Soul Hunting Forest

The next day, Wu Liang and Tang San left with Grandmaster.

"Teacher, where are we going to find Soul Beasts?"

The three leaving the academy were Grandmaster and his disciples, Wu Liang and Tang San.

"We're going to the Soul Hunting Forest, four hundred li northeast of Notting City. It's a place where the Empire raises Soul Beasts in captivity. We'll definitely find one suitable for you." Grandmaster wore a fitted outfit today, giving him a somewhat more heroic air, though his stiff face still made him seem rather out of place.

"You can raise Soul Beasts in captivity too? Teacher, tell us about Soul Beasts."

Grandmaster nodded. "High-level Soul Beasts naturally can't be raised in captivity, but low-level ones can. Soul Beasts are simply wild beasts that possess Soul Power. The longer they have existed, the stronger they become. Generally speaking, we divide Soul Beasts into five levels according to their age: ten-year Soul Beasts, hundred-year Soul Beasts, thousand-year Soul Beasts, ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts, and Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. The meaning is self-evident. A Soul Beast that has cultivated for more than ten years is a ten-year Soul Beast, and so on. Soul Rings are classified the same way as Soul Beasts. Soul Rings of different ages are easy to distinguish by color. A ten-year Soul Beast produces a white Soul Ring; a hundred-year one, a yellow Soul Ring; a thousand-year Soul Beast, a purple Soul Ring; a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast, a black Soul Ring; and a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast produces a red Soul Ring. Most Soul Beasts raised by the state for Spirit Masters to hunt are ten-year or hundred-year Soul Beasts. Thousand-year Soul Beasts are rarely found there."

"Then, Teacher, are there any million-year ones?"

Walking behind them, Wu Liang curled his lip and asked.

"How could there be million-year Soul Beasts? So far, I've never heard of a million-year Soul Beast anywhere. Once a Soul Beast reaches a million years and survives its tribulation, it's like a Spirit Master reaching level one hundred—they become god-level beings. How could anyone possibly see one?" Grandmaster said seriously.

"Teacher, the longer a Soul Beast cultivates, the stronger it becomes, and the better the effects of the Soul Ring it produces. In what ways does that strength manifest?" Tang San asked.

A trace of Grandmaster's characteristic ugly smile appeared on his stiff face. "That's an excellent question. The differences between Soul Rings produced by Soul Beasts of different levels mainly lie in the attribute enhancements to the Spirit Master and the power of the skills they grant. For example, in quantitative terms, your Blue Silver Grass martial soul will follow the path of a Control System tool Spirit Master. If you obtain a compatible ten-year Soul Ring, your Blue Silver Grass's control ability will increase by ten. But if it is a hundred-year Soul Ring, its control ability will increase by one hundred. And so on. Therefore, whenever possible, all Spirit Masters strive to obtain more powerful Soul Rings."

Tang San asked doubtfully, "Then wouldn't those with greater power and influence be able to obtain better Soul Rings? Those nobles could use the strength of their families to hunt stronger Soul Beasts for themselves."

Approval shone in Grandmaster's eyes. "The fact that you thought of that proves you have considered it carefully, but the reality is not so simple. Or rather, the requirements for adding a Soul Ring are extremely harsh."

"First, only the person who personally kills the Soul Beast can obtain that Soul Beast's Soul Ring. A Soul Ring exists for only a very short time. If it is not added to one's body within an hour, it loses its effect."

"Second, Soul Beasts are extremely proud creatures. No Soul Beast will allow itself to be captured. If they are severely wounded by an enemy and someone tries to capture them, they will choose to self-destruct their Soul Power and die. This eliminates the situation you described. Even if you ask someone to hunt a Soul Beast for you, if you do not land the final blow yourself, it will be very difficult to obtain the Soul Ring."

"Of course, none of this is absolute. How can Soul Beasts compare to human intelligence? The best way to hunt Soul Beasts is to form a group and head to where they live, then deliver the final blow yourself. That way, you can obtain the Soul Ring. Thus, as you said, nobles and those with influence do indeed possess certain advantages when hunting Soul Beasts."

However, easily obtaining a Soul Ring did not mean such people would become stronger than ordinary Spirit Masters. No one could be certain that the Soul Beast they encountered would have attributes most suitable for them. While the level of a Soul Beast was important, compatibility of attributes was equally crucial. No matter how good a Soul Ring was, if it conflicted with one's own martial soul, it would not have a beneficial effect and might instead harm the user. Most importantly, every Spirit Master had limits on the Soul Rings they could absorb at different stages."

"For example, you are only a level-ten Soul Scholar right now. With your current Soul Power, you can absorb at most the Soul Ring of a hundred-year Soul Beast. If you attempt to absorb a thousand-year Soul Ring, there will be only one result: your body will be unable to bear it and will be destroyed by the Soul Ring's power. When absorbing a Soul Ring, no external force can help you. You can only rely on yourself. Think about it—how could those who need others to help them hunt the Soul Beasts they need possess resilient strength? Perhaps even absorbing a suitable Soul Ring within their manageable level range could deal them a devastating blow. Tang San, remember this: the world is fair. If you want to obtain something, you must put in the corresponding effort. Trying to gain through tricks is what mediocre people do. The martial soul theories I study merely make the process of striving easier for Spirit Masters, allowing them to become stronger with equal strength. Of course, Kanna's situation is extremely special. According to Wu Liang, her physical constitution is exceptionally strong, so the age of Soul Rings she can endure is naturally much higher than others'. Furthermore, the Soul Ring she absorbed was highly compatible with her, which was why her first Soul Ring could be nearly a thousand years old. That is very difficult to replicate. Do you understand?"

Tang San nodded earnestly.

He had never been someone accustomed to taking shortcuts. Only by relying on his own efforts and advancing toward his goals step by step could he build the firmest foundation.

Grandmaster did not hurry out of the city with Tang San. Instead, he headed deeper into the city.

"Teacher, aren't we leaving the city?"

"Before hunting Soul Beasts, we need to prepare a few things. Besides, we can't travel there on foot. Four hundred li isn't too far, but it's always better to save time."

As the sun gradually rose in the east, more and more pedestrians appeared in Notting City. Today was also one of the rare days when Tang San had not cultivated his Purple Demon Eyes using the Eastern Purple Qi.

Grandmaster's preparations were not complicated. He bought three waterskins specially made for carrying drinking water. Each could hold a full five liters of clean water. He also bought some cured meat, flatbread, and fruit, filling two large bundles.

Of course, he also bought plenty of radishes for his martial soul—a full twenty jin. Wu Liang and Tang San each carried ten jin of radishes as they followed behind Grandmaster. Ten jin of radishes was naturally nothing to Wu Liang, but carrying them around like this was still uncomfortable. Fortunately, just like in the original story, Grandmaster rented a carriage.

By the time they reached the Soul Hunting Forest, Tang San had stored all the radishes in the storage belt Grandmaster had given him. Wu Liang had no interest in the storage belt at all. Grandmaster had seemed somewhat troubled when he first took it out, since there was only one. Naturally, Wu Liang immediately said he was not interested, and Grandmaster even sighed over Wu Liang's generosity.

Before entering the forest, Grandmaster's somewhat dejected eyes suddenly brightened. He brought his hands together before his chest, then swiftly spread them downward. "Come out, Luo San Pao."

With a puff, pale purple Soul Power separated from Grandmaster's palms. Tang San felt a wave of Soul Power ripple from Grandmaster's body, and a creature appeared before him.

That was right—it was a creature. It looked somewhat like a dog, but its size was more like that of a pig. It was over one and a half meters long, and its waist circumference was probably about the same.

Its fur was pale purple all over. Its two small ears drooped down, while a pair of large dark-blue eyes blinked gently. Its fat body wriggled, making its plump rear sway from side to side. With its four short, thick legs, it was hard to imagine how slow its movements must be.

There was a round bulge atop its head, though no one knew what it was. As soon as it appeared, it ran toward Grandmaster and rubbed its large head against his leg.

Two rings rose beneath Grandmaster's feet, circling around his body. Both rings were yellow, clearly hundred-year Soul Rings.

"Little San, didn't you want to know what my martial soul is? This is my martial soul. You can call it Luo San Pao, or simply San Pao."

Luo San Pao seemed to understand Grandmaster's words. Its large eyes turned toward Tang San, carrying an almost ingratiating look.

"Teacher, this is your martial soul?" Tang San said in surprise. "But aren't Beast Spirits supposed to manifest through possession? Why is it..."

Leaving aside what kind of creature Luo San Pao was, Grandmaster's martial soul had clearly surpassed the normal limits of Beast Spirits.

Luo San Pao was clearly displeased and gave Tang San two "luoluo" cries.

Bitterness appeared on Grandmaster's face. "Because my martial soul is a Mutated Martial Soul. Do you remember when I told you about martial soul mutations? San Pao is one. However, its mutation clearly developed in a bad direction. When it first awakened, my Soul Power was only at the level of half a rank. Otherwise, how could I have ended up like this? No matter how hard I work, my Soul Power will never surpass level thirty in this life. In the end, I can only study martial souls through theory."

Ever since Tang San had heard those rumors about Grandmaster, he had known that Grandmaster was a persistent man. Grandmaster's persistence toward martial souls was like his own persistence toward Hidden Weapons. That was why Tang San had never regretted taking Grandmaster as his teacher. Perhaps this was what it meant for kindred spirits to cherish one another.

"I'm sorry, Teacher. I brought up something painful."

Grandmaster shook his head with a self-mocking smile. "It's nothing. I'm used to it already. Come, let me introduce San Pao to you. It is called that because its cry sounds like 'luoluo,' and it can only attack three times. That is why it is called San Pao."

"San Pao, lead the way."