Under the burning flames, the Shadow Leopard soon perished. A purple spirit ring rose from its corpse.
"Xiao San, come out now."
Lin Mu exited the armor combination state, speaking without turning his head.
Hearing this, Tang San immediately emerged from behind the rock, looking solemnly at the Shadow Leopard's corpse. Every part of its body was charred black.
If it were him, he would have had absolutely no chance of killing this Shadow Leopard.
Even if he used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Step to flee, he probably couldn't escape the Shadow Leopard's pursuit.
Yet in his Master's hands, it was so utterly defenseless.
"Master, is this a spirit ring?"
Gazing at the purple spirit ring floating above the Shadow Leopard's corpse, a flicker of curiosity passed through Tang San's eyes.
As long as he absorbed a spirit ring, he could become a soul master, and the bottleneck of the Mysterious Heaven Skill would also be resolved.
"Correct. This is a spirit ring over three thousand years old. For you, the year is too high. Forcibly absorbing it might cause your body to explode and die."
Pausing briefly, Lin Mu continued: "Generally speaking, the limit for the first spirit ring is four hundred years. A certain 'Master' researched this limit, determining it to be 423 years."
"This data is meaningless. Each person's endurance limit is different. This conclusion easily misleads students. Moreover, all these soul master materials were stolen by him."
Hearing this, Tang San suddenly understood.
"It's just a bit of a pity. This three-thousand-year spirit ring is wasted just like that."
"Soul masters and soul beasts have been natural enemies since ancient times. Since this soul beast attacked us, killing it is completely justified. If we let this soul beast go, other soul masters might lose their lives to its jaws."
In Lin Mu's view, there was no distinction of good or bad among soul beasts.
As the saying goes, 'Those who are not of our race must have different hearts.' Soul masters' spirit rings all originate from soul beasts; they are inherently opposing sides.
Why bother distinguishing good from bad?
Hearing this perspective, Tang San fell into thought, his mindset subtly beginning to change.
Suddenly, Tang San thought of a very important question. He looked up at Lin Mu and asked, "Master, was that armor just now your Martial Soul?"
"Correct. In the eyes of outsiders, my Martial Soul is a piece of metal. But its true form is a suit of armor, considered an armor-type Martial Soul."
Lin Mu only revealed the type of his Martial Soul; he didn't disclose his trump cards to Tang San.
If it were merely armor, Flame's Nava wouldn't be considered a top-tier Martial Soul. Its true strength lay in its ability to control flames, as well as the weapons that came with the armor set.
Although he had already taken him as a disciple, it was wise to guard against others, especially since Tang San was deeply influenced by the Tang Sect.
Who knows, one day he might blurt out "You have already invited death upon yourself."
No matter what, being cautious was never wrong.
"Alright, let's continue. Our target is still some distance away."
Following the map's indications, the two continued forward, encountering no further soul beast attacks along the way.
After a long while, they arrived before a lake. Their target for this trip was on the lake's shore: a small plant, crystal clear like a diamond, about half a meter tall, but its roots extended to the lake bottom.
This was a soul beast Lin Mu had found in the Star Dou Great Forest Soul Beast Species Compendium, called Ice Crystal Grass. Its vitality was stronger than other plants of the same age.
"Over three hundred years. That should be sufficient."
After confirming the Ice Crystal Grass's age, Lin Mu picked up a small stone from the ground and flicked it, aiming at the Ice Crystal Grass.
With a sound of cutting through the air, the stone accurately struck the Ice Crystal Grass's stem.
What surprised Lin Mu was that although the stone hit the Ice Crystal Grass, it produced a crisp, ringing sound, as if striking something hard like a diamond.
"It actually blocked it."
Tang San's eyes were filled with disbelief.
He had witnessed his Master's prowess.
Although his Master didn't use his Martial Soul, with the soul power of a Soul Ancestor, it shouldn't be something a small plant could withstand.
"It seems besides enhancing the Blue Silver Grass's vitality, perhaps you can also obtain a decent spirit skill."
Exclaiming in admiration, Lin Mu slowly walked towards the Ice Crystal Grass's location, simultaneously releasing his Martial Soul. As he advanced step by step, he completed the armor combination.
When approaching the Ice Crystal Grass, Lin Mu placed his hand on it, releasing flames to burn it.
Generally speaking, the harder something is, the more it fears extreme heat or cold.
Gradually, the layer of ice-crystal-like cuticle on the Ice Crystal Grass began to shed. Bean-sized drops of sap flowed from its stem.
In a short while, the Ice Crystal Grass began to wither, its vitality rapidly draining, nearing death.
"Xiao San, you deliver the final blow."
"Yes, Master."
Responding respectfully, Tang San used a small knife to sever the Ice Crystal Grass's stem. The Ice Crystal Grass completely lost its vitality, and a yellow spirit ring floated up.
Immediately after, under Lin Mu's guidance, Tang San began to absorb this spirit ring.
Absorbing a spirit ring required considerable time, especially for the first absorption. Taking three to four hours was quite normal.
While Tang San was absorbing the spirit ring, Lin Mu, having nothing to do, searched the vicinity for wild game.
Three hours later.
Tang San slowly opened his eyes. An enticing aroma of roasted meat, coming from somewhere, drifted into his nostrils, stimulating his taste buds and making his mouth water.
But the question was, how could there be the smell of roasted meat here?
Shifting his gaze, not far away, Lin Mu was tending to a grill. On it, a rabbit was being roasted.
The heat was just right, the skin roasted to a golden, crispy perfection, looking incredibly appetizing.
The ingredients came from a hundred-year Soft Bone Rabbit.
During his years of traveling the continent, this was one of his favorite foods. It was simple and convenient to prepare, and they were plentiful—encountering a few was easy.
"Master, I've finished absorbing the spirit ring."
As he spoke, Tang San's eyes were fixed on the roasted rabbit. Just by the smell, he knew it was a rare delicacy in the world.
At home, the most common food was thin porridge. Eating meat a few times a year was a luxury, let alone such an enticing roasted rabbit.
Seeing Tang San staring intently at the roasted rabbit, the corner of Lin Mu's mouth curled into a barely noticeable mischievous smile.
"Xiao San, you're at an age where you need nourishment. This big rabbit leg is for you."
Saying this, Lin Mu tore off a large rabbit leg and stuffed it into Tang San's hand.
Tang San was momentarily stunned.
Looking at the large rabbit leg in his hand, a wave of warmth surged in his heart. His Master was truly the one who treated him best.
As a father, Tang Hao was undoubtedly irresponsible. Tang San was thin and frail, clearly malnourished.
No wonder many people in his previous life said that Tang Hao had detected his son was possessed, hence completely neglecting him. It was only after the appearance of the Clear Sky Hammer that Tang Hao began to pay attention.
Although it had a hint of conspiracy theory flavor, this possibility couldn't be ruled out.
If just because of Blue Silver Emperor Ah Yin's death, Tang Hao completely gave up on himself, didn't care about his son, and didn't think about seeking revenge against the Spirit Hall...
If that were truly the case, Tang Hao was too fragile—utterly a failure.