Chapter 2: Green Blade Mantis, The First Soul Ring
Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Gu Rong arrived at the back mountain.
Chen Xin sensed the surroundings and frowned.
"This sword aura... It's Zexian."
Ning Fengzhi caught a faint scent of alcohol in the air.
He sighed.
"Zexian's room is already empty."
"All of the money he saved over the past six years is still inside."
"That child may appear carefree and unruly, but he has a strong sense of pride."
"What Rongrong said... he couldn't accept it, so he turned to alcohol."
Gu Rong shook his head.
"Pride without the strength to back it up is just a joke."
Ning Fengzhi said nothing—clearly agreeing with Gu Rong.
Chen Xin's frown deepened.
He didn't want to see Li Zexian fall into despair.
After all, he had once considered him a worthy successor.
In his eyes,
A true swordsman must not drink.
How can someone drunk hold a sword steadily?
Chen Xin turned away with a wave of his sleeve and said angrily,
"Drowning sorrows in wine—he'll never achieve greatness!"
At that moment, a girl ran over.
"Dad, has Brother Zexian left the sect?"
Ning Fengzhi nodded.
"Zexian was deeply hurt."
"Rongrong, if you get the chance to see him again, remember to make it up to him."
Ning Rongrong nodded with a complicated expression.
However, she felt it was unlikely she would ever see Li Zexian again.
She was about to study at the renowned Shrek Academy, an academy known for accepting only monsters.
While Li Zexian... was destined for mediocrity.
"Let's go, Dad."
Just as they were about to leave,
Ning Rongrong suddenly felt like she had stepped on something.
She looked down and lifted her foot.
A small clay sword, split into two, came into view.
On a winding path,
Li Zexian rode a soul beast named Cloud-Hoof Horse, occasionally tilting his head back to drink from a gourd.
Dust-covered, his white robe was stained.
His unkempt hair hung messily at the sides of his forehead.
He looked quite disheveled.
Yet oddly enough,
He now had the air of a young wanderer of the martial arts world.
Li Zexian's destination was the Star Dou Great Forest.
Now at Soul Power level 20,
He still had no soul ring.
Several days later,
He finally reached his destination.
Step, step—
The crunch of leaves underfoot echoed.
Even at the forest's outer edge, the canopy was dense.
Though it was daytime, it felt dark.
Vegetation grew wildly everywhere,
And the air was thick with the mingled scents of grass and decay.
From within the man-high bushes, rustling noises occasionally sounded.
"Thankfully, during those six stagnant years, I studied a lot about soul beasts."
Li Zexian scanned the dense underbrush.
"Green Blade Mantis—its forelimbs are like swords, lightning-fast!"
"As the saying goes: No technique can defeat speed. My Green Lotus Sword Martial soul demands extreme speed and attack power!"
After half a day avoiding various beasts,
Li Zexian finally spotted his target.
In the dense jungle, on a towering tree,
Lay a slender, giant mantis with dark green, metallic-looking armor.
Its triangular head bore amber-like compound eyes,
and its sword-shaped forelimbs folded in front of its chest.
Li Zexian silently observed.
"A hundred-year-old Green Blade Mantis should still be green..."
"This one's almost black—it must be close to a thousand years old."
His eyes gleamed.
"This far exceeds the limit of what a first soul ring can absorb."
"Also, Green Blade Mantises are deadly opponents in battle. Even a Level 30 Soul Elder might not be able to defeat it."
He decided to find another target.
With no soul ring skill at all, fighting head-on would be unwise.
Just as he was about to leave—
A loud buzzing noise rang out.
Another mantis landed on the tree.
It was also dark green, but twice the size of the first.
Li Zexian's eyes narrowed.
"A female Green Blade Mantis?!"
Unlike animals,
Insects typically have larger females than males.
He wondered why the female approached.
Then—
The male mantis mounted her.
Li Zexian: "..."
He raised his green porcelain gourd,
gulped down a sip,
and sat down.
He wasn't a pervert.
But he suddenly remembered a certain mantis behavior...
Hidden in thick underbrush,
Li Zexian kept his distance—about ten meters from the two mantises on the tree.
Roughly half an hour passed.
Suddenly, the male mantis withdrew and tried to fly off.
But the female had anticipated it.
She spun around,
her blade-like arms slashing through the air,
hooking the male's torso.
Green blood sprayed.
Li Zexian's eyes lit up.
This was what he had been waiting for!
After mating, the female mantis devours the male.
But the male won't go down without a fight.
So, a deadly battle begins.
"A perfect opportunity has presented itself."
"Even if this beast is beyond my soul ring absorption limit, I have to try."
Six years of stagnation taught him the value of power.
He stared at the two figures engaged in combat.
Pain triggered the male mantis's fury.
It shrieked, spun around, and slashed like lightning toward the female's head.
She raised her blades to block.
Clang!
Metallic sounds rang out as their blades clashed.
Buzz! Buzz!
Wings flapped furiously.
The two mantises clashed midair,
appearing like emerald lightning bolts to Li Zexian's eyes.
"Good thing I didn't attack rashly!"
"Green Blade Mantises are terrifyingly powerful!"
"A careless Level 30 Soul Elder might get killed instantly!"
Li Zexian kept drinking.
His Spring Wine Gourd Martial soul was of the same grade as his Green Lotus Sword.
Though it had no soul ring yet,
Wine produced by it has very powerful effects—
Boosting soul power, healing injuries...
And the more he drank, the sharper his sword became.
Sword and liquor—two Martial Souls that complemented each other.
As he drank,
The lotus patterns on his Green Lotus Sword began to bloom.
A frightening sword aura erupted.
The clash of blades continued endlessly.
Broken limbs and wings rained down.
After several dozen exchanges—
Boom!
The male mantis fell from the sky.
The female followed shortly after.
She had won—
But she was severely injured.
One compound eye was gone,
One of her blade arms was broken,
and a deep wound gushed green blood from her neck.
She moved to the male's body
And began devouring him.
As she consumed her mate,
Her green shell darkened into deep black.
The female Green Blade Mantis was evolving toward the thousand-year level!
And just as she was absorbed in her feast—
Whoosh—!
A sword light flashed.
In the dim forest, a blinding gleam exploded.
The female mantis froze mid-bite.
A moment later—
Green blood gushed forth.
Her neck was severed clean in two.
A light purple soul ring rose from her corpse...
End of Chapter