The First Soul Beast Choice

Xu Yuan responded with a grunt, dragging his heavy feet toward the village.

Regardless of what God King Tang San was planning, at the very least, these skills had been truly and tangibly learned.

Passing by the home of the village chief, Chen Xiao, Xu Yuan saw him sitting on the threshold weaving a bamboo basket.

The bamboo strips in Chen Xiao's hands shimmered with a pale yellow luster in the morning light; he kept his head lowered, his fingers weaving nimbly as the bamboo strips gradually formed intricate patterns in his palms.

Hearing footsteps, Chen Xiao looked up. Seeing it was Xu Yuan, a hint of a smile flashed in his cloudy eyes: "Little Yuan, where did you go this morning? Look at you, covered in sweat."

Xu Yuan stopped and smoothed out his somewhat disheveled clothes: "I was up on the mountain practicing my moves."

Chen Xiao set down the basket and brushed the bamboo shavings from his hands, his gaze falling on Xu Yuan's slightly trembling legs: "Did you practice too hard? It's good for a young man to have drive, but don't injure your muscles and bones."

He pulled a coarse porcelain water jug from behind the door and handed it over: "Drink some water and take a rest."

Xu Yuan took the jug, unscrewed the cap, and took a large gulp. The cool water slid down his throat, dispelling much of his fatigue.

He looked at the bamboo basket in Chen Xiao's hands; the body was woven tightly, yet the edges were left with a deliberate curve. It looked unremarkable, but it could hold significantly more than an ordinary basket.

Chen Xiao seemed to recall something and said: "Right, Little Yuan, you haven't eaten yet, have you? I have food at my place, come over and eat."

Xu Yuan froze for a moment, looking at the genuine smile on Chen Xiao's face, and a wave of warmth rose in his heart.

He had lived in the village for so long, and the village chief had always treated him with kindness, just like his own grandfather.

"No need, Chief," Xu Yuan scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed, "I'll just go back and grab something simple; I don't want to trouble you." He had spent the whole morning practicing the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and his body was aching, so he did want to go back and rest, but he wanted to bother the village chief even less.

Chen Xiao, however, feigned anger and glared at him, slapping the bamboo strip against the threshold: "Why are you being so polite with your grandfather? There's still warm corn porridge in the pot, and steamed sweet potatoes; they'll be stone cold if you don't eat them now."

He stood up and patted Xu Yuan's arm: "Come on, get inside. You've been practicing all morning, your stomach must be starving."

Xu Yuan nodded: "Then... thank you, Grandfather Chief."

"What's there to thank? Come in." Chen Xiao smiled and turned to walk into the house, his steps a bit unsteady but firm.

After finishing lunch, Xu Yuan returned home to soak his feet for a while before lying down to rest.

After his nap, Xu Yuan began to study the Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon, the Mysterious Jade Hand, and the Hundred Explanations of Hidden Weapons.

While practicing the Hundred Explanations of Hidden Weapons, Xu Yuan thought of something that left him speechless.

After Tang San became a god, he left it to the Tang Sect on the Douluo Continent as a legacy, but he had deleted the sections regarding medicine and poison from the inheritance.

Xu Yuan remembered that the reason Tang San gave seemed to be that it was too dangerous?

He couldn't remember clearly, but it was hard to take seriously.

During the era of the third installment, a portion of the Mysterious Heaven Skill had also been deleted by Tang San, with the same excuse that it was too dangerous.

Xu Yuan felt that if it were truly dangerous, the founder of the Tang Sect would have deleted the content long ago.

To put it bluntly, Tang San just didn't want others to learn it.

Tang San appeared to care deeply about the Tang Sect, but in reality, he didn't care at all.

The Tang Sect was merely a knot in his heart; once that knot was gone, he naturally stopped caring about the sect.

If he had truly cared about the Tang Sect, it wouldn't have fallen into decline.

During the second installment, the Clear Sky Sect had Daming and Erming protecting it, and he remembered Tang San even providing soul rings for the people of the Clear Sky Sect.

Shrek Academy had the Golden Ancient Tree during the second installment, and in the end, it was considered the number one academy in the universe.

Flender probably never imagined that the academy he originally used to swindle money would become the number one academy in the universe.

In the blink of an eye, the day to head to the Soul Hunting Forest arrived.

Over the past few days, Xu Yuan had practiced from morning until night, exhausting himself completely.

"Xu Yuan, have you packed your things?" God King Tang San asked, watching Xu Yuan pack.

Xu Yuan stuffed the last iron needle into the leather pouch at his waist and looked up at the blue phantom floating in mid-air: "Just about."

At his feet sat a small bundle containing a water jug, dry rations, and the medicine that God King Tang San had specifically told him to prepare.

"Let's go." The phantom of God King Tang San drifted toward the door first: "Go early and return early, don't miss the timing."

Xu Yuan shouldered his pack and followed him out.

Once outside, Xu Yuan used the flight ability of the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone to follow God King Tang San toward the Soul Hunting Forest.

The wind generated by their flight brushed past his ears. Xu Yuan looked down and could see the mountain forests below receding rapidly. The power of the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone supported him steadily, and he was much more proficient than when he had first used it.

Half a day of flight was not short, and Xu Yuan deliberately slowed his energy circulation to maintain a steady rhythm.

The blue phantom of God King Tang San led the way, its speed neither fast nor slow, as if it were intentionally waiting for him.

As they neared the edge of the Soul Hunting Forest, the phantom of God King Tang San stopped.

"Hurry inside, lest you be discovered by the patrolling soldiers."

Xu Yuan followed the phantom of God King Tang San as it dove down, passing through layers of leaves, and landed steadily on the leaf-strewn ground.

Looking around, Xu Yuan felt a strange sense of nervousness.

"My Lord, which one should we choose as our first soul beast?" Xu Yuan asked God King Tang San curiously.

He remembered that the other party wanted him to follow a life-attribute path, and a life-attribute path would never involve choosing a Mandala Snake.

The phantom of God King Tang San paused in mid-air, its blue light flickering twice, its tone remaining somewhat inscrutable: "No rush. The soul beasts in the Soul Hunting Forest are more complex than you imagine. Let's head deeper first and see if we encounter anything suitable."

[Hiss... which soul beast would be the better choice...]

Listening to God King Tang San's inner thoughts, Xu Yuan felt speechless; it turned out the other party hadn't even made up their mind after all this time.

Xu Yuan followed God King Tang San deeper into the forest, the fallen leaves beneath his feet crunching softly. The surrounding light gradually dimmed as the branches and leaves of the towering ancient trees nearly blotted out the sky.

Occasionally, unknown birds were startled into flight, the sound of their flapping wings sounding exceptionally clear in the silent woods.

After walking for about an hour, a rustling sound suddenly came from ahead, as if something were moving rapidly through the grass.

Xu Yuan immediately tensed his nerves, his left hand quietly pressing against the pouch at his waist.

"Careful." God King Tang San's voice came from beside him, the blue phantom already drifting in front of him, its body wreathed in defensive blue light.

Before the words had even faded, a gray shadow lunged out from the bushes, aiming straight for Xu Yuan's face!

It was a soul beast resembling a wild dog, its fur a sickly gray, saliva dripping from its jowls, and its eyes glowing with a fierce, bloodthirsty red light; its speed was astonishing.

"It is a Nether Wolf, a ten-year soul beast. They are cunning by nature and possess extreme speed; an ordinary child would have no chance of survival if they encountered one."

Xu Yuan had no time to think; he unleashed his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, his body twisting sharply to the right, narrowly dodging the Nether Wolf's pounce.

After missing its target, the wolf landed and whipped its tail around, using the momentum to turn once more, its sharp claws sweeping toward Xu Yuan's waist with a whistling sound.