I Want This One! (Please Bookmark and Keep Reading)

"Little Monster, is this your first time hunting for a soul ring? And in the Star Dou Great Forest, no less. The soul beasts here are all fierce and powerful. Even the outskirts have thousand-year soul beasts, and ten-thousand-year soul beasts occasionally appear. You must be careful. Stay in the middle of our group at all times, understand?" Zhao Wuji warned sternly.

"Understood!"

He would not joke around with his own life.

At that moment, the teacher beside them, Shao Xin, had already begun making Sugar Beans. Shao Xin's soul skills did not require any sleazy incantations.

They were all very ordinary.

But their effects were absolutely not lacking.

Tie Xiong now had three small Sugar Beans in his hand, each capable of restoring Soul Power, dispelling abnormal conditions, healing injuries, and detoxifying. He carefully placed them into the Crescent Pendant.

Having a high-level food-system soul master was practically like having an extra life.

The group continued onward. Zhao Wuji walked at the front, while Lu Qibin, Tie Xiong, and Shao Xin stayed in the middle, with Flender, the Four-Eyed Cat Eagle, bringing up the rear.

Tie Xiong followed the path Zhao Wuji had opened, focusing intently on observing his surroundings. This was his first time hunting for a soul ring.

Back at the academy, Lu Qibin and Zhao Wuji had told him much about soul beasts.

But this was his first time putting that knowledge into practice.

"To the front right is a pack of Hurricane Demon Wolves. Little Monster, remember this: in the Star Dou Great Forest, the most dangerous creatures are these pack-dwelling soul beasts. Once you alarm their beast king, you will be besieged. The commotion will be huge, and it may attract even stronger soul beasts. That would be dangerous!"

As he spoke, Zhao Wuji led everyone around from the left.

Tie Xiong hurriedly committed it to memory.

Whenever they encountered soul beasts or unusual terrain, Zhao Wuji would explain it so Tie Xiong could remember.

Old Zhao, old Zhao. Seeing how attentive you are, I'll hammer you a few less times in the future!

After traveling for roughly two hours, Flender had everyone stop.

"We have entered the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. Most soul beasts here are hundred-year or thousand-year ones. At any moment, we may find a soul beast suitable for Little Monster!"

"You wait here. I'll scout the distribution of soul beasts nearby!"

Flender possessed the Four-Eyed Cat Eagle martial soul.

It was extremely suited for surviving in forests, and more importantly, it could fly.

"Cat Eagle, Martial Soul Possession!"

By the time Tie Xiong turned his head to look, Flender had already vanished.

"Since Boss Fu is putting in the effort, let's wait and rest for a while!"

Zhao Wuji used his Soul Power to clear out an open space nearby.

The group leaned against the trees and sat down, intending to rest for a while.

Tie Xiong also sat cross-legged on the ground and began meditating to recover his Soul Power. He wanted to adjust himself to his peak condition.

As soon as he began meditating, the surrounding unaligned Soul Power gathered toward Tie Xiong like swallows returning to their nest.

"Cultivating here really feels great. It's just too dangerous!" Tie Xiong sighed.

Flender took an unusually long time to scout the area. Several hours passed before he finally returned, when the sky had begun to darken.

By then, Zhao Wuji and the others had set up their tents. They were eating cured meat and biscuits and drinking water inside the largest tent.

"I scouted sixty kilometers in every direction to the north, east, and south. Little Monster, you're in luck. There really are many bear-type soul beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest. There are thirteen bear-type soul beasts between six hundred and nine hundred years old!"

As Flender spoke, he took out paper and pen and marked the locations of those soul beasts.

"Other than the legendary Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, all the soul beasts you mentioned yesterday are here! Now we just need to choose one to hunt!"

Tie Xiong looked at Flender's markings and thought that the dean had truly put in a lot of effort. No wonder he had been gone for so long.

A seven-hundred-year Vajra Bear.

Another eight-hundred-year Vajra Bear.

A seven-hundred-year Troll Bear.

An eight-hundred-year Blood Demon Berserk Bear.

A seven-hundred-year Earth Bear.

Tie Xiong looked through them one by one. This treatment was truly unmatched. A Soul Saint was helping him hunt his first soul ring, and he could even choose freely.

Flender, Zhao Wuji, Lu Qibin, and Shao Xin all looked at Tie Xiong.

They intended to leave the final choice to him.

"Dean, I want to observe these soul beasts up close before deciding!" Tie Xiong said solemnly.

The characteristics of several soul beasts kept turning over in his mind. Before coming here, he had said that any one of those bears would do.

But now that he had so many choices, he could no longer decide so casually.

He did not want to settle it so rashly. Only after seeing the real bears would he know which one suited him best.

"I knew Little Monster wouldn't make a decision so easily. Rest well today. Tomorrow, we'll go hunt soul beasts!" Flender said with a laugh and a curse.

In the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, with Soul Saints and Soul Emperors like Flender and Zhao Wuji nearby, not a single foolish soul beast came looking for trouble that night. It passed peacefully.

After a night's rest, Tie Xiong had adjusted himself to his best condition.

The first one they sought out was the nearest Vajra Bear.

Tie Xiong was very familiar with the Vajra Bear, because Zhao Wuji often used Martial Soul Possession to perform Gravity Enhancement.

But when Tie Xiong saw this Vajra Bear, he was still deeply shaken.

It was a gigantic bear covered in reddish-brown fur, standing upright at over two meters tall. Most shocking of all were the white claws on its Bear Paws. If those struck a person, would they not smash them to pieces outright?

"Vajra Bear. If we kill this soul beast, it should grant a soul skill that enhances strength-based attacks. But its Bear Paws are a little too small. Let's choose another one!" Tie Xiong said with a smile.

Flender was helpless, but he still led the group to the Earth Bear.

Tie Xiong examined it carefully. "This Earth Bear doesn't even feel as intimidating as that Vajra Bear from before. No, no!"

After that, the group saw several similar soul beasts, but Tie Xiong rejected every one of them.

Soon, they arrived at an eight-hundred-year Blood Demon Berserk Bear. The Blood Demon Berserk Bear was the martial soul of Spirit Hall's Demon Bear Douluo. Demon Bear Douluo had relied on this martial soul to cultivate to rank ninety-five.

It was undoubtedly a top-tier beast martial soul.

This Blood Demon Berserk Bear lived atop a small hill, with no other soul beasts nearby. That showed just how domineering it was.

"Compared to other bear-type soul beasts, the Blood Demon Berserk Bear is more brutal, bloodthirsty, and aggressive," Flender introduced.

Tie Xiong looked over and saw that this Blood Demon Berserk Bear differed somewhat from the Vajra Bear and Earth Bear.

Its fangs protruded from its mouth, gleaming with chilling menace. Its entire body was pitch-black, with less fur than the others. Its muscles were knotted all over, and its limbs brimmed with power. The fan-sized Bear Paws made Tie Xiong drool at first sight.

Once we kill this Evil Demon Berserk Bear, I have to eat a Bear Paw.

"This one! I want this one!" Tie Xiong said, his eyes wide.

The moment Zhao Wuji heard that, he was about to rush forward and take down the Blood Demon Berserk Bear.

"Teacher, don't interfere. Let me do it! I want to conquer this Blood Demon Berserk Bear with my own strength!" Tie Xiong shouted.