Douluo Continent: This Tang San is different

Chapter 14 The Helplessness of Commoner Soul Masters

"So, which silkworm-type soul beast should I choose?" Sisi wasn't the kind of woman who was unrealistic. Although she admired wealth and status, she could accept reality. If she couldn't have it, she would choose a backup and make do. "Silkworm-type soul beasts, apart from the ice silkworm you mentioned, generally like to eat mulberry leaves. It seems that there aren't many mulberry trees in this Notting Forest."

"Sister Sisi, you don't need to worry about that, because we just happened to be going that way," Tang San said with a smile.

Why did Tang San say that?

This all started with the plant spirit beast he needed, the Thousand-Root Banyan.

The Thousand-Root Banyan is a plant-type spirit beast with a very lush canopy at the top and emerald green leaves. Almost all insect-type spirit beasts will eat it, and its sap can even help insect-type spirit beasts grow.

Of course, it is only effective against plant-eating insect-eating soul beasts.

If the sap of this thousand banyan trees could enhance a Soul Master's cultivation, then no matter how difficult it is to cut down this plant-type Soul Beast, it would be eradicated by the Soul Masters.

When the thousand banyan trees grow to the level of ten thousand years, they become an entire forest, a wonderful home for insect-like spirit beasts.

However, even spirit beasts like the Thousand-Root Banyan need protection before they can fully mature.

After all, its leaves are very delicious to insect-type soul beasts, and its juice can even enhance their cultivation.

Insect-type spirit beasts do not possess human intelligence.

The previously mentioned scenario of human soul masters cutting down the Thousand-Root Banyan to extinction is merely an extreme case assuming that the sap is effective in enhancing soul power. In reality, humans would regularly collect the sap, and the Spirit Hall would very likely send people to protect the Thousand-Root Banyan, a plant-like soul beast that does not possess intelligence.

But insect-type soul beasts are different. They only have the instinct to grow. Their cultivation level was ten thousand years ago, and their intelligence was not high. When they encounter something that is beneficial to them, they will devour it immediately, regardless of whether it has grown up.

If that were all there was to it, then it wouldn't be surprising that the thousand banyan trees went extinct.

But in reality, the banyan tree did not become extinct.

After learning about the Thousand-Root Banyan Tree, Tang San couldn't help but admire the wonder and magnificence of nature.

The reason why the Thousand-Root Banyan Tree did not become extinct is because, a thousand years ago, each of the Thousand-Root Banyan Trees was protected by a carnivorous silkworm-like spirit beast named "Banyan Silkworm".

The Encyclopedia of Martial Souls does not record how the Banyan Silkworm appeared on the Thousand Banyan Tree, but every Thousand Banyan Tree less than a thousand years old that has been discovered has a Banyan Silkworm.

Tang San had a guess about this: when the Thousand Banyan Tree was still in its seed form, the adult form of the Banyan Moth, a spirit beast of the Banyan Silkworm, searched for the seeds of the Thousand Banyan Tree all over the world and laid its eggs on them, growing together with the Thousand Banyan Tree.

The Banyan Silkworm is a carnivorous silkworm-type soul beast that does not eat vegetables. Before the Thousand Banyan Roots grows up, it cannot withstand being eaten by other insect-type soul beasts.

Both exist side by side, each taking what it needs.

Listening to Tang San's introduction to the symbiotic relationship between the Thousand Banyan Tree and the Banyan Silkworm, Su Yuntao, Matthew, and the others were also amazed and marveled at the unique ecology among soul beasts.

Matthew asked a question, however: "Why 'a thousand years later'?"

Tang San replied, "The 'Encyclopedia of Martial Souls' doesn't provide a corresponding explanation. It only states that banyan silkworms over a thousand years old still exist as long as they haven't been hunted down, but they no longer exterminate other insects that come to eat the leaves and gnaw on the sap. I do have two plausible guesses about this—"

Su Yuntao asked curiously, "What guess?"

"Firstly, the Banyan Silkworm is not capable of exterminating other insect-type soul beasts because the Thousand Banyan Tree, with its thousand-year cultivation, has roots that extend nearly a thousand meters underground, and its trunk covers an area of ​​nearly a hundred meters."

Tang San spoke eloquently, displaying an air of authority and confidence.

"Such a scale is too large for a single thousand-year-old banyan silkworm to manage."

"A thousand-year-old banyan tree will not lose its vitality because of such a small amount of sap. The plant-eating insect spirit beasts that come to suck the sap will also attract other carnivorous insects, animals, and spirit beasts, forming a complete ecosystem."

"To put it bluntly, a thousand-year-old banyan tree is a small-scale forest of soul beasts."

Matthew nodded: "That should be it. In the north of the Heaven Dou Empire, there is a forest of spirit beasts that is entirely composed of banyan trees. No spirit master can tell whether those crisscrossing, continuous banyan trees are one tree or multiple trees... In fact, let alone ten thousand years, even a thousand years, no spirit master would hunt such plant spirit beasts. Besides the trouble of hunting, it is because it is equivalent to destroying a spirit beast forest. No empire would allow spirit masters to do this, and the Spirit Hall would not allow it."

A forest of soul hunters, a plant-based soul beast.

Even if the Soul Masters of Douluo Continent don't understand the concept of "sustainable development," they would all know how to choose if they thought about it.

"The second hypothesis is that the Banyan Silkworm has reached maturity and is about to transform into a moth, so it has no time to pay attention to other insect-type soul beasts."

"However, the first one is more likely."

During their discussion, the four of them had already traversed a large area of ​​forest and, based on the map, found the location of the Thousand Banyan Tree.

The towering tree standing in front of Tang San was the Thousand-Root Banyan.

The terrain here is also different from other parts of Nottingham Forest. Centered on this Thousand-Root Banyan Tree, within a radius of thirty meters, not a single blade of grass grows, but is covered with the roots of the Thousand-Root Banyan Tree in a spider web-like pattern.

These roots don't just extend to the surface; they penetrate much deeper underground.

Legend has it that even a titled Douluo, renowned for his strength, cannot uproot a thousand-root banyan tree that is a hundred years old, because it is connected to the earth. To uproot a thousand-root banyan tree would require the power to lift the entire Douluo Continent.

While this legend may contain exaggerations, the fact that a titled Douluo cannot uproot a thousand banyan trees may indeed be true.

A titled Douluo has a thousand ways to destroy the Thousand Banyan Tree, but uprooting a single Thousand Banyan Tree can still be described as "a mayfly trying to shake a tree."

Destructive power and strength are two different things.

"Is this the Thousand-Tree Banyan? It's truly magnificent!"

Su Yuntao couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

Even though it's only been around for over 500 years, the trunk of this thousand-root banyan tree has a diameter of over ten meters!

However, unlike ordinary trees, the trunk of the Thousand-Root Banyan is not round or oval; instead, it is hollow inside, with the roots intertwined like an irregular fishing net, forming a twisted ring.

Its trunk is very clean, with no extra branches or leaves, except for a large canopy at the top, the area of ​​which is about the same as the area of ​​its roots on the ground.

The branches at the top have dense, downward-growing roots, some of which have already touched the ground, taken root, and become hard, while others are still hanging in the air, swaying gently in the wind.

The combination of strength and gentleness is truly unique.

This is how the banyan tree spreads: its roots grow from the branches at the top of the canopy towards the ground.

Ordinary trees can be roughly divided into crowns, trunks, and roots, but the Thousand-Root Banyan, a plant-type soul beast, actually has no trunk at all, only roots and crowns.

You could even think of it as a peculiar plant, a plant that looks like a tree.

rustle!

The leaves on the treetop trembled, and a greenish-blue worm, almost the size of a human head, emerged. Its head was black, and it had two pincers below it, which were trembling as if warning Tang San and the others.

"The Banyan Silkworm appeared so quickly! I thought we'd have to cut down the tree first. Judging by its appearance, it probably thinks we're intruders." Tang San exclaimed in surprise and delight, pointing at Sister Sisi, "We're lucky. We can take it down first, and then we can cut down the tree."

"Its attack method is to spit out silk threads that can branch out. I even think that if it had human intelligence, it could weave them into something like a spider web."

"Is it poisonous?" Su Yuntao, possessed by the Lone Wolf spirit, transformed into a werewolf and was even more concerned about whether this thing was poisonous, as Sisi's second soul ring could not be poisonous.

"Don't worry, there's a limit to how much a spirit can tolerate poison. Besides, I was the one who pointed this out to Sister Sisi first. Why would I choose a spirit ring with poison for her?" Tang San pointed out the age of the Banyan Silkworm. "After absorbing the spirit power of this Banyan Silkworm, I estimate that Sister Sisi's strength will be significantly improved. The silk of the Banyan Silkworm and the silk of the Ribbon can be said to complement each other perfectly."

"Over four hundred years, isn't that a bit too long?" Su Yuntao was worried about whether his girlfriend could withstand a four-hundred-year-old soul ring. "Should we get a different one?"

"No, this is it." Sisi wasn't going to give up. "Isn't the limit for the second spirit ring around seven hundred years? This is only a little over four hundred years old. Do you think I can't handle it? Don't underestimate me. During our PC war, you were the first one to run out of stamina!"

Su Yuntao: "..."

"Hey! Watch your mouth, there are children here." Matthew couldn't stand it anymore and reminded him.

Su Yuntao was a little embarrassed, but he didn't want to take any risks, so he got back to business and said, "You can't believe that master's theories. He's a joke."

Of course, I couldn't say this in front of Yu Xiaogang, but now I can speak freely.

Matthew nodded repeatedly.

"Isn't your second ring also four hundred years?" Sisi snorted. "If you can do it, why can't I? Besides, Xiao San said that I have a very high compatibility with this Banyan Silkworm."

"Oh well."

Su Yuntao stopped trying to dissuade him, lit up his first spirit ring, and leaped toward the Banyan Silkworm.

First Soul Skill: Hungry Wolf Pounces!

He chose the name himself, of course.

Soul Ring: White.

Clearly, it was a retired teacher from Notting College who took him on the hunt when he was a child.

Xiao Chenyu, the son of the city lord, only has a white soul ring, let alone Su Yuntao.

The soul skill is rather useless; it simply allows Su Yuntao to run on all fours like a real wolf, pouncing on his prey while in the state of martial soul possession.

If Tang San hadn't known this was a soul skill effect, he would have thought Su Yuntao was playing dog play.

In Tang San's opinion, wasting a spirit ring slot to bring about an attack method that can be done even without spirit ring skills is really a bit "luxurious".

The helplessness of ordinary Soul Masters could not be greater than this.

Their first spirit ring was mostly obtained by hunting down prey with their teachers while they were studying at the junior spirit master academy.

However, teachers at junior soul master academies generally help capture or knock out soul beasts that they feel have a similar characteristic to their students' martial souls, in order to save trouble.

They won't consider everything for the students.

After all, hunting soul beasts is not easy. If you don't encounter a suitable soul beast for a long time, the teacher in charge will lose patience. In addition, since the students are not really apprenticed, they will naturally not be very dedicated.

Yu Xiaogang's optimal spirit ring age is probably based on the highest age that different spirit masters at different levels could absorb, as recorded in history.

However, physical constitutions cannot be generalized from person to person.

(End of this chapter)