Mandala Snake

"Beat these two bastards to death!"

"My little brother was crippled by them!"

"Get them together! Anyone with a grudge, take your revenge!"

For a moment, the eyes of nearly a hundred Soul Masters turned red. These two had relied on their strength to bully others all the time. Normally, everyone had dared to be angry but not speak out. But now that so many people were ready to act, what did they have to fear?

Their only fear was not getting the chance to personally beat these two bastards up.

"First Spirit Skill, Entanglement."

"First Spirit Skill, Flame Burst."

"First Spirit Skill, Beast Trap."

Although many of them were only one-ring Soul Masters, nearly a hundred First Spirit Skills attacking two people at once were not something two mere Soul Elders could withstand. At the very least, one would need to be above level thirty.

Besides, neither of them was a defense-type Soul Master. They were directly injured in the first wave of attacks, vomiting blood as they fell to the ground.

The two men clutched their heads and curled their bodies up, taking the best possible position for getting beaten. Through the gaps in the crowd, their eyes remained fixed on Tang Jiu's group like wild beasts ready to devour people at any moment.

Seeing the situation suddenly reverse, Master was briefly stunned before letting out a mute laugh. "Little Jiu, I put all my effort into figuring out how to deal with them using martial spirits, yet I forgot that money could also be used as a weapon. Your approach reminds me of a friend of mine. He liked money too, and his personality was rather similar to yours."

"But Little Jiu, how did you know these people would definitely act?" Master asked, stroking Tang Jiu's head.

"These two were strong, yet no one liked teaming up with them. That alone showed their character was bad. Add their arrogant and domineering behavior, and they must have offended plenty of people. I only needed to make a small use of the herd mentality."

Tang Jiu chuckled. Stirring up the crowd was something he did often!

Master nodded in satisfaction, then his expression turned cold. "Then let me teach you one more thing: root out the weeds and eliminate the roots. Leaving these two alive will bring great trouble."

Tang Jiu had long wanted to kill them. He made a throat-slitting gesture toward Tang San. "Third Brother, I'll leave them to you."

"All right!"

Tang San nodded. If they were to kill these two Soul Elders without anyone outside the crowd noticing, he was the only one who could do it.

The two Soul Elders had now been beaten to the brink of death, their Soul Power completely exhausted. Tang San suddenly raised his hand and flicked his wrist. Two Flying Needles shot through the gaps in the crowd and accurately pierced their hearts. Dual Sword Soul Venerable's eyes widened in fury before both men died on the spot.

Tang Jiu pulled over the general store owner and paid him one hundred Gold Soul Coins, telling him to distribute the money among the others. Then, before anyone could react, they hurried toward Soul Hunting Forest.

"Halt! Show your permit!"

At the entrance to Soul Hunting Forest stood a towering, magnificent gate over twenty meters tall. Green vines wound around it, giving it an imposing appearance.

Soldiers guarded the entrance as well. Dressed in full steel armor and holding long spears, they maintained strict military discipline and exuded an air of grim killing intent.

Master explained to Tang Jiu, "This is a spirit beast forest maintained by the state. People cannot enter freely and need a permit. Getting one is not difficult. Once your strength reaches the point where you need to hunt spirit beasts, you can apply for one at Spirit Hall."

Master took out a dark token and showed it to Tang Jiu and Tang San.

Tang Jiu looked at the token in Master's hand. It bore the symbols of a sword and a hammer, as well as an additional dragon-shaped emblem.

Master introduced it, saying, "Remember these symbols. They are Spirit Hall's exclusive emblems. There are six kinds: sword, hammer, dragon, ghost, star, and chrysanthemum. They represent the six most powerful Titled Douluo on the continent. The number of emblems on a token indicates its rank and the privileges it grants."

"I heard Spirit Hall seems to have ranks. Is that related to this too?" Tang Jiu's eyes lit up.

"That's right. Spirit Hall has six ranks: Spirit Hall Branch, Sub Hall, Main Hall, Sacred Hall, Pope's Hall, and the highest, the Hall of Consecration. Therefore, Spirit Hall tokens also come in six ranks. Holding a token of the corresponding rank grants you the corresponding privileges."

Master pointed at his own token. "This is a third-rank token. With it, I can enter most spirit beast forests in the Heaven Dou Empire. And after hunting a spirit beast, unlike lower-rank tokens, mine does not need to be returned to Spirit Hall. I can keep it for life."

Tang Jiu nodded. No wonder the Spirit Hall Branch in Nuoding City had only displayed a sword emblem. So that was what represented Spirit Hall's status.

Master handed the token to the guard. Upon seeing it, the guard immediately returned it with utmost respect, then opened the gate and invited Master's group inside.

"Teacher, with this token, wouldn't we be able to come here every day to hunt spirit beasts?" Tang Jiu began calculating in his heart. This is a business opportunity!

They had just lost one hundred Gold Soul Coins, so they needed to earn it back quickly.

"Little Jiu, Spirit Hall does not allow people to hunt the spirit beasts it raises without restraint. After all, every one killed means one fewer left! There is an Enforcement Team in Soul Hunting Forest," Master reminded him.

"How strong are they?" Tang Jiu asked unwillingly.

"Nuoding City is a small city, and the Spirit Hall here is only a branch. The Enforcement Team belongs to the Spirit Hall Branch. The members' Soul Power probably does not exceed level thirty." Master recalled the information in his mind and made his estimate.

"All right, enough of that. We've entered Soul Hunting Forest now, so we must be careful from here on."

As he spoke, Master directly summoned his Beast Spirit, Three Pao the Turtle.

The moment that short-legged, big-eared, chubby dog resembling Meng Qi appeared, Tang Jiu could not help sighing. No wonder Master had won the favor of two of Douluo Continent's greatest beauties. It must have all been thanks to this martial spirit.

Three Pao the Turtle was simply a girl killer. Any girl who saw it would probably be unable to resist holding it in her arms. It was just too cute.

"Three Pao, scout ahead!"

Despite its short legs, Three Pao the Turtle ran quite quickly. As a dog, it also had an extremely keen sense of smell. Along the way, it continually reported the species and numbers of spirit beasts ahead to Master.

Master also used this opportunity to teach Tang Jiu and Tang San how to distinguish a spirit beast's age, strength, and methods of attack, as well as which spirit beasts were suitable as spirit rings for which kinds of martial spirits.

Tang Jiu and Tang San were once again impressed by Master's vast knowledge. Along the way, Master knew every spirit beast they encountered and could even name each one's weaknesses.

By nightfall, Tang Jiu's group entered the Hundred-Year Spirit Beast area. But not long after they proceeded, Three Pao the Turtle came racing back, making urgent sounds from its mouth.

"Luo luo, luo luo..."

Master's expression tightened. He knew a powerful spirit beast had appeared.

In the distance, rustling sounds rang out continuously as a pale green poisonous mist spread toward them. In the darkness, a pair of dark green, diamond-shaped eyes lifted high, sending chills down their spines.

Master lit a firestarter and shone it ahead, drawing a sharp breath. An enormous triangular snake head rose upright before them, its fanged jaws open. It had taken Tang Jiu's group as prey and was preparing to hunt. Its crimson forked tongue flicked out with hissing sounds. Its body was thick as a python, and its scales were strangely sinister.

Master's expression turned extremely grave. "It's a Mandala Snake. Its venom is exceptionally potent. Not only does it cause paralysis, it can also damage the nerves. It is one of the most terrifying poison-type spirit beasts. Most importantly, it is incredibly fast!"