The Cowardly, Death-Fearing Yu Xiaogang

While Yu Xiaogang and the others were in the Thunderclap Forest searching for a Soul Beast, they did not encounter any particularly difficult trouble.

After all, for Yu Xiaogang, who came from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, to take notice of this Soul Hunting Squad, the squad itself was naturally no ordinary one.

After searching the forest for a while, Yu Xiaogang and the others encountered another Soul Hunting Squad.

A thin Soul Master was sitting cross-legged before the corpse of a vicious wolf. Judging by his appearance, he was clearly absorbing a Spirit Ring.

The captains of the two Soul Hunting Squads stepped forward and exchanged greetings. Since they both made their living hunting Soul Beasts in the Thunderclap Forest, they naturally knew each other.

As the two Soul Hunting Squads conversed, Yu Xiaogang curiously looked at the Soul Master who was absorbing the Spirit Ring.

Having never left the clan before, this was still the first time he had seen a Soul Master absorb a Spirit Ring.

"...Just like that, we killed this wolf."

"We originally planned to leave just like that, but that guy stepped forward and said he wanted to absorb this wolf's Spirit Ring."

"We advised him not to do it at the time. The wolf was nearly four hundred years old, absolutely beyond what he could absorb."

"But that guy wouldn't listen and insisted on absorbing it. We had no choice but to let him try."

The exchange between the two captains was heard by Yu Xiaogang.

He raised his brows and glanced at the Soul Master who was absorbing the Spirit Ring.

His clothes were washed pale and covered in patches, clearly indicating a commoner background. Combined with his frail body, he was nevertheless attempting to absorb a Spirit Ring nearly four hundred years old.

"Overestimating himself!"

Yu Xiaogang glanced contemptuously at the Soul Master, the corners of his lips curling into a mocking smile.

A four-hundred-year first Spirit Ring was not something just anyone could absorb!

If it were absorbed by a body like his own, which had undergone years of training, it would be a different story.

As it turned out, things unfolded exactly as everyone present had expected. Before long, the commoner Soul Master could no longer hold on because the Spirit Ring's age was too high.

But once the absorption of a Spirit Ring began, unless a powerful expert intervened to forcefully interrupt it, one could only continue to the end.

According to what the Soul Hunting Squad had heard, an expert capable of interrupting the absorption process had to be at least a Soul Sage, or even at the level of a Soul Douluo.

There was no expert at that level among them.

Thus, everyone could only stand in the distance and quietly watch as the Soul Master's face contorted in pain because he could not withstand the Spirit Ring.

Soon, blood flowed from the Soul Master's mouth, followed by his nostrils and skin.

In the end, the Soul Master was directly dyed into a bloody figure. The crowd could no longer tell where his blood was coming from.

Finally, with a muffled sound, the Soul Master spat out a large mouthful of blood and collapsed rigidly onto the ground.

"He failed."

"Yeah, he failed."

The onlooking members of the Soul Hunting Squad shook their heads. Their faces did not even show much of a reaction.

They had seen far too many Soul Masters from poor backgrounds who wanted to rise above their station and chose Spirit Rings beyond the limits their bodies could bear.

And the result for these people was often the same: they were blown apart by the Spirit Ring, falling at the very first step toward becoming Soul Masters.

When they had first started in this line of work, the group would still try to dissuade those who overestimated themselves.

But many times, their attempts at dissuasion only earned them those people's hatred.

After experiencing it so many times, they no longer had the inclination to bother.

"All right, we've rested enough. Let's continue searching for Soul Beasts!"

The captain of the Soul Hunting Squad came to Yu Xiaogang's side and called out to him, preparing to continue on their way.

Only then did he notice that Yu Xiaogang's eyes were staring straight at the dead Soul Master. His mouth hung open, displaying his disbelief.

"He... he... he's dead?"

Yu Xiaogang's voice was somewhat halting.

"Of course. We've seen far too many people who overestimate themselves like this."

"They smack their foreheads and decide they're one of those lucky ones, but in the end, these people are the ones who die the fastest."

The captain of the Soul Hunting Squad cast a disdainful glance at the dead Soul Master, then looked at Yu Xiaogang with a smile.

"Of course, sir, you're different. You come from a great clan, and you've had good things temper your body since you were young."

"By our estimate, if you absorbed that Spirit Ring of around four hundred years, it would definitely be a piece of cake."

The captain of the Soul Hunting Squad was not making this up. Those in their line of work naturally had some basic experience.

With just a couple of glances, they could roughly judge how many years' worth of a Spirit Ring someone's body could withstand.

During the search for the Thunder Fang Pigs, Yu Xiaogang remained in this dazed state.

His mind repeatedly replayed the process of the commoner Soul Master being drenched in blood before finally exploding and dying.

He wondered: if he were like that Soul Master and failed to withstand the Spirit Ring, ultimately exploding and dying,

then wouldn't all his plans for the future—proving himself and slapping the faces of those who mocked him—become impossible to fulfill?

"No, I absolutely can't die. Only by staying alive can I prove myself."

Yu Xiaogang repeated this in his heart.

After searching the Thunderclap Forest for two days without finding anything, on the third day at noon, the Soul Hunting Squad captain at the very front suddenly brightened.

He walked forward and inspected a pile of feces on the ground ahead.

"We found it!"

After prodding the still-fresh feces a couple of times, the captain of the Soul Hunting Squad nodded at his companions, and everyone immediately entered a combat stance.

A moment later, everyone found the target of their journey: a Thunder Fang Pig.

And there were two of them!

This Soul Hunting Squad truly lived up to its reputation as a veteran team. After a battle, the squad suffered almost no losses before capturing both Thunder Fang Pigs and placing them before Yu Xiaogang.

"Sir, these are the Thunder Fang Pigs you wanted. There are two of them here. One should be just over four hundred years old, while the other is just short of three hundred years old."

"Which one do you plan to take?"

The captain of the Soul Hunting Squad still wore that smiling expression.

He had obtained a thousand Gold Soul Coins just like that. This was practically the simplest deal he had made in all his years in the business.

"I'll take this four-hundred—"

Yu Xiaogang had just begun to say that he wanted the four-hundred-year Thunder Fang Pig, but the image of the commoner Soul Master who had exploded and died involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

The Spirit Ring he had absorbed had only been nearly four hundred years old, yet it had ultimately caused him to explode and die. What about Yu Xiaogang's, which exceeded four hundred years?

The captain of the Soul Hunting Squad seemed to have seen Yu Xiaogang's fear and offered a reminder:

"Sir, in my opinion, absorbing this four-hundred-year one may be somewhat difficult for you, but you basically won't explode and die like that commoner Soul Master."

"Your foundations are completely different, so there's no need to worry too much."

The captain of the Soul Hunting Squad had spoken with great sincerity.

However, when those words reached Yu Xiaogang's ears, he only heard a few words.

Difficult. Explode and die.

Thus, Yu Xiaogang no longer dared to look at the four-hundred-year Thunder Fang Pig. Instead, he pointed at the Thunder Fang Pig that was just short of three hundred years old.

"I'll take this one!"