Leaving the oasis, Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Guangling braved the scorching wind and made their way toward the quicksand area.
The Peak Camel Beast wouldn't venture into quicksand zones, so the group had no choice but to proceed on foot through the desert.
Fire Phoenix and Huo Wu followed behind.
Since the Blazing Lion King typically lived in isolation, they couldn't find it by heading directly into Blazing Lion territory.
So, the two chose to trail Tang San's group, hoping for a stroke of luck.
After all, the Blazing Lion King hunted other spirit beasts to survive.
The Irontooth Fish often appeared near the quicksand and frequently rested at its edges, making them ideal prey for a hunting Blazing Lion King.
Climbing up a sand dune, Tang San stopped and looked out toward a flowing "river" about five hundred meters ahead.
Unlike the yellow sand under their feet, the quicksand was white and reflective, giving off a dazzling light.
He couldn't tell where it began or ended.
This was not the quicksand he had imagined.
In his past life, quicksand was no different from regular sand on the surface—it simply sank when stepped on.
But the quicksand before him actually flowed, resembling a river.
And on its banks, Tang San spotted tiny black dots squirming—Irontooth Fish.
The group quickened their pace.
When they were about thirty meters away from the Quicksand River, Tang San could hear its movement.
It was a faint, rustling sound—so soft that even he, a Great Soul Master, could barely catch it.
"This is the Quicksand River," Fire Phoenix said. "It's said that deep underground lies a powerful ten-thousand-year spirit beast. Every breath it takes causes the sand to flow."
"That's plausible," Tang San agreed.
He noted that the white quicksand looked the same as the nearby sand—just freshly surfaced.
In this strange world, if the quicksand flowed with the breathing cycle of a powerful hundred-thousand-year beast, it wouldn't be surprising.
Tang San began to examine the Irontooth Fish basking near the quicksand.
He fixed his gaze on a fifty-centimeter specimen.
Activating Endless Grassfield, he sent Blue Silver Grass underground to root itself, then suddenly grew the vines up around the fish, capturing it and dragging it to Guangling's side.
Once removed from the sand, the five-hundred-year-old Irontooth Fish struggled helplessly—like a fish out of water.
"Kill it," Tang San instructed. "It's your first spirit ring—five hundred years. Even though you've eaten a lot of whale glue, it's safer not to push it."
"Mm."
Guangling took a dagger from her storage bracer and stabbed it through the Irontooth Fish's eye.
She stirred the blade and destroyed its small brain.
As a yellow spirit ring rose from the corpse, Guangling sat cross-legged, circulating the Mysterious Heaven Skill Tang San had taught her.
She pulled the spirit ring toward her martial soul—the Iron Bow.
Compared to what Tang San had seen with Si Si or Wang Sheng, Guangling barely frowned before quickly calming down.
She absorbed the spirit ring in under an hour and stood up, elated.
She released her martial soul.
The Iron Bow now had crimson patterns flowing across it.
The grip had become concave, and the ends had sharpened into points.
Its new form resembled a double-edged sword.
Clearly, the martial soul had inherited features from the Irontooth Fish's distinctive iron fangs.
Even without knowing her first spirit ability yet, Tang San could tell that the bow had gained a metallic aura—a crucial upgrade.
"San Ge, look!" Guangling called excitedly.
She pulled the bowstring, and her spirit ability formed a sharp arrow.
This time, a silver light shimmered at the arrow's tip—its penetrating force visibly more powerful.
And this was just spirit power alone.
She hadn't even activated her soul ring.
Then her first soul ring lit up.
Crimson energy flowed along the bow's limbs and formed two curved energy blades, fusing with the arrow.
Whoosh!
She loosed the bowstring.
The arrow shot out instantly, crossing sixty meters.
The energy blades on it sliced through a thick clump of prickly pear cacti—ten stalks thick, cleaved cleanly in half.
"A ranged output-type soul skill."
Tang San nodded in analysis.
"Those two energy blades are incredibly sharp. I haven't tested them yet, but they should be able to pierce through most Soul Masters—unless they're defense-type."
"Can you only use this spirit ability after condensing an arrow?" he asked.
"No."
Guangling demonstrated again.
This time, she didn't form an arrow.
She only activated the spirit ability directly—creating two sharp crimson blades.
They flew the same sixty-meter range but with less power.
They still cut through five human-head-sized cacti, though not completely.
Still, a century-old spirit skill wouldn't normally do this much.
Tang San was more interested in the structural changes.
The Iron Bow could now serve as a melee weapon—something rare and immensely valuable for an archer-type soul master.
This was the real reward.
"What's your first soul skill called?" Tang San asked.
"Vermilion Gold Aura," Guangling replied after some thought.
"This spirit ring strengthened my martial soul. My spirit power now has the Irontooth Fish's sharpness. When I use the skill, those red blades appear. Also, the crimson patterns on my bow seem to absorb some strange energy from the air. It's weak, but I can feel it. It's a permanent enhancement."
Tang San smiled.
Guangling's martial soul had inherited the Irontooth Fish's metal-digesting traits.
Now attached to her bow, it could slowly absorb metallic essence from the environment.
The effect was minute for now—but it hinted at endless evolution.
"Not bad," Tang San praised. "Vermilion Gold Aura—a skill that'll benefit you for life. It even puts you on par with higher-grade weapon martial souls."
"In that case, your martial soul deserves a new name."
Tang San looked at her seriously.
"It shall be called... the Sun-Chasing Bow. May the arrows it fires chase the sun—and surpass it."
"The Sun-Chasing Bow..."
Guangling held her martial soul gently.
Her heart felt steadier than ever.
"Alright. I'll listen to Third Brother."
"It shall be called the Sun-Chasing Bow."