Three Months Later, Preparing to Set Out

"Between Heaven and Earth, human life is like a white colt passing through a crack—gone in an instant." —Zhuangzi: Wandering in the Northern Regions

Time passed incredibly quickly. In the blink of an eye, three months had gone by.

As Wu Tong repeated the same daily route between the dormitory, classroom, Library, and cafeteria, occasionally going out to collect his share of the stall's profits, time slipped quietly away.

Many things had happened over those three months.

Tang San and Xiao Wu had obtained their Spirit Rings during the first month and become One-Ringed Spirit Masters.

Of course, Wu Tong had also heard about the cafeteria conflict and the fight arranged at the back mountain, but he had not gotten involved. Given Wu Tong's routine, he rarely had time for unnecessary things, and he had no interest in participating in such boring affairs.

Now, Xiao Wu had become the Big Sister Head of the entire Academy, while Tang San had begun a demanding life of studying, blacksmithing, and cultivation.

Yet there was still no news whatsoever of the Mind's Eye Golden Fox Wu Tong needed.

However, the two firearms had long since been completed.

M500 Revolvers.

Known as the most powerful handguns in the world, they were famous even among handguns. Their reputation came from their large caliber: the muzzle had a .50-inch caliber, or 12.7 millimeters, and fired .50 Magnum Magnum Pistol Rounds. Because the bullets were so large, while ordinary revolver cylinders could hold six rounds, these guns could only hold five!

Every bullet had been made by Wu Tong himself, from mixing the gunpowder to grinding and stamping the casings. Since they were handmade, production was low. After three months, he had only made five thousand rounds. Yet each bullet could directly kill a Five-Ringed Soul King, injure a Six-Ringed Soul Emperor, and even severely wound an Eight-Ringed Soul Douluo in a sneak attack.

After all, the kinetic energy of a bullet fired by an M500 Revolver was twice that of the famous .50-caliber Desert Eagle! It had already reached the kinetic energy of a high-powered rifle round! Its killing power was downright terrifying; calling it a "hand cannon" was no exaggeration.

But once an opponent reached the level of a Nine-Ringed Titled Douluo, this gun could no longer deal with them. After all, every Titled Douluo could be called a Superman. Low-level Spirit Masters could not even catch their movements, much less lock onto them and attack.

"Phew, it's been three months already. It should be about time, right? The Soul Hunting Forest is only so big. A carpet search should have found it by now."

In a mountain forest outside Notting City, Wu Tong stood in the middle of a wrecked grove. The surrounding trees had been shattered and pierced by bullets, while the ground was littered with craters and broken bottles.

Wu Tong holstered the two smoking guns in his hands at his thighs. His eyes were unfocused as he muttered to himself.

Over the past three months, Wu Tong had set aside time every day to practice his marksmanship. With the terrifying calculating power of his Brain Martial Soul, he could now accurately shoot the wings of a fly perched on a branch a hundred meters away without harming the fly itself. The scene before him was merely a small training session to maintain his shooting accuracy. Still, the bullets wasted in the process made his heart ache.

After buying supplies, he only had a few thousand Gold Soul Coins left, and he still needed them to hire an experienced soul-hunting team. Wu Tong was truly rather down and out now.

After cleaning up, Wu Tong returned to Notting Academy. He was preparing to visit the contact point once more to ask about Spirit Beast news when, upon reaching the Academy gate, a man dressed in black walked straight toward him.

"You're little brother Wu Tong, right? We have news about the Spirit Beast you asked us to find. Traces of the Mind's Eye Golden Fox were once spotted in the eastern part of the Soul Hunting Forest. This is a rough map. If you want to hunt it, you should leave as soon as possible. After some time, it may no longer be there."

The man in black directly handed Wu Tong a map, then turned and left.

Wu Tong glanced at the map, suppressed the wild joy in his heart, thanked the man in black, and put it away.

He set off once more, though this time, his destination was the principal's office.

Knock, knock, knock...

The sound of knocking rang out. Principal Charles was puzzled. Why was someone looking for him during the holiday?

"Come in."

After receiving Principal Charles's permission, Wu Tong pushed open the office door and entered.

"Principal Charles, I'm Wu Tong, a first-year student who enrolled this year. I'd like to request leave to hunt a Spirit Beast."

After entering, Wu Tong did not waste words and went straight to the point.

"Hm? Wu Tong, it's you? You've finally decided to obtain your Spirit Ring. I approve. I'll grant your leave immediately. Do you need an Academy instructor to accompany you on this soul hunt?"

Charles adjusted his glasses and looked at Wu Tong, who had grown much sturdier than when he first enrolled. He felt gratified. Although Wu Tong's Martial Soul was useless, he was one of only three geniuses in the entire Academy with Innate Full Soul Power.

Charles had always kept an eye on Wu Tong. Seeing him spend three months without hunting a Spirit Ring, instead exercising and reading books, seemingly wasting his talent, had left Charles somewhat frustrated. After all, on Douluo Continent, strength was revered, and powerful force was what people valued most.

Wu Tong's request for leave today made Charles feel relieved. Though Wu Tong possessed only a useless Martial Soul, hoping that one's students would grow, succeed, and become outstanding was every teacher's most simple wish. Therefore, Charles was prepared to do everything he could to help Wu Tong.

"Principal Charles, there's no need. I still have some savings, and I don't want anything to go wrong with my first Spirit Ring. So I plan to hire a soul-hunting team to help me hunt it. They're more familiar with the Soul Hunting Forest, after all."

Wu Tong directly refused Charles's proposal. He had once considered asking an Academy teacher to help him hunt a Spirit Beast, but after thinking it over carefully, he had decided to hire a soul-hunting team instead.

The reasons were simple. First, the Academy teachers certainly did not know the Soul Hunting Forest as thoroughly as professional soul-hunting teams did. Second, the Mind's Eye Golden Fox Wu Tong needed was located deep within the Soul Hunting Forest. Most of these teachers were only Soul Grandmasters or Soul Elders, so they lacked the ability to take Wu Tong that deep into the forest. Finally, Wu Tong did not want to reveal some of the secrets he carried, so he was even less willing to travel with people he knew.

A soul-hunting team, on the other hand, not only possessed extremely rich hunting experience, but also had high cultivation and formidable methods. Wu Tong did not want anything to go wrong. If this attempt failed, who knew when he would find the Mind's Eye Golden Fox again? Therefore, to settle the matter once and for all, Wu Tong planned to spend several thousand Gold Soul Coins to hire a Soul King-level soul-hunting team and ensure the success of this hunt.

Several thousand Gold Soul Coins were no small sum. Although Wu Tong had earned over ten thousand Gold Soul Coins in only three months, that was merely because his business had been exceptionally popular and there had been many buyers.

Even the Soul Saint teachers of Shrek Academy worried over tens of thousands of Gold Soul Coins. This showed just how strong the purchasing power of Gold Soul Coins was on Douluo Continent.

"Very well. You've always been a steady child, and I trust your judgment. Besides, soul-hunting teams are indeed more professional. Then I won't say anything more. I hope you successfully obtain your Spirit Ring and become a Spirit Master."

After hearing Wu Tong's reasons, Charles pondered for a while before speaking with relief.

Hearing Charles's words, Wu Tong gave a bow. "Don't worry, Principal Charles. I will definitely succeed."

He then took the leave slip Charles had approved and left the principal's office.