Hunting for a Soul Ring (Part One)

"Zhu Zhuqing, what kind of Soul Ring are you planning to choose?"

Zhu Zhuqing shook her head.

"Sister Stelle, I don't know."

Normally, she would have added a Soul Ring in accordance with the Zhu Family's generations-old practice.

Now, someone had told her that a Soul Ring needed either a special mechanic or good stats.

She knew her grasp of the theory was ridiculously lacking at the moment.

"Sister Stelle, whatever you think I should choose, I'll choose."

Seeing the girl's trusting gaze, Stelle prepared to roll up her sleeves and show what she could do.

"I have a friend who might know where to find one that suits you."

Stelle reached out, seized the little kitten by the scruff of fate, and ran toward the center of the forest.

"Wah! Sister Stelle! Slo~w do~wn~!"

"Big Bird! I'm back!"

The Blazing Fire Goshawk heard the voice of a certain god of wealth arriving from far away.

She looked at the last egg beneath her.

"Hmm, my son, I just don't know whether you'll taste good. If you don't, your mom here won't feel right taking the other party's things, will she?"

(Egg: ...Why are you so selfish?!)

She couldn't help it. The other party had given her too much! She had only lost two eggs, but her cultivation had genuinely reached a hundred and fifty thousand years.

She believed that if she sacrificed this last son of hers, she might just reach two hundred thousand years.

"Big Bird, are you still in your nest?"

Hearing the voice drawing closer, the Blazing Fire Goshawk spread her wings and came to rest on a branch.

"Huh? Young master, didn't you come alone this time?"

Zhu Zhuqing had still been fixing her windblown hair, but when she heard an eagle speak, she froze on the spot.

"It... it can talk!"

She only lacked common knowledge about cultivation, not Soul Beasts. She understood that a Soul Beast capable of speech could probably only be a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

The Blazing Fire Goshawk had a sudden realization. She figured this little girl must have been picked up by the young master somewhere outside.

If she were one of the young master's family, how could she show even a hint of fear toward a mere hundred-and-fifty-thousand-year Soul Beast like herself?

"Young master, are you here to stock up on ingredients, or...?"

The Blazing Fire Goshawk was a little worried. She feared Stelle hadn't come for eggs this time. If so, would she still get to drink that fiery red medicinal liquid?

"My disciple here has reached level ten and wants to find a Soul Ring. Do you know of any Soul Beasts with special mechanics, around a thousand years old? A little younger is fine too."

"Special mechanics?"

The Blazing Fire Goshawk was puzzled at first, but quickly caught on. She meant a special innate ability, right?

She looked at the little kitten beside Stelle. A Hell Spirit Cat? As for a special innate ability...

The Blazing Fire Goshawk rested a wing against her chin, looking thoughtful.

Little Zhu Zhuqing blinked repeatedly as she watched. This was her first time seeing a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. Its intelligence really was about the same as a human's.

"None?"

Stelle wasn't disappointed. This was a beginner forest, after all. The chances of a Soul Beast with an exceptionally special ability appearing here were infinitely close to zero.

It seemed she needed to take little Zhu Zhuqing to the Star Dou Great Forest. If that didn't work... she could just take her back to Tianshu. Brother Lin was already looking after two children anyway; one more wouldn't matter.

(Wei Lin: Achoo! Who's thinking about me? It must be Aha scheming against me again.)

"Wait! I think there really is one!"

The Blazing Fire Goshawk suddenly remembered a Soul Beast she had seen before.

"I once saw a pitch-black Soul Beast. It looked like a cat, but not quite, and it had a single horn on its forehead. I saw it while I was hunting before. When it was dodging a natural predator... it seemed to turn into darkness?"

"(=①ω①=)"

Stelle's eyes lit up.

"Darkness? Did it turn into an element or become intangible?"

The Blazing Fire Goshawk was a little embarrassed.

"Well... I'm not entirely sure. That's just the impression I got. If it's still alive, it should be a good fit for this little girl."

"Lead the way!"

The Blazing Fire Goshawk nodded and lowered herself slightly.

Without the slightest hesitation, Stelle grabbed Zhu Zhuqing and jumped onto the eagle's back.

"Hold on tight."

Whoosh!

The Blazing Fire Goshawk didn't fly too fast. There was a little child on her back, after all. She had to consider how much a youngster could handle, didn't she?

(Blazing Fire Eagle egg: ...So you can just give me away?)

"I remember... it was this way?"

Following her hazy memory, the Blazing Fire Goshawk came to a small, shaded slope.

"Thanks, Big Bird."

"No need to thank me. If it weren't for you, young master, I doubt I would have advanced so quickly. I'll circle overhead and let you know if I find it."

"Mm, I'll look around too."

The Blazing Fire Goshawk hovered high in the sky, focusing her search on places the sunlight couldn't reach.

If it really was a darkness-attribute Soul Beast, only places like that would be suitable for it to live.

"Let's look too."

Although the Blazing Fire Goshawk's description hadn't been detailed in the least and was vague as could be, she felt she should be able to find it. She was the protagonist, after all!

Maybe that cat would come looking for her on its own before long.

Zhu Zhuqing twisted her body slightly and darted straight out.

"Huh? Don't go too far!"

For the first time, Xingbao felt she was doing an excellent job as a master.

The moment Stelle left with her baseball bat over her shoulder,

A pair of scarlet eyes stared fixedly in the direction the two had gone, but soon disappeared again.

Time ticked by, second by second. The Blazing Fire Goshawk hadn't passed over this spot for a while now.

No... better not risk it. Wait a little longer...

The sun went down, and the moon rose.

The moon went down, and the sun rose...

The sun went down again...

Looks like they've gone.

The scarlet eyes lit up once more. She glanced left and right, and after making sure there was no threat, quietly put out one little paw.

The moment that little paw touched the ground, she immediately pulled it back.

Not until late at night did a creature with a black horn on her forehead slowly reveal herself, the three tails behind her warily surveying the surroundings.

The Soul Beast looked a lot like a cat, but was a little smaller.

What was all that about? I was sleeping just fine in my nest, and when I woke up, there was a giant eagle circling in the sky.

That oppressive presence had been stronger than that of any Soul Beast she had ever seen.

The Dark Zheng Cat stretched. She had been hiding for two days. The other party should have left by now, right?

I'm so hungry. What should I hunt today? A fragrant Soft Bone Rabbit, or bird eggs from the trees?

Just then, a black figure suddenly rushed at her.

The Dark Zheng Cat's fur stood on end. Black mist surged from her horn as she tried to slip straight into the darkness.

At that moment, a pink halo enveloped her, freezing the expression on her face.