Soul Hunt

"Medical Team, go get some rest. I have a few matters to handle."

Chen Li waved the Medical Team away, then grabbed Chen Ming by the collar and carried him off like a chick to the newly built room beside the Training Ground.

Although this room had been shaped in less than half a day by several Dragon Elephant Sect Soul Engineers using their Gold-Earth Attribute, it was fully furnished inside.

A living room, study, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, storage room, meditation room...

Other than a Simulated Training Ground, it had every facility a Soul Master might need. Its structure even contained a Soul Tool System capable of controlling the lights, ventilation, and room temperature. Chen Ming had been sleeping in this room these past days, only to be dragged out for training again the next morning.

Chen Li tossed Chen Ming into a chair, casually picked up a bucket of prepared tea from nearby, drained it in two or three gulps, then released his Martial Soul Possession and sat down.

"Xiao Ming, haven't you been looking forward to this? We found your First Soul Ring. It's in a Mixed Area on the eastern side of the Star Dou Great Forest, far from Shrek Academy."

"Luckily, the professionals found a small Diamond Mammoth Family in one go. There are more than ten Diamond Mammoths in total, and the smallest has nearly eight hundred years of cultivation. It's just right for your First Soul Ring."

"I'll give you three days to prepare. Get ready as though you were heading out alone to hunt a soul ring. Think it over carefully; this is a test. Don't do any high-intensity training for the next few days. Just loosen up as usual. Before setting out, you need to make sure you're well rested."

"I'm going to deal with some sect matters. When the time comes, the Great Elder and I will go with you. We'll hunt the soul ring as quickly as possible and return just as fast. Understood?"

"Alright, I understand!" Hearing that he could rest for a few days, Chen Ming could not help but let out a breath of relief. His tightly wound nerves eased somewhat as well.

Seeing this, Chen Li did not have the heart to mention that he had originally intended to let Chen Ming rest for several days anyway. After saying only a few simple words, he left Chen Ming's room and began making the necessary preparations.

"I never expected Xiao Ming to endure this kind of training. I thought he wouldn't be able to take it at all..."

Chen Li shook his head and sighed inwardly.

In his view, such extreme cultivation had never been meant to become actual daily training. It was a psychological tactic: first pile pressure beyond one's limits onto Chen Ming, then, once Chen Ming could no longer accept it, gradually reduce the intensity until it became something still grueling, but acceptable compared to the original high-intensity training.

In Chen Ming's previous life, someone named Lu Xun had once proposed a similar way of thinking. The general idea was that if you asked to open a window, people would certainly refuse, but if you said you wanted to tear off the roof, they would agree to open the window instead. Chen Li had acted with precisely that idea in mind.

What he truly had not expected was that Chen Ming, whom he had planned to ease off on, not only did not give up, but had gritted his teeth and endured the highest level of training—even Chen Li had shaken his head at it. As a result, the normal training plan he had prepared became completely useless.

Chen Li was pleased, yet helpless. He was pleased because the Dragon Elephant Sect's future possessed not only exceptional talent, but also the powerful heart needed to become strong. He was helpless because even he, a Level 94 Titled Douluo, would not dare claim that he could endure such training if he returned to his days as a Soul Master.

Innate Level 9 Soul Power, a top-tier Martial Soul, thousands of years of inheritance, the sect's cultivation...

Even with all these factors combined, he had remained stuck at Level 94 for nearly twenty years without making the slightest progress. Perhaps his state of mind truly was lacking.

"This talent cannot be wasted. The Dragon Elephant Sect can provide him with many things, but it is still far from enough to allow him to grow to the point where he can stand against Shrek."

"I hear that Mingde Hall's so-called 'top secret' Humanoid Soul Tool is nearing completion. Once it is fully put into use, it will greatly increase a Soul Master's strength. Though Mingde Hall's current leader is not as formidable as the previous one, he is still a powerful expert who has cultivated both Martial Souls and Soul Tools to profound heights..."

"It seems that after Xiao Ming absorbs his First Soul Ring, I'll have to consider finding him a good Teacher."

"There's an old saying in the Dragon Elephant Sect: a good Teacher is more like a father than one's own father. Something this important needs to be considered carefully..."

Muttering to himself, Chen Li went to do what needed to be done.

In the blink of an eye, two days passed. In the dead of night, while Chen Ming was sleeping drowsily, two black shadows suddenly slipped into his bedroom.

Sensing the change in the airflow and faint vibrations, the sleeping Chen Ming instinctively frowned. Then, as though realizing something, he abruptly opened his eyes and instinctively summoned his Martial Soul, entering a guarded stance.

"Good. Your vigilance is not bad."

The two people who had entered Chen Ming's room were not alarmed by his reaction. Instead, they seemed somewhat pleased. The leader stepped forward and released a trace of his aura. Who else could it be but Sect Master Chen Li?

"Sect Master, and... Great Elder?"

Chen Ming instinctively rubbed his eyes, but inwardly remained extremely vigilant. He feared that these two might be impostors sent by someone to deceive him.

The odds of such a thing were small, but not impossible. For Chen Ming, it was better to be cautious in all things.

"It's us. Stop staring." Chen Li took the Sect Master's token from his waist and showed it to Chen Ming, then produced the Soul Tool long whip that had lashed Chen Ming for nearly two months. Only after those two items confirmed their identities did Chen Ming accept that they truly were the Sect Master and Great Elder.

"Is something urgent happening in the sect? Why did you come for me at this hour?"

"Hehe, of course it's time to hunt your soul ring." The Great Elder stroked his white beard and smiled. "The Sect Master gave you three days so you could prepare thoroughly, but we came tonight to teach you that you will not always have ample time to prepare."

"If you hurry, you can prepare most of what you need in two days. If it truly takes you three days to get everything ready, then consider this a lesson."

"Bring your things. We're going soul hunting."

"Oh..." Chen Ming answered, then asked another question.

"Great Elder, why is one of your beard hairs green? Did a vegetable leaf get stuck to it during dinner?"

"What? My beard? Impossible. I just oiled it." The Great Elder, who cherished his beard greatly and applied oil to maintain it every day, instinctively took a mirror from the Soul Tool at his waist and examined himself closely. Only after a moment did he realize Chen Ming had tricked him.

Looking at Chen Ming pretending to be innocent, the Great Elder did not get angry. Instead, he smiled with faint satisfaction.

"Very good, Xiao Ming. You must remain vigilant at all times. Don't let outsiders disguised as your own people deceive you. Abilities that alter one's identity and appearance are rare on the Douluo Continent, but they do exist. Having such vigilance is a good thing."