Volume One

The Soul Hunting Forest is located about four hundred miles away from Nuoding Academy; it is neither too long nor too short a distance.

By noon the next day, Su Xing arrived at his destination, the Soul Hunting Forest, in a hired carriage.

Just outside the gates of the Soul Hunting Forest, a hundred soldiers stood guard, clad in iron armor and holding long spears, their military bearing impeccable.

The area outside the Soul Hunting Forest was a massive marketplace, filled with the sounds of hawking vendors and simple man-made paths, looking somewhat like a farmers' market from his past life.

"Ten-man team to farm the Abyssal Behemoth, I'm a level 40 tank, need 9 high-output support soul masters."

"Level 40 soul beast hunter, forming a team to farm the Heavenly Demon Phoenix, I'm soloing, need three slackers who know how to cheer, join fast."

"Hunting a thirty-year Stone Demon Elephant, need a sharp agility-type female soul master, seven people waiting for the token, reward 15 Gold Soul Coins."

This sense of being in a game dungeon gave Su Xing the illusion that he had returned to his previous life.

Su Xing thought for a moment and decided against joining a team, then walked straight toward the massive, wall-like gate of the Soul Hunting Forest.

"Little kid, are you alone? It is very dangerous to enter the Soul Hunting Forest by yourself without an elder," the captain of the guards said, frowning as he briefly checked the token.

Hearing this, Su Xing pouted, grabbed the guard's hand, and pleaded, "Uncle, I'm the only one left in my family, please just let me in."

Seeing Su Xing say this, the captain didn't say anything more and directly ordered his men to open the gates.

The steel fence, standing over ten meters tall, slowly creaked open.

Walking to the gate, Su Xing handed the token to the captain who was checking the permits.

After passing through the steel fence and entering the forest, all the noise seemed to vanish instantly, and the air became incredibly fresh, giving one a refreshing and invigorating feeling.

A unique scent of the forest rushed toward him, and countless towering trees, exotic flowers, and rare fruits gradually appeared before Su Xing, as if he had entered a primeval forest.

Su Xing had set his goal for his first soul ring: a soul beast around a thousand years old that possessed potent venom, as his Sickle martial soul was inherently inclined toward the dark arts.

After entering the forest, Su Xing did not rush to move forward but instead pulled out his Desert Eagle.

"Damn, should I find a few idiots to team up with? After all, I've never been to this Soul Hunting Forest, but who would want to team up with a little kid like me?" Thinking of this, Su Xing felt a headache coming on.

"Forget it, I'll just solo it."

Walking through the dense, leafy jungle, Su Xing followed a path trodden by others and headed deeper into the forest.

As he continued, Su Xing relied on his powerful mental energy to detect even the soul beasts hidden in the shadows, but most were only ten or hundred-year-level beasts, failing to pique his interest in the slightest.

Su Xing had decided that if he could obtain a soul ring from a highly offensive, venomous beast, it would undoubtedly be the best boost for his Sickle martial soul and the special skill attached to his first soul ring.

Theoretically, the limit for a normal person's first soul ring should be a beast of about four hundred and twenty-three years.

However, after obtaining his god-level martial soul and that eighty-thousand-year soul bone, his physical toughness and mental energy far exceeded those of ordinary people, so absorbing a thousand-year soul ring should not be a problem.

Time flowed like water, and the sky gradually darkened.

Above the pitch-black night sky, a silver moon hung high, casting a faint moonlight that draped the Soul Hunting Forest in a silver veil, making it look exceptionally mysterious.

Night had fallen, but the forest was far from quiet; the roars of soul beasts echoed one after another. Although he hadn't lit a fire, everything in the Soul Hunting Forest was clearly visible under the bright moonlight.

Su Xing found a depression with complex terrain, surrounded by many towering trees, to set up camp, as even he needed to rest.

He took a glass bottle containing powdered medicine from the Soul Tool on his wrist and evenly sprinkled the powder around the campsite.

This powder was something Su Xing had purchased at a general store in Nuoding City before coming; it was a specially prepared realgar powder that could mask his scent when sprinkled around the camp and also repel snakes, insects, rats, and ants.

After setting up the tent, Su Xing did not light a fire. He ate some dry rations and went inside to rest, as even though most soul beasts and wild animals in the Soul Hunting Forest feared fire, a few powerful ones were attracted to it.

If he were to attract these creatures while fast asleep, the consequences would be dire.

"Awoo!"

"Awoo..."

Suddenly, strange sounds came from the bushes on both sides.

Hearing these cries, Su Xing was instantly jolted awake, springing up and looking around.

"It's a Nether Wolf." Su Xing whispered.

Nether Wolves are wolf-type soul beasts, about 1.6 meters long, iron-gray in color, and known for their decent attack power and powerful biting ability.

"A group of ten-year-old huskies dares to target me? Tonight, I'll turn you into barbecue and have an extra meal."

Cautiously approaching the bushes where the sound had come from, Su Xing found a cat-like soul beast lying in a pool of blood, its mouth emitting intermittent, trembling cries.

"Judging by the size and appearance of this beast, it should be a hundred-year-old Variegated Cat. It's a pity it's too weak; if it were a thousand years old, I might have considered using it for my soul ring." Su Xing chuckled and snorted.

"Bang!" A loud explosion suddenly rang out in the dense forest.

"Rustle!"

More than a dozen faint green lights were slowly approaching the tent. Suddenly, a flash of red light flickered in Su Xing's eyes, and under the expansion of his powerful mental energy, everything in the darkness became clear to him.

Su Xing didn't care about the details; he raised his hand and fired a shot.

Before long, the Variegated Cat slowly calmed down, and a yellow soul ring rose from its body.