Heading to the Soul Hunting Forest, Exacting Soul Ring Requirements

The next day.

Dawn had barely broken when Lin Chen finished packing and stepped out of his home.

Just as Lin Chen was preparing to go to the city lord's residence and find Xiao Chenfeng, the lord of Nuoding City, to hunt Soul Beasts, a thunder of hooves suddenly sounded from a distant street, shattering the city's peace.

The commoners had never seen such a grand procession and poked their heads out to have a look.

"Why does it feel like that carriage is heading for me?" Lin Chen scratched his head, then heard a familiar voice from the carriage.

"Cousin Lin Chen, we're here to take you Soul Beast hunting!" As the words fell, the luxurious carriage came to a stop by the road. Xiao Chenyu stepped down and waved excitedly at Lin Chen.

"Was there any need for such a grand procession?" Lin Chen was about to make a few more remarks when he saw a tall figure step down from the carriage. It was Xiao Chenfeng, the lord of Nuoding City.

"Hello, Uncle Xiao." Lin Chen walked forward and bowed obediently.

"Hahaha, what a good boy you are, Chen." Xiao Chenfeng smiled and rubbed Lin Chen's head. "I heard you beat Yu Xiaogang up yesterday?"

Lin Chen nodded and was about to say something when Xiao Chenfeng interrupted him with a laugh. "Good! I've been sick of that Yu Xiaogang for ages, walking around all day with that fucking long face, like someone owed him money."

Xiao Chenfeng had intended to mock him some more, but when he noticed the strange looks everyone around him was giving him, he realized he had laughed too loudly and hurriedly changed the subject. "Let's get in the carriage first."

Inside the carriage, Xiao Chenfeng looked at Lin Chen sitting across from him and, putting the earlier awkwardness aside, asked with a smile, "Ahem... Chen, what attribute do you want your Soul Ring to have?"

Lin Chen thought for a moment before answering, "I think my first Soul Ring could come from a thousand-year Soul Beast with the light or space attribute, and its attack power has to be strong."

Hearing this, Xiao Chenfeng frowned. "Chen, your Soul Power is only at level ten. Isn't it a little too early for you to absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring?"

Lin Chen shook his head and countered with a smile, "That's where you're wrong, Uncle Xiao. I've eaten plenty of tonics since I was little, and I've also awakened an Extreme Martial Soul. My physique is far beyond that of an ordinary Soul Master."

"Otherwise, no matter how monstrous I was, I couldn't have beaten Yu Xiaogang, a Soul Grandmaster. If you really don't believe me, why not just test my body?"

Xiao Chenfeng frowned. Seeing that Lin Chen didn't appear to be joking, he reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder.

As a Soul Ancestor, Xiao Chenfeng had no great difficulty testing a child's physical strength.

"What a powerful body!"

Xiao Chenfeng's gaze sharpened, and he looked at Lin Chen in a different light.

You really never knew until you looked, and one look gave you a fright.

He had thought that Lin Chen had beaten Yu Xiaogang because Yu Xiaogang had seen him as just a child and underestimated him.

But when he channeled his Soul Power into Lin Chen's body, he found that Lin Chen's physique was frighteningly strong. Judging by his physique alone, he was already on par with a Soul Elder and was fully qualified to absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

The corners of Lin Chen's mouth rose. Seeing Xiao Chenfeng's strong reaction, he asked confidently, "Uncle Xiao, can I absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring now?"

"Yes, of course you can, hahahaha!" Xiao Chenfeng could no longer hide the smile on his face and burst into wild laughter.

At that moment, he could hardly put on the airs of a city lord. This was a thousand-year first ring! Across the entire Douluo Continent, there wasn't a second one to be found!

Xiao Chenyu, who was beside them, was dumbfounded by their conversation. He had thought that no matter how monstrous Lin Chen was, a Hundred-Year Soul Ring would be his limit. How had they suddenly gotten to a Thousand-Year Soul Ring?

The group continued on their way, and after traveling for some time, a vast forest finally began to emerge before them.

Ancient trees towered in an endless stretch.

Their lofty crowns intertwined, almost completely blocking the sunlight within. A tall iron fence had been built around the forest's perimeter, and a large number of fully armed soldiers were stationed near the entrance.

This was the Soul Hunting ground for Soul Masters near Nuoding City.

After they entered the Soul Hunting Forest, the light around them grew much dimmer. Ancient trees rose from the ground, their dense, overlapping foliage blocking the sunlight overhead.

Xiao Chenfeng walked at the front, warily observing their surroundings, though he didn't think the Soul Hunting Forest held any danger that could hurt a Soul Ancestor like him.

But the talent Lin Chen had displayed was far too astonishing, so he naturally had to stay alert to keep him from harm.

The three of them pressed on into the core region of the Soul Hunting Forest. Along the way, Lin Chen encountered quite a few Soul Beasts, including a 500-year-old Mandala Snake, a 380-year-old Gale Wind Flying Bird, and a 400-year-old Poison-Armored Spider.

But even setting aside the fact that these Soul Beasts didn't meet Lin Chen's requirements for a Soul Ring, their ages alone fell far short.

After walking for nearly another three double-hours, the three of them were still traveling through the Soul Hunting Forest's core region. They encountered Hundred-Year Soul Beasts from time to time and even found a thousand-year-old Scale-Armored Beast, but unfortunately, it didn't meet Lin Chen's requirements, so the three could only pass it up.

"How much longer do we have to look? My legs have gone numb from walking." Xiao Chenyu rubbed his aching calves and couldn't help complaining.

"Let's look for one last double-hour. It's getting late. If we really can't find one, we'll go home and rest first," Xiao Chenfeng said helplessly as he saw the sky growing dark.

Just as Lin Chen thought he would return empty-handed this time, a powerful presence suddenly came from the forest ahead.

"That's the presence of a thousand-year Soul Beast. It should be a 1,200-year-old Soul Beast. You two, be careful!" Xiao Chenfeng turned serious at once. The phantom of a giant wolf suddenly formed behind him, and four Soul Rings—white, yellow, yellow, and purple—rose from beneath his feet.

"Screech—!"

As Xiao Chenfeng revealed his Martial Soul, a bird's cry shot into the sky, and an eagle covered in interwoven silver-white and pale-gold feathers burst out from deep within the forest.

The trees blocking its path had barely touched its wings when a blade of golden light sliced them in two.

But even more astonishingly, its body was covered in shocking wounds, and its left wing was still bleeding. Its pure golden eyes were full of pain and fury.

"Is that a Lightfeather Fierce Eagle? How could such a powerful Soul Beast appear in the Soul Hunting Forest?" Xiao Chenfeng watched the Light-Feathered Falcon warily, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

The moment Lin Chen saw the Light-Feathered Falcon, however, his eyes lit up. It had the light attribute, a thousand years of cultivation, and powerful attack power. Although it didn't have the space attribute, it still met his requirements.

At that thought, a gleam of excitement flashed in Lin Chen's eyes. He hurriedly called to Xiao Chenfeng in front of him, "Uncle Xiao, I want this Soul Beast. Can you handle it?"