My Special Way of Getting In

Early the next morning, while everyone else was still sound asleep, Ye Zhiqiu unusually got up early. He would be very busy today and had to make good time.

The street where Nuoding Academy was located was still quite bustling, with every kind of shop outside.

After all, business was good near the academy gates. Naturally, competition was fierce as well, which made all the shopkeepers exceptionally welcoming.

Among the many shops, there was a barbecue restaurant called Shiwei that was particularly good and well-known on this street. Ye Zhiqiu often came here during the academy's weekends.

The owner of this barbecue restaurant was also a Spirit Master, and a rare Food System Soul Master at that. His martial soul was seasoning.

If he had not already passed forty and his martial soul were not only level 11, he might have become a powerful figure in his own right. Food System Soul Masters were still highly sought after.

"Hey, little Zhiqiu, I just opened up and you're already here? Not bringing your two little companions today?" A bald, obese man weighing nearly three hundred pounds saw Ye Zhiqiu enter. The fat on his face quivered as he greeted him with a smile.

Standing before him, Ye Zhiqiu looked terrifyingly small by comparison, as though the big fat man could squash him into a pancake just by falling over.

Ye Zhiqiu did not answer. His large round eyes darted about until they landed on the counter, whereupon his eyes lit up. He hurried over, picked up a jar as large as a teapot from the counter, and opened it for a look.

Inside were dried little granules that seemed to have been roasted with cumin and other seasonings. A faint herbal fragrance wafted out as well.

"Uncle Leiluo, I'll take this jar of seasoning first. Put it on my tab. I left in a hurry today and forgot my money. I'll pay it all next time." After saying that, Ye Zhiqiu did not wait for the middle-aged man to react and bolted.

"Damn it, wait! You little brat, that's seasoning I was planning to use as a favor gift!"

Hearing the shout behind him, Ye Zhiqiu pretended not to hear and ran even faster.

Negative Emotion Value from Leiluo increased by 166

What did one need to prepare for a trip to Soul Hunting Forest? First-aid supplies? Food? Water?

No. Ye Zhiqiu would tell you that all you needed was a jar of seasoning and a change of clothes.

Hunt for your food and drink, and get your soul ring instantly.

Nuoding City was a full four hundred li from Soul Hunting Forest. Ye Zhiqiu was in a hurry. There were only ten days left before the academy term ended, and he still wanted to graduate before the year was out.

A carriage was too slow, so Ye Zhiqiu tightened the small bundle on his back and began sprinting wildly.

That was the one bad thing about Douluo World: there were no trains or planes. If you wanted to travel quickly, you could only rely on your own legs.

To speed up his journey, Ye Zhiqiu even activated the Eight Gates of Dunjia.

The horse road outside the city was nowhere near as smooth as the streets within it. It was all gravel, uneven and full of potholes.

It had not rained much in recent days, so the ground was very dry. Ye Zhiqiu's speeding figure kicked up dust that filled the sky, forming a long dragon behind him, with Ye Zhiqiu at its head.

From high above, the sand dragon formed by the dust seemed to be swimming swiftly forward, a rather spectacular sight.

Some passing pedestrians were coated in dust before they could even make out Ye Zhiqiu's figure.

Passerby A: "Ptooey, ptooey. What was that just now?"

Passerby B: "No idea. I didn't see it clearly. I just heard a whoosh, and something like a huge black rat shot past."

Negative Emotion Value from Passerby A increased by 6

Negative Emotion Value from Passerby B increased by 6

Along the way, notifications for Negative Emotion Value kept ringing out. Ye Zhiqiu paid attention at first, but when he realized they were all increasing by six points at a time, he could not be bothered anymore.

Time passed as Ye Zhiqiu hurried along. It was not until after two in the afternoon that he finally reached the market outside Soul Hunting Forest.

"Damn, this place is pretty lively. There are so many people."

Ye Zhiqiu looked at the market built beside Soul Hunting Forest and remarked in amazement.

This place reminded him of subway stations and train stations after work in his previous life—crowded everywhere, with a number of shabby little shops.

"Got an Authorization Token! Need a two-ring Support Soul Master above level twenty. Three out of four, payment included."

"Got an Authorization Token! Hunting a five-thousand-year soul beast. Seven out of eight, need a tank who can take hits without chickening out. We have a healer."

"Martial soul: Wine Gourd. Level eighteen Battle Spirit Master looking for a team."

"What's your First Spirit Ability?"

"Drunken Drink of a Thousand Mountains."

"(╯ˉεˉ)╯ Get lost, we don't want the Beggar Sect!"

"Green-Haired Turtle humbly seeking a group."

"(╯ˉεˉ)╯ Get lost, we don't want green-haired turtles either!"

Ye Zhiqiu's mouth twitched. Why did this scene feel so strangely familiar?

And there was one more thing. Damn it, he seemed to have no Authorization Token. He had forgotten all about that. Did he still have a chance of getting inside?

Ye Zhiqiu glanced at the two guards at the gate. They were dozing off in broad daylight and did not seem very strong. Should he sneak in? Or beat them up and force his way through?

But would a place as important as Soul Hunting Forest really have no powerful experts guarding it? Ye Zhiqiu did not quite believe that.

Just as Ye Zhiqiu was frowning in indecision and considering which method to use to enter Soul Hunting Forest, a middle-aged man with long white hair and a sky-blue robe approached from not far away.

His expression was icy, and he faintly exuded a terrifying aura. Every step he took carried an oppressive presence.

The moment the middle-aged man arrived, he became the center of attention.

Even without deliberately paying attention to those around him, he gave people the stinging sensation of their skin being sliced by sharp blades.

The entire area fell silent in an instant. No one dared make the slightest sound.

Beside the middle-aged man was a little girl as delicate as a carved doll, fair and tender. Though young, she already possessed natural beauty. She wore a short blue dress, with a faintly proud smile on her face. Her large black eyes curiously surveyed the people present, making her seem lively and energetic.

Ye Zhiqiu frowned. This combination made him think of a certain faction.

Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Sword Douluo Chen Xin. That little girl must be Ning Rongrong, right?

The timing matched as well. Ning Rongrong was among the younger members of the Seven Monsters and had been born with level-nine Soul Power. At this point, it was about time for her to obtain her first soul ring.

A bold idea suddenly occurred to Ye Zhiqiu. Perhaps he could slip into Soul Hunting Forest by tagging along with these two?

Sword Douluo held Ning Rongrong's hand and headed toward the entrance of Soul Hunting Forest at an unhurried pace.

The pedestrians blocking the way all moved aside, respect in their eyes. Though they did not know who he was, he was certainly a powerful expert.

Clearly, this was a powerful member of some family bringing a junior to hunt for a first soul ring. They had no desire to do something as foolish as blocking his path.

As Sword Douluo led Ning Rongrong past Ye Zhiqiu, Ye Zhiqiu stepped forward in two quick strides and followed behind them, walking toward the entrance of Soul Hunting Forest with a casual air.

Sword Douluo merely glanced at Ye Zhiqiu. Upon seeing that he was just a child, he paid him no further attention.

Ning Rongrong looked at him curiously instead. Ye Zhiqiu also gave the little girl a friendly wink.

Ye Zhiqiu stayed two steps behind them, neither too near nor too far, maintaining just the right distance.

From the looks of it, the three of them really did seem to be together.

At the entrance, Sword Douluo casually displayed a purplish-gold token. Without caring whether the guards had seen it clearly, he walked inside.

Just as Ye Zhiqiu had expected, the two gate guards did not dare stop him at all. They bowed deeply at the waist.

Ye Zhiqiu secretly admired his own cleverness. Just like that, he had slipped inside.

"Little fellow, what is your purpose in following us?" Sword Douluo's cold yet magnetic voice sounded.

Ye Zhiqiu: I have to deal with signing a contract tomorrow, so I may miss an update for a day. Just giving everyone a heads-up in advance.