Journey to the Great Forest

"Wow—Brother Feng, you're amazing! You actually won!" Ye Hongling was so excited that she threw herself onto Tang Chenfeng.

"I barely managed it," Tang Chenfeng said weakly. He had actually been somewhat exhausted by the battle just now. If he had not unleashed a toned-down Mental Shock at the end and struck Village Chief Ye, it was hard to say who would have won.

Village Chief Ye had finally recovered by then, though his head was still a little dizzy. The other two quickly helped steady him. "Grandpa Ye, are you alright?" they asked with concern.

Village Chief Ye stubbornly replied, "These old bones of mine won't fall apart that easily." Then he looked at Tang Chenfeng. "You gave me quite a surprise. You hid that spiritual-attribute attack well. Rest for a while, and we'll set off later."

"Alright."

After taking a moment to recover, Village Chief Ye said, "With one more person, we'll need to prepare more supplies. You two, come with me. I'll take you somewhere." With that, he headed toward the house, and the two followed.

Village Chief Ye went to the western side of the house. The inside was piled high with all sorts of clutter and looked extremely messy. Just as the two wondered why he had brought them there, Village Chief Ye swept the clutter aside with one motion. Beneath it was a trapdoor. He opened it, revealing a basement below, then said to them, "Come down. Let me show you the collection your Grandma Ling and I amassed when we were young." As he spoke, he walked down.

The two followed him into the basement. It was about a meter below ground level, with an interior area of roughly eight square meters. Four boxes sat on the floor. Village Chief Ye opened one of them and took out two unusual bracelets. They were silver, engraved with intricate Soul Array patterns, and looked exceptionally elegant.

Village Chief Ye turned to them and said, "I used these to propose to your Grandma Ling when I was young. They're two Soul Tool Storage Devices, each with around one cubic meter of storage space. I'm leaving them in your care from now on."

The two were greatly startled and repeatedly tried to refuse. This was not something they could simply accept.

Village Chief Ye said, "I told you, that was in the past. Ever since we came here, we haven't used them again. Rather than letting them gather dust here, it's better to give them to you."

The two exchanged glances before accepting the Soul Tool Bracelets one after the other. Just looking at the bracelets, Tang Chenfeng could tell they were extraordinarily valuable. He could not identify the material, though it seemed to be some kind of silver. The patterns on the bracelets were both decorations and their souls. Ye Hongling's eyes were already shining as she looked at hers. After all, she liked beautiful things.

"Eh, wait a minute. Grandpa, shouldn't a proposal involve rings? Why did you give bracelets instead?"

Faced with Ye Hongling's question, Village Chief Ye unexpectedly became interested. "Well, your grandma liked bracelets more than rings. Your grandma was very beautiful when she was young, and she had many suitors. But in the end, only two remained. We proposed to your grandma at the same time. He gave her a ring, and I gave her a bracelet. In the end, she chose me. I won, and he graciously withdrew from the competition and gave up his place to me." Judging by Village Chief Ye's expression, it must have been a beautiful and unforgettable memory.

After hearing that, Tang Chenfeng said, "Then shouldn't we be even less willing to take them? They're so important."

"Things like these always need someone to pass them on to. When you grow old, you'll naturally pass them down too. Consider it something we're entrusting to you... Sigh, enough. We should get the supplies ready. We can just store everything in the bracelets."

"By the way, Grandpa, who is this other person you mentioned?"

"Don't worry. You'll see them often in the future. Hehehe."

After making preparations and getting somewhat familiar with how to use the bracelets, they packed enough food, water, and emergency supplies. After resting through noon and informing Grandma Ling, the three were finally ready to depart.

Tianhun Town was in a very remote location. By traveling west for several dozen kilometers, they could reach the outer side of the wall surrounding the Sunset Great Forest.

When they reached the wall, Tang Chenfeng and Ye Hongling discovered that this forest seemed somewhat different from what they had imagined. In their minds, should a forest not be a sparsely populated, dark, tranquil place?

Yet there were quite a few people beneath the wall before them. Besides the Soul Tool Vehicles constantly arriving and people walking over like the three of them, many people had already gathered there. Looking around, they saw temporary stalls of all sizes and simple paths lined with vendors selling all kinds of weapons and protective gear. Shouts rose and fell one after another. Most were calling for people to form teams to hunt Soul Beasts, or boasting about how useful their hunting and protective supplies were.

Technology was advanced in the modern world. Soul Masters could obtain Soul Rings by purchasing Spirit Souls from the Spirit Pagoda. However, Spirit Souls were extremely expensive, and many low-income people simply could not afford them. So they chose to try their luck in Soul Beast Forests, hoping to find a Soul Ring suitable for themselves. Opportunity and danger went hand in hand. At the same time, some people came here seeking business opportunities, buying and selling hunting and protective tools.

Naturally, the grandfather and grandchildren did not go over to look. They had no money, and the items here looked more than twice as expensive as those outside.

"Grandpa, should we form a team too and hunt Soul Beasts?" Tang Chenfeng asked.

As he watched the Soul Masters calling out to recruit teammates, a trace of disdain appeared on Village Chief Ye's face.

"No. Even if we form a team, if we truly encounter a powerful enemy, such a temporary group will collapse in an instant."

The two asked in confusion, "Why? The people here all look fairly strong."

Village Chief Ye replied, "It has nothing to do with strength. A true team must be able to trust, understand, and support one another. Those are things temporary teams lack. If you ever have the chance to form your own team in the future, I think you'll understand."

The two truly did not understand yet, and Village Chief Ye did not explain further. He simply led them toward the gate beneath the wall.

The closer they got, the more astonished the two became. The walls averaged over fifteen meters in height, and electrified iron netting was installed along the top. Below the walls stood a group of fully armed soldiers, each carrying a Soul Tool Rifle. Armored vehicles and Soul Tool Mechs patrolled the area, looking incredibly imposing. Tang Chenfeng's gaze remained fixed on the mechs. For a child, such a sight was undoubtedly a visual delight.

"Xiaofeng, it seems you really like mechs." Village Chief Ye could tell what Tang Chenfeng was thinking just by watching him.

"This is my first time seeing a real mech too. Village Chief, I heard that nearly all Soul Masters nowadays pilot mechs into battle. I want to try it too!"

Seeing Tang Chenfeng's excitement, Village Chief Ye merely patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, you'll have the chance someday. For now, let's deal with Ling'er's Soul Ring first." With that, he walked toward the soldiers guarding the gate.

At that moment, Ye Hongling walked over to Tang Chenfeng and asked, "Brother Feng, why do you like mechs so much?"

Tang Chenfeng replied, "They say powerful Soul Masters all have a mech that can fight alongside them. If we ever encounter danger someday, my mech and I can protect everyone together."

"Wow, Brother Feng, that's such an amazing idea. How about this? If there's a chance in the future, I'll build your mech. Then you can pilot the mech I made to protect everyone."

"Alright. It's a deal."

While the two children were still imagining the future, over on Village Chief Ye's side...

The soldiers at the gate saw an elderly man with graying hair approach, so one of them walked over to question him.

"Sir, this is the Soul Beast Forest. It's extremely dangerous, so please do not approach the gate casually."

Village Chief Ye calmly replied, "Of course I know. There's a reason these old bones of mine dare come to the Soul Beast Forest." As he spoke, he handed the soldier a somewhat worn Soul Guide Communication device.

"My information is on there. You know how to check it, right?"

The soldier took the communication device and began examining it.

Name: Ye Jiulong. Occupation: Soul Master. Retired. Current level:... Is this...?

When he saw the level, the soldier froze. The information on a Soul Guide Communication device was official data and could not be false. Yet what was written there was...

"Y-you... you're an Ultimate..." By this point, the soldier was already stammering incoherently.

Village Chief Ye calmly said from the side, "Alright, alright, there's no need to announce the title. Can I go in now?"

"Y-yes. I'll go report this first. P-please wait a moment." Then he hurriedly ran back.

Watching the soldier run away, Village Chief Ye sighed. "Young people these days. They've never seen anything truly grand."