Soul Hunting Forest, Reunion with an Old Acquaintance

After leaving the Spirit Hall Main Hall, Ling Yun did not return directly to the academy. Instead, he left Suotuo City and headed for the Soul Hunting Forest, a hundred li away. He needed to leave behind a plausible explanation for "obtaining his First Soul Ring."

The Soul Hunting Forest was a place where Spirit Hall raised low-level soul beasts for low-ranking soul masters to hunt Soul Rings. After paying an entrance fee of ten Gold Soul Coins, Ling Yun stepped into the dense forest.

The air was filled with the fresh scent of grass and trees, along with a faint smell of blood. From time to time, the roars of soul beasts and the sounds of soul masters fighting could be heard in the distance. To ordinary soul masters, this place was full of danger, but for Ling Yun, the soul beasts in this forest were not even enough to warm him up.

He did not venture deep inside. He merely wandered through the forest's outer regions, spreading his Spiritual Sense slightly to survey his surroundings. He planned to find a suitable Hundred-Year Soul Beast at random, put on a show, and then leave.

As he walked, fierce fighting and fluctuating Soul Power came from ahead, mixed with a girl's anxious cries.

Ling Yun had no intention of meddling, but when his Spiritual Sense swept across the battlefield, he paused slightly. The people being besieged were actually two familiar faces—the mistress and servant he had saved on the official road when he first arrived in Suotuo City: Ye Lingling and her maid, Xiao Huan!

At that moment, Ye Lingling and Xiao Huan were being attacked by five vicious-looking soul masters dressed in black. Ye Lingling held the Nine Heart Begonia, its emerald light flickering continuously as it healed the wounds on both Xiao Huan and herself. Yet her face was pale, and her Soul Power was nearly depleted. She was clearly struggling to hold on. Xiao Huan wielded a short sword and fought desperately, but the gap in strength was too great. She was already wounded in several places.

The five black-clad soul masters were all Soul Elders. They worked in perfect coordination and attacked ruthlessly. They were clearly professionally trained assassins, and their goal was obvious: to kill Ye Lingling.

"Miss, run! I'll hold them off!" Xiao Huan cried hoarsely. Two Soul Rings lit up around her as she tried to use a soul skill to stop them.

"No! Xiao Huan!" Ye Lingling bit her lip, and the light of the Nine Heart Begonia flickered even more urgently. But as a Support System Soul Master, she had no ability to break through the encirclement.

The leading black-clad soul master sneered. "Run? None of you are leaving today! If you have someone to blame, blame yourselves for blocking someone else's path! Kill them!"

Five attacks shot toward them at once, about to swallow Ye Lingling and Xiao Huan whole.

At that moment, a figure appeared in front of Ye Lingling like a ghost. It was Ling Yun.

He did not even turn to look at the attacks. He simply raised his right hand and casually swept it backward.

An invisible wall of air appeared out of nowhere. The full-force attacks of the five Soul Elders struck it like mud oxen entering the sea. They could not even stir a ripple before completely dissipating!

"What?!" The five black-clad soul masters were horrified as they stared at Ling Yun, who had appeared out of nowhere.

Ye Lingling and Xiao Huan were stunned as well. Looking at the familiar back before them, Ye Lingling's beautiful eyes instantly filled with delight and disbelief. "It... it's you?!"

Ling Yun turned around. His calm gaze swept over the five black-clad soul masters before finally settling on Ye Lingling's pale face. "We meet again."

"Brat, who are you? How dare you interfere with the Black Snake Gang's business? Are you tired of living?" the leader shouted, trying to sound fierce despite his fear. Ling Yun's effortless defense had made him wary.

"Black Snake Gang? Never heard of it." Ling Yun shook his head. "You have three breaths. Get lost."

His tone was calm, yet it carried an unquestionable authority.

"Arrogant! Get him together and kill him!" The leader flew into a rage and called on his companions to attack again. Various soul skills flashed to life and blasted toward Ling Yun.

Ling Yun sighed. "It seems you chose the path of death."

He could not even be bothered to summon his Martial Soul. He simply stepped forward, his figure flickering like an illusion as he passed through the five soul masters.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Five muffled impacts rang out almost simultaneously.

The five imposing black-clad soul masters froze in place. Their expressions stiffened, and their eyes filled with utter terror and confusion. Then their bodies crumpled to the ground, their breaths gone. Each of them had a tiny blood spot between the brows—a single strike had killed them all!

An instant kill! Five Soul Elders had not even been given a chance to react!

Ye Lingling and Xiao Huan were completely dumbfounded. Covering their mouths, they stared at the scene before them as if witnessing a miracle. They had not even seen how Ling Yun had attacked!

Ling Yun flicked his hand as though he had done something trivial. He walked up to Ye Lingling and asked, "Are you all right?"

Only then did Ye Lingling come back to her senses. She hurriedly put away the Nine Heart Begonia and gave him a graceful bow, her voice trembling slightly. "I-I'm fine. Thank you for saving me again, Young Master! Lingling is deeply grateful!"

Xiao Huan hurriedly knelt and kowtowed as well. "Thank you, Benefactor! Thank you, Benefactor!"

Ling Yun waved a hand. "It was nothing. Why are you here? And why were you being pursued?"

Ye Lingling's expression darkened as she said softly, "I... came to obtain my Second Soul Ring. I never expected that... some people within the family would not want me to grow smoothly..." She did not elaborate, but Ling Yun understood. It was another case of power struggles within a great clan.

"Your Martial Soul is the Nine Heart Begonia, a very precious healing-type Martial Soul. It is only natural that some would fear it." Ling Yun said calmly, "Bring more guards when you go out in the future."

Ye Lingling nodded with a bitter smile, then looked at Ling Yun curiously. "Young Master Ling Yun, are you also here to obtain a Soul Ring?" She remembered that the last time they met, Ling Yun did not seem to have a Soul Ring yet.

"Mm." Ling Yun nodded without saying more.

A gleam flashed through Ye Lingling's beautiful eyes. After hesitating for a moment, she gathered her courage and said, "Young Master Ling Yun, if you do not mind... I know of a place nearby where there may be a Hundred-Year Soul Beast especially suited for dragon-type Martial Souls. It is called an Earth Dragon Lizard, and its defense and strength are both formidable..."

She wanted to repay Ling Yun for saving her life.

Ling Yun's interest stirred. An Earth Dragon Lizard? It did suit the Mutated Dragon Martial Soul he displayed to others. He nodded. "All right. Lead the way."

Ye Lingling nodded happily. Together with Xiao Huan, she led Ling Yun toward a certain part of the forest. Along the way, Ye Lingling seemed to let go of some of her reserve and began speaking with Ling Yun of her own accord, asking him questions about cultivation. Ling Yun did not talk much, but he answered her occasionally.

Watching her mistress walk beside the mysterious and powerful Young Master Ling Yun, Xiao Huan wore a thoughtful smile. It was the first time she had ever seen her mistress take such initiative with a man.

Under Ye Lingling's guidance, Ling Yun soon found an Earth Dragon Lizard with roughly four hundred years of cultivation. With a casual strike, he killed it, then sat cross-legged before Ye Lingling and pretended to absorb its Soul Ring.

In truth, he secretly drew upon a trace of the Chaos Dragon God's origin aura, simulating the energy fluctuations of Soul Ring absorption. At the same time, he allowed the First Origin Soul Ring he had previously condensed, dark gold in color, to reveal a faint yellow glow of a Hundred-Year Soul Ring as camouflage.

Half an hour later, Ling Yun "successfully" absorbed the Soul Ring and stood up. A bright yellow Hundred-Year Soul Ring rose beneath his feet.

"Congratulations, Young Master Ling Yun, on obtaining your First Soul Ring!" Ye Lingling congratulated him sincerely.

Ling Yun nodded. "Thank you for guiding me."

By then, night had fallen, and the three left the Soul Hunting Forest together. When it was time to part, Ye Lingling looked at Ling Yun with a trace of reluctance in her eyes and asked softly, "Young Master Ling Yun, will... will we meet again?"

Ling Yun glanced at her and replied calmly, "If fate wills it, we will meet again."

With that, he turned and left, his figure disappearing into the twilight.

Ye Lingling stood where she was, staring in the direction Ling Yun had vanished for a long time without moving. Xiao Huan said softly beside her, "Miss, we should return."

Ye Lingling gave a quiet "Mm" and touched a warm jade pendant in her robes. It was a Soul Tool that could calm the heart and concentrate the mind, which she had secretly slipped to Ling Yun earlier. She did not know whether he had noticed it.

Ling Yun... we will definitely meet again, the girl said silently in her heart.

A chance encounter in the Soul Hunting Forest had caused two previously parallel paths of fate to cross once more. Ling Yun had also successfully completed his disguise of "obtaining his First Soul Ring," allowing him to face the challenges ahead with greater ease.