Soul Hunting Forest

Soul Hunting Forest

The next day, at the gates of Notting College!

While the other students were still asleep, Lu Yuan, Grandmaster, and the other two had already assembled at the main gate.

The nearest Soul Hunting Forest was nearly four hundred li from Notting City, so they had to set out early if they wanted to arrive within the allotted time.

Ferros had prepared a carriage!

The beasts pulling it were no ordinary horses, but ten-year Spirit Beast Hornscale Horses. These Hornscale Horses were covered in scales and possessed remarkable endurance, making them perfectly suited for pulling carriages.

The carriage was quite spacious, with more than enough room for four people. It had also been specially fitted with shock absorbers, so even at high speeds, the ride would not be overly bumpy.

Tang San seemed never to have seen such a carriage before, and he found it quite novel.

After boarding, they set off toward the Soul Hunting Forest northeast of Notting City under Ferros's lead.

Along the way, Grandmaster introduced Tang San to the basic knowledge of Soul Masters and Soul Beasts, while Lu Yuan rested with his eyes closed. He had risen a little too early and was still somewhat sleepy.

Four hundred li was by no means a short journey. Even at the speed of the Hornscale Horses, it was already afternoon by the time they neared the Soul Hunting Forest.

An ordinary person would never have been able to endure the bumpy journey, but fortunately, everyone present was a Soul Master with comparatively strong physiques. Still, they could not help feeling a little nauseated. They had reached the Soul Hunting Forest at least twice as fast as Grandmaster had in the original story.

The area outside the Soul Hunting Forest was always lively. There were many shops, and cries of vendors rose and fell one after another, making the place exceedingly noisy.

"Let's get down and replenish our supplies," Grandmaster said.

Naturally, no one objected. Aside from Grandmaster and Ferros, both Lu Yuan and Tang San were first-timers at the Soul Hunting Forest, complete novices.

"Teacher, why are you buying so many dried white radishes?" Tang San asked in confusion. His Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges was stuffed full of all kinds of dried white radishes.

Lu Yuan's mouth twitched at that. Remembering Luo Sanpao's methods of attack from the original story, he unconsciously bought several more masks.

Grandmaster did not answer him. The smile at the corners of his lips merely grew more bitter as he said, "I'll tell you later."

Once everything had been sorted out, the group headed toward the Soul Hunting Forest.

After presenting the Soul Hunting Token, they finally entered the Soul Hunting Forest.

The Soul Hunting Forests here were basically maintained by the empire, so high-level Soul Beasts were actually quite rare.

Grandmaster's Martial Soul, Luo Sanpao, was very adorable—chubby and plump, looking much like a little piglet.

Luo Sanpao was highly intelligent and very affectionate toward Tang San and the others, yet it was extremely afraid of Lu Yuan. It did not even dare approach him. Lu Yuan knew this was because Luo Sanpao had been frightened by the pressure of the Golden Dragon Spirit within him.

"There's movement ahead!" Grandmaster's voice rang out. Based on the information Luo Sanpao had relayed, there were clearly fluctuations from Soul Beasts ahead.

"What Soul Beasts are they?" Without anyone noticing, Ferros had already summoned his Martial Soul. With flames coiling around his body, the aura of Ferros the Soul Ancestor was fully exposed. Though his Soul Rings were only white, yellow, yellow, and purple, a Soul Ancestor was still a Soul Ancestor.

Ferros's Martial Soul was the Crimson Flame Hound, a fairly decent beast Martial Soul. Unfortunately, Ferros's Innate Soul Power was simply too low, only level three, so after half a lifetime of struggle, he had only managed to reach the realm of Soul Ancestor.

Generally speaking, the stronger one's Innate Soul Power, the higher the quality of one's Martial Soul. However, a powerful Martial Soul did not necessarily mean high Innate Soul Power.

Take the Clear Sky Hammer, for instance, known as the number one tool Martial Soul in the world! Yet not every Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul could attain Innate Full Soul Power!

Within the Clear Sky Sect, there were those with innate Soul Power at level five, level six, and all the way up to Innate Full Soul Power. If the strength of one's Martial Soul was inherited from one's parents, then the level of one's Innate Soul Power was the Soul Master's own talent.

Though Innate Full Soul Power might not be especially scarce across the entire Douluo Continent, it was actually still very rare. It required not only a powerful Martial Soul, but also exceptional cultivation talent from the Soul Master.

Ferros's cultivation talent was clearly not very impressive.

"According to the information Sanpao sent back, there should be a hundred-year Fiery Mountain Boar and a hundred-year Mandala Snake confronting each other. But their exact ages are unknown. We'll need to observe them carefully to find out," Grandmaster said.

"If they're only hundred-year Soul Beasts, I should be able to handle them," Ferros said.

Though his strength was not outstanding among those of the same rank, he was still a Soul Ancestor. Dealing with hundred-year Soul Beasts would be more than easy for him, unless they were super Soul Beasts like the Titan Giant Ape. That would be another matter altogether. However, a Titan Giant Ape was unlikely to appear in an empire-maintained Soul Hunting Forest like this.

"Let's go take a look. Watch your noise and don't alert them," Grandmaster said.

Both Lu Yuan and Tang San nodded. Grandmaster was clearly saying it for their benefit.

After advancing several steps, the group hid behind a large tree and examined the scene carefully. Up ahead, the Mandala Snake and Fiery Mountain Boar were locked in an inseparable battle.

The Mandala Snake was agile and swift, and it possessed potent venom. It was a powerful Soul Beast, and Mandala Snake venom had once made many Soul Beasts flee at the mere mention of it.

The Fiery Mountain Boar was no simple opponent either. As one of the top pig-type Soul Beasts, its status among Soul Beasts was no lower than that of the Mandala Snake. Flames protected its body, and it possessed immense strength and impressive defense. Its combat power could not be underestimated.

Grandmaster's eyes swept over them rapidly. "This Mandala Snake is roughly over three meters long, nearly four meters. Its lifespan should be close to four hundred years. Its toughness and venom make it very suitable for Little San."

"This Fiery Mountain Boar is also over three meters long. Its strength and defense are both formidable, so it should be quite suitable for Xiao Yuan."

Lu Yuan shook his head. "A Fiery Mountain Boar with three hundred years of cultivation is still a little too weak. My physical constitution is different from ordinary people's, and the Golden Dragon is one of the highest-tier beast Martial Souls. I think I can raise the Soul Ring Lifespan a little higher."

Grandmaster frowned. "According to my research, the limit for a first Soul Ring is around four hundred and twenty-three years. Exceeding that limit will bring enormous danger to a Soul Master."

Lu Yuan shook his head. "Grandmaster, your research is correct, but there are always exceptions. You do not understand the Golden Dragon Spirit. Its enhancement of the body exceeds your imagination!"

"Is that so?" Even Grandmaster was not entirely sure now. He had absolute confidence in his research, but he truly knew little about a legendary Martial Soul like the Golden Dragon Spirit.

Theory was theory, after all. The Golden Dragon possessed a powerful body, but just how powerful was it? Without personally researching it, Grandmaster could not be certain. Thus, he had begun to believe Lu Yuan's words somewhat.

"Alright, then we'll do this for now. Once the Mandala Snake and Fiery Mountain Boar have both been badly injured, we'll make our move. As for Xiao Yuan's Soul Ring, we can discuss it after we deal with them," Grandmaster said after thinking for a while.