Breaking Through Level 20, His Second Soul Beast

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

Xiao Qing sat cross-legged on a stone padded with sheepskin. The Soul Power within him circulated faster and faster, and his aura steadily rose.

"Whoosh—"

Xiao Qing slowly exhaled a mouthful of stale air and opened his eyes. He could clearly feel his Soul Power surging within him like a stream, having broken through that crucial bottleneck—his Soul Power had reached level 20!

Two years had passed.

Not only had Xiao Qing successfully escaped Clear Spring Village, but he had also raised his Soul Power from level 7 to level 20.

His rate of cultivation had already surpassed that of the vast majority of Soul Masters in this world, enough to make countless factions extend offers to him.

Xiao Qing knew that the main reason he had progressed so quickly was the Soul Power he received whenever Xiao Feng absorbed experience points and increased his cultivation age.

Each time Xiao Feng gained a year of cultivation, Xiao Qing's Soul Power increased by a small amount.

Thus, over these two years, Xiao Feng had grown from twenty-three years to its current eight hundred and seventy-nine years, providing Xiao Qing with a considerable amount of Soul Power in return.

"Xiao Feng, thank you."

Xiao Qing looked at Xiao Feng, resting beside him, and quietly thanked him.

Of course, risk and opportunity went hand in hand.

Once, while searching for an opponent, Xiao Qing was targeted by a Hundred-Year Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear. Xiao Feng had been badly injured protecting him, its belly slashed open by several wounds deep enough to expose bone.

Although Xiao Qing had seized the opportunity to use Jade Phosphorus Throat-Sealing Poison and successfully killed the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, Xiao Feng's injuries had been too severe. Even after Xiao Qing fed him a Vermilion Fruit, it still took Xiao Feng a month to recover.

That battle had made Xiao Qing fully realize that although Xiao Feng's attacks were sharp and his speed astonishing, defense remained his weakness.

That was why Xiao Qing planned to choose a defensive Soul Beast as his second Soul Beast.

"Xiao Feng."

At Xiao Qing's call, Xiao Feng immediately got up from his rest and affectionately rubbed his head against Xiao Qing's hand, letting out a low whine.

"Eight hundred and seventy-nine years of cultivation. Xiao Feng, you've grown even faster than I imagined."

Xiao Qing stroked the fur on Xiao Feng's neck and spoke in an even tone.

"Xiao Feng, today we're going to find ourselves a new teammate!"

Xiao Qing unfolded the map in his hands. Several circles and symbols had been marked on it in charcoal.

These were his records of exploring the nearby forest over the past two years. He had noted where different Soul Beasts lived, their approximate ages, and their habits.

His finger stopped over a place marked Black Rock Valley. It was the habitat of the Iron Armor Bear.

This Soul Beast was renowned for its defense. Once fully grown, its body was covered in a rock-like shell that swords and blades could scarcely harm.

More importantly, the Iron Armor Bear had terrifying offensive power to match its outstanding defense. A single swipe of its paw could shatter a boulder.

If he could capture an Iron Armor Bear around five hundred years old, it could form an offense-defense combination with Xiao Feng and multiply Xiao Qing's strength.

"Iron Armor Bears prefer to live alone, but they're extremely cautious. A head-on fight isn't the best plan."

Xiao Qing murmured to himself, shifting his gaze to Flame Ridge beside Black Rock Valley, where the Blazing Lions lived.

These fire-attribute Soul Beasts were not only ferocious attackers, but also irritable and quick-tempered, with an extremely strong sense of territory.

Most importantly, the two places were close together, which often led to clashes 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 powdered Rage Mushroom, which could stimulate a Soul Beast's urge to attack. The large jar held an attractant that Xiao Qing had reformulated.

"Xiao Feng, we're going to play director this time."

For the next three days, Xiao Qing repeatedly traveled between Black Rock Valley and Flame Ridge.

His targets were an Iron Armor Bear more than five hundred years old and a Blazing Lion over six hundred years old. He carefully recorded when they patrolled their territories and searched for the ideal spot.

In the end, he chose a narrow valley. Its entrance was just wide enough for two large Soul Beasts to pass side by side. High rock walls rose on either side, and rocks of all sizes littered the valley floor.

On the morning of the fourth day, Xiao Qing got up early and set to work.

Along the paths that an Iron Armor Bear over five hundred years old and a Blazing Lion over six hundred years old were sure to take, he placed small amounts of attractant to lead them toward the valley.

Then he scattered Rage Mushroom powder all over the valley entrance. As soon as they arrived, they would inhale the powder, which would stir up an inexplicable fury.

Finally, he stuffed the gaps in a pile of rocks at the center of the valley with attractant, in case one of the Soul Beasts arrived first and then left.

When the sun had nearly climbed directly overhead, heavy footsteps drew closer, accompanied by the sharp crack of branches snapping.

A huge creature lumbered into the valley. It stood nearly two meters tall at the shoulder, its whole body covered in gray-brown armor.

Hidden behind a rock up high, Xiao Qing watched quietly as the Iron Armor Bear entered the valley.

"About five hundred years old, well-proportioned, with an intact shell. An excellent choice."

Xiao Qing assessed it silently, while counting the seconds and calculating when the second Soul Beast would appear.

The chunks of meat coated in attractant along the way had all been eaten by the Iron Armor Bear, but its belly still wasn't full. Hunger continued to gnaw at its mind.

On top of that, the Iron Armor Bear had inhaled some Rage Mushroom powder while entering the valley. Its mood was already becoming unstable.

Just as the Iron Armor Bear lowered its head to sniff around the rocks, searching for more meat, a fiery-red figure appeared at the other end of the valley.

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

Its scarlet mane blazed like fire, and with every step it took, faint scorch marks appeared on the ground.

'Oh no, how is this Blazing Lion over nine hundred years old?!'

Xiao Qing's heart tightened. It was older than he had expected, but now that the arrow was on the string, there was no choice but to let it fly.

The Blazing Lion had followed the attractant here, too. It stood at the valley entrance and sniffed the air, clearly still hungry.

Smelling the attractant, the Blazing Lion let out a low growl and charged toward the valley floor. As it passed through the entrance, it inhaled the powder that had been stirred up.

The Iron Armor Bear was startled. It turned to face the intruder and let out a threatening growl. With its fierce sense of territory, it would never allow another Soul Beast to fight it for its food.

The Blazing Lion was just as irritable. It had never liked the Iron Armor Bear, and now that it saw the other beast blocking its food, its fury only grew.

"Roar—!"

The Blazing Lion attacked first, opening its jaws and blasting a stream of fire straight at the Iron Armor Bear.

The Iron Armor Bear neither dodged nor retreated. The flames struck its shell and burst apart, but failed to inflict any real damage.

That was the Iron Armor Bear's advantage, the reason its kind had been able to fight the Blazing Lions for so long.

Seeing its attack had no effect, the Blazing Lion didn't just stand there dumbfounded. It lunged forward, slashing with its claws and striking at the Iron Armor Bear's flank with a wave of scorching heat.

"Clang!"

A thunderous crash, like metal striking stone, echoed through the valley.

The Iron Armor Bear staggered a step from the blow, but its shell bore only a few white marks. With a furious roar, it raised its massive paw, a gust of wind sweeping around it, and slammed it toward the Blazing Lion.

The Blazing Lion leaped nimbly backward, dodging the blow. The bear's paw smashed into the ground, sending rocks flying and leaving a crater half a meter deep.

Relying on its speed, the Blazing Lion darted around, breathing fire as it searched for an opening in the Iron Armor Bear's defense.

The Iron Armor Bear, meanwhile, met every change with unchanging composure. Its defense was astonishing, and whenever it struck back with a paw, the Blazing Lion was forced to dodge with all its might.

Xiao Qing watched from a crevice in the rocks, his heart pounding.

He had underestimated the strength of a nine-hundred-year-old Soul Beast. The Blazing Lion's attacks were even more ferocious than he had anticipated.

Several times, the Blazing Lion's flaming claws came within a hair's breadth of the Iron Armor Bear's eyes. If they had struck, the battle might already have been over.