104 Chapter 97: Cactus, Fairy Hairpin, Sun and Moon Pearls (PS Bonus)

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"What did Huo Wu just say to you?"

Xiao Wu saw Huo Wu coming out of Tang San's stone house and hurriedly ran in, asking anxiously, "She wouldn't be asking you to be her boyfriend, would she?"

"What are you thinking?" Tang San was speechless. "I'm only eight years old. Even if I had the intention, I don't have the ability."

Xiao Wu put her hands on her hips and pouted. "Hmph! Men!"

"Please call me a boy or a young man. I haven't lost my innocence, so I can't be considered a man yet," Tang San understood Xiao Wu's jealousy, but he still maintained a serious tone, as if this was a matter of great importance.

"Come on, I found a patch of cacti to the north of this oasis. There are fruits growing on them, and they're delicious. Let's go pick them together," Xiao Wu ignored Tang San's antics, grabbed his hand, and ran out of the stone house, taking Guang Ling with them as they headed towards the north of Hope Oasis.

Seeing this scene, Huo Wu snorted. "They didn't even invite me? Where are they going?"

"Huo Wu, come inside. Grandma wants to check your body and see how much stronger you've become," Fire Pheonix came out of the clean stone house and waved at Huo Wu.

"Okay, Grandma."

Huo Wu entered the stone house, allowing Grandma Fire Pheonix to examine her body without any embarrassment. After all, in the past, this situation had occurred many times and was no longer worth mentioning...

Tang San arrived at the outskirts of the cactus patch, looking at the densely packed cacti, some of which were soul beasts, showing a skeptical look in their small eyes, and asked, "Are you afraid of getting pricked by the thorns, so you want me to pick the cactus fruits?"

The fruits of the cactus were also spiky on the outside, with ripe fruits appearing yellow or red on the outside, while the flesh inside was purple-red.

In terms of taste, Tang San felt that they were not as good as dragon fruits.

Xiao Wu blushed and said, "I wasn't talking about the cactus fruits. I was referring to another kind of fruit, not here. Follow me."

With that, Xiao Wu led the way ahead, with Tang San and Guang Ling following closely behind. After nearly five minutes, they crossed the bushes and arrived in front of a cactus that stood thirty meters tall.

This cactus was cylindrical in shape, with branches growing out in the middle, resembling a person with their arms raised.

And the fruit Xiao Wu mentioned grew at the top ten meters of this cactus, densely packed and white, resembling peeled grapes, but crystal clear.

At the bottom of the fruit, there was a round black spot, like... a human eyeball.

"This cactus is a plant soul beast. Although it appears tall, it only has a cultivation base of thirty years and can't move at all. If it reaches a hundred years, it can use the thorns on its body as weapons," Tang San touched his smooth chin. "And those fruits above shouldn't have grown from this cactus. They're a parasitic plant called Fairy Hairpin."

Fairy Hairpin wasn't introduced in the Encyclopedia of Martial Souls because it wasn't a soul beast but an ordinary plant with parasitic abilities.

Tang San recognized it because he had seen it on CCTV-1 in his previous life.

This plant, through the droppings of birds, is left on the cactus, and then red roots emerge, piercing into the cactus to absorb its nutrients. When it matures and bears fruit, it attracts birds to eat it, but the birds' digestive systems can't digest the seeds.

Thus, the cycle continues indefinitely.

Unexpectedly, such a plant exists in the Douluo Continent, and it parasitizes a cactus soul beast, absorbing its nutrients.

I wonder if this Fairy Hairpin will mutate into a plant soul beast after absorbing the nutrients of the cactus soul beast?

Probably not.

After all, the growth cycle of this parasitic plant is extremely short, and its purpose is to flower and bear fruit, which is how it continues its life.

Xiao Wu tilted her head. "Fairy Hairpin? Why is it called that? Oh well, never mind. I feel that those fruits are delicious. Help me pick them."

Tang San nodded and released his Blue Silver Grass, winding it up the cactus to pull down all the Fairy Hairpin fruits at the top.

The three of them picked them up from the ground and found that most of them had been eaten by birds, bees, and other insects, leaving only a small portion intact. After counting, there were only thirty-nine left.

Tang San picked up one, put it in his mouth, and tasted it carefully. He felt the sweetness of the fruit, spat out the seeds, and swallowed the flesh, feeling a surge of energy entering his mind, making him feel a bit clearer-headed.

"It can enhance mental power! But only a little bit," Tang San handed the remaining thirty-eight fruits to Xiao Wu and Guang Ling. "The taste is alright, they make good snacks."

Xiao Wu ate one and found it indeed very tasty, with the flesh being quite crisp. She put fifteen of them in her white jade belt and let Guang Ling hold the rest to eat slowly.

"Thank you, San Ge, Xiao Wu Jie," Guang Ling expressed gratitude, knowing that she needed to improve her mental power to hone her vision.

Later, the three of them wandered around nearby and arrived at a lakeside. Behind a stone nearby grew a green plant, seven meters tall, with seven translucent leaves like emeralds. In the center was a peculiar round bead, resembling glass, shimmering with golden and silver light.

"San Ge, could that be the Sun and Moon Grass?" Xiao Wu pointed to the peculiar large grass.

"That's right, it's the Sun and Moon Grass."

Tang San didn't expect to see Sun and Moon Grass here, and he couldn't help but get excited. "Sun and Moon Grass grows a leaf every thousand years. With seven leaves, it proves that it has a cultivation base of seven thousand years. The fruit at the top is the Sun and Moon Pearl, the fruit that absorbs the power of the sun and moon. It is speculated that taking it can enhance mental power."

"But unfortunately, it only works when taken while the Sun and Moon Grass is alive. Once the Sun and Moon Grass dies or the pearl is picked prematurely, the power of the sun and moon within it will dissipate in an instant."

"Therefore, no one has ever taken this Sun and Moon Pearl."

Xiao Wu was puzzled. "Since no one has taken it, how do we know it can enhance mental power?"

Tang San said, "Because in the past, plant soul masters who absorbed the Sun and Moon Grass's soul ring would experience a certain increase in mental power. Since this pearl is the fruit of the Sun and Moon Grass, after the power of the sun and moon inside dissipates, the fruit can be eaten. Therefore, many soul masters speculate that if someone can take it before the Sun and Moon Grass dies, it can enhance mental power."

"But no one has succeeded, after all, plant soul beasts are different from animal soul beasts. Their vitality is strong, and it's difficult to accurately judge how much vitality is left after being attacked, unlike animal soul beasts which can be brought to the soul master who wants to absorb the soul ring when they are on the brink of death."

"Therefore, when soul masters hunt plant-type soul beasts, it's usually because other soul masters think the plant looks like it's dying, so they let the person who wants to absorb the soul ring perform soul skills or use a machete to attack. Otherwise, the soul ring may be wasted, as soul masters can't absorb a soul ring unless they kill the soul beast themselves."

Regarding mental power—every normal soul master has it.

Based on the situation in the Douluo Continent, a soul master needs to at least reach the rank of Soul King to have some sensitivity, used to resist soul shocks when absorbing the fifth soul ring. When it comes to the Douluo level, soul masters pay more attention, but they still can't apply it flexibly. Or, to put it another way, in terms of applying mental power, soul masters in the Douluo stage basically only use it to enhance their own mental willpower or to coordinate with the use of soul skills—such as releasing soul skills more perfectly and accurately, similar to this.

At least in the original Douluo Continent, apart from Tang San, no Soul Douluo has shown a single application of mental power. (Note: Bibi Dong has mental skills, but those are soul skills, not a way to cultivate mental power like the Purple Demon Eyes, most likely a mode of converting soul power into mental power.)

In addition, some owners of mental-type martial souls, such as the former Shi Nian's Brutal Dream and Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes, can encounter specific applications of mental power earlier.

(End of this chapter)