Aren't You Tired?

The next morning, the rising sun drove away the chill that had settled over the town during the night.

Bibi Dong had not come to bother Xuan Hao again that night. She really had just dumped him in the room next door and let him sleep.

Early in the morning, a knock came at his door.

Bibi Dong stood outside with Hu Liena. Looking at the still-groggy Xuan Hao, she said mildly, "Wash up and come downstairs for breakfast."

Breakfast was simple: thin rice porridge and steamed buns, accompanied by a few small plates of carefully prepared side dishes.

At the table, Bibi Dong wiped the corner of her mouth and calmly looked at Xuan Hao, who was busy wrestling with a steamed bun. "Pack your things after you finish. I'm taking Nana to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for her second soul ring. Since you've reached rank ten and need your first soul ring, you can come with us."

Xuan Hao stopped chewing for a moment, then swallowed the bun in his mouth and nodded obediently. "Oh, okay."

He neither refused nor acted especially delighted.

He knew perfectly well that this was an offer he could not refuse.

Since I can't fight it, I might as well enjoy it.

With the Pope personally leading the way, at least his safety was assured. It was better than going off alone to get himself killed.

After they left the town, the road to the Star Dou Great Forest gradually grew rougher.

A buffer zone of nearly a hundred kilometers lay between the two.

After all, the Star Dou Great Forest was a paradise for soul beasts. Without a buffer stretching a hundred kilometers or more, any powerful ten thousand year spirit beasts that charged out on a whim would instantly turn the towns bordering the forest into their personal buffet.

Carrying a small bundle on his back, Xuan Hao followed several meters behind Bibi Dong and Hu Liena.

With nothing else to do, he reached into his clothes as he walked and took out the book he had bought for one Gold Soul Coin, A Detailed Guide to the Soul Beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest's Outer Reaches.

The illustrations were rather abstract, and some of the soul beasts looked like little more than stick figures, but he had paid good money for it. Even a little last-minute preparation was better than none.

"Throw it away."

Bibi Dong suddenly stopped up ahead.

Xuan Hao froze, instinctively tightening his grip on the book. "Huh?"

Bibi Dong turned around, her gaze falling on the battered booklet and its coarse paper. "That sort of street-stall rubbish is nothing but made-up nonsense. Reading it will only mislead you and get you killed sooner."

As she spoke, she turned her wrist. A light flickered, and a thick, beautifully bound book appeared in her hand.

She casually tossed it over, and the book floated steadily toward Xuan Hao, supported by her soul power.

"Read this."

Xuan Hao scrambled to catch it.

The book was heavy, its pages thick and smooth, and it even carried a faint scent of ink. One glance was enough to tell it was high quality.

"Thank you... big sister."

Bibi Dong gave him a brief glance and continued walking as she explained:

"Most of the illustrated guides sold in town are carelessly cobbled together by bottom-rung soul hunters or opportunistic merchants. To protect their livelihoods and interests, genuinely experienced spirit hunting groups would never freely disclose the habits, weaknesses, and precise distribution of soul beasts. That knowledge is how they earn their living."

"Besides, most commoner soul masters have no structured body of knowledge passed down to them. Their understanding of soul beasts is riddled with errors. Mistaking a wind baboon for a Diamond Ape, or a ten-year Mandala Snake for a hundred-year one—these things happen all the time."

"Only proper soul master academies teach verified knowledge about soul beasts. Even then, elementary and intermediate academies only have access to information on common species."

"Truly detailed information about high-level soul beasts of a thousand or ten thousand years, including their mutations and critical weaknesses, is a resource held only by advanced soul master academies, the Seven Great Sects, and leading powers like Spirit Hall."

"Knowledge isn't that cheap."

Xuan Hao said nothing more. He simply thanked her sincerely, then held the heavy volume in his hands and began reading with complete concentration.

From the quality of its paper to its astonishingly detailed analyses of soul beasts, this illustrated guide was leagues above the street-stall booklet tucked inside his clothes, which depicted a "wind baboon" as some oversized monkey.

Every word and every illustration was something Xuan Hao could use to survive and establish himself in this world.

Yet before he had read more than a few pages, Bibi Dong suddenly spoke from up ahead.

"Too slow."

"At this rate, it'll be dark by the time we reach the Star Dou Great Forest."

As her words fell, Bibi Dong lightly tapped the ground with her toes. Defying gravity, she slowly rose into the air and glided just above the ground, abruptly picking up speed.

"Keep up."

"Yes, Teacher."

Hu Liena answered and instantly accelerated, darting after Bibi Dong like a nimble little fox.

Xuan Hao closed the book and sighed helplessly. He tucked it inside his clothes, tensed the muscles in his legs, and hurried after them.

In the world of soul masters, physical abilities could not be judged by ordinary standards.

Even a soul warrior who had only just awakened his soul power could easily run a hundred meters in under ten seconds with its support.

And hidden within Xuan Hao's body was a tyrannosaur in human form.

Ever since his martial soul awakening, he had been able to jump three or four meters straight up and smash rocks with a single punch as if it were child's play. Ordinary, full-grown men would go down before him with one punch apiece.

As he ran, he even had enough attention to spare to take out the illustrated guide again, letting his body carry him forward as he read.

Up ahead, Hu Liena had been worried that the little boy might fall behind. She deliberately slowed a little and glanced back.

What she saw nearly made her stumble.

Xuan Hao was about five meters behind her, holding his book as his short little legs churned away. Not only was his breathing steady, but his gaze never even left the pages. Whenever he encountered a rut or a tree root, he simply jumped over it without looking, as relaxed as if he were strolling through his own backyard.

"..."

Hu Liena's little face tightened with embarrassment.

I'm the Pope's disciple! And now a six-year-old brat who hasn't even gotten a soul ring is keeping up with me while reading a book?

If word gets back to Spirit City, how am I supposed to show my face?

"Hmph!"

Her competitive spirit flared. Hu Liena poured more soul power into her legs and increased her speed again.

But a few minutes later...

She looked back to find Xuan Hao still in the same spot, still holding his book, and still looking utterly untroubled.

Hu Liena gritted her teeth. Though she had yet to merge with her Demon Fox martial soul, she was already drawing on its agility attack system traits. Her movements grew lighter, and she ran even faster!

Xuan Hao turned a page and pushed a little harder against the ground, matching her increase in speed. The distance between them remained fixed at five meters, without the slightest change.

"I refuse to believe this!"

Hu Liena was now fully caught up in the competition. A faint pink glow of soul power rose around her. As a rank-twenty soul master, she was finally getting serious.

And so, a strange sight unfolded on the wilderness road leading to the Star Dou Great Forest.

Bibi Dong flew gracefully at the front. In the middle, Hu Liena sprinted with her teeth clenched and soul power surging around her. At the rear was a silver-haired little boy running on sheer physical strength, without even a ripple of soul power, and still turning a page or two from time to time.

Two hours later.

The fresh scent of vegetation in the air gradually grew richer and deeper. The surrounding trees became taller and thicker, their vast canopies blocking out the sky and breaking the sunlight into tiny scattered patches.

They had reached the outer reaches of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Bibi Dong landed lightly. Not a speck of dust clung to her, and she remained as regal and coldly beautiful as ever.

"We're here."

She turned to look at the two children behind her.

"Huff... huff... huff..."

Hu Liena braced her hands on her knees, bent over like a shrimp. Sweat dripped from her delicate chin onto the ground, her chest heaved, and her face was flushed. She was clearly exhausted.

In her efforts to shake off Xuan Hao, she had maintained a high output of soul power for almost the entire run. For someone whose soul power was only at rank twenty, that had taken a considerable toll.

Behind her, meanwhile...

Xuan Hao closed his book, carefully tucked it inside his clothes, and brushed the dust off himself. His breathing was only slightly faster, as though he had just finished warming up. His cheeks had a healthy flush, and he had barely broken a sweat.

Hu Liena took several gasping breaths before she managed to straighten up. Looking at the completely unruffled Xuan Hao, her foxlike eyes filled with disbelief and a deep sense of defeat.

"You... huff... aren't you tired?"

"We ran... over a hundred kilometers... how are you... completely fine?"

Xuan Hao blinked, feeling the endless streams of warmth welling up within him—the tremendous stamina and recuperative power granted by his golden dragon martial soul.

He patted his slightly rounded belly and said matter-of-factly:

"I'm not tired."

"Did you think I ate three Gold Soul Coins' worth of food last night for nothing?"

"That was all energy!"

Hu Liena was speechless. "..."

Watching them, Bibi Dong's eyes flashed with admiration.

She had already noticed the child's robust physique, but she had never expected it to be this exceptional. He had kept pace with a soul grandmaster running at full speed through physical strength alone, and his endurance was astonishing.

A constitution like that was practically made for absorbing soul rings beyond the usual age limit.

"All right. Rest for fifteen minutes and recover your soul power."

Bibi Dong tossed Hu Liena a water flask, then turned her gaze to Xuan Hao and said meaningfully:

"It seems we can set our sights a little higher when we look for your first soul ring."