great Sun Forest is quite different from the Soul Hunter Forest. Legend has it that deep within the forest lies a brightly lit area where a hazy light shines even in the darkness of night. Though beautiful, it is extremely dangerous. This is the origin of the name "Great Sun Forest."
Even at night, it is as bright as day.
Even though they are currently only active on the outskirts of the Great Sun Forest, it is still fraught with danger.
In the minds of ordinary soul masters, absorbing a soul ring that is over three hundred years old is dangerous, not to mention that Tang San's martial soul is Blue Silver Grass.
"Take me there and have a look," Qin Xu simply said.
"Yes."
Qin Xu followed the guards through a fork in the road and soon saw a patch of dark blue, vine-like plants growing among the distant mountains. As Qin Xu approached, the dark blue color disappeared instantly, as if a layer of blackish-gray paint had been applied, and each leaf shimmered with a dark metallic luster.
Dozens of branches swayed wildly, like countless tentacles, always on high alert.
Soul beasts less than 10,000 years old lack intelligence, but they possess the instinct for survival.
Qin Xu looked at the scale of the place and saw that the black iron resurrection plant in front of him was not only more than three hundred years old, but almost five hundred years old.
However, while ordinary Soul Masters can determine the age of common Soul Beasts, they cannot accurately determine the age of uncommon ones.
"This thing is hard to find." Uncle Hei clicked his tongue.
"The main habitat of this type of plant-based soul beast is overseas. It's good enough that it exists in the Great Sun Forest," Qin Xu said casually.
Tang San said, "Teacher, I want to try."
"This plant-type soul beast is over three hundred years old, sir..." The guard looked at Qin Xu.
Qin Xu said directly, "You all stay around and protect Xiao San."
Qin Xu didn't intend for Tang San to absorb the second soul ring of a thousand years, so there was no need for him to pursue the first soul ring with the maximum lifespan.
Tang San couldn't actually do it either.
Due to his young age and malnutrition, Tang San's physical condition is now far inferior to his father's.
Therefore, although the plant-type soul beast in front of him is a bit young, it is just right as Tang San's first soul ring.
As for using black seals to enhance the lifespan of soul rings?
Qin Xu himself doesn't even have enough, so how could he possibly generously help Tang San!
Even now, Qin Xu's attitude towards Tang San remains one of investment; he is not as starved for love as Tang San.
When Tang San saw the Black Iron Selaginella, he was suddenly shocked, because he had done his homework at the Notting City Library the day before and knew very well that the Black Iron Selaginella in front of him was definitely over five hundred years old.
The teacher couldn't possibly not know... Gritting his teeth, out of trust in Qin Xu, he glanced at the guard and remained silent.
Just as Qin Xu gave the order, Hei Bo immediately moved, instantly unleashing his Fire Fist Martial Soul.
Uncle Hei also has the surname Qin, but he is not from the main branch, and his martial spirit is Fire Fist.
At this moment, Hei Bo unleashed the aura of a level 59 peak Soul King. With a single step, flames erupted from his fists like two suns, the intense heat instantly making everyone's faces burn, as if a raging furnace were directly in front of them.
Five soul rings—two yellow, two purple, and one black—swirled around Blackie, instantly amplifying his aura several times over.
The first spirit ring lit up.
Blackie's waist was taut like a drawn bow, and he only let out a low growl.
Fists containing flames bombarded the black iron juniper like bullets, instantly creating several holes in its trunk.
With his peak Soul King strength, the Black Iron Cypress was like a weak straw in front of him, and was instantly smashed to pieces.
"Even Uncle Hei is this amazing."
Tang San was slightly taken aback. In his previous life, Hei Bo was considered a minor expert in the martial arts world.
"What are you standing there for? Give him the final blow!" Lin Hui immediately reminded him.
"Oh...yes." Tang San then realized that Hei Bo had completely controlled the Black Iron Resurrection Plant. Without further hesitation, he took out his dagger, walked into the Black Iron Resurrection Plant, and slashed it forcefully.
Tang San immediately felt immense resistance; his strike only left a faint mark on the surface of the Black Iron Selaginella tree.
Tang San refused to believe in evil spirits and used his Xuan Tian Gong to greatly increase his strength, which allowed him to sever the roots of the Black Iron Cypress with a single strike.
A yellow spirit ring slowly rose from the bottom of the black iron resurrection plant. Qin Xu had Hei Bo and the guards stand by, while he took out a few silver needles and said calmly, "Little San, I will use the secret technique of our lineage to help you stimulate your physical potential in a moment."
Tang San nodded immediately, his heart pounding. Sure enough, his teacher possessed a secret technique that could help him transcend age limits and absorb soul rings.
With Qin Xu guarding him, Tang San absorbed the soul ring very smoothly. Before long, Tang San opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath.
"Teacher, I have not failed you." Tang San bowed respectfully to Qin Xu, feeling the surging soul power within him, and said with great satisfaction:
"Just as you said, this spirit ring is very suitable for me, and it has brought about a huge change in my spirit. I can feel that my Blue Silver Grass has been able to unleash a lot of potential."
As he spoke, Tang San released his martial soul. The leaves of the Blue Silver Grass were one-third thicker than before, and the shape of the leaves changed from flat to ring-shaped vines covered with sharp thorns.
"What are the effects of your soul skill? What level is it now?" Qin Xu asked.
"My first soul skill is the same as you predicted, it's 'Hardened Armament'. Its ability is to harden, and the branches become semi-metallic. The more soul power you input, the harder Hardened Armament becomes. If I want, I can also use soul power to make my Blue Silver Grass into any shape. My current level is thirteen."
Tang San was extremely satisfied. As he spoke, he had a thought and several roots instantly extended from his arm. These roots continuously wrapped around and enveloped his arm, forming a spear-like shape.
In fact, during Tang San's demonstration, the tip and shaft of his blue-silver spear could bend and twist like a snake.
If the opponent really treats Tang San's "Blue Silver Spear" as a regular iron spear, they will definitely suffer a great loss.
Even Uncle Hei was amazed and acknowledged Tang San's first soul skill.
"Level 13, you can go to the Spirit Hall for certification. After certification, you can receive one gold soul coin from the Spirit Hall every month, but I require you to go to the Spirit Hall for certification again after half a year," Qin Xu said.
Tang San instantly understood Qin Xu's meaning and agreed to everything.
Just as Tang San was about to leave, Qin Xu saw a black, hairy root that looked like a coiled dragon, with only a corner of the soil broken through.
Qin Xu's heart stirred, and he immediately set off, digging up the nearby soil in just a few moments.
They've only dug halfway through.
Tang San was stunned.
"Black Blood Ginseng! Teacher, this is actually Black Blood Ginseng!" Tang San's eyes suddenly lit up with excitement.
Qin Xu had some knowledge of pharmacology and a certain understanding of the herbs of this world. He was naturally familiar with Black Blood Ginseng. Although he remained calm, a hint of excitement flashed across his face.
This Black Blood Ginseng is a powerful medicinal herb that can replenish qi and blood, and invigorate yang. A piece of this fist-sized Black Blood Ginseng would cost at least five thousand gold soul coins to buy.
The next moment, Tang San discovered that Qin Xu had only dug up three-quarters of the Black Blood Ginseng, and there was still a quarter of its roots left. Qin Xu then gave up digging deeper and began to mix it with the soil.
He immediately looked puzzled.
Seemingly sensing what Tang San wanted to ask, Qin Xu said, "Little San, rare and precious herbs must have their roots preserved. I've left a quarter of it; perhaps after a few decades, it can grow into a great medicinal plant again."
Tang San was slightly taken aback.
If it were Tang San himself, he would definitely dig up the entire Black Blood Ginseng, leaving not even the roots, let alone the roots.
Even if someone else left it there, he would remember the location and dig it out himself later.
After all, even a quarter of a Black Blood Ginseng is of immeasurable value. If one were to plant it, it should be in one's own yard.
That's just the kind of person he is; he has an instinctive wariness and indifference towards everyone except his family.
Furthermore, he always felt secure knowing that good things had to end up in the hands of his own people. He would even find reasons to justify this.
He wasn't heartbroken when Qin Xu took it; he was even happy for his teacher. But when it was left here and someone else took it, he felt inexplicably reluctant.
Seeing his respected teacher act this way, Tang San felt somewhat awkward but also quite admiring.
My teacher is a truly magnanimous person who is willing to leave real benefits for those who come after him.
He treats himself this way, and he treats others the same way. This can be seen from his attitude towards preserving the roots of rare and precious materials.
He gritted his teeth.
As the teacher's only disciple, I should have a broader mind in the future.
Even if not for your own sake, you should also consider the teacher's reputation.
Qin Xu had no interest in knowing what Tang San was thinking.
As planned, he arranged for Lin Hui to send Tang San away, while he himself continued to search for suitable soul beasts deep in the Great Sun Forest to hunt for his third soul ring.
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Hunting for a soul ring is never an easy task; Qin Xu spent a full half-month in the Great Sun Forest.
His main targets are soul beasts that are between four and six thousand years old and possess the attribute of devouring soul power or other powerful characteristics.
For example, space, time, or creation.
However, it turned out he was overthinking it.
In half a month, they only found a five-thousand-year-old soul power sacred tree, a six-thousand-year-old black jade bamboo, and a six-thousand-year-old green wood dragon. However, Qin Xu hesitated for a long time in front of these three soul beasts and finally chose to give up.
Qin Xu and Hei Bo are both very patient. When Qin Xu obtained his second soul ring, he waited in Sunset Forest for two whole months. Now it has only been half a month, and it is far from time to be impatient.
On the eighteenth day after arriving at the Great Sun Forest, Qin Xu finally discovered a 4,000-year-old Bloodthirsty Vine.
It was a thick, dark red plant-spirit beast, with roots as thick as a person could hug. From a distance, it was impossible to tell that it was a plant. On the contrary, it looked more like a terrifying aggregate of dozens of terrifying blood dragons that would devour people. Its sharp mouthparts were like sharp guillotines, carrying a strong bloody smell.
Indeed, the 4,000-year-old Bloodthirsty Vine, filled with a bloodthirsty and devouring desire, is that terrifying. At this moment, it is writhing its body, ready to devour the two outsiders who have taken the initiative to offend it.
If someone who doesn't understand encounters it, they might even doubt whether it is truly a plant-type soul beast.
However, the Blood-Devouring Vine rarely lives past five thousand years, not because its brutality and killing incurs the hatred of soul beasts, but because the roots of the Blood-Devouring Vine are truly a great tonic during the four to five thousand years period.
Even those king-level soul beasts living deep in the jungle will instinctively send out desire signals like they are in heat when they encounter the Bloodthirsty Vine.
It smells delicious.
How fragrant is it? Powerful spirit beasts in the vicinity all want to get their hands on it as soon as they smell it!
Its roots contain terrifying life essence energy. The Blood-Devouring Vine, which is about four thousand years old, can still hide its presence. The longer it grows, the more sought-after the Blood-Devouring Vine will become.
Therefore, this four-thousand-year-old Blood-Devouring Vine is almost the oldest generation in the Blood-Devouring Vine family.
Without Qin Xu saying anything more, Hei Bo spread his legs, released his martial spirit, and stared fiercely at the Bloodthirsty Vine.
Hei Bo is a high-level Soul King. According to the comparison of combat power between Soul Masters and Soul Beasts in Douluo Continent, Soul Kings correspond to ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts. Hei Bo can at least fight against Soul Beasts that are less than fifteen thousand years old.
Furthermore, as a fire-attribute soul master, he has an advantage against plant-type soul beasts, but when facing a special devouring soul beast like the Bloodthirsty Vine, once it finds a breakthrough, he can easily fall into its hands.
Fortunately, Qin Xu had explained the habits, characteristics, and attack methods of the Blood-Devouring Vine to Hei Bo in detail beforehand.
Blackie immediately used his fifth soul skill.
His fists were burning fiercely.
With a stomp of his left foot, the withered yellow leaves near his toes instantly crumbled into dust. Blackie's body rose half a meter, and he flew into the pile of Bloodthirsty Vine like an arrow, directly clashing with the Bloodthirsty Vine.
The Blood-Devouring Vine can devour the enemy's soul power and flesh energy, so the longer the fight goes on, the more troublesome it becomes.
Therefore, without any probing moves, Blackie unleashed his most powerful and ferocious attack.
Half an hour later, Uncle Hei had beaten the Bloodthirsty Vine to the point of near death, and all sixty-odd branches had been smashed into pieces by Uncle Hei's punches.
At this moment, the roots of the Blood-Devouring Vine were all drooping, and several long tendrils looked withered, with bright red sap still flowing from the broken ends.
Uncle Hei was a meticulous man who had followed Qin Xu for ten years without ever making a mistake and was always very thorough in his work. So when he saw Uncle Hei stop, he was certain that the Blood-Devouring Vine had lost its ability to resist.
Qin Xu did not draw his sword, but instead released his martial spirit, which wrapped around the Bloodthirsty Vine from a distance.
The next moment, Qin Xu's eyes seemed to lose focus, but at the same time, the Sun-Chasing Blue Silver Grass was like a scorching hot knife, cutting the Bloodthirsty Vine into several pieces.
Suddenly, a purple soul ring slowly rose from the roots of the Bloodthirsty Vine.
Hei Bo shouted for the two remaining guards to protect him nearby, while Qin Xu began absorbing the soul ring without hesitation.
Guided by his will, the spirit ring was quickly placed on Qin Xu's head.
Since it wasn't a five-thousand-year soul ring at its limit, Qin Xu absorbed the third soul ring with almost no resistance, and successfully absorbed it in just one hour.
His soul power level also rose to level thirty-three after absorbing the third soul ring!
Qin Xu immediately investigated his third soul skill.