Request

As its name suggested, the Sonic Bird was a type of avian Soul Beast that could fly at the speed of sound.

But the speed of sound was only its normal cruising speed. When faced with danger, hunting, or fighting, a Sonic Bird could often fly faster than sound.

Under normal circumstances, a Soul King could handle a thousand-year Soul Beast with ease. By all rights, hunting a hundred-year Soul Beast should have been a sure thing.

The Sonic Bird, however, was an exception.

These birds were tiny, only as big as a child's fist.

Generally speaking, Soul Beasts grew larger as their cultivation age increased. In nature, a larger size meant greater strength and a higher position in the struggle for survival.

The Sonic Bird was different. According to Soul Masters' past observations, its size did not increase with its cultivation age; only its speed grew greater.

Its small size and great speed made this Soul Beast extremely difficult to catch.

Sonic Birds were also timid Soul Beasts. Even those with higher cultivation ages would immediately flee upon encountering a low-level Soul Master or predator.

Although Soul Kings were already very powerful, they still could not fly.

Thus, unless one was exceptionally close to a Sonic Bird, it would flee at the slightest rustle of wind or grass. In the blink of an eye, the bird would vanish without a trace.

Once a Sonic Bird took off, even an Agility Attack System Soul King could not hope to catch it. Given its advantage in flight, even a Soul Emperor would have great difficulty catching one.

Like the Ironclad King Worm Zhou You had once encountered, this bird was a special Soul Beast that had sacrificed its other attributes to evolve one skill to the utmost.

The Ironclad King Worm specialized in defense, relying on its sheer toughness to survive, while the Sonic Bird specialized in speed, perfecting its "escape" skill.

Throughout history, quite a few Soul Masters had set their sights on Sonic Birds, but most had failed. Only a very small number had succeeded in hunting this special Soul Beast.

They had also gained some experience from their attempts.

Disappointingly, a Sonic Bird could not grant a Beast Martial Soul Master the extreme speed needed to surpass sound, because a Soul Master's body could not withstand that kind of acceleration.

A major reason Sonic Birds possessed such speed lay in their bodily structure. Their small size meant less resistance when accelerating and greater agility when turning.

Soul Masters, being larger, would see the effect greatly reduced even if they succeeded in obtaining a speed-type Soul Skill. For the same speed, hunting another type of speed-oriented Soul Beast was clearly more worthwhile.

Thus, the Soul Masters best suited to hunting Sonic Birds were mostly Tool Martial Soul Masters whose Martial Souls generally had throwing or launching functions, such as bows, crossbows, or slingshots.

"Your Martial Soul can leave your body?"

As soon as Zhou You said this, surprise appeared on everyone's faces to varying degrees. Li Kai was the most impatient and blurted out his question.

"How did you know?"

"With a Soul Beast like the Sonic Bird as your target, the answer was obvious."

"Is that so?" Li Kai scratched his head, a look of clear-eyed stupidity in his eyes.

Since Zhou You had already guessed part of it, Zhang Ping had no need to hide anything. She activated her Martial Soul, and a small golden bird appeared at her fingertip.

"Oh? It's actually a Beast Martial Soul?" Zhou You was slightly surprised.

As everyone knew, the vast majority of Beast Martial Souls could not manifest directly like Tool Martial Souls. Instead, they merged with their Soul Masters through possession, temporarily granting them the Beast Martial Soul's abilities.

In the original book, Yu Xiaogang's Luo Sanpao seemed to be the only Beast Martial Soul that could leave its owner's body and manifest. Luo Sanpao could also eat like a normal living creature and even had a consciousness of his own.

But now, Zhou You had seen a second one.

"Xiao Ping's Golden-Waisted Flying Swallow is a mutated Martial Soul. It can't possess her, but she can control it remotely."

Zhou You understood the value of this Martial Soul almost immediately. Unlike Martial Souls such as arrows and darts, which could only be thrown once, the Golden-Waisted Flying Swallow could be controlled outside its owner's body. Wasn't that equivalent to controlling objects?

"I see. The Sonic Bird really is a good match for you." Zhou You nodded.

If she obtained a Sonic Bird's Soul Skill, the Golden-Waisted Flying Swallow could become a supersonic bullet. Such speed would give her Martial Soul an enormous advantage in duels between low-level Soul Masters.

If she truly succeeded, this Soul Skill could raise the value of the Golden-Waisted Flying Swallow Martial Soul by a whole level.

Zhou You praised her. "That's an excellent choice of Soul Beast!"

Zhang Ping shyly dismissed her Martial Soul and said, a little embarrassed, "Brother Sun actually helped me choose it."

Zhou You looked at Sun Chuantao in surprise, though he could understand why the man was so anxious.

Sun Chuantao spoke up at just the right moment. "But that's where the problem lies. Xiao Ping has already applied to go Soul Hunting three times. The first time, we couldn't find a Sonic Bird. The second time, we found one, but it wasn't old enough."

"The third time... the Soul King leading the group got within three meters of the Sonic Bird, but it fled. There was no catching it at all!"

"Did you try traps?"

"Of course." Sun Chuantao seemed to recall an unpleasant memory, and his expression soured slightly.

"But that beast was clever. It wouldn't fall for them at all!"

Only then did Zhou You remember that hundred-year Soul Beasts were already very clever. Although they still could not compare to humans, they were far better than ordinary wild beasts at seeking gain and avoiding harm.

He nodded in understanding before asking, "So? What can I do to help you?"

What use was there in coming to him about this?

At that, Sun Chuantao hesitated, but for Zhang Ping's sake, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to speak. "We heard Yan has reached level 20 and will be going Soul Hunting soon, and the Soul Master leading his group is a Soul Saint, so..."

Zhou You understood. Soul Saints could already fly through the air. These people thought a Soul Saint would have a better chance of catching a Sonic Bird, so they wanted to make use of the Soul Saint's help.

He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "What, can't you apply directly for a Soul Saint to help you hunt a Soul Beast?"

"Sigh..." At this, Sun Chuantao sighed. He looked at Zhou You with a complicated expression. "We... aren't quite like you. Soul Saints aren't that easy to enlist. Xiao Ping's ranking in the class is a little precarious right now, and the academy might not be willing to send out a Soul Saint for her."

After all, Soul Masters of that level were no longer small fry; they were the backbone of many factions.

"Of course, we aren't blaming the academy," Sun Chuantao quickly added. "A Soul King is already quite good. It's just that if we still can't catch a Sonic Bird next time, Xiao Ping will have to choose another Soul Beast. But then... it'll be hard for her strength to improve much further, and her ranking will still be in danger."

Zhou You understood.

By now, he had gained some understanding of the class's Quarterly Assessment. It mainly assessed two things: whether a student's Soul Power Level had improved, and whether their practical combat ability had improved. Both were indispensable.

From what they had said, Zhang Ping's First Soul Skill was probably nothing special. She therefore needed to obtain a more powerful Second Soul Skill, or she would be overtaken in practical combat by students with greater fighting strength.

Judging by the urgency of their situation, Zhang Ping's ranking was probably more than just less than ideal. Excluding Zhou You, the new student bringing up the rear, she was likely at the very bottom.