Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San

Tang San didn't rush to consume the Dragon Tendon Fruit to temper his body. It could be taken within three days. Instead, he turned his attention to the Green Jade Vine.

True to its name, the Green Jade Vine was a mix of green and white, giving it a translucent appearance. It had a unique texture, soft to the touch, and exuded a faint warmth.

The Green Jade Vine that Tang San had bought was over three meters long and as thick as a baby's arm. It was confined within a cage, and it constantly twisted and turned inside like an impatient snake.

Although it was called "vine," it was not a plant but a demonic beast, a second-order one. If it could awaken its spiritual intelligence, it could theoretically become a nymph. Unfortunately, it hadn't. Awakening spiritual intelligence was not an easy feat, after all. In addition, it was deemed inedible by the demon races, even though it had some energy that could be consumed. Practically, its only worth lay in its toughness.

The Green Jade Vine was easy to maintain; with water and sunlight, it was practically indestructible, displaying remarkable vitality. It commonly thrived in deep mountain forests. It wasn't aggressive, and it didn't feel pain either.

As Tang San gazed at the Green Jade Vine with its jade-like luster, a hint of nostalgia flickered in his eyes.

He opened the cage and released the vine.

As soon as it was out of the cage, the Green Jade Vine seemed to sense something and immediately became active, wriggling and crawling on the ground. Instinctively, it sought out a water source.

Tang San waved his right hand, summoning a gentle breeze that swept up the Green Jade Vine, bringing it into his hand.

The Green Jade Vine was warm and smooth, but as soon as Tang San grasped it, it started to coil, winding itself around his arm. This was an instinctive reaction. Although not adept at attacking, once touched, it would immediately use its toughness to entangle the entity that touched it. Some weaker demonic beasts would be strangled to death by it.

As the three-meter-long Green Jade Vine wrapped around him, Tang San's eyes twinkled, and he activated his Mysterious Heaven Technique.

The Green Jade Vine suddenly trembled violently. The faintly visible green halo surrounding it instantly dimmed, and in just a moment, it withered, losing its power to entangle and limply falling to the ground.

With a shake of his right hand, Tang San's devouring ability was pushed up to the maximum, and the shriveled Green Jade Vine instantly turned into fine powder.

He closed his eyes, silently sensing the existence he had just absorbed into his body.

This section of the Green Jade Vine was very cheap, the cheapest among the four items he had purchased, costing only five aetherhorn coins. And even this price was because the Green Jade Vine was alive and living demonic beasts were generally priced higher. As Mu Yunyu said, it was basically a living rope.

Tang San's energy vortex operated naturally, expelling some random impurities from his body, and a faint green-white bloodline imprint appeared within the energy vortex.

From his previous experience devouring the mother Winged Tiger, Tang San had learned that demonic beasts could also form bloodline imprints. The Green Jade Vine was also considered a demonic beast, albeit a weaker one, and naturally, it could manifest an imprint as well.

The first time he entered the small shop, Tang San had seen it, but at that time, he hadn't decided. Upon his return, among all four items, what he wanted to buy the most was not the other three valuable items but this Green Jade Vine. This was why he had eagerly taken out the Green Jade Vine first.

After purifying the weak Green Jade Vine imprint of impurities, it was equivalent to a first-order imprint, and a very weak one to boot.

Yet, a hint of joy appeared on Tang San's face.

The next moment, he exerted his spiritual power and placed the small Green Jade Vine imprint into the sixth and most recent opening, ranking it last among all six.

Indeed, he had chosen the bloodline imprint of such a weak vine-like demonic beast as his sixth imprint.

The Green Jade Vine imprint stayed firmly in place, emitting a soft, gentle glow of green jade. It was almost negligible compared to the other five imprints, but the joy on Tang San's face was particularly evident.

Taking a deep breath and channeling the energy of the Mysterious Heaven Technique, Tang San raised his right hand. Instantly, a small cluster of green light gathered in the palm of his hand, gradually taking the form of the Green Jade Vine.

The Green Jade Vine, now more slender than the one he had devoured earlier, slowly elongated under Tang San's control. It wrapped around him, moving according to his will and morphing into various shapes.

This was Tang San's sixth bloodline imprint and the only one that looked like a plant. It was just of the first order, and the weakest one by far. Yet, Tang San's eyes were filled with a sense of wonder no weaker than when he had integrated the Celestial Fox Transformation.

In the world known as the Douluo Continent, there existed something called a martial soul. Upon reaching the age of six, everyone participated in a martial soul awakening ceremony. A martial soul could be anything really; they were incredibly diverse. There were beast martial souls and tool martial souls. Among the people who awakened their martial soul, a few would also develop a type of energy called soul power. By cultivating this soul power, they could enhance the might of their martial soul. Such individuals were called Soul Masters, and they were the world's most powerful and revered beings.

In his previous life, Tang San also awakened his martial soul at the age of six. Unlike others who had only one martial soul, he had two. One of them, which accompanied him throughout his previous life, was an inherently weak entity known as the Blue Silver Grass.

And at this moment, the Green Jade Vine he had merged with was the closest in aura and properties to the Blue Silver Grass among all the plants he had encountered in this world thus far.

Despite the weakness of the Green Jade Vine, in Tang San's heart, it was as if he had returned to his previous life, back to the moment when he first awakened.

Blue Silver Grass, Green Jade Vine!

And that person from all those years ago...

......

"I am Xiao Wu, 'Wu' as in 'dance.'"

......

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Tang San pursed his lips and retracted the Green Jade Vine. Though it was terribly weak now, who was to say it wouldn't become incredibly versatile in his hands in the future?

***

One-third of the students were out for practical experience, and with both Guan Longjiang and Mu Enqing absent, the primary teaching duties were taken over by Mu Yunyu. Si Ru hardly ever appeared in front of the students, and Tang San had no idea what he was up to.

After a morning of physical training that exhausted everyone, Tang San sought out Mu Yunyu before lunch, telling her he wanted to take the afternoon off to go into the city.

Mu Yunyu readily approved. She seemed rather agreeable today, probably because Tang San and his group had recently spent a considerable sum at her place. She reminded Tang San to be cautious with his money in the city, as even the demons here rarely saw naturae coins.

Having reached the sixth order, Tang San didn't need an escort. His sixth-order strength had invisibly elevated his status in the academy. After all, in terms of cultivation, he was now second only to Wu Bingji. And he had fought the latter to a draw while he was at the fifth order!

After lunch, it was once more time for classes. Mu Yunyu took over Guan Longjiang's theoretical teaching.

As soon as the afternoon classes ended, Tang San immediately left the academy and headed down the mountain. He was eager to drink that delicious milk tea, and he was even more eager to see the girl who sold it.

Rushing down the mountain, Tang San only slowed down upon entering Kali City.

Even after three lifetimes, his heart still fluttered with excitement and nervousness at the thought of seeing her.

Time seemed to stretch in anticipation, and Tang San found himself quickening his pace unconsciously. Finally, as evening approached, he arrived at the familiar place.

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