Aren't you tired?

The next morning, the rising sun dispelled the chill of the night in the small town.

Throughout the night, Bibi Dong did not come to trouble Xuan Hao again; she had truly just left him to sleep in the room next door.

Early in the morning, there was a knock at the door.

Bibi Dong stood at the doorway with Hu Liena. Looking at the still groggy Xuan Hao, she said indifferently, "Wash up and come downstairs to eat."

Breakfast was simple: porridge and steamed buns, accompanied by a few plates of delicate side dishes.

At the dining table, Bibi Dong wiped the corner of her mouth and looked calmly at Xuan Hao, who was struggling with a steamed bun. "Pack your things when you're finished. I am taking Nana to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for her second Soul Ring. Since you have also reached level ten and need your first Soul Ring, you might as well come with us."

Xuan Hao's chewing paused for a moment, then he swallowed the bun in his mouth and nodded obediently. "Oh, I understand."

He did not refuse, nor did he show any excessive surprise.

Because he knew very well that this was an offer he could not refuse.

Since he couldn't resist, he might as well enjoy it.

With the Pope leading the team personally, his safety was guaranteed; it was certainly better than going out alone and throwing his life away.

Leaving the small town, the road leading to the Star Dou Great Forest gradually became rugged.

There was a buffer zone of nearly a hundred kilometers in between.

After all, the Star Dou Great Forest was a paradise for Soul Beasts. If not for this hundred-kilometer buffer, if those powerful ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts ever got a wild hair and charged out, the towns bordering the forest would instantly become a buffet for them.

Xuan Hao carried a small pack on his back, following a few meters behind Bibi Dong and Hu Liena.

Since he had nothing better to do, he walked along while pulling the book he had spent one Gold Soul Coin on, Star Dou Great Forest Outer Perimeter Soul Beast Records, out from his chest pocket.

Although the art style of the book was abstract—with some Soul Beasts drawn like stick figures—it was, at the very least, something he had spent a large sum of money on. It was better to sharpen his spear at the last minute than to do nothing at all.

"Throw it away."

Bibi Dong, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped.

Xuan Hao was stunned and subconsciously tightened his grip on the book. "Huh?"

Bibi Dong turned around, her gaze falling on the tattered, rough-paged booklet. "That kind of street-stall trash is full of fabricated garbage. Reading it will only mislead you and make you die faster."

As she spoke, she flipped her wrist. With a faint flash of light, a beautifully bound, thick book appeared in her hand.

She tossed it casually, and the book, supported by her Soul Power, flew steadily toward Xuan Hao.

"Look at this."

Xuan Hao scrambled to catch it.

The book was heavy, its pages thick and smooth, even emitting a faint scent of ink. It was clearly a high-grade item.

"Thank you... Sister."

Bibi Dong glanced at him indifferently and continued walking forward, explaining:

"The illustrated manuals sold in small towns are mostly scribbled together by Soul Hunters or speculators lurking at the bottom of the food chain. To protect their own survival and interests, experienced Spirit Hunting Groups would never easily make public the habits, weaknesses, and accurate distributions of soul beasts. That is their livelihood."

"Moreover, most civilian Soul Masters lack systematic knowledge inheritance, and 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—such things are everywhere."

"Only formal Soul Master Academies teach verified knowledge about soul beasts. But even then, what can be accessed in primary and intermediate academies is limited to common soul beasts."

"Detailed information regarding high-level soul beasts of the thousand-year or ten-thousand-year rank, or even mutated species and core weaknesses—those are resources held only by advanced Soul Master Academies, the Seven Great Sects, and top-tier powers like the Martial Soul Hall."

"Knowledge is not that cheap."

Xuan Hao said no more, simply offering a solemn word of thanks before clutching the heavy tome to his chest and focusing intently on flipping through it.

This manual, whether in the texture of its paper or the infuriatingly detailed analysis of soul beasts within, was leagues above the street-stall trash in his arms that depicted a "Wind Baboon" as a "Big Macaque."

Every word and every illustration on those pages was, for the current Xuan Hao, the capital he needed to establish himself in this world.

However, before he could read more than a few pages, Bibi Dong, walking ahead, suddenly spoke.

"Too slow."

"At this speed, it will likely be dark by the time we reach the Star Dou Great Forest."

As her voice fell, Bibi Dong tapped her toes lightly against the ground. Defying gravity, she rose slightly and began to glide just above the earth, her speed increasing sharply.

"Keep up."

"Yes, Teacher."

Hu Liena responded, her body moving like a nimble little fox; she accelerated instantly, chasing after Bibi Dong.

Xuan Hao closed the book, sighed helplessly, and tucked it into his tunic. His leg muscles suddenly tensed, and he quickened his pace to follow.

In the world of Soul Masters, physical fitness could not be judged by common sense.

Even for a Soul Warrior who had just awakened their soul power, sprinting a hundred meters in under ten seconds was a common occurrence under the enhancement of soul power.

What's more, hidden within this body of Xuan Hao's was a humanoid tyrannosaurus.

Ever since his Martial Soul awakened, he could jump three or four meters high from a standstill and shatter boulders with a single punch as if it were child's play. To him, an ordinary, sturdy adult man was nothing more than a child he could knock out with one blow.

While running, he even managed to spare some focus to take out that picture book again. Using the momentum of his sprint, he flipped through the pages as he flew forward.

Hu Liena, running in front, had originally been worried that this little brother wouldn't be able to keep up, so she intentionally slowed down a bit to look back.

At this glance, she nearly stumbled.

She saw Xuan Hao about five meters behind her, holding the book in his hands, his two short legs moving rapidly. Not only was his breathing steady, but his gaze hadn't even left the pages. When he encountered potholes or tree roots on the road, he jumped over them without even looking, as relaxed as if he were strolling through his own back garden.

"..."

Hu Liena's face instantly felt a bit hot.

She was the Pope's disciple! And now, she was actually being chased by a six-year-old brat who hadn't even obtained his first Spirit Ring, all while he was reading a book?

If this got back to Martial Soul City, would she have any face left?

"Hmph!"

A competitive spirit rose in Hu Liena's heart. She increased the output of her spirit power, and her speed surged once more.

However, a few minutes later.

She looked back and saw Xuan Hao was still in the same position, still holding the book, still looking completely calm.

Hu Liena gritted her teeth. Although her Demon Fox spirit hadn't possessed her yet, the traits of an Agility Attack System spirit master were already being displayed; her figure became even lighter, and her speed increased by another thirty percent!

Xuan Hao turned a page, pushed off the ground with a bit more force, and his speed increased in sync. The distance remained at five meters, immovable as a mountain.

"I don't believe it!"

Hu Liena became truly stubborn. A faint pink glow of spirit power lit up around her body. As a level 20 Spirit Master, she began to get serious.

Thus, on this wilderness road leading to the Star Dou Great Forest, a bizarre scene unfolded.

In the very front was the elegantly gliding Bibi Dong; in the middle was Hu Liena, teeth gritted and sprinting with spirit power surging all over her body; and at the very back was a silver-haired little boy who didn't even have a ripple of spirit power, relying purely on physical strength to sprint while occasionally flipping a page of his book.

One hour later.

The originally fresh scent of grass and trees in the air gradually became thick and heavy. The surrounding trees grew increasingly tall and thick, their canopy blotting out the sky and cutting the sunlight into fragmented spots of light.

The outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest had arrived.

Bibi Dong landed lightly, not a speck of dust on her, still maintaining that noble and cold appearance.

"We're here."

She turned around and looked at the two little ones behind her.

"Haa... haa... haa..."

Hu Liena braced her hands against her knees, her body hunched over like a cooked shrimp. Sweat dripped from her delicate chin onto the ground, her chest heaving violently, and her face flushed red. She was clearly exhausted.

To shake off Xuan Hao, she had maintained a high-intensity output of spirit power throughout the entire run. For someone who only had twenty levels of spirit power, the drain was truly significant.

Behind her.

Xuan Hao closed the book in his hands, tucked it carefully into his robes, and brushed the dust off his clothes. Although his breathing was slightly quickened, it was as if he had just finished a warm-up exercise. His face held a healthy glow, and he hadn't even broken a sweat.

Hu Liena took several deep breaths before she could barely straighten her back. Looking at Xuan Hao, who acted as if nothing had happened, her fox-like eyes were filled with disbelief and a deep sense of frustration.

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

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

Xuan Hao blinked, feeling the constant surge of heat within his body—the terrifying physical stamina and recovery granted by his Golden Dragon Martial Soul.

He reached out and patted his slightly rounded belly, saying as a matter of course:

"Not tired."

"Did you think the meal I ate last night, which cost three Gold Soul Coins, was for nothing?"

"That was all energy!"

Hu Liena: "..."

Bibi Dong watched this scene, a flash of amazement crossing her eyes.

Although she had long noticed the child's robust physique, she hadn't expected it to reach such a level. To keep up with a sprinting Soul Grand Master relying solely on physical strength, and with such astonishing endurance.

This constitution was practically born for absorbing spirit rings beyond the standard age limits.

"Alright, rest for a quarter of an hour to recover your spirit power."

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

"It seems that when we look for your first spirit ring, we can set our sights a bit higher."