In terms of both speed and power, the Mandala Snake was far beyond what Tang San could currently contend with. As the serpentine head lunged toward him, Tang San stepped forward with Ghost Shadow Phantom Trail, his body shifting slightly as he sidestepped three feet to the left. Tang San knew that for him, there would only be one chance—if he failed, the Mandala Snake would never fall for the same trick again.
At the critical moment, Tang San made his decision without hesitation. He channeled nearly all the power of his Mysterious Heaven Skill into his hands. A blue light flickered across his palms. His left hand drew inward and then pushed outward, and under the effect of Ghost Shadow Phantom Trail, his body shifted to yet another position.
The Mandala Snake felt a sudden pull of suction from the side of its head, and its skull turned involuntarily. In that instant, because it had been lunging at Tang San, its jaws were still wide open—and in the very moment before they could snap shut, *thunk*—
The nearly four-meter-long serpentine body stiffened in an instant. That foot-and-a-half short sword had plunged completely into the snake's open mouth. The very next moment, the Mandala Snake's body began thrashing violently. The ground erupted in a storm of sand and stone; wherever its rigid body swept, shrubs and saplings alike were torn apart as if ravaged by a tornado, their branches and leaves shredded and scattered in every direction.
After thrusting that sword with all his might, Tang San had already retreated at full speed using Ghost Shadow Phantom Trail, narrowly avoiding the sweeping blow of the Mandala Snake's tail. As the saying goes, a centipede dies but never falls down—for a snake's vitality, Tang San knew the characteristics all too well and would never assume the Mandala Snake would die immediately.
"Xiao San!" The Great Master's urgent shout snapped Tang San back to awareness. He realized that everything he had just done had been laid bare before the Great Master's eyes. His soul did not belong to this world, and this—surely none of it could be known by anyone. What should he do?
Kill the Great Master to silence him? Tang San believed that with the power and unique properties of the Silent Sleeve Arrow, he had at least a seventy percent chance of succeeding. Luo Sanpao was already powerless to fight. But how could he possibly do such a thing? The Great Master was his teacher—though they had only known each other for a few days, the Great Master had already earned Tang San's genuine respect. There was no choice but to lie.
He deliberately stumbled, letting his legs give way, and tumbled to the ground.
The Great Master reached out and caught him. After all, he was a twenty-ninth level Great Soul Master—his Martial Soul may have been lacking, but his Soul Power was still there. He steadied Tang San with one hand. "Xiao San, are you alright?"
"Teacher, that scared me to death. How come the snake didn't chase me?"
The Great Master stared at the Mandala Snake's terrifying rampage and scolded, "Why did you suddenly let go just now? Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?"
In truth, the Great Master had not seen nearly as much as Tang San feared. After all, it was the dead of night, and the Great Master did not possess the kind of vision granted by the Purple Extreme Demon Eye. In the darkness, he had only caught a vague glimpse of Tang San's body stumbling backward, and the blue glow flickering on the short sword. As for the sharp crack of the Sleeve Arrow striking the Mandala Snake's body, the Great Master hadn't even noticed it.
"I don't know what happened either. My hands were sweaty—I think it just slipped. Teacher, I was swinging the short sword you gave me wildly, and I think I might have hit the snake."
He took Tang San's hand and found the palm drenched in cold sweat. The Great Master could easily guess that Tang San had struck the Mandala Snake—and quite possibly hit a vital spot, otherwise, this ferocious, venomous, and vindictive Soul Beast would never have suddenly stopped its pursuit.
"Don't go over there. Let's wait and see. Snake-type Soul Beasts have extraordinarily tenacious life force—they don't die so easily."
Tang San was gasping for breath, and this was not an act. He was genuinely drained. Facing a hundred-year Mandala Snake, such a powerful Soul Beast, he had given everything he had in that single moment. If the Crane Control Dragon Catch hadn't successfully pulled the Mandala Snake's head toward him, the outcome would have been entirely different.
After this harrowing experience, Tang San secretly resolved that once he returned, he would find a way to arm himself as thoroughly as possible. Before his Mysterious Heaven Skill reached maturity, all kinds of mechanical hidden weapons were clearly the best option—they were also what Tang San excelled at most.
The teacher and student stood at a distance, cautiously observing. The Mandala Snake's hysterical, frenzied struggles gradually subsided into stillness, its body writhing across the ground, shattering every plant in its path and exposing the bare soil beneath.
The sword the Great Master had given Tang San was a treasure blade. A foot and a half was not long, but it was more than enough to pierce through the Mandala Snake's brain. That was a fatal wound.
As the Mandala Snake's struggles grew weaker and weaker, the Great Master finally let out a slow breath of relief. Then, the expression on his face began to shift—from the earlier panic, it gradually transformed into sheer elation. "Wonderful. This is truly wonderful! Xiao San, your Soul Ring is settled."
"Teacher, what are you saying? You can't mean this snake?" Tang San stared at the Great Master in surprise.
The Great Master nodded solemnly. "That's exactly what I mean. The Mandala Snake grows one centimeter in length for every year it survives before reaching the thousand-year mark. This Mandala Snake is nearly four meters long—which means it has roughly four hundred years of cultivation. That's right at the limit for the first Soul Ring a Soul Apprentice can absorb when advancing to Soul Master. With your Innate Full Soul Power, absorbing its Soul Ring will present no problem at all."
"But, Teacher—my Martial Soul is a plant, and this Mandala Snake is a beast-type Soul Beast. Can I really use it for my Soul Ring? Won't there be a conflict?" Tang San asked, puzzled.
(End of Chapter)