The next morning, just as dawn broke.
Bibi Dong stood at the entrance to Spirit Hall with her beloved disciple, Su Yan, and the newly enrolled Tang Chi, waiting for the carriage to arrive.
The day before, when Palace Master Ma Xiunuo heard that the Holy Maiden wanted to requisition a carriage, he was so excited he couldn't sleep all night. He'd stayed up to trim the horses' hooves, give them a good wash, and feed them well before turning in early.
At dawn, he personally drove the carriage to the entrance of Spirit Hall.
Palace Master Ma Xiunuo jumped down from the carriage and bowed. "Holy Maiden, the carriage is rather plain. I hope you won't mind."
Bibi Dong nodded, which was as good as a reply.
Once the three of them had climbed aboard, Palace Master Ma Xiunuo hopped back up front, grabbed the reins, and called, "Giddy-up!"
Inside the carriage, Bibi Dong sat in the middle, with Su Yan and Tang Chi on either side.
"Have you thought about last night's question? Power Attack, Control, Agility, or Support?"
Su Yan shook his head.
Tang Chi shook his head, too.
"Xiaoyan, what have you decided?"
Su Yan held up his thumb and forefinger, leaving barely any space between them. "Master, there's a tiny problem with my Martial Soul. Ask Tang Chi first."
Bibi Dong turned to Tang Chi and saw the same troubled look on his face. She reassured him, "Take your time. I faced the same problem once."
She took a Blue Crystal from her belt and tossed it onto the floor. The phantom image of a hammer appeared in the air.
"This is a Memory Crystal, a Soul Tool," Bibi Dong explained. "The image shows the Clear Sky Hammer, known as the continent's greatest weapon-type Martial Soul."
"Tang Chi, your surname is Tang, and your Martial Soul is the Thunderclap Hammer, a variant of the Clear Sky Hammer. You should be related to them by blood."
Tang Chi clenched both fists, his lips turning pale with tension. In the end, he nodded.
"As far as I know, the Clear Sky Hammer usually has two paths: pure strength or balanced development. Both fall under the Power Attack System." Bibi Dong waved a hand, and another hammer appeared in the image. "This is another variant Martial Soul of the Clear Sky Hammer. It's quite similar to yours. It adds elemental attacks, which is another good path."
Tang Chi hesitated for a long while, then blushed and asked in a small voice, "Is there a path that doesn't require me to charge at the front? I'm a little scared."
Su Yan considered it. "The Thunderclap Hammer has the thunder attribute. Powerful lightning can pierce through its target, while weaker lightning can paralyze or even stun an opponent. It could work as a Control-type Martial Soul, letting you strike after your opponent."
"That's a path I've never considered." Bibi Dong rubbed her chin.
"If I choose the Control System, I won't have to charge at the front, right?" Tang Chi clutched the hem of his clothes, looking embarrassed.
"In most cases, that's right," Bibi Dong replied.
"Then I'll choose the Control System." Tang Chi made up his mind.
Bibi Dong's courage training had given him a little courage—but not much.
Real combat was far more terrifying than playing in the mud back in the village.
Tang Chi knew that all too well.
"Control System and Thunderclap Hammer. That might catch the enemy off guard." Bibi Dong murmured to herself, already considering every possibility for a Control-type Thunderclap Hammer.
As an instructor, she had to take responsibility for every one of her students.
She suddenly looked at Su Yan, who smiled faintly.
Could all of this have been within his calculations?
In Soul Fighting competitions, a Martial Soul with such overwhelming power would usually be classified as Power Attack. The expected strategy was to pit strength against strength and keep each other in check.
But what if the Thunderclap Hammer were a Control-type Martial Soul? It could restrain the opposing Power Attack Soul Master as soon as they met, creating a numbers advantage and allowing the team to swiftly strike down the enemy's back line.
In the end, the opposing Power Attack Soul Master would be left without support and unable to stand alone.
The entire battle would become one-sided!
This would be an unexpected trump card!
Now that Tang Chi had settled on his path, the next step was to choose a Soul Beast.
Su Yan's thoughts had been thoroughly sparked, and he rattled on without pause. "For the First Soul Ring, we could focus on lightning's paralyzing effect. A single blow might not kill a Soul Beast, but it would definitely electrocute and paralyze it."
"For the Second Soul Ring, maybe you could try controlling lightning." Su Yan suddenly grew excited. "I know someone else who uses a hammer. He can control lightning with it, striking wherever he points. Maybe you could even shape lightning into armor and greatly increase your defense!"
As Tang Chi listened, a glimmer of anticipation appeared in his eyes.
He could almost see it: one day, he would raise the Thunderclap Hammer high and summon blue-white lightning from the sky. It would transform into armor around him, making him the supreme ruler of thunder across the Four Seas and Eight Wastelands!
That would be so cool!
Bibi Dong's eyes lit up. "There are just such thunder-attribute Soul Beasts in the Soul Hunting Forest. We'll just have to find one with a suitable age."
"Though that bastard Palace Master isn't a decent person, there's one thing we can trust: the theoretical maximum age for a First Soul Ring is 423 years."
Bibi Dong had worked hard to become a qualified teacher. She had studied ancient texts and consulted her seniors. Most importantly, she wasn't above getting her hands dirty—she was willing to steal.
She'd gotten this information by sneaking into Yu Xiaogang's office.
Bibi Dong reached her final conclusion. "Our goal is to find one that's over 300 years old."
The horses Palace Master Ma Xiunuo had carefully chosen were excellent. They covered the 400-mile journey in half a day.
The three of them got down from the carriage. The entrance to the Soul Hunting Forest lay just ahead.
"Holy Maiden, I'll wait here for you to come back."
"No need. Go back now. We won't be returning anytime soon."
"Yes, Holy Maiden."
As the carriage rolled away, Bibi Dong led the three of them toward the entrance.
The area outside was bustling, with plenty of fully armed people calling out.
"Got a permit to hunt Power Attack-type Soul Beasts! Seven needed! Beast Martial Soul users, come join!"
"Ten Gold Soul Coins for a permit!"
"Level 33 Control-Type Battle Spirit Master, leading a Soul Hunting party! One Gold Soul Coin!"
Alongside those preparing to form teams and enter the Soul Hunting Forest, plenty of vendors had set up stalls selling all sorts of oddities.
There were Soul Beast corpses, weapons and equipment, medicine for external injuries, and even plenty of little accessories and trinkets.
"Master, this place feels like a market." It was Su Yan's first time somewhere so lively since he'd crossed over. Back when he'd played Dungeon Fighter Online, he'd called out for party members outside dungeons. This place looked just like that, only in real life.
"Soul Beasts aren't easy to kill. Every year, many Soul Masters die at their hands, so plenty of Soul Masters form their own teams to improve their chances of success." Bibi Dong pointed to someone's clothes. "Look, that person's wearing the Mercenary Association uniform. They're all retired members of Spirit Hall."
The three were walking along when suddenly a shadow fell over them. A Bearded Strongman blocked their path.
"Sweetheart, our boss wants you to join us for Soul Hunting." The Bearded Strongman pointed to six people gathered in the distance.
Su Yan slapped his forehead and sighed deeply.
Here it comes again.
His Master was too beautiful. What was he supposed to do?
Bibi Dong didn't even spare the man a glance. Her red lips parted slightly, and she uttered a single word. "Get lost."
"Sure thing, sweetheart." The Bearded Strongman turned and walked away, leaving behind his tall, burly figure.
Su Yan was completely dumbfounded.
This wasn't how it usually went.
When something unusual happened, there was always something fishy about it.
Su Yan watched the Bearded Strongman rejoin his teammates. They seemed to treat what had just happened like nothing more than a game of truth or dare, so he turned his attention away.
At the entrance, two Spirit Hall guards stopped them.
Bibi Dong showed them a token.
They entered without obstruction.
The Bearded Strongman and his group hurried to the entrance, too.
Bibi Dong glanced back. The seven of them suddenly felt as though a hand had clamped around their throats.
Then they watched as seven Soul Rings slowly rose from Bibi Dong.
The seven stared with eyes as big as saucers, so frightened they nearly fell to their knees.
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