After returning to Holy Soul Village, Xiao Lin and the others continued their daily routine of training, sparring, and researching martial souls.
At this point, Xiao Lin was completely unaware that he had already caught the attention of the incompetent teacher Yu Xiaogang. If he knew, he would definitely spit on the ground and say, "What bad luck!"
"How is it, Lin-ge?"
On a grassy field near Holy Soul Village, Tang San was focusing his soul power, causing blue silver grass to grow densely across the ground.
Tang San was in excellent condition today and was confident he could achieve better results than before.
"Mm-hmm, not bad at all. I can see that the blue silver grass is a centimeter taller than before. That's already quite an improvement over just a few days," Xiao Lin said, using his Qiu Long Staff to measure the height of the grass. He then grabbed a handful and pulled at it, but it didn't budge.
"Not bad, Xiao San. For plant-type martial souls, the most important thing is to root firmly into the ground. Even a fragile blue silver grass can't be easily uprooted once it has a strong foundation. Your Blue Silver Grass Knot is already a decent self-created soul skill!"
Xiao Lin didn't hesitate to praise Tang San. This ability was far superior to Blue Silver Bind!
"Hahaha, well, what do you expect? He's my son!"
A deep and hearty laugh echoed from the distance, startling both Xiao Lin and Tang San.
Tang Hao was back!
Even before they could see him, Tang Hao had already appeared before them.
When Xiao Lin looked up, he noticed that the once burly yet haggard, drunken Tang Hao had undergone a dramatic transformation.
Now, Tang Hao seemed to be experiencing a second youth. His eyes were bright and full of hope.
"Here, Xiao San, your first soul beast—Three-Eyed Salamander."
Tang Hao casually tossed a one-meter-long, emaciated salamander onto the ground.
Xiao Lin took a closer look and noticed that the creature hardly resembled the supposedly highly regenerative soul beast.
Its body was a meter long, with a tail barely 30 centimeters. The third eye on its forehead was sunken in, giving it a weary, lifeless appearance—like it had pulled too many all-nighters.
"Dad, is this really a Three-Eyed Salamander?"
Tang San stared in disbelief at the soul beast in front of him. Its body looked severely dehydrated, covered in faint scars that hadn't healed.
Was this really the same powerful regenerative creature Xiao Lin had mentioned?
"There are five rings near the base of its tail… Has it performed Tail Regrowth Escape five times already?"
Xiao Lin curiously lifted the Three-Eyed Salamander's tail, looking shocked.
With this species' powerful regeneration, it shouldn't have scars like this at all.
"This little thing still wanted to keep its tail to disguise its own aura and give itself a chance to escape. Did it really think I'd let it get away?"
Tang Hao had merely been testing the creature's regenerative abilities.
Xiao Lin stole a glance at Tang Hao before shifting his focus to the salamander's distinctive head horns.
"Each of the two mini horns has five branches…
"The number of branches determines the salamander's age—five branches indicate it's over 400 years old.
"Additionally, we can judge its age based on its regenerative ability.
"Since Uncle Hao said it has used Tail Regrowth Escape at least five times, that confirms it's close to 500 years old.
"But since its latest regrowth attempt hasn't fully recovered, it should be around 450 years old."
Xiao Lin confidently shared his assessment and looked at Tang Hao.
"Xiao Lin is correct. I searched Star Dou Forest for nearly a month before finally finding this one in the last three days.
"During my journey back, it regrew its tail four times. Each time, the regeneration was terrifyingly fast—its tail would regrow in the blink of an eye.
"But this last time, it struggled. Even now, the tail hasn't fully regrown."
Tang Hao nodded, confirming everything.
"Then that settles it. This guy is a 450-year-old soul beast. The rings on its tail are proof. Normally, after escaping, there wouldn't be any visible scars.
"It must be because Uncle Hao kept holding onto it, preventing it from fully regenerating, that these marks remain.
"Plus, after days of suffering under Uncle Hao, it's now completely drained of energy and unable to regenerate."
Xiao Lin's eyes lit up—this soul beast was perfect for Tang San!
"Hmm, I haven't fed it for the past few days. Oh, and here are the tails it left behind," Tang Hao added, pulling four severed tails from his soul tool.
Each tail was about 1.5 meters long and much thicker than the salamander's actual body.
"These were all used for escape, imitating its own aura to confuse predators."
"It looks like I underestimated its regeneration—it doesn't just regrow quickly, but it also increases in size!"
Xiao Lin turned to the still-hesitant Tang San. "Xiao San, hurry up and kill it to absorb the soul ring!"
"But… But didn't you say the first soul ring's absorption limit was 423 years?"
Tang San hesitated. Wasn't 450 years too much?
"Don't worry. You're a genius, so surpassing the limit is expected. Besides, this Three-Eyed Salamander has already exhausted most of its soul power regenerating itself. Even if it resists, it won't be stronger than a plant-type soul beast.
"450 years is just right—just focus on absorbing it!"
Xiao Lin grinned confidently, as if it were only natural for Tang San to be exceptional.
"Alright, I trust you."
Tang San's eyes flashed with determination as he stepped forward toward the Three-Eyed Salamander.
"Xiao San, take this dagger."
Tang Hao tossed a finely crafted steel dagger to Tang San.
To Tang Hao, his son was a true genius—a twin martial soul wielder. If ordinary soul masters could absorb up to 423-year-old rings, then someone with twin martial souls should be able to exceed that limit!
A single-martial-soul wielder couldn't compare to his son!
Soon, under Tang San's decisive action, the Three-Eyed Salamander closed its eyes, accepting its fate.
A bright, golden-yellow soul ring emerged.
"Xiao San, calm your mind and use your martial soul to guide the soul ring in," Tang Hao instructed calmly, boosting Tang San's confidence.
Meanwhile, Xiao Lin pulled out a pen and paper, diligently recording the events.
"The Three-Eyed Salamander accepted its death peacefully—perhaps this aided in the absorption process."
"The soul beast was already drained of strength and soul power. Will this affect the final soul ring's age?"
(Scratched out) "No, probably not."
"A better question: Will it affect the strength of the soul skill?"
"The Three-Eyed Salamander's third eye is on the back of its head—will this enhance Xiao San's Blue Silver Grass' perception abilities?"
"I never told Xiao San about this possibility. If he gains this ability, it'll be a surprise!"
…
(End of Chapter)