The "Lone Ranger" of Soul Hunting Forest

Just like that, three months passed in the blink of an eye.

That morning, dawn had only just begun to break, and only a few wisps of cooking smoke rose from Sacred Soul Village.

Han Yuchen pushed open his creaking, dilapidated wooden door and stretched lazily.

A series of crisp crackles came from between his bones.

"Time to get myself an ID," he muttered.

On Douluo Continent, a spirit ring was a Soul Master's ID. Without one, you couldn't even enter a city gate.

He wandered over to the village entrance and found Old Jack drawing water.

"Grandpa Jack, I'm going to Soul Hunting Forest. My soul power has reached level ten."

The bucket in Old Jack's hand fell to the ground with a clang, splashing water all over his trousers.

"What? Are you crazy?!" The old village chief's eyes widened in shock as he grabbed Han Yuchen's arm. "With that spirit of yours... even if your soul power has reached level ten, you're just going there to die!"

"A level-one Wasted Spirit is still a Wasted Spirit even at level ten!"

A sharp, caustic voice came from nearby. It was a village woman carrying a wooden washbasin, preparing to do laundry.

She looked Han Yuchen up and down, her eyes filled with contempt.

"Exactly. Tang San has Innate Full Soul Power, and even he wouldn't dare go alone. You? Going to fill a soul beast's teeth?"

"Stop wasting everyone's time. Stay home and don't cause trouble for the village chief."

Small groups of villagers gathered around, pointing and whispering, making no attempt to hide the mockery and ridicule on their faces.

Han Yuchen had heard these voices so often his ears were practically callused.

If he was putting on an act, he might as well go all the way.

The right amount of wounded stubbornness appeared on his face as he lifted his chin.

"My business is none of your concern!"

The script was already written, so please, dear audience, take your seats. A level-one Wasted Spirit? Heh, just wait until I come back and scare your jaws off.

He shook off Old Jack's hand and turned to leave.

"Wait."

A steady voice rang out.

It was Tang San.

No one knew when he had appeared at the back of the crowd, two small cloth bundles in his hands.

Ignoring the villagers' chatter, he walked straight up to Han Yuchen and stuffed the bundles into his hands.

"There's some medicine and dried rations inside."

Tang San looked into Han Yuchen's eyes and said seriously, "Be careful."

Han Yuchen froze for a moment.

The bundles felt rather heavy in his hands.

This kid wasn't bad.

He nodded at Tang San, accepting the kindness.

Fine, for the sake of these rations, I'll look out for you if I get the chance.

Ignoring Old Jack's anxious shouts behind him and the villagers' looks as though he were an idiot, Han Yuchen walked out of the village without looking back.

His figure was thin, yet it carried the "foolishness" of someone who would never turn back until he hit a wall.

Han Yuchen did not head straight for Soul Hunting Forest.

Instead, he took a detour and went directly to Nuoding City, seven or eight li away.

What a joke. Going into the forest empty-handed? That was the behavior of a brute, not a hunter.

He found an empty corner and moved his thoughts.

Inside the [Dimensional Space] deep within his soul, several medicinal herbs he had casually planted had already fully matured.

These herbs were ordinary outside, but after undergoing accelerated time and Starlight nourishment within the space, their medicinal properties had become more than ten times stronger.

Nuoding City's largest apothecary.

The shopkeeper had initially paid him little attention, until Han Yuchen slapped the herbs onto the counter.

The old shopkeeper sniffed, and his eyes instantly went wide.

"Th-This is hundred-year Green Vine Grass?!"

Han Yuchen said nothing and merely tapped the table.

A quarter of an hour later.

He walked out of the apothecary with a heavy money pouch tucked into his clothes.

Gold Soul Coins, secured.

Next, the blacksmith's shop and general store.

A sharp Fine Steel Dagger, a detailed map of the outskirts of the Soul Hunting Forest, along with enough water and some essential tools.

Everything was ready.

By the time he stood at the entrance to the Soul Hunting Forest, it was already noon.

The forest entrance was crowded and bustling.

Most were Spirit Master teams of three to five people, each well-equipped and alert.

Han Yuchen, dressed in coarse cloth with a small bundle on his back, was a frail six-year-old who looked like a bean sprout. Standing there alone, he seemed completely out of place.

"Hey, look at that kid. He dares come here alone?"

"Probably some clueless village brat who came to broaden his horizons."

"Tsk, tsk. With that tiny body, a gust of wind could probably knock him over."

The surrounding Spirit Masters looked at him with curiosity and disdain, while a few kind-hearted women showed pity.

A burly man dressed like a mercenary even gave him a well-meaning warning.

"Kid, this isn't a place for you. Hurry home!"

Han Yuchen ignored them and walked straight into the vast forest.

His figure was quickly swallowed by the dense trees.

The moment he stepped into the uninhabited area, Han Yuchen's entire aura changed instantly.

His slightly hunched back straightened, and the sickly weakness and stubbornness vanished completely from his face.

In their place was profound indifference.

His gaze was sharp as an eagle's as he swept his surroundings.

He was no longer the Sickly Child of Sacred Soul Village. He was a top predator returning to his own territory.

His steps were light and soundless.

Like a wisp of weightless smoke, he darted through the complicated woodland at astonishing speed.

In his palm, the little blue fish, Yiyou, appeared.

Within the forest's moist, water-vapor-filled environment, Yiyou seemed to awaken. A lively gleam flickered in its dull eyes.

Buzz.

An invisible ripple spread outward from Han Yuchen.

Within a five-hundred-meter radius, the strength, locations, and attributes of every soul beast appeared clearly in his mind.

He was practically a humanoid walking radar.

"Three hundred meters to the front-left. Three ten-year Nether Wolves. Skip."

"To the back-right, a fifty-year Clawed Rabbit. No interest."

"Ahead... hm? An eight-hundred-year Blazing Rhino. Quite the temper, too."

Han Yuchen paused, casually skirted a massive footprint, and passed through via another route.

The entire process was smooth and effortless.

Like a student who knew every answer on an exam, he precisely avoided every difficult question and headed straight for his final target.

He had already memorized the map by heart.

His destination was a red-marked danger zone on the map.

The Poisonous Marsh.

After passing through a dense stretch of forest, the air grew damp and stifling, carrying the foul stench of rotting vegetation.

The ground beneath his feet also became muddy.

Han Yuchen stopped.

He had arrived.

His gaze pierced through the pale green toxic miasma before him and locked onto the depths of the swamp.

A thirteen-hundred-year Mandala Snake—fast, fiercely venomous, and with slick, slippery scales. It was indeed a huge headache for other Spirit Masters.

A cold smile curled across his lips.

Unfortunately, you ran into me.

His target for his First Spirit Ring was clear.

You're the one—Thousand-Year Mandala Snake!

He was not afraid of his body exploding at all. The Starlight Ruse King's worth was no joke.