"Holy Maiden, today's the victory banquet. We can wait until tomorrow to get your Soul Ring," Ma Xiunuo said regretfully from the front of the carriage.
Notting City's Spirit Hall had spent a fortune bringing in a professional Food Martial Soul Chef Team from the New Divine Land for the victory banquet. This meal hadn't come cheap.
Bibi Dong leaned back with her eyes closed, pretending to nap. Su Yan walked outside the carriage and sat on its edge. "Grandpa Ma Xiunuo, I couldn't wait any longer."
"You were one of today's stars. I was going to let you pick out some treasures from Lord Xiao's vault," Ma Xiunuo said thoughtfully. "There are plenty of little trinkets in there."
"What's there to pick? I have more than enough with me already." Bibi Dong pursed her lips, then asked in a suddenly ominous tone, "Xiaoyan, I have something to ask you."
"What is it, Master?" Su Yan's brow furrowed slightly. This didn't sound good.
"Why is the pendant I gave you hanging around Zhu Qing's neck?"
"Oh no, I forgot to get it back!"
So it really wasn't good. A chill ran down Su Yan's back as he felt killing intent circling around him.
"Master, here's what happened," Su Yan said. "It was like this, and then like that, and then this way, and then that way."
"Since that's the case, I won't hold it against you." Bibi Dong took another Blue Crystal from her belt. It was exactly the same shape and size as the red one she'd given him, except the image inside was an eagle instead of a dragon. After thinking it over for a moment, she put it away again.
Hmph. Next time.
They'd set out early, and reached the outskirts of the Soul Hunting Forest before noon.
This time, Ma Xiunuo insisted on waiting at the entrance, and Bibi Dong didn't stop him.
The place was just as lively as before, but there were several times as many guards, and entry inspections were much stricter.
Su Yan jumped out of the carriage and saw a row of wooden notice boards near the entrance. Seven wanted posters were pinned to them.
"Master, did those seven get away?" Su Yan asked.
"They did." Bibi Dong strode forward. "Lord Xiao sent people to kill them, but they failed. The seven had already vanished without a trace."
Su Yan clenched his fists and said indignantly, "People like that have to be eliminated as soon as possible!"
"What happens next is no concern of yours, little one. The enforcers will handle it." Bibi Dong tapped Su Yan on the head.
Su Yan clutched his head and shook it. "Master, if you keep hitting children on the head, they'll get stupid!"
Bibi Dong curled her lips and tapped him again. "That's how you knock some sense into them."
Su Yan puffed out his cheeks and turned away to show how angry he was.
As the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong's token spared them the tedious inspection, and the two entered the Soul Hunting Forest without trouble.
Bibi Dong grabbed Su Yan like a little chick and tossed him onto her back. "Hold on tight."
As soon as she spoke, eight spider legs extended from either side of Su Yan and carried them swiftly through the woods.
Spiders could sense everything around them by detecting vibrations caused by the movement of air.
Bibi Dong's ability had grown exponentially, allowing her to sense even the tiniest differences in temperature.
They were looking for a Soul Beast of a suitable age with no distinct attribute. Most Soul Beasts had no obvious attribute, and were known as attribute-less Soul Beasts.
Bibi Dong wandered through the Soul Hunting Forest with Su Yan as though it were her own backyard.
"Giant Palm Monkey, no attribute, not fast enough."
"Crimson Refining Snake, weak fire attribute, too old."
"Gale Rabbit, weak wind attribute, too young."
Bibi Dong rattled off their details as they went, but none of the Soul Beasts were suitable.
They moved so fast that it felt like riding a high-speed train with no windshield. Su Yan couldn't even keep his eyes open against the wind.
Several hours passed. The sun stood directly overhead, yet Bibi Dong showed no sign of fatigue as she took Su Yan around for another lap.
Su Yan huddled against Bibi Dong's back. "Master, how about we just find one that's relatively fast?"
"Let me look a little longer." Bibi Dong bit her lip, unconsciously picking up speed.
"Xiaoyan, I found one!" Bibi Dong suddenly stopped and landed on a treetop. She pointed to the Soul Beast below. "A Rattling Holy Spirit Lion. No attribute, around four hundred years old. It's fast and strong, and its tail can restrain its opponents. It's well-rounded, making it perfect for your First Soul Ring."
"I can't believe we found a grassland Soul Beast in the forest. This must be fate."
"Then I guess we're lucky," Su Yan said with a smile, gripping Bibi Dong's armor skirt.
Bibi Dong leaped high into the air, spreading her spider legs wide as she drifted down like a glider.
"Third Soul Skill, Death Spider Web!"
A white spiderweb shot toward the Rattling Holy Spirit Lion.
The lion had been dozing on the ground. Before it could react, the Death Spider Web pinned it in place, leaving it unable to move.
The whole thing took only an instant. Su Yan's first Soul Ring was practically in the bag.
Bibi Dong landed lightly on the ground. Su Yan jumped down and saw that the poison carried by the Death Spider Web had left the Rattling Holy Spirit Lion on its last legs.
Soul Rings were notoriously picky. If you hadn't killed the Soul Beast yourself, they wouldn't let you absorb them.
Bibi Dong handed Su Yan a dagger. "There's still one last step. You have to do it yourself if you want to provide for yourself."
"Got it, Master." Su Yan went up to the Rattling Holy Spirit Lion and plunged the dagger into its heart, ending its life with as little pain as possible.
A pale-yellow Soul Ring slowly rose into the air.
"Use your Soul Power to draw the Soul Ring in and absorb it," Bibi Dong prompted. She had already sealed off every path around them with spiderwebs, ensuring the clearing would remain undisturbed.
"Draw it in... all right." Su Yan sat cross-legged, released his Martial Soul, the Blazing Spirit Cat, and used a thread of Soul Power to try to soothe the deceased Rattling Holy Spirit Lion's soul.
But could a wounded heart ever forgive?
Who could understand the misery of being woken in the middle of an afternoon nap?
The Rattling Holy Spirit Lion's unyielding will turned into a ray of holy light and surged into Su Yan's body.
"Looks like everything's going well." Bibi Dong wore oversized sunglasses as she lounged in a rocking chair, with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice beside her.
She drew a deep breath and stretched lazily. Unfortunately, her armor skirt hid every curve, leaving only a stretch of skin-white ankle exposed to the air before the skirt quickly covered it again.
Time passed slowly. Bibi Dong finished the last of her orange juice and stood up.
Su Yan exhaled a breath of stale air. His good habit of training from a young age had made him far stronger than ordinary people, and the Soul Ring's violent power hadn't troubled him. He had absorbed it all.
The Rattling Holy Spirit Lion had joined the glorious ranks of evolution, becoming his First Soul Ring.
A yellow Soul Ring now circled the Blazing Spirit Cat.
"I did it!" Su Yan could clearly feel his Soul Power Level breaking through its bottleneck and reaching level 11.
He had truly become a Soul Master.
"Xiaoyan, give it a try. What's your Soul Skill?" Bibi Dong tossed a wooden stake into the ground.
Su Yan gathered his focus and poured his Soul Power into the Soul Ring. Yellow light flared, and power gathered at the tips of his claws.
"First Soul Skill, Blazing Flash!"
Su Yan charged at the stake. A streak of fire flashed, cutting it in half with a perfectly smooth edge.
Whew, the Soul Skill was definitely much stronger than simply clawing at something.
"Not bad." Bibi Dong had put her glasses back on and recorded the results. "Try it with another Martial Soul."
Su Yan switched to the Fire Wolf and held his hands out in front of him, the corners of his mouth lifting. This move looked a little familiar.
"First Soul Skill, Wolf Fang Wind Wind Fist!"
Flames burst through the air with every punch. Dozens of punches landed in an instant, smashing the newly placed wooden stake to pieces.
"Try another one."
Su Yan held out his right hand. The burning Blue Silver Grass flared even more fiercely as he poured his Soul Power into the Soul Ring.
"First Soul Skill, Blazing Entanglement!"
The Blue Silver Grass stretched several meters, tightly wrapping around the wooden stake as flames crackled and scorched it.
"Good. They're basically completely unrelated, with no pattern." Bibi Dong took off her glasses and closed her eyes.
This was so hard.
Before you continue