And in the next moment, he felt as if he heard a crisp crackling, followed by a frenzied dispersal of the warm current that then merged together, fusing into a milky stream of air. The once-meandering stream instantly turned into a small river, flowing steadily. Wherever it passed, the scorching pain had vanished, leaving only a soothing warmth.
He had succeeded. Ecstasy descended upon him once again. Tang San was all too familiar with that sensation of breaking, which was clearly the feeling when the first barrier of Mysterious Heaven Method had been overcome. Inner Strength and the power of the soul ring had fused together, turning into a more formidable force. In an extremely short amount of time, it spun around the meridians in his body several times before slowly flowing into his Dantian.
Just as Tang San had guessed, upon coming to this world, his Mysterious Heaven Method had formed a strange affinity with the Soul Power of Soul Masters. Each level of the Mysterious Heaven Method corresponded to a title of a Soul Master. By obtaining this first soul ring, he had finally broken through the first barrier of the Mysterious Heaven Method.
Of course, his power now was not as simple as just advancing to the second level of the Mysterious Heaven Method. He also possessed the power of the Martial Soul that Tang Sect did not have and the skills brought by the first soul ring.
The comforting feeling brought about by the absorption of the soul ring was indescribable, as if he were floating in the clouds effortless, or as if he had entered the peak of paradise. Every one of his thirty-six thousand pores opened, greedily breathing in the wonderful air, with a qualitative change causing strange transformations in Tang San's body.
Tang San tried his best to calm his inner excitement. The breakthrough of Mysterious Heaven Method with the help of the soul ring pointed out the direction for his future development. He knew that no matter what, his life in this world would most likely be inseparable from the Martial Soul. Soul Power was the Inner Strength of the Mysterious Heaven Method, and Inner Strength was also Soul Power. He was destined to follow the path of a Soul Master. Of course, he would be a Soul Master belonging to the Tang Sect.
When Tang San slowly opened his eyes, the sky was already bright, and the vibrant vitality of a new day seemed to be calling out to his body.
Tang San lowered his head to look at himself and discovered that his body seemed to have undergone some changes from obtaining the soul ring. His originally slender figure seemed to have grown taller, his shoulders a bit broader, and his skin now had an added layer of lustrous sheen.
With every movement of his hands and feet, the comforting sensation of strength made him feel so comfortable. Without even needing to test it, he knew that not only had his Inner Strength broken through its barrier, but all aspects of his body's functions had greatly improved under the influence of the hundred-year Datura snake's soul ring.
"Teacher," Tang San thought of the Master first thing as he regained consciousness. He was eager to tell the Master that his theory of soul beast mimicry was a success. Throughout the entire fusion process, although he had also endured great pain, there were no feelings of conflict.
When his gaze found the Master, he was startled.
The Master was lying on the ground, his body seeming to have stiffened, motionless. Around him and the Master, a circle had been drawn with sulfur powder, just like the situation at the previous camp.
"Teacher, what's happened to you?" Tang San became very anxious, quickly flipped over, rushed to the Master's side, and propped up his body.
Seeing the Master's face, Tang San blurted out, "Poison."
The Master's originally rigid face was surrounded by a black aura; he was taking more breaths in than he was letting out, his body was stiff, having lost all sensation.
"Why would Teacher be poisoned?" Full of questions, Tang San suddenly noticed something unusual about the Master's body and quickly pulled up the sleeve of his right arm.
He saw that the Master's right arm had swollen to more than three times its normal size, the skin stretched tight to a bright purple hue. Thankfully, at the root of the upper arm, a cloth band was tightly tied, clearly an emergency measure taken by the Master after realizing he was poisoned. Nonetheless, despite most of the poison not having spread, he still fainted, indicating just how overbearing the poison was.
An epiphany struck Tang San, and he suddenly understood the cause of the Master's poisoning. Previously, while being chased by the Datura snake, the Master's Martial Soul, Rong San Cannon, had been bitten by the Datura snake, right on the right front leg. The Master had quickly retracted it at that time. A Beast Soul was one with its host, and even if the Master's Beast Soul was a mutated one, it was the same. If the Martial Soul was poisoned, it was as if the host was poisoned too. And the Master, preoccupied with helping him absorb the soul ring, paid no heed to his own safety. By the time Tang San entered the state of cultivation, the Master's Soul Power could no longer resist the toxin, leading to its outbreak.
In comparison, a Tool Soul had a certain advantage in this regard; if a Tool Soul was contaminated by a poison, it wouldn't affect the host itself.
"Fortunately, Teacher stopped the spread of the poison, otherwise I'd have no way to help," Tang San sighed in relief after feeling the pulse on the Master's left hand. The toxin had not yet reached the heart, so there was still time for rescue.
Coming from the Tang Sect, Tang San knew all too well how to deal with poison injuries. At this point, he could not even worry about whether the fire would attract soul beasts, quickly gathering some dry branches and leaves from around him, igniting a fire with a firestarter. Then, he tore down the sleeve of the Master's right arm, cleaned the dagger with fresh water, and dug a hole in the ground with it.
The campfire grew stronger, and after repeatedly heating the dagger over the flames, Tang San dragged the Master's body next to the small pit so that his right hand hung over it.
Taking a deep breath, Tang San's wrist flipped, and with three swift strokes of the dagger, he made cuts at the Master's pulse points on the wrist, the crook of the arm, and the armpit.
Instantly, three streams of dark purple blood spurted out, carrying a strong fishy scent mixed with a faint aroma of tea, flowing into the pre-dug pit like three small rivers.