Canglan Mountain Range Part 2

"Awesome!" Hu Haoran cried out despite himself after watching the entire process of the Blazing Fire Dragon Leopard being slaughtered.

"Who's there?!" The Soul Ancestor had just been about to rest when the faint sound reached his ears, instantly putting him on alert. He immediately released his martial soul, and soul rings emerged around him. "You little rat, come out now. If you don't, don't blame me for getting rough."

"Big brother! Big brother! Don't be hasty, I'm coming out now!" Hu Haoran sensed trouble and could only walk out helplessly.

Only then did Hu Haoran get a proper look at this high-level Soul Ancestor. He wore black leather armor patterned with fiery red lines, bracers on both wrists, knee guards on both legs, and held his martial soul, the Blazing Heaven Battle Hammer, in his right hand. He was around 1.8 meters tall, broad and powerfully built, with handsome features. He did not appear to be very old, yet at first glance, he looked every bit the imposing figure.

"Uh... a little brat!" The Soul Ancestor was stunned when he saw Hu Haoran emerge, his youthful face catching him off guard. He looked Hu Haoran up and down. "No matter how I look at you, you're just a little brat! What are you doing here? Don't tell me you got lost."

"..." Hu Haoran had lived two lives, yet being called a little brat nearly choked him. Besides, this Soul Ancestor in front of him looked only a little over twenty—still younger than Hu Haoran had been in his previous life.

"I'm asking you a question, little brat! Did seeing this handsome guy leave you dumbfounded?! Let me tell you, I'm not into that sort of thing."

"To hell with that. With that idiot face of yours, you still dare call yourself handsome? You've really got no shame." Hu Haoran was utterly speechless at the Soul Ancestor's shamelessness. He continued, "I came here to hunt soul beasts and obtain a soul ring."

"Oh, oh, oh! Strange things happen every year, but this year there are especially many. You're only six or seven, yet you say you came to hunt soul beasts for a soul ring. Did you awaken your martial soul while you were still in your mother's womb?! You don't look that fat either! Or do you think soul beasts won't eat you just because you're skinny?" This Soul Ancestor was quite skilled at mocking others.

"Brother, that's not right. Can't you see that I'm a genius? I've been here for four or five days already, and aren't I doing just fine? You, on the other hand—if any thousand-year soul beast came along right now, it could easily take care of you, you monster." Hu Haoran shot back without any politeness.

"Hmph... this was only an accident!" the Soul Ancestor said stiffly.

"Come on, call me big brother once, and this healing pill is yours." Hu Haoran took out a Golden Wound Pill from his Storage Ring. "This pill works on anyone below Soul Ancestor, but since you're already a Soul Ancestor, I don't know whether it'll work. You can try it."

The Soul Ancestor looked at the pill in Hu Haoran's hand. Though he could not tell whether it truly was a healing pill, judging from its color and the fragrance it gave off, it was clearly valuable. He was not a rigid man, and naturally knew that the pill would definitely be helpful in his current condition.

"Kid, how about this? Give me the pill, and I'll help you hunt soul beasts and obtain a soul ring. What do you say?" The Soul Ancestor tested Hu Haoran with a negotiating tone.

"Sure." Hu Haoran had achieved his goal, so he tossed the pill to the Soul Ancestor. "Heal up first, then absorb the Blazing Fire Dragon Leopard's soul ring. From what I read in books, ten-thousand-year soul rings aren't so easy to absorb."

"I know that. I've read up on it at the academy too. Thanks for the reminder." The Soul Ancestor nodded, then continued, "Keep watch for me and watch the surroundings. If anything happens, just shout."

Hu Haoran nodded.

Without another word, the Soul Ancestor swallowed the Golden Wound Pill Hu Haoran had given him. The pill melted the moment it entered his mouth and flowed into his body, its medicinal power immediately erupting within him. The Soul Ancestor swiftly mobilized his Soul Power, guiding the medicine to repair his body. By the time it took to eat a meal, his complexion had become increasingly rosy, and more than eighty percent of his injuries had healed.

"This pill is amazing! One pill restored me to eighty percent already. Absorbing the soul ring won't be a problem now! Hahaha... I thought I'd have to waste this soul ring." With his injuries vastly improved, the Soul Ancestor's mood brightened as well. "Kid! Once I absorb this soul ring, I'll make you look awesome and take you soaring. Just wait!"

Hu Haoran merely smiled without speaking and continued standing guard for the Soul Ancestor.

The Soul Ancestor summoned his martial soul and used his great hammer to guide the Blazing Fire Dragon Leopard's soul ring over. The martial soul and soul ring formed a connection, and the process went smoothly. The next step was the most crucial part of absorbing a soul ring: fusing it and attaching the soul ring's skill to the martial soul.

Every soul master treated this step with utmost caution. Everyone wanted to succeed on the first try. As soon as the Soul Ancestor established a connection with the soul ring, he immediately began the fusion process. At that moment, black light abruptly flashed from the Blazing Fire Dragon Leopard's soul ring as it attempted to break free.

"Hmph... I killed you when you were alive, and now that all that's left is a soul ring, you still dare make trouble for me! Fuse with me!" the Soul Ancestor shouted, Soul Power surging from his body as he forcefully suppressed the Blazing Fire Dragon Leopard's soul ring.

The Soul Ancestor's Soul Power was unceasing. The Blazing Fire Dragon Leopard's soul ring could only resist for a moment before it was quickly subdued.

"Ha! Absorb!" The Soul Ancestor finally absorbed the soul ring.

This high-level Soul Ancestor could no longer be called a Soul Ancestor. The five soul rings floating behind him proved that he had now become a Soul King. Five soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, and black—bobbed up and down, with the black soul ring especially dazzling, making Hu Haoran deeply envious.

"Brother, now that you've absorbed your soul ring, isn't it time for you to help your little brother out?" Hu Haoran shamelessly sidled up to him.

"Right, right! You've helped me so much, yet I haven't even asked your name. I'm Jiang Jiayao, a student of Shrek Academy's Assault Department. I'm now a Level 52 Soul King. Just call me Brother Jiang." Jiang Jiayao formally introduced himself.

"I'm Hu Haoran of the Blue Electric Tyrant Dragon Clan, currently a Level 10 Soul Warrior." Hu Haoran formally introduced himself as well.

"The Blue Electric Tyrant Dragon Clan?! What is Hu Moxie, Brother Hu, to you?" Jiang Jiayao asked curiously.

"He's my biological older brother. What is it, Brother Jiang? Do you know my brother?" Hu Haoran asked in return.

"More than know him—he's one of my instructors, and he's my idol too! He became a Level 78 Soul Sage at twenty-five. He's the idol of many people at our academy! I never expected to meet his younger brother. But I often heard him sigh that his younger brother hadn't been able to awaken a martial soul?"

"I only awakened my martial soul some time ago, and I awakened with innate full Soul Power. That's why my mother told me to come out and hunt soul beasts. The mountain range was too large, so my mother and I got separated." Hu Haoran told a small lie at the end.

"So that's how it is. With such a genius older brother, the younger brother's talent can't be bad either! Since that's the case, I'll help you hunt a soul beast. Seeing that you have innate full Soul Power, you might very well become my junior at the academy. What soul beast are you hunting? Do you have a target?"

"My mother told me before that I should hunt a Heavy Thunder Rhinoceros for my soul ring. She even told me the route." Naturally, Hu Haoran would not say that the system had told him.

"Since you have a target, this will be easy. Let's set off now!"

And so, Hu Haoran brought Jiang Jiayao along to hunt the Heavy Thunder Rhinoceros.