Breaking Through Level Twenty, Second Spirit Beast

Outside the tree hollow, the morning mist had yet to fully dissipate.

Xiao Qing sat cross-legged on a stone cushioned with sheepskin, his internal soul power circulating faster and faster as his aura steadily climbed.

"Hoo—"

Xiao Qing slowly exhaled a breath of stale air and opened his eyes. He could clearly feel his soul power surging like a mountain stream, having broken through that critical bottleneck—his soul power had reached level twenty!

Two years.

Xiao Qing had not only successfully escaped from Clear Spring Village but had also raised his soul power from level seven to level twenty.

Such a cultivation speed already surpassed the vast majority of soul masters in this world, enough to make countless factions scramble to extend him an olive branch.

Xiao Qing knew clearly that the reason he could progress so quickly was mainly due to the soul power feedback he received whenever Xiao Feng absorbed experience points to increase its age.

For every year of cultivation Xiao Feng gained, Xiao Qing would receive a tiny increase in soul power.

Therefore, over these two years, as Xiao Feng grew from twenty-three years to its current eight hundred and seventy-nine years, the soul power feedback provided to Xiao Qing had been quite substantial.

"Xiao Feng, thank you."

Xiao Qing looked at Xiao Feng, who was coiled up resting beside him, and whispered his thanks.

Of course, risks and opportunities went hand in hand.

During one search for an opponent, a century-old Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear had set its sights on Xiao Qing. To save him, Xiao Feng had been severely wounded by the bear, its belly slashed with wounds deep enough to reveal bone.

Although Xiao Qing had seized the opportunity to use the Jade Phosphorus Throat-Sealing Poison to successfully kill the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, Xiao Feng's injuries were too grave. Even after Xiao Qing fed it a Vermilion Fruit, it took a full month for Xiao Feng to recover.

After this battle, Xiao Qing realized thoroughly that while Xiao Feng's attacks were sharp and its speed astonishing, its defense remained its weak point.

This was why Xiao Qing was prepared to choose a defensive-type soul beast as his second soul beast.

"Xiao Feng."

At Xiao Qing's call, the resting Xiao Feng instantly stood up, affectionately nuzzling Xiao Qing's hand with its head while emitting a low, whirring sound in its throat.

"Eight hundred and seventy-nine years of cultivation; your growth is even faster than I imagined, Xiao Feng."

Xiao Qing stroked the fur on Xiao Feng's neck, his tone calm.

"Xiao Feng, today we must go find a new teammate!"

Xiao Qing unfolded a map in his hands, marked with multiple circles and symbols in charcoal.

This was his record of exploring the nearby forest over the past two years, noting where soul beasts were, their approximate age, and their habits.

His finger stopped at a place marked as Black Rock Valley, the habitat of the Iron Armor Bear.

This type of soul beast was renowned for its defense; once mature, its body would be covered in a layer of rock-like armor, impervious to blades and swords.

More importantly, the Iron Armor Bear was not only outstanding in defense but also possessed terrifying attack power, capable of shattering giant boulders with a single swipe.

If he could capture an Iron Armor Bear of about five hundred years and form an offense-defense combination with Xiao Feng, Xiao Qing's strength would increase exponentially.

"Iron Armor Bears prefer to live alone, but they are extremely vigilant; a head-on confrontation is not the best strategy."

Xiao Qing muttered to himself, his gaze shifting to the Flame Ridge next to Black Rock Valley, where Blazing Lions resided.

This fire-attribute soul beast was not only violent in its attacks but also had a short, irritable temper and an extremely strong sense of territory.

Most importantly, the two locations were close, which often led to conflicts between the Blazing Lions and the Iron Armor Bears.

A plan gradually took shape in Xiao Qing's mind.

"We need a little 'catalyst'."

Xiao Qing put away the map and took a bottle and a jar from his cloth bag.

The bottle contained powder ground from Rage Mushrooms, which could stimulate a soul beast's desire to attack; the large jar held the lure he had reformulated.

"Xiao Feng, we are going to be directors for once."

Over the next three days, Xiao Qing frequently shuttled between the border of Black Rock Valley and Flame Ridge.

His targets were a five-hundred-plus-year-old Iron Armor Bear and a six-hundred-plus-year-old Blazing Lion. He carefully recorded the times they patrolled their territories to find the best location.

Finally, he selected a narrow mountain valley where the entrance was only wide enough for two large soul beasts to pass side-by-side, flanked by towering rock walls, with rocks of various sizes scattered across the valley floor.

On the fourth day, Xiao Qing got up early to work.

He placed small doses of the lure along the paths the five-hundred-year-old Iron Armor Bear and the six-hundred-year-old Blazing Lion were bound to take, guiding them toward the valley.

Next, he scattered the Rage Mushroom powder all over the valley entrance; once they arrived, they would inevitably inhale the powder, triggering an inexplicable rage.

Finally, Xiao Qing stuffed the center of the valley's rock pile with the lure to prevent one soul beast from arriving first and running away.

By the time the sun climbed to the top of Xiao Qing's head, a heavy sound of footsteps approached from afar, accompanied by the crisp snapping of tree branches.

A behemoth slowly walked into the valley. It stood nearly two meters at the shoulder, its entire body covered in grayish-brown armor.

Xiao Qing hid behind a high rock, quietly watching the Iron Armor Bear enter the valley.

"About five hundred years, well-proportioned, armor intact without damage—an excellent choice."

Xiao Qing evaluated it in his heart while silently counting, calculating the time for the second soul beast to appear.

The meat chunks coated with the lure along the path had already been eaten by the Iron Armor Bear, yet its stomach remained unsatisfied, and hunger continued to stimulate its brain.

Furthermore, because the Iron Armor Bear had inhaled some Rage Mushroom powder upon entering the valley, its temperament was already becoming somewhat unstable.

Just as the Iron Armor Bear lowered its head to sniff the surrounding rocks in an attempt to find more meat, a fiery red figure appeared at the other end of the valley.

It was a Blazing Lion; its physique was slightly smaller than the Iron Armor Bear, but its aura was far more violent.

Its fiery red mane looked like burning flames, and with every step it took, faint scorch marks were left upon the ground.

Not good, how is this Blazing Lion nine hundred years old!

Xiao Qing's heart tightened; the age was higher than he had anticipated, but the arrow was already on the string, and he had no choice but to fire.

The Blazing Lion had also followed the lure to this location. It stood at the valley entrance and sniffed, clearly not having eaten its fill either.

Upon smelling the lure, the Blazing Lion let out a low growl and accelerated toward the valley floor. As it passed the entrance, it successfully inhaled the stirred-up powder.

The Iron Armor Bear was startled. It turned to face the intruder and let out a threatening low growl. Possessing an extremely strong sense of territory, it would never allow another soul beast to compete for its food.

The Blazing Lion was equally irritable. It had never held any affection for the Iron Armor Bear, and now, seeing the opponent blocking its food, its fury burned even brighter.

"Roar--!"

The Blazing Lion launched the first attack, opening its mouth to spew a stream of flame breath directly at the Iron Armor Bear.

The Iron Armor Bear did not dodge or evade. The flames struck its carapace and scattered, yet failed to inflict any substantial damage.

This was the advantage that allowed the Iron Armor Bear species to contend with the Blazing Lion for so long.

Seeing that its attack had no effect, the Blazing Lion did not remain rooted to the spot. It lunged forward, swinging its sharp claws, which carried a scorching heat, toward the Iron Armor Bear's flank.

"Clang!"

A sound like metal striking stone echoed through the valley.

The Iron Armor Bear was knocked back a step, but only a few white marks were left on its carapace. It roared angrily, raised its massive bear paw, and brought it down fiercely toward the Blazing Lion, accompanied by a gust of wind.

The Blazing Lion nimbly jumped backward, avoiding the strike. The bear paw slammed into the ground, sending gravel flying and leaving a half-meter-deep crater.

Relying on its speed advantage, the Blazing Lion circled constantly, spitting flames and searching for gaps in the Iron Armor Bear's defense.

The Iron Armor Bear, meanwhile, met all changes with constancy. Its defense was astonishing, and every time it launched a counter-strike, it forced the Blazing Lion to dodge with all its might.

Xiao Qing watched from the rock crevice, his heart pounding.

He had underestimated the strength of a nine-hundred-year soul beast; the Blazing Lion's attacks were even more violent than he had expected.

Several times, the Blazing Lion's flaming claws had grazed past the Iron Armor Bear's eyes. Had the Blazing Lion landed those hits, the battle might have already ended.