First Battle

They continued heading southeast and soon came across a stream.

Gu You studied the stream's direction and said, "Next, we just need to follow this stream downstream. According to the records, the Lightning-Struck Wood is near a lake in the southeast. This stream flows from northwest to southeast, so its downstream end might very well be the lake mentioned in the records."

Ma Xiunuo stopped Gu You. "All right, Xiao You, stop. Everyone needs to rest for a while."

"We've been moving continuously for two hours. If we keep going, we'll run out of stamina, and it'll be extremely dangerous if a Soul Beast attacks."

Hearing Ma Xiunuo's words, Gu You noticed that his breathing had already grown labored. Even Tang San, who trained regularly, had a thin layer of sweat on his forehead.

Gu You realized his mistake. When hunting a Soul Beast, finding one was certainly important, but if he used up all his stamina while searching, he would only be delivering takeout to the Soul Beast.

Noticing Gu You's disappointment, Su Yuntao immediately comforted him. He deliberately laughed a few times and slapped Gu You firmly on the back. "Haha, little genius, you still lack experience. You should listen more to advice from an elder like me."

Gu You deliberately glanced sideways at Su Yuntao and curled his lips.

"You little brat." Su Yuntao relaxed when he saw that Gu You had not been crushed by the genius label and his own pride. He cursed him with a laugh.

"Crack." The sound of a branch breaking beneath something's feet came from the forest.

"Lone Wolf, Martial Soul Possession!" Su Yuntao shouted in a low voice. His muscles instantly bulged, stretching his clothes, while the nails on his hands turned into sharp claws. Gray fur covered his exposed arms. Two Soul Rings, one white and one yellow, appeared around him and flickered faintly with every breath.

"Iron Rod, manifest!" With Ma Xiunuo's low shout, a pure-black iron rod about two meters long and as thick as a one-year-old child's arm appeared in his hand. Ma Xiunuo lowered into a horse stance, one hand spread before him while the other clamped the iron rod beneath his armpit. Two Soul Rings, one white and one yellow, slowly drifted up and down behind him. His eyes were locked on the place where the sound had come from.

Hearing the sound, Tang San immediately entered a battle stance. In an instant, he had drawn daggers from both hands, and a faint violet hue appeared in his eyes.

Gu You was a step slower. Only after the other three had prepared for battle did he place his hand on the short sword at the back of his waist, ready to draw it at any moment.

A black wolf's head slowly emerged from behind a tree, followed by its forepaws, torso, hind legs, and finally its tail. A white stripe ran along each side of its torso. Its eyes were green, and it stared fixedly at the group.

"Black all over, white stripes on the torso, and green eyes. This is a Hunting Wolf." Gu You spoke excitedly. He had not expected to encounter the Soul Beast he needed so quickly. As a solitary Soul Beast without a fixed territory, the entire forest was its hunting ground. Gu You had originally estimated that merely finding traces of a Hunting Wolf and then tracking it would take at least a week.

"Ha, what good luck." Transformed into a werewolf, Su Yuntao clenched his fists and smashed them together in front of his chest. "Xiao You, I'll show you what I can do."

As he spoke, the white Soul Ring around Su Yuntao lit up. Tang San could clearly see a metallic sheen appear over Su Yuntao's hands, as though he had put on a pair of metal clawed gloves.

As if sensing Tang San's confusion, Gu You explained directly without taking his attention off the Hunting Wolf. "First Soul Skill—Steel Claw. It comes from the Steel Claw Wolf. Its claws are like steel and can easily split open a large tree. Brother Tao's First Soul Skill strengthens his claws, increasing their hardness and sharpness."

As soon as he finished speaking, Su Yuntao pushed off with both legs and turned into a blur rushing toward the Hunting Wolf. At that moment, his Second Soul Ring, which had transformed into a band of yellow light, also shone brightly. Su Yuntao pushed off again, and his speed suddenly surged. The Hunting Wolf could not react in time and was struck in the head by both Steel Claws, sending it flying backward.

"Second Soul Skill—Lone Wolf Assault. I recommend that Brother Tao obtained his second Soul Ring by hunting a Leaping Wolf. Unlike other wolf Soul Beasts, this kind of wolf has poor stamina and can't patiently track prey for long periods. Instead, it has incredible explosive power, allowing it to instantly burst forward at top speed, close in on its prey, and complete the hunt. It can even leap into the air and pounce on its prey."

"I suggested that Brother Tao choose this Soul Beast because, on the one hand, it could strengthen his legs and improve his speed and explosive power, making it useful in both battle and escape. On the other hand, it would help form a complete combat system."

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a loud bang, and Su Yuntao's figure flew out of the forest and crashed into the river. A black shadow darted out right behind him. Ma Xiunuo wielded his Iron Rod and used a Sweep to force the shadow back.

"Xiao You, don't just stand there. Martial Soul Possession!" Ma Xiunuo shouted in a low voice.

Only then did Gu You remember that he was no longer in his former world. He possessed incredible abilities now; he was not limited to protecting himself with cold weapons.

Before the incident, Gu You had imagined all sorts of possibilities. Whether he would turn the tide with the power of the Ultimate Conductor Tyranno or encounter a thousand-year Soul Beast and have the entire group wiped out, he had fantasized about it all in his head. Yet when a Soul Beast really attacked, he had actually forgotten to use Martial Soul Possession. His performance was far worse than even the worst one he had imagined.

"Tyranno, deploy!" Gu You suppressed all the chaotic thoughts in his mind. He absolutely did not want to die for some ridiculous reason because he had lost focus.

The corners of his mouth split open, his teeth turning into fangs. Spines grew from his back, a tail sprouted from his coccyx, and armor covered his entire body. Both his hands transformed into sharp claws.

"Roar~" After possessing his Martial Soul, Gu You saw the Hunting Wolf staring at him with its green eyes. An inexplicable fury suddenly surged in his heart. It was as if the proud apex of the food chain had been wantonly chased by a herbivore that should have been easy prey. An immense sense of humiliation welled up inside him.

The fury seized complete control of Gu You. A glimmer of red flashed through his golden pupils as he roared at the Hunting Wolf and charged forward with both legs.

"Gu You, stop!" Ma Xiunuo tried to halt Gu You, but Gu You could no longer hear anything. He was completely dominated by the fury of the Ultimate Conductor Tyranno—the ancient era's ultimate overlord and a top-tier Beast Martial Soul. The apex predator of the food chain was going to tear apart, completely and utterly, the creature that dared to regard it as prey.

Gu You raised his right claw and slashed down viciously, but the Hunting Wolf twisted its body and dodged. It had never imagined that its movement was entirely within the Ultimate Conductor Tyranno's plan. By twisting aside to evade, it exposed its most vulnerable waist.

Gu You's tail lashed out in a blur and slammed into the Hunting Wolf's waist from the side.

The Hunting Wolf let out a pained cry and flew away. Gu You did not remain where he was. He charged directly after it.

When he reached the Hunting Wolf, it had yet to recover from Gu You's attack. Gu You bent down, pressed his right hand against the wolf's head, and pinned its tail beneath his left foot. His left hand plunged straight into its soft abdomen and ripped hard. Blood sprayed everywhere, and its organs spilled out through the wound.

Gu You stomped down hard, crushing the exposed organs. Then he reached his left hand up through the abdominal cavity, found the still-beating heart, and crushed it with force.

Blood sprayed from the Hunting Wolf's mouth. The faint glimmer of life in its eyes vanished instantly, and a yellow Soul Ring slowly emerged.

After confirming that the Hunting Wolf was completely dead, Gu You slowly pulled out his left hand and threw his head back with a roar.

"Roar~~~~~"

I suddenly realized—maybe I'm not suited to writing battles. The scenes feel kind of strange when I write them. If there's anything you think could be improved, please point it out. I'll work hard to improve. Finally, I'm still asking for recommendation votes, collections, and monthly tickets. Thank you!