Hunting Begins

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After leaving Hunting Soul Town and continuing for another half hour, Gu You and Tang San saw a wall. It stood about five meters high, with no end visible on either side, and was fitted with countless metal spikes.

Ma Xiunuo showed his ring and token to the guards at the gate. Once Su Yuntao had parked the carriage and Ma Xiunuo had put everything away in his ring, the guards opened the solid metal gates and allowed Gu You's group through. Only then did the two boys notice that the inside of the wall was also lined with spikes. Compared to those outside, the spikes facing the Spirit Beast Forest were slightly blackened, and dried Soul Beast blood clung to their bases.

Seeing where they were looking, Ma Xiunuo explained, "Those were left behind after Soul Beasts charged the walls during Beast Tides. The last Beast Tide was several hundred years ago."

Beyond the wall lay a broad stretch of open grassland. Ma Xiunuo explained that it was meant to make it easier to spot Soul Beast disturbances in advance, leaving enough time to prepare a response.

After walking for roughly another half hour, they finally reached the edge of the Forest. Ma Xiunuo had everyone stop and rest, telling them to make their preparations before formally beginning the Soul Hunt.

Gu You adjusted the Short Blade tied to the small of his back and the several daggers strapped to his thighs. Tang San checked the daggers hidden around his body and his sharpened dining knife, while secretly inspecting the Sleeve Arrow on his wrist to ensure it could be fired at any time.

"Move out." Ma Xiunuo and Su Yuntao were ready as well, leading the two prospective Soul Masters into the Forest to begin their Soul Hunt. Su Yuntao took the lead, the two newcomers stayed in the middle, and Ma Xiunuo brought up the rear.

Once they entered the Forest, Gu You discovered that it was completely different from what he had imagined. The paths were extremely difficult to traverse. Fallen leaves, exposed roots, and vines all interfered with their footing, not to mention the thickets scattered throughout the area. If they had not come prepared, and if Su Yuntao had not been clearing the way ahead, the thorns on those bushes alone would have made Gu You suffer.

Gu You whispered to Tang San, "This Forest is completely different from the one near Holy Soul Village." Tang San nodded. Ma Xiunuo, walking behind them, smiled and said, "Of course it is. Spirit Hall has arranged for Soul Masters to clear the woods near human settlements, getting rid of bushes and the like. They also send Soul Masters to inspect them afterward, to prevent Ten-Year Soul Beasts from appearing."

Gu You said, "We entered the Spirit Beast Forest through the north gate. Hunting Wolves roam around at random, so we'll head to the East District first and help Xiao San get his Soul Ring. Then we can slowly look for the Soul Ring I need. Let's head southeast."

Hearing that, Su Yuntao silently changed their direction from due south to southeast.

Along the way, Tang San saw quite a few Soul Beasts: herd-dwelling herbivores and solitary carnivores. Gu You, Su Yuntao, and Ma Xiunuo explained Soul Beast knowledge to him one by one, as well as how to avoid conflicts with Soul Beasts whenever possible.

Gu You said, "Xiao San, remember this: unless you need a Soul Beast's Soul Ring, or it is chasing you down and you have no choice but to defend yourself, never slaughter Soul Beasts indiscriminately."

"Generally speaking, Soul Beast Soul Rings are classified by age. A Soul Beast that has lived for over ten years is a Ten-Year Soul Beast, one that has lived for over a hundred years is a Hundred-Year Soul Beast, and so on. The strongest Soul Beasts have lived for at least a hundred thousand years."

"Xiao San, have you ever thought about what would happen if all the Soul Beasts died out?"

"All the Soul Beasts died out?" Tang San thought for a moment. "That's impossible, isn't it? There are so many Forbidden Zones of Life, not to mention the Soul Beasts in the sea. How could they all die out?"

Gu You shook his head. "That's not how it works, Xiao San. A Soul Master can have at most nine Soul Rings. According to the currently popular ideal Soul Ring configuration of two yellow, two purple, and five black rings, even if a Title Douluo killed only the minimum number of Soul Beasts, he would still need to kill nine of them."

Tang San understood even less. "Nine? That isn't much."

"For one Title Douluo, it really isn't much. But if you look at the countless One-Ring and Two-Ring Soul Masters across the entire continent, that number becomes terrifying."

"Why?" Tang San asked. Even Su Yuntao, who was clearing the way ahead, and Ma Xiunuo, who was guarding the rear, secretly pricked up their ears.

"Because Soul Masters grow too quickly, while Soul Beasts grow too slowly." Gu You sighed before continuing, "A Two-Ring Soul Master needs two Hundred-Year Soul Rings, but a Soul Beast needs a full hundred years to become a Hundred-Year Soul Beast."

"We humans only need ten months to have children. Twenty years later, those children grow up and can have children themselves. If the parents are Soul Masters, their children are very likely to be Soul Masters as well. As long as they possess Soul Power, they will at least reach the One-Ring Stage. Even the lowest-quality Ten-Year Soul Beast takes ten years to mature. In those ten years, how many children could a pair of Soul Master parents have?"

Tang San, Su Yuntao, and Ma Xiunuo thought about it seriously, and their scalps tingled.

Ma Xiunuo said in a slightly trembling voice, "By the time a Soul Beast grows from birth into a Hundred-Year Soul Beast, several, a dozen, or even dozens of One-Ring Soul Masters may already have appeared."

Gu You nodded solemnly. "Once I learned about the profession of Soul Master, I understood very clearly that this profession was destined to disappear."

"According to the data released by Spirit Hall, the number of Soul Masters awakening each year is steadily increasing. Even if there are enough Soul Beasts now, what about a thousand years from now? Ten thousand years? A hundred thousand years? Will the Soul Beasts being born now still have a chance to become Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts?"

"Wait, Xiao You." Tang San interrupted him. "What does this have to do with us hunting Soul Beasts right now?"

Gu You replied carelessly, "Nothing. I was just saying."

Seeing the other three glaring at him, Gu You continued unhurriedly, "But that is exactly the problem. Even if I do not say it today, the problem will not disappear. It will only keep dragging on until the Soul Beasts are completely extinct, Martial Souls have no Soul Rings with which to continue cultivating, and the profession of Soul Master vanishes entirely."

The reason Gu You spoke those words was because he had seen the situation of the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts in Peerless Tang Sect. Although he had not read the later installments, friends who had told him about the plot of Legend of the Dragon King had also mentioned the story of the Soul Beasts. After personally arriving in this world, investigating, and thinking things through, Gu You was completely certain that even if Tang San did not treat Douluo Continent as his own backyard after becoming a god, the Soul Beasts would inevitably go extinct, and the profession of Soul Master would disappear completely tens of thousands of years later.

"I am a genius compared to the locals. If I had not noticed the problem, that would be one thing. But now that I have noticed it and choose not to solve it, my future self will definitely look down on who I am now."

"I will find a way to advance Soul Power without relying on Soul Rings."

Tang San looked at Gu You ahead of him. In those ordinary words, he felt an incomparably powerful will. Sunlight filtered through the canopy overhead and fell across Gu You. For that instant, it seemed as though Gu You himself was shining.

This was something Tang San could not do. He hardly possessed any will of his own. Whether opposing Spirit Hall or becoming a god, Tang San had always passively acted to fulfill certain people's wishes. He had never shown that he did something entirely because of his own will.

"I'll help you," Tang San said softly.

No one noticed that, behind a bush to Ma Xiunuo's rear left, a pair of gleaming green eyes was watching them.

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