Striped Tiger

"Soul beast meat, soul beast meat! Only three Gold Soul Coins!"

"Forming a group to hunt a strength-type ten-year soul beast, team of seven! Token holders only."

A unique economy centered around hunting soul beasts had formed on the outskirts of Soul Hunting Forest, leaving Ye Lan dazzled by all he saw.

"Soul Hunting Forest is perfect for Xiao Lan to obtain his first Soul Ring. The soul beasts inside have mostly been selected beforehand. Most are under a thousand years old, so it isn't excessively dangerous for low-level Soul Masters!" Su Yuntao explained the situation in Soul Hunting Forest to Ye Lan.

"The costs in this area must be substantial. But for low-level Soul Masters, compared to Heaven Dou Great Forest, it really is much safer," Ye Lan replied after giving it some thought.

"The initial cost of establishing Soul Hunting Forest was certainly enormous, but as it was developed, it gradually began turning a profit. What's more, because the token requires a noble's signature, many commoners have no choice but to suffer exploitation by nobles. Some even sell themselves for a hundred-year Soul Ring," Su Yuntao said with a sigh.

Ye Lan was also surprised. "Good thing I have Uncle Tao. Otherwise, I'd have had to find a way to get a Soul Hunting Token myself."

"For that, you should thank Spirit Hall. If not for Spirit Hall's restrictions, commoners would have it even worse. Every year, Hall Master Ma Xiunuo gives Soul Hunting Tokens to promising commoners, solving the urgent needs of quite a few talented commoners!"

"Ye Lan, come with me to the hotel first. We've been traveling for so long. We'll set out together tomorrow morning and help you obtain your Soul Ring." Su Yuntao led Ye Lan toward a hotel outside Soul Hunting Forest.

"Alright, Uncle Tao. After traveling all day, I'm exhausted. It'll be dark soon, and entering Soul Hunting Forest at night to hunt soul beasts is far too dangerous." Ye Lan agreed to rest for the night.

Travel on Douluo Continent still mainly relied on horse-drawn carriages. Although the horses here were much faster than those from Ye Lan's previous life, the ride was also far bumpier. After days of travel, Ye Lan and Su Yuntao felt as if their entire bodies were falling apart from exhaustion.

The next morning.

After Su Yuntao showed the Soul Hunting Token to the guards at the entrance of Soul Hunting Forest, he and Ye Lan headed deeper into the forest.

Ye Lan had all five senses fully alert, carefully taking in every rustle and movement around them.

Su Yuntao walked ahead to clear the way. He had visited Soul Hunting Forest several times before and had experience navigating it.

With Su Yuntao leading the way, Ye Lan did not have to worry about getting lost and wandering aimlessly through Soul Hunting Forest.

Before long, as Ye Lan and Su Yuntao ventured deeper into Soul Hunting Forest, signs of other people around them began to grow scarce.

The trees became taller and taller, while the surrounding undergrowth grew denser. In the tranquil forest, the ceaseless buzzing of insects and calls of birds only made the place feel even quieter.

A small flame-colored cat emerged from the brush beside Ye Lan. Its two large airplane ears were rather adorable. Its pupils were entirely black, with long black tear streaks running beneath them.

"This is a twenty-year Tiger Demon Cat. It looks pretty frightening, but it isn't actually very aggressive. As long as you don't provoke it, it'll be fine." Looking at the little cat before him, Ye Lan searched through the knowledge in his mind, matching what he had learned about soul beasts with the creature in front of him.

Su Yuntao nodded, approving of Ye Lan. "Xiao Lan really did his homework. Tiger Demon Cats like this are quite rare in Soul Hunting Forest. Most people wouldn't recognize one."

Ye Lan and Su Yuntao continued onward, encountering many soul beasts. However, most were small soul beasts that were only a few decades old, such as Lone Bamboo, four-eyed Owls, ten-year Black Headed Hamsters, and so on.

Ye Lan had broadened his horizons considerably. Most of these soul beasts only had several decades of cultivation and were not within Ye Lan's consideration. This also showed that hundred-year soul beasts were relatively scarce in Soul Hunting Forest.

The only soul beasts over a hundred years old that Ye Lan encountered were a hundred-year Pink Lady and a two-hundred-year Mandala Snake.

Ye Lan spotted both soul beasts from far away and did not alert them. Fortunately, no conflict occurred.

Just as Ye Lan and Su Yuntao continued observing the surrounding soul beasts, the beasts around them suddenly scattered wildly as though frightened by something.

A Striped Tiger, four meters long in body and around seven meters long including its tail, suddenly leaped out before Ye Lan and Su Yuntao. Its tail bore four black rings, though the last ring was comparatively thin. A Striped Tiger formed one black stripe on its tail for every hundred years of cultivation. Ye Lan instantly estimated that this Striped Tiger was a little over four hundred years old.

"Uncle Tao, be careful! This Striped Tiger is over four hundred years old." Ye Lan immediately voiced his assessment to Su Yuntao.

Cold sweat formed on Su Yuntao's forehead as he faced the mighty black-and-white tiger. "Xiao Lan, hide behind me and support me. I'll take the lead in attacking. Be extremely careful of its claws!"

Then, gray light emerged from Su Yuntao's body, and two Soul Rings rose beneath his feet—one white and one yellow.

As the white light lit up, Su Yuntao called out the name of his Soul Skill.

"Lone Wolf Avatar!"

Along with Su Yuntao's shout, his form rapidly changed. Grayish-white fur covered his skin, and his muscles swelled dramatically in an instant. His loose Spirit Hall uniform immediately became tight against his body.

Su Yuntao's pupils narrowed, and a glint of green flashed through his eyes. Sharp claws extended from between his ten fingers. These changes were the result of Su Yuntao performing Martial Soul Possession.

Su Yuntao completed the Martial Soul Possession in the blink of an eye, but the four-hundred-year striped big cat on the other side did not wait for him to finish transforming.

The Striped Tiger crouched halfway down to gather strength, the contours of its back muscles brimming with explosive power.

In an instant, the Striped Tiger burst forward at astonishing speed, pouncing toward Su Yuntao.

By the time Su Yuntao finished transforming, the Striped Tiger was already within two meters of him.

Seizing the right moment, Su Yuntao slid beneath the tiger's airborne body. Just as he was about to celebrate having evaded the Striped Tiger's pounce, its tail—thicker than an arm—lashed directly toward his waist.

Smack!

The Whip Strike made Su Yuntao grimace in pain. As he was sent flying by the Tiger Tail Whip, Ye Lan did not remain standing idly by.

Seizing the opportunity, Ye Lan channeled Soul Power into his legs and sprinted into the Striped Tiger's blind spot, closing in on its left flank.

Using that burst of momentum, Ye Lan launched a sideways flying kick!

The Striped Tiger's ears twitched. It had clearly noticed Ye Lan's movement and had not ignored him.

The tiger twisted its body and swiftly leaped to the right, landing atop the branch of a sturdy Sky-scraping Tree.

The big cat vigilantly swept its pair of bright, bell-sized tiger eyes over Su Yuntao and Ye Lan, its tail continuously lashing behind it.

Ye Lan turned toward Su Yuntao, who had been struck by the Tiger Tail Whip, and asked, "Uncle Tao, are you hurt?"

Su Yuntao looked rather disheveled, but he was fine. He said awkwardly, "It's not a big problem. I didn't expect that tiger's tail to be a weapon too."

With Lone Wolf Avatar active, Su Yuntao's physical abilities had improved tremendously, and his defense had also risen. Fortunately, he had not been injured.

Ye Lan decisively took on the burden of the main attack. With a serious expression, he said to Su Yuntao, "Uncle Tao, I'll be the main attacker from here on. Support me from the side, and watch for an opening while I'm fighting the Striped Tiger."