Star Dou Great Forest?

Wang Xiaofeng arrived at the Village Entrance just in time to run into a Caravan preparing to depart. By sheer coincidence, its route passed through Calabash Village.

"Uncle, where are you headed?"

(づ￣3￣)づ

Wang Xiaofeng unleashed his cute act on the Caravan Leader.

"Haha, kid, why isn't your family with you?" Rather than answering Wang Xiaofeng's question, the Caravan Leader questioned him instead.

"..." Wang Xiaofeng calmly changed the subject and started talking about something else.

The Caravan often traveled this road. Seeing that Wang Xiaofeng was just a little kid who took up hardly any space, the leader only symbolically charged him one Silver Soul Coin, and Wang Xiaofeng caught a ride in one of the carriages.

After two days and one night, they finally reached Calabash Village around dusk.

"Thanks, Uncle Fu." (^~^)

Wang Xiaofeng waved at the Caravan Leader and watched the convoy depart.

"You brat, why are you back?"

Wang Xiaofeng stood at the Village Entrance, still thinking about how to get home without being beaten, when a familiar voice came from behind him.

Before Wang Xiaofeng could turn around, he was lifted up, and a familiar broad face filled his vision.

"Old Dad, what are you doing here?"

"I just finished work and spotted you here. Why aren't you studying properly at school? Why did you run back? What if you ran into some bad Soul Masters?"

Wang Danu launched into a furious scolding, spraying saliva everywhere.

"Alright, alright." Wang Xiaofeng took out a handkerchief and wiped his face. "I found something good. You two were the first people I thought of, so I rushed back."

Wang Danu deeply suspected that Wang Xiaofeng was fooling him, but that was fine. They would go home first, and he could interrogate him properly then. This brat had been getting more and more mischievous lately. Without a good beating, he would never appreciate the loving care of his elders.

Wang Xiaofeng and Wang Danu returned home just as Wang Li finished cooking. She was surprised to see Wang Xiaofeng, but said nothing and simply told father and son to wash their hands and eat.

They finished dinner peacefully.

Smack.

"Will you skip school again?"

Smack.

"Will you listen to your old dad from now on?"

In the end, Wang Xiaofeng still failed to escape the couple's special bamboo-slat treatment.

Without even looking, Wang Xiaofeng knew his butt was glowing red.

"Here." Since it was inconvenient to pass things over while lying face-down, Wang Xiaofeng tossed his outer robe to Wang Danu.

"Why are you giving me your outer robe?" Wang Danu looked at Wang Xiaofeng strangely. Had they beaten the kid stupid? It did not seem like they had hit him that hard.

"The robe isn't the important part. What's important is what's in its pocket."

A mother knew her child best. The moment Wang Li saw Wang Xiaofeng's action, she understood what he was trying to do.

Wang Danu searched through Wang Xiaofeng's robe pocket and pulled out a sheet of paper.

"What's this?"

Wang Danu unfolded the paper. It was covered in Soul Power Cultivation Points and a Soul Power Circulation Route Map.

"Son, this is...?"

"These are the Soul Power cultivation techniques taught at the academy."

Wang Xiaofeng did not even glance at Wang Danu or He Li. Not even hugs, kisses, or being lifted high would cheer him up now.

(｀^′)

Wang Danu and He Li exchanged a glance, then silently picked up the bamboo rods they had just put down.

"Alright, alright, I'm scared of you two. I surrender." Wang Xiaofeng helplessly raised both hands. They said gentlemen settle things with words, not fists. Sure enough, women and petty people are impossible to deal with. The ancestors were right.

The couple had long grown used to Wang Xiaofeng's occasional bouts of stupidity. From this, they had summarized one principle: if fists could solve it, there was no need to waste words.

"Don't worry." Wang Xiaofeng saw the concern in their eyes. The academy did not allow class notes to be taken out, but where there were rules, there were always ways around them.

"I memorized it all long ago, then copied it out from memory. Besides, the academy never explicitly forbade it. You two can cultivate in secret, as long as no one finds out."

Ever since Wang Xiaofeng obtained the academy's Meditation Method, he had made preparations to give it to his parents as a gift. Good things were meant to be shared.

"Son, I'm so moved." Wang Danu looked at Wang Xiaofeng with tears in his eyes, while Wang Li secretly wiped away her tears with her back turned.

"Of course, this was one of the reasons I came back... Listen to me properly. Don't hit me."

Wang Xiaofeng finally managed to calm the two of them down.

"So you've already reached level 10?" Wang Danu stared at Wang Xiaofeng in amazement. "I never thought my son was a genius."

"Son, whatever kind of Soul Ring you want, your mother will get it for you." Wang Li was even more imposing.

"I've already chosen." Enduring the pain in his butt, Wang Xiaofeng went into his room and took a notebook out of his bag.

"This is the Common Soul Beast Encyclopedia I copied from the academy Library. I copied the Soul Beasts suitable for me at the end."

Wang Danu flipped through the notebook and pointed at the illustrations of the Soul Beasts Wang Xiaofeng wanted to hunt. "Aren't these all Soul Beasts that live in water? There aren't any rivers around here."

"Old Dad, did you forget? There's a canyon between the small woods outside our village and the Star Dou Great Forest, and there's a river at the bottom of that canyon."

"That's right." Wang Danu slapped his forehead. If Wang Xiaofeng had not reminded him, he truly would have forgotten about that river. No one went there, so over time, it had slipped from memory.

"Alright. Tomorrow morning, your mother and I will take you to obtain your First Soul Ring."

Wang Danu and He Li led Wang Xiaofeng through the small woods east of the village and arrived before the canyon.

Wang Xiaofeng looked toward the Star Dou Great Forest two hundred meters away. I'll definitely go there to obtain my Third Soul Ring.

"What are you spacing out for? Get ready to go down."

Wang Danu patted Wang Xiaofeng on the head, then shouted loudly.

One of Wang Danu's two Soul Rings glowed faintly before settling around the Martial Soul in his right hand.

First Soul Skill, Entanglement!

The Blue Silver Grass on the ground instantly lengthened, its other ends tying around Wang Xiaofeng and He Li's waists.

"Dear, you go down first. Then Xiaofeng can go down."

After much effort, Wang Xiaofeng finally reached the bottom of the canyon.

A long river came into view. The water before them was crystal clear, clear enough to see the colorful, smooth, rounded pebbles at the riverbed with a single glance. Schools of fish swam merrily through the river, paying them no attention at all.

There was also a herd of Lost Track Deer drinking water. They merely raised their heads for one look before lowering them again to continue drinking. To them, two-legged upright apes held no appeal whatsoever.

All kinds of Soul Beasts lived here without a care, like a paradise hidden away from the world.

"Lost Track Deer, Bouncy Rabbits, Colorful Tail Chickens... So many Soul Beasts at the bottom of the food chain live here. It looks like there are no powerful carnivorous Soul Beasts here. The Soul Beast I want must be somewhere around."

"So, Xiaofeng, have you decided what Soul Skill you want from your Soul Ring?"

Looking at He Li and Wang Danu, Wang Xiaofeng replied with complete confidence.

"I want to become a Control System Soul Master. The Green Calabash Martial Soul itself is not suited to poison, while the control strength granted by ordinary plant Soul Beasts is insufficient. So I plan to use my First Soul Ring and Second Soul Ring to strengthen my control abilities."

"So I've decided to hunt..."