Departure, Soul Hunting Forest

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Early in the morning, the sun had just risen, and the thin mist on the horizon had yet to fully disperse.

Yan, who had meditated through the night, rose early. After washing up, he met with Xie Yue.

With the time to obtain their first Soul Rings drawing near, Xie Yue's excitement was plainly visible.

After breakfast together, the two followed the Temple Guards to the enormous square before Pope Palace.

Spirit Hall's exclusive carriages were already parked before the square.

The handsome horses pulling them looked exceptionally magnificent.

Their silky, satin-like coats bore not a trace of mixed color, and their tall frames suggested that they carried the bloodline of some Soul Beast. Their auras were also vastly different from those of ordinary horses.

Hu Liena had already been waiting there. Beside her stood Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan, whom they had not seen for some time, as well as Resak, the Soul Saint who had been guiding their cultivation.

Resak was around forty, with a resolute face and a tall build. He wore Spirit Hall's exclusive uniform, and his aura was deep and steady.

He was a Power Attack Type battle Soul Saint, with the Thunderstorm Bear as his martial soul and Soul Power at around rank seventy-six.

Because of his dependable nature and unwavering loyalty to Spirit Hall, he had been sent to serve as Yue Guan's deputy for this Soul Hunting operation.

"Elder Yue Guan, Teacher Resak."

Upon seeing them, Yan and Xie Yue hurried forward at a trot and bowed in greeting.

"Mm."

Yue Guan responded faintly. His gaze lingered on Yan for an extra moment, as though he had noticed that Yan's aura had become increasingly deep and restrained. A trace of satisfaction flashed through his eyes.

Resak merely nodded steadily in return.

"Brother, Yan." Hu Liena quickly came forward, unable to suppress the delight in her voice.

After more than a month apart, Hu Liena had undergone an earth-shaking transformation.

She seemed to have grown taller. Dressed in a fitted training outfit, she displayed the budding graceful curves of a young girl.

What drew the most attention was the change in her bearing. The timidness and spoiled childishness she once possessed had almost entirely vanished, replaced by a bright, confident liveliness.

Her aura even seemed more solid than Xie Yue's. Clearly, under Bibi Dong's guidance, Hu Liena's foundation had been tempered to an exceptional degree, and her spiritual power had also improved greatly.

Such an enormous change left both Xie Yue and Yan stunned for a moment.

Yan silently thought to himself, Bibi Dong is truly treating Hu Liena as her own daughter.

If the position of Spirit Hall's Pope had not been so important that she could not leave lightly, Bibi Dong herself would likely have led this Soul Hunting operation.

Even so, she had still sent Yue Guan to look after them.

Xie Yue looked at his sister, his eyes brimming with surprise. He grabbed her hand. "Nana, you've changed so much that I almost didn't recognize you."

Hu Liena's face flushed red, but her eyes shone brightly. "It is all thanks to Teacher's excellent guidance."

As she spoke, her gaze could not help shifting toward Yan beside her. Compared to a month ago, Yan did not seem to have changed much, yet she somehow felt an oppressive pressure from him.

"Nana."

Seeing Hu Liena look over, Yan curled his lips slightly and greeted her.

He could sense that Hu Liena's spiritual power was stronger and more aggressive than it had been a month ago. Bibi Dong's teachings truly were extraordinary.

"Enough, little ones. Save the reminiscing for later."

Yue Guan's effeminate voice interrupted their conversation. "Since everyone is here, let us depart. Resak, make the remaining arrangements."

As he spoke, Yue Guan beckoned to Hu Liena. The two headed toward the first carriage ahead, which was visibly more luxurious.

"Yes, Elder."

Resak hurriedly bowed. Only after Yue Guan and Hu Liena had entered the carriage did he straighten.

He looked toward Xie Yue and Yan. "We are heading to the Soul Hunting Forest belonging to Spirit City."

"It is a hunting ground maintained by Spirit City specifically for low-level Spirit Masters affiliated with Spirit Hall."

"Of course, compared with the Soul Hunting Forests belonging to the two great empires, Spirit City's Soul Hunting Forest contains more rare Soul Beasts, and their cultivation ages are also better."

"The oldest Soul Beasts within can even reach ten thousand years, though naturally, those are not something you can choose for your first Soul Rings."

"Spirit Hall has already selected suitable first Soul Ring Soul Beasts for you. These are two booklets. You may take a look."

As he spoke, Resak pulled two pale-blue booklets from his robes. They did not appear thick, containing only a dozen or so pages, and he handed one each to Xie Yue and Yan.

"Once you are in the carriage, you may read through them. If there is a Soul Beast you favor, tell me. Once we enter the Soul Hunting Forest, we can head directly to hunt it."

After giving them further instructions on matters requiring attention in the Soul Hunting Forest, Resak had the two board the carriage. He then went to the front of the convoy, mounted a horse, and led a squad of Spirit Hall knights at the head of the procession.

Soul Hunting Forests were generally places established by Spirit Hall throughout the continent for Spirit Masters to hunt Soul Beasts.

Unlike vast Soul Beast habitats such as Star Dou Great Forest and Sunset Forest, the Soul Beasts in Soul Hunting Forests were generally low-level Soul Beasts raised in captivity for low-level Spirit Masters to hunt.

To hunt Soul Beasts in a Soul Hunting Forest, one generally needed to present a warrant from Spirit Hall.

After Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang accepted Tang San as his disciple, he had gone to one of the Soul Hunting Forests belonging to Heaven Dou Empire to hunt Soul Beasts.

The Soul Hunting Forest Yan and the others were heading to this time was maintained by Spirit Hall and belonged exclusively to Spirit City. Whether in terms of Soul Beast quality or cultivation age, it far surpassed ordinary Soul Hunting Forests.

Even its area was somewhat larger than that of ordinary Soul Hunting Forests.

Though it was called a Soul Hunting Forest, it was actually a Soul Beast habitat maintained by Spirit City specifically for low-level Spirit Masters affiliated with Spirit Hall.

Inside the carriage, the light shifted between brightness and darkness as the scenery outside the windows rushed past.

Xie Yue and Yan sat facing each other. After a brief conversation, both fell quiet and opened the Soul Beast Manuals Resak had given them.

Though the booklets were thin, the paper was of excellent quality. Inside were neat handwritten characters and numerous detailed illustrations.

Xie Yue read attentively. His martial soul was the top-tier weapon martial soul Moon Blade, and the Soul Beast Manual he held mostly recorded Soul Beasts related to agility attacks, moonlight, and similar attributes.

Moon Blade was a weapon martial soul, and his path was destined to focus on the utmost attack and speed. His first Soul Skill would be best if it enhanced Moon Blade's sharpness, attack range, or some special slashing effect.

Compared to Xie Yue's meticulous concentration, Yan flipped through his booklet much faster.

His gaze swept across page after page of illustrations. His goal was very clear: high-quality fire-attribute Power Attack Type Soul Beasts, with cultivation ages as high as possible.

The Soul Beasts recorded in the booklet had indeed been carefully selected. There were even several high-quality Soul Beasts possessing both fire and earth attributes, which appeared perfectly suited to his Flame Overlord.

If it had been the original Yan, he might have chosen from among those Soul Beasts. But the current Yan was clearly dissatisfied with these fire-and-earth-attribute Soul Beasts.