"Thank you, Master."
Tang San accepted the large, aromatic rabbit leg, his face full of gratitude.
Though he felt an inexplicable sliver of strangeness in his heart, under the tantalizing stimulus of the roast meat's fragrance, he took a big bite of the rabbit leg nonetheless.
Seeing this, Lin Mu also began to eat heartily.
In no time at all, the roasted rabbit, as large as a basketball, was completely devoured by the two.
Having traveled and experienced the world for many years, Lin Mu's culinary skills, if not described as peerless, were at least at the level of a top-tier master chef.
Having eaten one large rabbit leg, Tang San still wasn't satisfied and proceeded to gnaw on the rabbit butt that Lin Mu had left behind.
From this, it was evident that Tang San was truly accustomed to a life of hardship. Compared to thin porridge, rabbit butt was clearly much more delicious.
"Xiao San, let me see your current Blue Silver Grass."
After eating and drinking their fill, Lin Mu said to Tang San.
Tang San gave a slight nod and immediately released his Blue Silver Grass. After this incident, the trust in his master in his heart grew even stronger.
Accompanied by a faint blue halo, the Blue Silver Grass emerged from Tang San's palm. At first glance, it seemed unchanged, but upon closer inspection, a layer of white keratin-like substance covered its surface.
Clearly, this white keratin was the frosty keratin from the Ice Crystal Grass.
"Try it. Channel soul power into the Blue Silver Grass and see if you can control its growth."
Under Lin Mu's guidance, Tang San slowly channeled soul power into the Blue Silver Grass. As expected, the Blue Silver Grass began to grow rapidly.
"Continue. Try to control it and have it entangle me."
Tang San increased the soul power input.
The Blue Silver Grass's growth speed accelerated significantly and, like a venomous snake, it coiled around Lin Mu.
This was all within Lin Mu's expectations.
Even without awakening the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline, Blue Silver Grass was a plant by nature. As long as it had sufficient vitality, entanglement was one of its most basic abilities.
Although the current entanglement strength wasn't great, as the Blue Silver Grass continued to strengthen, its entanglement force could improve accordingly.
"Try your first soul skill."
Hearing this, a trace of hesitation flashed across Tang San's face. "Master, wouldn't that be too dangerous?"
"Go ahead and strike."
Receiving this affirmation, Tang San hesitated no longer. A yellow soul ring suddenly brightened at his feet.
"First Soul Skill, Blue Silver Crystallization!"
In an instant, the Blue Silver Grass entangling Lin Mu rapidly condensed a layer of frost crystals, identical to those of the Ice Crystal Grass.
Before absorbing the first soul ring, the Blue Silver Grass's strength was very poor, almost snapping with a single tug.
But after absorbing the Ice Crystal Grass soul ring, the Blue Silver Grass's strength had increased severalfold, though its control effect was still very weak. However, after releasing the first soul skill, its strength could be said to have skyrocketed.
"Not a bad soul skill."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Lin Mu's body erupted with powerful soul power, forcibly shattering the crystallized Blue Silver Grass.
As a level 47 Battle Soul Ancestor, even without using his martial soul, the power Lin Mu could unleash was comparable to a Soul Elder possessing a Beast Martial Soul.
"If it were a two-ringed Great Soul Master, it would be difficult for them to break free from your first soul skill in a short time. Most importantly, this soul skill of yours can be used for both offense and defense; it's very practical."
"This is all thanks to you, Master." Tang San expressed his gratitude from the bottom of his heart.
Hearing this, Lin Mu gently patted his shoulder, but his attention fell on the panel before his eyes.
[Main Quest: Take Tang San as a disciple and nurture a completely new Tang San. The greater the contrast, the richer the rewards. Completion: 7.9%.]
"Only increased this much."
Lin Mu felt a slight helplessness, then turned to ask Tang San, "Xiao San, what's your current level?"
"Level 13."
Hearing this, Lin Mu's expression remained calm. The Ice Crystal Grass had a lifespan of over three hundred years. Combined with the soul power Tang San had accumulated himself, breaking through to level 13 in one go was normal.
Helping Tang San obtain a soul ring was merely the surface goal; the main purpose was to subtly change his way of thinking.
Only with a higher completion rate could Lin Mu obtain more rewards.
With just the Flame Nava armor set alone, Lin Mu was confident he could deal with Soul King-level experts. If he obtained another armor set, even Soul Emperors wouldn't be a problem.
"Let's go. We should leave this place before dark."
Lin Mu patted the Blue Silver Grass fragments off his body and was about to leave with Tang San when the sounds of a fight suddenly came from the distance.
Moreover, the sounds were growing clearer, indicating someone was approaching this area.
Without hesitation, Lin Mu grabbed the back of Tang San's collar, lifting him up like a small chick. Then, with several successive leaps, they finally landed atop a large tree.
Being carried by his master like this was somewhat humiliating, but Tang San felt no resentment.
As the saying goes, a teacher for a day is a father for a lifetime. Furthermore, Lin Mu treated him even better than his father, so in Tang San's heart, Lin Mu was already no different from a father.
Moments later, a woman in palatial white attire, pulling a short-haired young girl, rushed to the edge of the lake. Her skirt fluttered in the wind, ethereal and graceful, like a fairy who had descended to the mortal realm.
"Hehehe—"
"Patriarch Ye, why must you make things so difficult?"
Following a strange, sinister laugh, a middle-aged man in black martial attire walked out. He had quite a bit of bloodstains on him, still fresh, clearly having just killed someone.
A sinister smile appeared on the middle-aged man's face as he pressed forward step by step, like a venomous snake ready to strike at any moment.
The woman surnamed Ye looked panicked, hurriedly pulling the short-haired girl behind her to shield her.
In reality, this was completely useless, as she had no ability to resist this enemy.
"Your Ye family has long been in decline. Joining our Fire Leopard Sect would be beneficial for both of us."
"Wishful thinking!"
"Don't be ungrateful for the favor offered. Even if you don't consider yourself, shouldn't you at least consider your daughter?"
Seeing the other party so unreasonably stubborn, the middle-aged man directly released his Fire Leopard martial soul, his aura suddenly rising several levels.
Simultaneously, five soul rings spiraled up from his feet: two yellow, three purple. While this soul ring configuration couldn't be considered top-tier, it was still quite decent.
"Fire Leopard Sect..."
Standing atop the large tree, Lin Mu looked at the Fire Leopard Soul Master below, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
As one of the Lower Four Sects, the Fire Leopard Sect's foundation, though not comparable to the Upper Three Sects, still ranked among the top sects on the continent. Yet, they would resort to such means to coerce a woman?
"Surname Ye..."
Lin Mu's pupils constricted sharply. The most famous Ye family on the continent was precisely the Ye family of the Nine-Heart Begonia.
If so, it seemed the Fire Leopard Sect wanted to annex the Ye family to enhance their own sect's foundation. That would explain things.
The Nine-Heart Begonia had always been passed down through a single lineage, with only two Nine-Heart Begonia Soul Masters alive at the same time. Only when one died could the next generation awaken the Nine-Heart Begonia.
As a top-tier support-type martial soul, the Nine-Heart Begonia, while not possessing enhancement abilities as formidable as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, had unique healing capabilities.
In battle, a powerful healer was crucial.
Its only drawback was that its soul skills were overly singular, lacking self-preservation abilities, thus requiring constant, close protection.
Lin Mu gazed at the woman in white and the short-haired girl below. Barring any surprises, these two were likely the only current inheritors of the Nine-Heart Begonia.