Chapter 12: Second Binding of Blue Silver Grass
Of course, this wasn't for Tang San to make a decision.
Yu Xiaogang had always prided himself on his unparalleled theories and acted autocratically. His reason for cultivating Tang San was to prove his theories correct.
How could such an important matter as choosing a spirit ring be entrusted to a child he still considered immature?
Tang San's words just now were exactly to his liking.
Yu Xiaogang felt relieved, and under the effect of Hypnosis, he finally made up his mind, turning to Zhao Liuyun and asking, "Which direction?"
We'll search along the way; if we don't find a more suitable Spirit Beast, we'll have to settle for this one.
"That way." Zhao Liuyun pointed towards the depths of the forest.
I'll guide you, ensuring you won't encounter too much danger.
With the Dean, a Spirit Ancestor with a Flame Spear Spirit, accompanying them, the Spirit Beasts blocking their path were easily dealt with.
Finally, after two days of searching, and without too many surprises, Tang San successfully hunted a Corrosive Poison Centipede that was over 570 years old to serve as his second spirit ring.
Its carapace displayed a gloomy, murky dark green, as if soaked in the sap of sludge and rotten branches.
And after Tang San's Blue Silver Grass absorbed the spirit ring, its original deep blue was also stained with a layer of murky dark green, appearing eerie and sinister.
So ugly, he looks like an Evil Spirit Master at a glance!
Of course, now he should be called a "Fallen Spirit Master."
The toughness and strength of the Spirit naturally increased.
As for control ability?
Zhao Liuyun, as a "friend," couldn't help but ask curiously, "Tang San, how's your second Spirit Ability?"
A hint of excitement flashed in Tang San's eyes. He immediately targeted a tree, and his second spirit ring lit up beneath his feet as he loudly declared:
"Second Spirit Ability, Hundred-Foot Binding."
"Taken from the Corrosive Poison Centipede's legs, it can differentiate countless tiny grass leaves from the main trunk of the Blue Silver Grassfor multiple Bindings."
After he activated the Spirit Ability, dense, slender small grass leaves immediately spread out from both sides of the Blue Silver Grass.
The grass leaves intertwined layer upon layer, permeated with stubborn corrosive toxins, as if once bound, one would be tightly trapped and unable to break free.
However, the second Spirit Ability has limited length and cannot be effective independently; it must be linked with the first Spirit Ability, "Mother Binding."
Only by combining the two can the control strength be increased.
Hundred-Foot Binding, sounds alright...
However, Zhao Liuyun preferred to call it—
Mother's Second Binding!
Compared to the suddenness of Parasite, this skill is pure trash.
There are too many small grass leaves, making precise control like an arm commanding fingers impossible.
Unable to densely intertwine into a net, the strength of a string of small grass leaves is inherently inferior to the main trunk of the Blue Silver Grass.
Moreover, the Corrosive Poison Centipede is an animal, its strength lies in its carapace. How could it compare to the fiber-derived toughness affinity of Blue Silver Grass and Ghost Vine, which are both plants?
The Blue Silver Grass was already weak, and now with the toxin cut and toughness greatly reduced, control is also crippled, a far cry from its original trajectory.
It's fine for bullying weaker opponents; with the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record, he can contend with anyone and even achieve continuous victories.
But against strong enemies, it's purely a joke.
When you encounter them, you'll be in for it.
"Thank you, Liuyun." Tang San had never experienced a true evenly matched battle against a genius, so he naturally wasn't aware of these hidden dangers.
He only knew that Zhao Liuyun had helped him find a Spirit Beast that met all three conditions of "toughness, poison, and control," making it suitable as a second spirit ring.
The second Spirit Ability perfectly met the requirements and could also enhance the control effect of the first Spirit Ability.
"It was all Grandmaster's idea, I didn't do anything." Zhao Liuyun's heart twitched; he dared not take credit for this favor.
If you want to thank someone, thank your teacher.
Using Hypnosis, he shifted most of Tang San's gratitude towards Gang Zi.
This way, even if you repeatedly fail in the future and find your SpiritAbilities too weak, it won't be blamed on me, Zhao Liuyun.
You'll only think of Yu Xiaogang!
You two master and disciple can fight like dogs.
With the Spirit Hunting completed, the master and disciple, along with the Dean, naturally wouldn't linger there.
The group quickly exited the Soul Hunting Forest.
As they left, Tang San affectionately bid farewell to Zhao Liuyun: "I wish you a splendid future and continuous progress in cultivation. See you again, Liuyun."
Zhao Liuyun patted his arm:
"You too, Tang San, take care."
...Tang San left, and life returned to normal.
Zhao Liuyun continued his Mercenary life, gaining general experienceas a Mercenary, occasionally spending some silver to pick up two rare poisonous herbs from the Soul Hunting Forest, and meticulously preparing some self-defense poisons.
His Physician experience also slowly and intermittently climbed.
A year slipped away like fine sand through his fingers.
Zhao Liuyun gradually made a name for himself in the Mercenary Group, becoming a strategist due to his judgment of battle situations and his research on Spirit Hunting.
Tracking Spirit Beast traces, determining Spirit Hunting routes, multiple hunts, capturing target Spirit Beasts... he finally successfully changed profession to Hunter Lv1.
Hunter bestowed upon him the trait called Keen Senses and the skill called Potent Burst.
First, the trait.
Keen Senses (A Hunter's gaze is sharp, and perception is keen, allowing them to detect traces from subtle details).
This is a powerful trait.
It makes a Hunter's gaze as sharp as an eagle's and their perception as dense as a spiderweb, allowing them to read clues from folded grass blades and depressions in the soil.
For ordinary people, it just means being able to observe more meticulously.
But Zhao Liuyun was no ordinary person.
Having practiced Purple Demon Eye for over a year, his eyesight had been tempered and was already strong.
With the enhancement of Keen Senses, it was at least equivalent to four or five years of Purple Demon Eye's visual strength.
This was already close to Tang San's—
He couldn't have started cultivating Purple Demon Eye on the mountain when he was one or two years old and unable to move easily.
Assuming he started at three years old, he would have practiced Purple Demon Eye for at most six full years.
And Zhao Liuyun's perception not only came from his body but also from his mental force.
soul: 38
For a year, he persisted in cultivating Purple Demon Eye daily, steadily increasing his soul by 3 points, which allowed him to derive more mental force.
Keen Senses, in turn, granted his mental force a subtle ability for detailed investigation.
No longer was it vague and like a blind man touching an elephant, unable to grasp the full picture.
As for the skill Potent Burst.
This is a method of energy convergence.
(Enhances the burst intensity of the next attack).
Applied to the body, it becomes a physical attack; applied to the soul, it becomes a mental attack.
Mental attack is easy to understand.
Although it cannot release mental Impact out of thin air, it can be used to enhance the Spirit Ability Dream Creation, unleashing more powerful might.
And if used on the body, it can unleash stronger force with each punch and kick.
physique: 16 points
Over the year, through Medicinal Baths for nourishment, dietary supplementation, diligent training, and the cycle of spirit powervibration to relieve fatigue, coupled with natural growth, Zhao Liuyun's physique increased by 4 points.
Perhaps it was no longer inferior to Tang San's after absorbing his second spirit ring.
However, applying Potent Burst to the physical body is not adopted by Mental System Spirit Masters.
Both soul and physique have improved, but the most rapid increase was still spirit power.
spirit power: 19 (0/4800)
By meditating every night and slowly and orderly consuming 3119 points of general experience, Zhao Liuyun's spirit power increased from level 15 to level 19.
It was time for him to try purely upgrading with experience.
general experience: 12710
From a Spirit Master's Meditation, from a Student's absorption of medical knowledge, from a Physician's diagnosis of patients, from a Mercenary's execution of missions, from a Hunter's tracking of prey... it was not easy to acquire, accumulating little by little, but it was spent like water.
The sharp increase in physique required external energy supplementation, something Zhao Liuyun had already considered.
But what if spirit power was different?
He gazed at the experience value with a pained heart for a moment, then finally steeled himself.
First, add in batches of 10, 30, 60, 100, 500, until 1000—
The surroundings were silent, with no unusual celestial phenomena appearing whatsoever.
Very good.
Zhao Liuyun's heart settled, and without further hesitation, he continued to invest all the remaining experience.
In an instant, general experience plummeted by 3800 from 11710.
general experience: 7910
spirit power: Level 20 (0/5000)
The drop in experience points was exchanged for an increase in spirit power. Just like the physique that surged due to Robustness, the data on the Panel was also illusory.