The King Tiger's struggle was fierce.
Its claws shredded many of the Blue Silver Grass blades restraining it—but Tang San's Blue Silver Grass was rooted deep into the earth, drawing on the planet's life energy. It regrew as fast as it was torn away.
With the soul beast surrounded and entangled, its capture became only a matter of time.
At that moment, Xiao Wu charged in.
Using the one- to two-meter-high Blue Silver Grass as cover, she swiftly slipped behind the King Tiger and struck its lower body with a sharp, precise kick.
Right between the legs.
"ROAR!"
The tiger's pained howl tore through the forest. Its eyes turned bloodshot—this strike had clearly landed hard.
Wang Sheng involuntarily clamped his legs together, flinching as he whispered to Tang San,"San-ge… isn't that a bit much?"
Tang San didn't even blink."Xiao Wu can't knock out a tiger with her fists. She has to aim for weak points."
He looked at Wang Sheng and added seriously,"Remember this for the future. Even in regulated arenas, you must protect your vital points. Rules exist, yes—but there are always loopholes, and many soul masters know exactly how to exploit them."
Wang Sheng nodded solemnly, realizing now just how different the real world of soul masters was from academy sparring.
Xiao Wu darted back into the grass immediately after the strike.
The King Tiger, enraged and humiliated, let out another furious roar and broke free of the current Blue Silver Grass bindings in a single explosive burst.
But before it could leap, the grass regrew instantly and re-entangled its limbs under Tang San's precise control. The tiger tripped and stumbled, crashing onto its side.
Xiao Wu, hidden in the tall grass, circled behind again and delivered a second kick.
"ROOOOAR!"
This one sounded even more miserable than the first.
Back and forth—strike, bind, trip, strike—seven or eight times.By the end, the King Tiger was completely exhausted.
Still cautious, Tang San wrapped it nine times with Blue Silver Grass, forming a living cocoon that left only two nostrils and the lower part of its neck exposed.
"Wang Sheng, hurry. If we wait too long, the grass might strangle it," Tang San warned.
"Okay!"Wang Sheng ran forward, gripped his dagger tightly, and stabbed it into the tiger's neck.
Splurt—
Blood gushed, staining the Blue Silver Grass crimson. In its final moment, the King Tiger let out one last snarl—and something unexpected happened.
Red blood qi rose from its body like a mist.
It had activated its Tiger King's Heart.
But it was too late.
With its throat cut, the sudden burst of blood qi only accelerated its death, the power surging through its body spilling out with its lifeblood.
Three minutes later, it stopped moving.
Tang San withdrew the Endless Grass Field, leaving the tiger's limp corpse lying in a pool of blood, from which rose a glowing yellow soul ring.
Xiao Wu frowned slightly at the scene—but it wasn't sympathy. A rabbit had no love for tigers.If anything, it was a faint sense of "when the rabbit dies, the fox mourns."
Still, she didn't dwell on it.
Tang San turned to Wang Sheng, who was staring blankly at the ring.
"The soul ring will dissipate in an hour if not absorbed," Tang San said gently."I know it's your first hunt, and you're overwhelmed. Take a moment to calm down—there's time."
He placed a reassuring hand on Wang Sheng's shoulder."That last surge of blood qi? That confirms this King Tiger really did possess the Tiger King's Heart."
"You might get a soul skill that I've tentatively named: Tiger King's Blood Qi Transformation. Maybe your martial soul will even evolve."
"...Alright!"
Wang Sheng sat down cross-legged, took a few deep breaths, and under Tang San's direction, began channeling his soul power to pull the soul ring toward him.
As the soul ring descended and merged into him, Wang Sheng's body trembled, and large drops of sweat rolled down his cheeks.
Though his physique and martial soul were compatible, a nearly two-hundred-year-old soul ring was still intense for a first-time soul master.Still, it was less dramatic than what Si Si had endured, and he seemed to be enduring it.
Sure enough, two minutes later, his pale complexion began to regain some color.
By the end of the hour, he had successfully absorbed the soul ring.
"ROAR!"
Wang Sheng's eyes snapped open.
His martial soul activated—black tiger stripes ran across his skin, the "王" (king) character on his forehead darkened, and the yellow soul ring glowed brightly.
"Tiger King's Blood Qi Transformation!"
He shouted the name aloud, and his entire body ignited with a red, flame-like aura. His momentum surged, blood qi boiling as if it were burning within him.
With a roar, he punched a nearby tree—thick as a grown man's torso.
BOOM!
The trunk splintered, half its diameter cracked through, and the whole tree swayed dangerously.
A direct hit on a person would have crippled—or killed—them.
But immediately afterward, Wang Sheng's red aura faded. He staggered, pale again.
Tang San stepped in and used Endless Recovery to stabilize him.
"Not bad at all," Tang San smiled."You really did gain Tiger King's Blood Qi Transformation."
"But your blood qi reserves are low. To fully wield this skill, you'll need to eat well, train hard, and build that power. It will grow stronger over time."
He paused, then added thoughtfully,"In theory, your blood qi can be condensed and stored—maybe in your heart or dantian. But don't experiment just yet. Wait until we return. I'll study it properly, and then teach you step by step."
"Thank you, San-ge!"Wang Sheng's voice was filled with gratitude.
He could feel it—his martial soul had changed. It felt more complete, more powerful. It moved with him effortlessly, and under this new skill, he could crush his past self tenfold.
If he had chosen a basic white ring, he probably would've gained nothing more than a weak utility skill.
Tang San and Wang Sheng carried the King Tiger's body to a nearby stream, bled it, and then brought the carcass back to the small town outside Nuoding Forest.
There, they sold the corpse to a local restaurant for 100 gold soul coins.
Following fair distribution, Tang San and Xiao Wu took 40 each, and Wang Sheng received 20.
At first, Wang Sheng refused—after all, Tang San and Xiao Wu had done the hard work.
But Tang San insisted,"You'll need the money to nourish your blood qi. Think of it as an investment in your strength."
Wang Sheng was moved.From that moment on, he vowed—if San-ge or Xiao Wu ever needed help, he would stand by them without hesitation.
Back in Nuoding City, Tang San quickly checked Wang Sheng's martial soul.
It had indeed mutated.
But what excited Tang San most was the soul skill's additional effect—it allowed Wang Sheng to sense the flow of blood qi.
Which meant…
Tang San could observe and imitate it.
While he couldn't replicate the exact effect of the skill, he could now begin training his own blood qi cultivation method.
And that changed everything.
Over the next six years, if he could refine and master this blood qi, his physical body would grow exponentially stronger.
Sneaky rabbit tactics.Stalk in the grass. Strike once. Run.Rabbit and grass—a perfect match.
Ideal for his early-game tactics.
Of course, in formal soul arena duels, targeting weak points was against the rules.
But outside?
There were no rules—only results.