Silver Branch Spruce Wood

At dusk, fiery rosy clouds blazed across the horizon. Golden sunlight poured down, draping the border town in a dreamlike hue.

Yao Yan's carriage slowly entered Qingshan Town.

A lively atmosphere washed over them. Shops lined both sides of the road, selling all kinds of supplies needed by Soul Masters.

Short swords flashing with cold light, chains forged from refined iron, enormous sacks of grain, and tents for overnight stays—everything was available.

As they passed the square, they could see groups of Soul Masters loudly recruiting companions to form temporary teams and head into the forest to hunt Spirit Beasts.

Such hastily assembled teams were the most dangerous.

The moment they made even the slightest gain, internal disputes would arise. If they were fortunate enough to obtain a Soul Bone, the team would immediately fall apart—or even be wiped out entirely.

That was also why Yao Yan had not sought out a professional spirit-hunting team.

The carriage finally stopped before a three-story inn.

The three of them got down in turn. Zhou Lie waved at the driver. "Uncle Wang, please wait here for two days."

"Alright!" Uncle Wang agreed readily. With a light flick of his whip, he drove the carriage toward the outskirts of town.

After checking in at the counter, the three decided to rest for the night and enter the mountains the next day.

Yao Yan pushed open the door to his room. The furnishings inside were extremely simple—a table, a chair, and a bed. Still, the surroundings were quiet, far from the main road, and none of the town's noise reached this place.

The next day.

The sky had only just begun to brighten, and the mist over the town had yet to disperse.

Yao Yan and the other two had already washed up, shouldered their packs, and left the inn. The streets were already packed with people, and large groups could be seen heading toward the forest.

Zhou Lie was extremely familiar with the place. After taking the two of them to breakfast, he brought them to a blacksmith's shop.

He bought Yao Yan a spear for self-defense.

Then, at other shops, he bought some powder and had the two of them apply it to their bodies to conceal their presence.

With everything prepared, the three entered the forest.

At the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, towering ancient trees filled their view. Sunlight was blocked by branches and leaves, leaving mottled shadows across the ground.

The moist air carried the fresh fragrance of grass and trees, invigorating their spirits.

Zhou Lie took the lead, gripping his Cleaver Martial Soul tightly. Three spirit rings—white, yellow, and purple—slowly rotated beneath his feet.

He swung his cleaver, neatly cutting through the thorns and vines blocking their path as he opened the way forward.

Behind him, Zhou Qinglan held a black whip. Two Yellow Soul Rings glowed beneath her feet, making her ring configuration far better than her older brother's.

The two of them tacitly kept Yao Yan in the middle of the group as they advanced cautiously.

The Star Dou Great Forest was not silent. From time to time, they could hear birdsong drifting down from above or faint rustling from the distant undergrowth.

Every slight movement in the wind and grass put the three of them instantly on alert.

In this vast and dangerous land, no one could guarantee that those ten-thousand-year Spirit Beasts living in the Mixed Zone would not occasionally come to the outskirts for a "stroll."

They planned to search for Silver Branch Spruce Wood first.

For one thing, spruce trees generally grew at high elevations. Finding one meant finding an entire forest.

For another, Silver Branch Spruce Wood endured constant exposure to sunlight and fierce winds. Not only did it possess extremely strong wind-element resistance, but its wood was also exceptionally tough.

Combined with its powerful vitality, it could greatly enhance Blue Silver Grass.

Following the map, the three passed through a gorge and arrived halfway up a mountain. Before long, a spruce forest appeared ahead.

Yao Yan raised his eyes and looked over. The spruce trees stood tall and straight, their silver-white branches gleaming under the sunlight, while their treetops hung heavy with fruit.

As the three approached the spruce forest, Zhou Lie picked one tree and raised his head, briefly counting the side branches growing from its trunk.

"Little Yan, this one is a little over four hundred years old. It's suitable for your First Soul Ring," Zhou Lie said with a hint of delight.

Yao Yan directly shook his head. "Brother Zhou, the age is too low."

Based on his estimates, his current physical strength was enough to withstand a soul ring of up to eight hundred years.

"Hm? Too low?" Zhou Qinglan's delicate brows furrowed slightly. Confused, she said, "But according to the Ten Core Competencies, the maximum age for a Soul Master's First Soul Ring is four hundred and twenty-three years..."

Such an exact figure—Master Yu really had not left himself any room to retreat!

No wonder his theories had been ridiculed across the entire continent.

Yao Yan shook his head inwardly before explaining, "Sister Qinglan, the age of a soul ring one can absorb is determined by each Soul Master's physique."

"Theories can only serve as references. They cannot be treated as absolute truth!"

"Is that so?" Zhou Qinglan was still somewhat doubtful and turned to her older brother for confirmation.

Zhou Lie's eyes lit up at his words. He patted Yao Yan on the shoulder. "As expected of such a promising young man. Your mind works quickly. To be honest, I've always had doubts about this theory as well."

"For example, I can normally drink three jin of water. If I'm desperately thirsty but am told I can only drink two jin—"

"If I follow his requirements, I won't die of thirst, but why shouldn't I drink my fill?"

"That's exactly the point." Yao Yan nodded with a smile.

"So that was it." Zhou Qinglan nodded in understanding, then her eyes shifted. "By that logic, aren't the so-called Ten Core Competencies complete nonsense?"

Yao Yan and the other merely smiled.

"Come on, let's take a look further in," Zhou Lie said.

The three headed deeper into the spruce forest and soon arrived beneath a massive tree that would have taken ten people linking arms to encircle.

Zhou Lie gave a low shout, and the purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring beneath his feet suddenly lit up.

"Third Soul Skill, Giant Spirit Slash!"

The seemingly ordinary woodcutter's knife in his hand instantly expanded into a massive blade a meter long and wide. With a sharp howl through the air, it fiercely cleaved toward the trunk!

Sensing the threat and knowing it could not escape death today, the Silver Branch Spruce Wood caused the fruit on its branches to explode with a series of bangs. Amid a tremendous roar, tens of thousands of seeds sprayed into the distance.

"Crack—"

A clear crack appeared across the trunk, followed by a teeth-grinding groan as the giant tree crashed down!

"Boom—!"

The enormous trunk slammed into the ground, sweeping through a stretch of forest behind it. Many thinner spruces were snapped in half, leaving behind a chaotic clearing.

Zhou Lie roughly examined the growth rings on the stump. "Xiao Yan, this tree is a little over seven hundred years old. It's just right for you. Go give it the finishing blow."

Before coming here, he had examined Yao Yan's bones and knew that the boy's muscles and physique were exceptionally strong, even comparable to some Soul Grandmasters.

Plant-type Spirit Beasts possessed extremely tenacious vitality. Even with their roots severed, they could still recover if their life force was not completely extinguished.

Yao Yan raised his iron spear and thrust it forcefully into the trunk.

The spear pierced through its body, completely ending its life.

A bright Yellow Soul Ring slowly condensed above the trunk and emerged, radiating pure energy fluctuations.

Yao Yan sat down cross-legged and focused his attention on the Blue Silver Grass. His Martial Soul immediately produced a pulling force, drawing the Yellow Soul Ring toward it.

A wild surge of energy instantly poured into his body like a runaway horse, rampaging through his meridians and bringing waves of tearing pain.

Yao Yan kept his mind clear and endured the pain.

He circulated his Soul Power with all his strength, guiding and refining the foreign energy, gradually drawing it into his own cycle.

"Xiao Yan... is he going to be alright?" Seeing Yao Yan's body trembling continuously and fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead, Zhou Qinglan could not help asking worriedly.

"It's only a little over seven hundred years. With his physique, he should be fine." Though Zhou Lie said so, he was still somewhat uneasy.

He carefully counted the rings on the stump again and discovered that the tree was over seven hundred years old—around eight hundred.

This is bad.

But on second thought, absorbing a Soul Ring would strengthen a Soul Master's body anyway, and he relaxed somewhat.

Sure enough, as a series of crackling sounds came from within Yao Yan's body, his trembling gradually steadied, and his breathing became even.

Yao Yan felt the invisible bottleneck within his body burst open beneath the fierce Soul Power, and his aura steadily rose!

His Soul Power soared all the way from level ten... to thirteen... then finally stopped at sixteen.