Destiny Interference!
Hidden within the Mirage Dragon Pearl, Lín Yǔ wore a sly smile as he activated the second soul skill of his external soul bone, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's Vertical Eye.
In an instant, a flash of golden light appeared in the vertical pupil on his forehead.
Immediately, an invisible force acted upon Yu Xiaogang, who was walking through the forest with his students.
Under the influence of the Destiny Interference soul skill, Yu Xiaogang, who had been brimming with enthusiasm, suddenly felt his steps and speech falter. A foggy dizziness clouded his mind.
What's happening? Why do I suddenly feel so foggy-headed?
"Master, what's wrong?" Tang San noticed that Yu Xiaogang had abruptly stopped his explanations and asked in confusion.
"It's nothing."
Despite the lingering fog in his head, Yu Xiaogang shook it off and quickly resumed his previous enthusiastic demeanor. "Where were we?"
"We were discussing why my Blue Silver Grass soul should absorb the soul ring of a poisonous serpent soul beast," Tang San reminded him.
"Ah, right. The reason for absorbing a poisonous serpent soul beast's soul ring is because your Blue Silver Grass soul is too fragile."
"Even with a beast-type soul ring, it's still weaker than powerful plant-type souls like the Heavenly Blue Vine or control-type souls like the Whip and Spider soul beasts."
"To compensate for this, your Blue Silver Grass needs to gain some toxicity. While some plant-type soul beasts also possess poison, their enhancement to your Blue Silver Grass is limited. On the other hand, the poison in beast-type soul beasts, particularly in spiders and scorpions, can be beneficial."
"However, spider-type soul beasts, while effective, are not as durable as serpent soul beasts. Serpent soul beasts, particularly those with venom, excel in constriction and strangulation, unlike spiders which rely on webbing."
"Thus, the most suitable soul beasts for you are highly poisonous serpents, such as the Mandala Snake, Black Jade Cobra, or the Golden Ringed Taipan."
Yu Xiaogang continued explaining, now more focused and determined.
"In the Star Dou Forest, there are many venomous serpents. We should be able to find a suitable one for you soon."
With that, Yu Xiaogang, accompanied by Tang San and protected by Tang Hao, began searching for a venomous serpent soul beast.
According to Yu Xiaogang's experience, serpent soul beasts were quite common. In the perilous Star Dou Forest, venomous serpents were expected to be found easily.
Yet, despite their efforts, Yu Xiaogang grew increasingly anxious.
The trio had entered the forest in the morning, and by noon they had reached the outer edges. But despite the high likelihood of encountering a suitable serpent soul beast, they had yet to see one by late afternoon.
"Master, are there really that many venomous serpents in the Star Dou Forest?" Tang San couldn't help but ask after a full day without any sighting of a suitable serpent soul beast.
"Of course, there are many! It's mentioned in various books about soul beasts. We might just be having bad luck today. Let's continue searching tomorrow."
Yu Xiaogang, feeling a bit embarrassed by Tang San's questioning, tried to maintain his composure.
After all, his disciple saw in the livestream that he would eventually turn Tang San into a deity.
Yet now, such trivial misfortune was causing doubts.
"Continue searching?"
From a distance, Lín Yǔ couldn't help but smirk.
The effect of the Destiny Interference soul skill wasn't limited to just one day; it could last several days, depending on its impact.
Since Yu Xiaogang's current goal was to help Tang San obtain his second soul ring, the effects of Destiny Interference were likely focused on this endeavor.
For now, the inability to find the target soul beast was just the beginning. The impact of the skill would likely continue for several days!
As Lín Yǔ had anticipated, the search continued.
Yu Xiaogang, Tang San, and Tang Hao spent the next three days trying to find a hundred-year-old venomous serpent soul beast. Yet, they either encountered no soul beasts, found non-venomous ones, or came across those with too high or too low a year count.
By the fourth day, as dusk fell over the dark forest, Yu Xiaogang finally spotted a serpent soul beast on a large black rock.
It was a serpent with a body length of about five to six meters, covered in dark green scales with golden rings stretching halfway along its body. It had a triangular head, crimson vertical pupils, and a tail resembling a rattlesnake, though it appeared damaged.
"This is a nearly six-hundred-year-old Golden Ringed Rattlesnake with potent venom. Tang Hao, quickly capture it! This is the perfect soul beast for Tang San!"
Seeing the Golden Ringed Rattlesnake, Yu Xiaogang, exhausted and frustrated from three days of fruitless searching, was finally elated and directed Tang Hao to capture it.
But as Lín Yǔ watched from the shadows, he nearly burst out laughing.
The snake that Yu Xiaogang had mistaken for a Golden Ringed Rattlesnake wasn't one at all.
It resembled a Golden Ringed Rattlesnake but the ring patterns were irregular and did not extend to the tail.
It was a "Pseudo-Golden Ringed Flatulent Snake."
Its tail's structure, which looked like a rattlesnake's tail, was a sac containing special substances.
When threatened, the Pseudo-Golden Ringed Flatulent Snake would mix two internal liquids and release a noxious gas through its tail, attacking enemies with its foul odor.
Now, Yu Xiaogang had confused two different species of snakes.
If Tang San absorbed the soul ring from this Pseudo-Golden Ringed Flatulent Snake, his Blue Silver Grass soul would not only lack poison but might also gain a second skill related to flatulence, which would surely drive him mad!
However, if both master and disciple had soul abilities related to flatulence, it would certainly be a unique combination!