Exploding Rhino

Exploding Rhino in Bokeno Forest.

Quan Yi wore light armor and the Blazing Sun Gauntlets as he carefully made his way through the forest.

His gaze constantly swept his surroundings, alert for attacks from Soul Beasts.

After two weeks of training, Quan Yi had become more vigilant, and his five senses had grown sharper. The wild environment seemed to be awakening his innate sensory abilities.

A closer look at his light armor revealed several black scorch marks on its surface.

They were traces of his battles with Soul Beasts.

Bokeno Forest was one of the many Soul Beast Forests on the continent.

It was not particularly large, but because there was an active volcano within it, many Fire-attribute Soul Beasts lived there.

The Soul Beasts in the forest were generally not very old, but there was a wide variety of Fire-attribute Soul Beasts. It was said that Su Ling'er's First Soul Ring had been obtained here.

This was already Quan Yi's second week in the forest, and he was still searching for a suitable Soul Beast.

During that time, he had encountered many Fire-attribute Soul Beasts, but most of them were too young. The few whose Years were suitable were not Strength-type Soul Beasts.

"I've explored the outskirts thoroughly enough. Looks like I'll have to go deeper."

A Soul Beast over five hundred years old was already comparable to a Soul Grandmaster-level Battle Soul Master. For a mere level-ten Soul Scholar to dream of personally hunting a Soul Beast was sheer fantasy.

But since Quan Yi had agreed to it, he was confident.

His greatest advantage was the Blazing Sun Gauntlets' Fire Immunity Attribute. The flames that posed the greatest threat from Fire-attribute Soul Beasts were completely ineffective against him.

With the Blazing Sun Gauntlets and a physique comparable to that of a level-twenty Tool Soul Master, Quan Yi could easily kill an ordinary five-hundred-year Soul Beast.

However, Quan Yi was not satisfied with ordinary Soul Beasts. For that reason, he needed to take some risks and advance deeper into the forest.

In a concealed spot behind Quan Yi, Quan Yue and Su Ling'er watched him from afar.

"Husband, Xiao Yi is heading deeper in. Should we move closer?" Seeing Quan Yi heading into the depths of the forest, Su Ling'er could not help but grow anxious.

"It's fine. This distance is just right. Don't worry, the Soul Beasts in this forest are generally quite young. With our strength, we can absolutely protect Xiao Yi. You're letting your concern cloud your judgment."

Seeing Su Ling'er's restless mood, Quan Yue patiently reassured her.

The two had already followed Quan Yi for two weeks. During that time, he had encountered attacks from Soul Beasts, but he had easily driven them away every time.

They had also gained a deeper understanding of Quan Yi's strength. The toughness of his body was beyond imagination. Quan Yi had not even used Steel and Sharpness; with his body alone, he could drive back Soul Beasts.

But unexpectedly, there were far fewer Soul Beasts in the Soul Beast Forest than they had anticipated. To obtain a Soul Ring, Quan Yi could only go deeper. Naturally, that would also increase the danger he faced.

When Su Ling'er had been young, Soul Beasts had been everywhere in the forest. This showed that the consequences of excessive Soul Beast hunting were already beginning to emerge.

Quan Yi pressed both hands lightly against his chest. White light flashed, and a shield and a spear appeared in his hands.

These were weapons Quan Yi had deliberately brought from the basement. The deeper he went, the greater the danger, so he did not dare take it lightly. With weapons, he could conserve more Soul Power and greatly increase his safety.

The shield and spear were still somewhat oversized for Quan Yi, but he lifted them with ease, without the slightest sign of strain.

These weapons had been taken from the necklace on Quan Yi's chest.

The necklace was called the Blazing Sun Heart, an accessory belonging to Su Ling'er. More importantly, it was an exceedingly rare Storage Soul Tool. Because it resembled a burning sun, it was called the Blazing Sun Heart.

For this trial, Su Ling'er had lent this precious Soul Tool to Quan Yi. Thanks to it, he no longer had to carry heavy luggage and could bring enough supplies to survive for two months.

Aside from the two weapons, it contained only dried Soul Beast meat and water skins.

Quan Yi raised his shield in his left hand and gripped his spear in his right as he moved forward slowly, advancing resolutely into the depths of the forest.

The farther inward he went, the sparser the trees became. This was likely due to the volcano within the forest.

A faint strange odor filled the air, yet Quan Yi found the fluctuations of Soul Power more active here. His body instinctively felt a sense of comfort.

This truly was a paradise for Fire-attribute Soul Masters, Quan Yi silently marveled.

Following the flow of a small stream, Quan Yi continued making his way toward the higher parts of the forest. Though inexperienced, he knew that Soul Beasts needed water.

As long as he followed the stream, the chances of encountering Soul Beasts would increase greatly.

After walking for an hour or two, Quan Yi spotted a massive figure more than five hundred meters ahead.

Quan Yi quietly moved behind a nearby tree and concealed himself. He carefully observed from behind its trunk. Although the distance was considerable, the Soul Beast's enormous body allowed him to recognize it easily.

More importantly, five distinct ring-shaped markings could be seen on the Exploding Rhino's rhino horn. This was the basis for judging an Exploding Rhino's Years.

As it grew older, its rhino horn would grow longer, and every hundred years, a red ring would form on the horn.

This was because the Exploding Rhino's rhino horn was where it stored Soul Power, and it was also its strongest weapon.

Exploding Rhinos had poor eyesight and moved somewhat clumsily, but they possessed tremendous strength. Moreover, if their rhino horn struck someone's body, the Fire-attribute Soul Power contained within it would enter the enemy's body and explode internally.

This was a Skill that had developed to keep itself from being injured. Although Exploding Rhinos gave off the impression of being gentle and guileless, they unexpectedly possessed such an insidious Soul Skill.

Quan Yi was extremely excited, but he forcibly calmed himself down.

The closer he came to the end, the more composed he needed to be. Facing such a powerful Soul Beast, Quan Yi had to be careful—careful beyond careful.

Quan Yi continuously considered possible methods in his mind, but he soon gave up thinking.

He seemed to have realized something. Suddenly, he stood up and walked straight toward the Exploding Rhino, making no attempt to hide himself.

When he came within roughly two hundred meters, the Exploding Rhino, which had been drinking water, suddenly sensed Quan Yi's approach and jerked its head up to stare at him.

Quan Yi stood fully armed in light armor, a shield in one hand and a spear in the other. His gaze was utterly resolute as he stared down the Exploding Rhino, like a hero from ancient Greek mythology, standing alone to face his challenge.

The difference in size between them was immense. The Exploding Rhino seemed to have noticed its enemy as well. It fixed its gaze on Quan Yi, slowly turned its body around, and faced him head-on.

Watching Quan Yi from behind, his parents were both struck pale with shock. Su Ling'er immediately activated her Martial Soul Possession and was about to rush out, but Quan Yue beside her stopped her at once.

"What are you doing?"

"Wait. Quan Yi went over there of his own accord. Maybe he has a plan. If you go out now, won't you completely ruin this trial?"

"At a time like this, you're still thinking about the trial? That's an Exploding Rhino!" Su Ling'er cried out in panic.

Quan Yue was also drenched in cold sweat. He had never expected the usually steady and composed Quan Yi to do something so rash and impulsive.

Yet, relying on his formidable self-control, Quan Yue barely managed to retain a shred of rationality.