Soul Hunting Forest

When he had first transmigrated to Douluo Continent, Old Jack, the village chief of Holy Soul Village, had taken him in.

Having stayed in Holy Soul Village for five months, Xia Liang had met the father and son pair, Tang Hao and Tang San.

The six-year-old boy chatting with Wang Sheng was Tang San.

The six-year-old girl with the black Scorpion Braid was likely Xiao Wu, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast that had taken human form.

"A Liang, you're finally back." Wang Sheng approached Xia Liang with a smile. "We've all been waiting for you."

"What are you waiting for me for?" Xia Liang asked, puzzled.

Wang Sheng glanced at the girl with the Scorpion Braid, then looked at the six-year-old boy and introduced them. "These two newcomers are Work-Study Students who just moved in. The boy is Tang San, a Work-Study Student from Holy Soul Village. The girl is Xiao Wu. Don't be fooled by how delicate she looks. She's actually very strong. Even I, a sixth-year student, was defeated by her. Instantly, too."

At this point, Wang Sheng let out a helpless sigh. "Sigh. I won't dwell on that embarrassing matter. In short, from today onward, Xiao Wu is the boss of our Dorm 7."

"Wang Sheng, what are you mumbling about?" Xiao Wu glared at Wang Sheng.

Frightened, Wang Sheng straightened his posture. "Nothing, Boss."

"No." Xiao Wu corrected him. "You have to call me Sister Xiao Wu! Tang San, you lost to me in our fight this afternoon, so you have to call me Sister Xiao Wu too, understand? And you."

Her last sentence was directed at Xia Liang.

Tang San's gaze also fell on Xia Liang. He immediately recognized him as the person who had stayed at Old Jack's home in Holy Soul Village for a time before leaving for some unknown reason.

Facing the looks Xiao Wu and Tang San gave him, Xia Liang smiled politely. He had originally wanted to gain knowledge about Immortal Herbs from Tang San, but he suddenly abandoned that thought.

At this moment, Tang Hao might very well have been watching everything from the shadows.

The thought made his entire body feel uncomfortable. How could he dare profit from Tang San? Once he obtained his First Soul Ring, he should leave Nuoding Academy as soon as possible. Whatever the reason, staying away from Tang Hao's surveillance range could not be wrong.

The next morning.

Nuoding Primary Spirit Master Academy.

Ceremonial cannons shot into the sky within the academy, and noisy voices rang out without pause.

Today was the opening ceremony. The plaza was filled with teachers and students from every grade.

Yet a middle-aged man and a thin student walked out through the academy gates.

The middle-aged man was named Yu Xiaogang. He was not an academy teacher.

The thin student was Tang San, who had just joined the academy.

Yesterday, while taking Tang San to register at the Academic Affairs Office, Yu Xiaogang had exposed Tang San's secret of possessing Twin Martial Souls.

Rather than regard Yu Xiaogang as an enemy because of this, Tang San had taken him as his teacher.

Since yesterday, the two had addressed each other as master and disciple.

Dean Ding had urged Yu Xiaogang to take Xia Liang as his disciple because he valued Xia Liang's talent of Innate Level Five Soul Power.

Now that Yu Xiaogang had taken Tang San, who possessed Innate Level Ten Full Soul Power, as his disciple, Dean Ding was naturally pleased.

Today, he had specially approved Tang San's absence from the opening ceremony and allowed Yu Xiaogang to take Tang San to hunt Soul Beasts and obtain his First Soul Ring.

"Teacher, are we going directly to Soul Hunting Forest?" Tang San asked curiously.

"No. We'll first make a trip to the market. We need to buy some White Radish and supplies needed for hunting Soul Beasts."

As he spoke, Yu Xiaogang lowered his head to look at Tang San and instructed, "Xiao San, remember this. Hunting Soul Beasts is never a trivial matter, because in a Soul Beast's habitat, a Soul Master faces more than just one Soul Beast. If you act rashly without sufficient preparation, you will inevitably pay a heavy price."

Tang San nodded solemnly. "I understand, Teacher."

A satisfied smile appeared on Yu Xiaogang's stiff face. "Let's go. Once we reach Soul Hunting Forest, I'll teach you how to distinguish a Soul Beast's cultivation level."

With that, he hired a Carriage with Tang San and hurried toward Soul Hunting Forest.

An hour later.

The opening ceremony ended.

Another man led a student out through the gates of Nuoding Academy.

However, the man was not as old as Yu Xiaogang. He was only around thirty-five years old, dressed in a fitted silver outfit, with short black hair.

The student following beside him also had short black hair and was eight years old.

Because he ate well from working part-time as a cook and exercised often, this eight-year-old student was much taller than children his age. He looked more like a twelve-year-old.

The man in the fitted silver outfit was Mo Hen, a senior teacher at Nuoding Academy.

The eight-year-old student was Xia Liang, who had just advanced to the third year.

Several days ago, the two had agreed to head to Soul Hunting Forest together after the opening ceremony to hunt Soul Beasts.

After checking the items they carried with them, Teacher Mo and Xia Liang hired a Carriage outside the academy and set off for Soul Hunting Forest.

Several days later.

Night.

Outside Nuoding City, Soul Hunting Forest.

After showing the guards at the forest entrance their Warrant for hunting Soul Beasts, they had now been in the forest for three days.

Teacher Mo had set up the tent for the night.

Xia Liang had also finished grilling the meat and drizzled it with fragrant sauce.

The two sat around the grill, eating dinner.

"A Liang, your cooking has improved tremendously during these two years of part-time work at the restaurant. I never expected even simple grilled meat to taste this good."

As he spoke, Teacher Mo picked up another piece of grilled meat from the grill, wrapped it in lettuce, and began eating heartily.

Xia Liang was also eating the grilled meat in his hand, but he could not shake a feeling of unease.

The strange roars that suddenly sounded in the distance whenever the night wind rustled the grass, the unusual smell mingled in the humid air, and the faint Soul Power fluctuations lurking around them all made his scalp tingle.

This was the Core Area of Soul Hunting Forest. Every insect and beast that could be seen possessed Soul Power just like Soul Masters. Some Soul Beasts had even cultivated for a hundred years and comprehended powerful Soul Skills capable of killing without a trace.

Having transmigrated to Douluo Continent, this was Xia Liang's first time entering a forest inhabited by Soul Beasts and truly experiencing the unique aura of Soul Beasts.

He discovered that his highly focused Spiritual Power now acted like a detector, allowing him to sense the Soul Power fluctuations of nearby Soul Beasts at any time.

Several Soul Beasts were hiding in the darkness, watching him like tigers stalking their prey.

Teacher Mo patted Xia Liang on the shoulder and smiled. "Don't worry. Soul Masters fear being ambushed by Soul Beasts, but Soul Beasts also fear being ambushed by Soul Masters. Unless a Soul Beast has a particularly strong territorial instinct, it won't actively seek trouble with Soul Masters. We chose this place to camp because there are few Soul Beast tracks here, and no aggressive Soul Beasts appear. I'll keep watch tonight, so you don't need to worry too much."

After hearing this, Xia Liang finally relaxed.

Teacher Mo truly deserved his ten years of work experience in a Mercenary Group.

The courage and experience he had honed from frequently entering Soul Beast territories while making a living by helping others hunt Soul Beasts gave people a sense of security in every word and action.

As he once again sensed the aura of the Soul Beasts watching him from the darkness, Xia Liang was no longer as frightened as before. Compared to being watched by Soul Beasts, being watched by Soul Masters was actually far more terrifying.

Now that he shared a dormitory with Tang San and Xiao Wu, Tang Hao, who secretly protected Tang San, would inevitably keep an eye on him. He had to be cautious in everything he did.