Chapter 25: The Yin-Yang Twin Fire Snakes

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A few days later, early morning. The first light of dawn was faint in the secluded depths of the Star Dou Great Forest.

The girl, slender of frame, sat cross-legged atop the roots of an ancient tree. Her raven hair was tied high. As the morning sun filtered through the layers of leaves, she suddenly opened her eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air. Her pupils shimmered with a silvery radiance, and faint silver currents swirled around her body. Had a learned scholar been present, they would have recognized this as the manifestation of her Silver Element Martial Soul.

She swept her gaze over the silver elemental particles hovering around her. With a single thought, she guided them to coalesce into one.

Behind her, Qin Ming watched as the meager elements were drawn from the soil, a look of satisfaction appearing in his eyes.

"Well done. According to this manual, the appearance of elemental flow around you is the hallmark of mastering elemental affinity."

Tang Xi stood up and stretched, looking at the "Introduction to Absolute Elemental Affinity Constitution" manual that the middle-aged man had quietly handed to her the previous night. A smile played on her lips as she said, "It was so difficult. It took me so long to succeed after entering the Star Dou Great Forest."

Although she was complaining, both her expression and her tone revealed the same calm, effortless grace she always possessed.

Qin Ming picked up the small booklet, flipping through it repeatedly, and said, "The Absolute Elemental Affinity Constitution has never been heard of, which means that while this constitution is powerful, it is extremely difficult to cultivate and hard to become famous with. Since you managed to grasp the basics in just a few hours, don't..."

He stopped mid-sentence, realizing Tang Xi was watching him, smiling as she waited with effortless poise for his praise.

The corners of Qin Ming’s mouth curled upward. He changed his tone, continuing:

"...don't get arrogant. You just have nothing to compare yourself to. Perhaps others with this constitution could master it in mere minutes."

The smug expression on Tang Xi’s face froze. She blinked, her gaze toward Qin Ming turning gradually aggrieved.

Qin Ming patted the top of her head, comforting her with gentle refinement: "Enough. If we can root out the mole hidden in the academy this time, the academy will certainly not forget you when it comes time to reward merit. For now, obtaining your soul ring is the priority."

Tang Xi clasped her hands behind her back and followed behind Qin Ming. As they walked, she continued to ask:

"Teacher Qin, Director Zhi Lin actually felt at ease letting you take me into the Star Dou Great Forest alone to hunt a thousand-year soul beast? What is your current rank?"

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"Sixtieth-level peak," Qin Ming replied. He glanced back at Tang Xi and nodded. "That's right, and I am also in need of a soul ring."

Before a look of doubt could even appear on Tang Xi's face, Qin Ming immediately reassured her: "Don't worry. A little further and we will reach the academy’s contact point. There is an academy Soul Saint instructor there. With his leadership, this operation will be much safer. Besides, there is no rush for my soul ring; this trip is primarily for your sake."

Tang Xi nodded thoughtfully. They had taken only a few more steps when the silence was shattered by a rustling sound. Qin Ming was quick to react; he scooped up Tang Xi with one hand and leaped onto the canopy of a tree. Tang Xi, also experienced, held her breath and suppressed her aura alongside him.

Moments later, the rustling intensified. Two giant snakes slithered out from the bushes. Their scales shimmered with strange light—one black, one white, one large, one small—intertwining like yin and yang.

The slightly smaller white snake had eyes as cold as ice, with thousand-year-old freezing power condensing around it, while the massive black snake surged with ten-thousand-year-old flames, releasing waves of heat.

Wherever the two snakes passed, ice and fire alternated, eroding the vegetation and leaving two charred trails behind.

The two clung to the tree trunk, waiting until the snakes had disappeared before Tang Xi asked curiously:

"Teacher Qin, what kind of soul beasts are those? The white snake seems to have only a thousand years of cultivation, but the black one has tens of thousands."

Qin Ming looked at the two trails on the ground, a look of regret in his eyes as he explained to Tang Xi:

"These are Yin-Yang Twin Fire Snakes. They are born from the same shell. One snake hatches first and, as a powerful guardian, uses its own essence blood to nourish its sibling inside the egg. Once the sibling hatches, the two snakes merge and then separate the volatile energies within their bodies, with one inheriting yin fire and the other yang fire, to cultivate and live together."

"At first, the powerful older brother who hatched first protects the younger one, allowing the soul core within it to mature. Once it reaches a certain level, it will immediately devour the younger one, and the two will become one—a mature Yin-Yang Twin Fire Snake. Of course, there are occasional instances where the younger one kills the older one."

"Of those two, the yin snake has only about a thousand years of cultivation, while the yang snake already has thirty thousand."

Hearing Qin Ming’s slightly wistful tone, Tang Xi turned her head, blinked earnestly, and asked:

"Do you want it?"

Qin Ming nodded noncommittally. He brought Tang Xi back down to the ground and continued walking as he spoke:

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"Normally, the Yin-Yang Twin Fire Snakes we encounter are mature individuals that have already completed their merger. It is truly rare to find them still separated. That yang snake is exceptionally well-suited for me in terms of attributes and abilities. However, a thirty-thousand-year-old top-tier bloodline soul beast is extremely difficult to deal with, and it would be inconvenient to fight while protecting you... Forget it. Since I don't want it, let's not disturb them."

He sighed with regret once more. If he hadn't been with Tang Xi, he might have truly fought for his sixth soul ring.

Tang Xi also looked thoughtful. Inadvertently, she glanced back at the two marks left on the ground. The ice and fire elements, which had been fading with time, suddenly reignited—

In an instant, Tang Xi realized that the two snakes had returned!

Tang Xi whirled around, her muscles tensing into a combat stance, eager for the fight:

"Teacher, your soul ring has come to your doorstep!"

Qin Ming also sensed the two auras approaching rapidly. He advised against it, disapprovingly:

"The two snakes appear together; their attributes complement each other, doubling their ability. Even if I fight them alone, I would barely stand a chance. It would be bad if you were hurt."

Tang Xi coughed lightly, her eyes full of suggestion:

"Teacher, aren't you very interested in that yang snake? With my current strength, I should be able to hold off that thousand-year-old yin snake to buy you time."

Damn it, she had really hit the nail on the head!

He had intended to ensure safety and give up on the hunt, but this time, the two soul beasts had come to them!

As a cultivator, Qin Ming was indeed tempted. Ignoring the flicker of shrewdness in Tang Xi’s eyes, he made up his mind almost instantly. Beside him, five soul rings—two yellow, two purple, and one black—lit up one by one. Looking at the two snakes already close at hand, he instructed:

"Hide yourself. If you encounter trouble you cannot solve, flee immediately!"