Self-Strengthening Group

Listening to the noisy surroundings, Tang San felt it was boisterous, but he was mostly curious; after all, this was his first contact with the world of Soul Masters.

Su Yun was the same, but her strong facial control prevented her from showing the same curiosity toward everything around her as Tang San did.

Because he had prepared beforehand, Tang San naturally knew what a Hunting Team was, but some of the terms they used still left him confused. After summarizing them slightly, he asked Su Yun.

"Yun, what is a permit?"

"A permit?"

Su Yun recalled for a moment.

"A permit is a token issued by the Martial Soul Hall, a necessity for entering state-run Soul Beast Forests.

You only need to obtain the approval of the Martial Soul Hall, confirm that your strength has reached the peak of a stage and that you need a soul ring to advance, and then have three nobles vouch for you.

Generally, nobles are very willing to provide a guarantee; after all, they only need to nod, and they can gain the favor of a Soul Master—it's a guaranteed profit.

However, these permits are one-time use and are recovered after the hunt."

"I see."

Tang San nodded gently.

"Then if we don't have a permit, wouldn't we..."

"Just spend a few Gold Soul Coins."

As she spoke, Su Yun scanned her surroundings. There were many people in the crowd holding permanent tokens and selling hunting qualifications for 10 Gold Soul Coins each. She prepared to find someone who looked reliable.

Just then, a youth of seventeen or eighteen walked over.

"You two, are you planning to hunt for a soul ring?"

"Yes."

Su Yun didn't know what the other party wanted, but she still nodded. Hearing this, the youth was delighted.

"Great! We are also hunting. Would you like to join our Self-Strengthening Hunting Team?

Our team currently has five 10th-level Soul Masters. Although none of us have soul rings yet, we are very strong and possess a permit. As long as you join, you can enjoy free treatment without spending extra Gold Soul Coins.

After entering the Soul Beast Forest, we can help each other and hunt soul beasts together to obtain soul rings."

Hearing the youth rattle on, Su Yun was actually inclined to refuse.

Her original plan was to spend some money to enter the Soul Beast Forest, find a place near the edge, purchase a soul ring from the system shop, and set up a script to wait for a soul beast to attack them.

Safe, simple, and fast.

But Tang San did not know all of this.

In his mind, just finding a soul beast would take a long time, and given the uncertainty of a soul beast's strength, he felt it would be safer with this group of people.

This wasn't because Tang San thought the Self-Strengthening Team was strong; in the 10th-level Soul Master bracket, he was confident that he and Su Yun could leave everyone else in the dust.

It was mainly because if they really encountered danger, those five would serve as meat shields to cover the retreat—as everyone knows, the ones who run slowly are the front line.

Thinking of this, Tang San nodded.

"Sure!"

Hearing this, the youth was overjoyed, his face very eager.

"Great, with you two, the group is complete, and we can set off immediately. By the way, my name is Jiang Min. How should I address you both?"

Su Yun first pointed to herself.

"My name is Han Li."

Then she pointed to Tang San.

"His name is Li Feiyu."

This was something the two had discussed on the carriage: use aliases when away from home.

"Alright, then I'll call you Xiao Li and Xiao Li."

Seeming to feel that was too close, Jiang Min corrected himself.

"...Uh... Xiao Feiyu, then."

Since they weren't their real names anyway, Su Yun and Tang San naturally agreed.

"That's fine."

"No problem."

"Good! I'll take you to meet the other team members first."

Jiang Min waved his hand, signaling the two to follow.

"You two must still be in a Soul Master Academy, right? To reach level 10 at such a young age, you really are geniuses."

"It's alright."

"You two have a very good relationship. Are you classmates from the same academy?"

"We are siblings."

"I take my father's surname, and he takes our mother's."

"Uh... no wonder your surnames are different, though your given names are quite similar."

Jiang Min chatted idly with Su Yun and Tang San as they walked.

He wasn't particularly surprised that the two had come out to hunt for a soul ring; at most, he felt they were a bit young.

After all, the resources of a junior Soul Master Academy were limited. They wouldn't proactively accompany every student on long-term soul hunting trips, but rather focused on them before graduation. If a student reached level ten during this process, they either had to hunt for a soul ring themselves or hire someone to help.

By the same token, if one's talent was insufficient and they hadn't reached level ten by graduation, they would be held back. Once they had been held back for three years without meeting the graduation requirements, they would be expelled.

Jiang Min was the latter; after being expelled, he trained bitterly until he finally reached level ten. Lacking the money to hire someone for a soul hunt, he had to form his own group, though fortunately, there were quite a few people in his situation.

Having felt that the distance between them had narrowed, Jiang Min pretended to ask casually.

"What are your Martial Souls?"

Su Yun knew this was a probe to gauge their bottom line. Since they were going to help each other hunt soul beasts, they needed to confirm each other's strength, so he spoke directly.

"My Martial Soul is a Tool Martial Soul, the Shadow Scythe."

Jiang Min nodded.

"That sounds like a very powerful Martial Soul. And you? Xiao Feiyu."

"My Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass."

"Er..."

Hearing Tang San's reply, Jiang Min's footsteps faltered, and he turned his head to stare at Tang San with an expression of disbelief.

"Blue Silver Grass?"

"Yes."

Tang San's expression remained unchanged as he continued calmly.

"It is the trash Martial Soul you are thinking of."

Hearing Tang San's affirmative answer, Jiang Min couldn't keep his composure. He stopped in his tracks and stammered, "Your Martial Soul..."

Before Jiang Min could finish his sentence, Tang San exerted force through his legs, instantly appearing in front of Jiang Min, and said nonchalantly.

"Is this enough? I am only going in to accompany my younger sister; you don't need to help me hunt for a soul ring. On the contrary, I will help you."

"Enough, enough!"

Jiang Min nodded repeatedly. The display Tang San had just shown was already far superior to his own.

What did it matter if it was Blue Silver Grass? Without a soul ring, it was all about physical strength and speed.

Besides, the boy had already said he didn't need help hunting for a soul ring and would even offer assistance.

Jiang Min even began to wonder if this kid named Li Feiyu had already obtained a soul ring and become a one-ring Soul Master; otherwise, how could he possess such strength?

It was hard to wrap his head around the idea that a trash Martial Soul like Blue Silver Grass could become a one-ring Soul Master.

While sighing, he also felt a sense of schadenfreude. With Tang San's talent, he was clearly a genius, but it was a pity he had a Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.

Thinking of this, Jiang Min even felt a bit smug. So what if your talent is good? Once I obtain my first soul ring, I'll be able to beat you to a pulp.

Thinking this, Jiang Min resumed walking, leading the two of them forward.

They soon arrived at the temporary gathering spot of the Self-Strengthening Group. There were four people there, all looking to be sixteen or seventeen years old. Including Su Yun, Tang San, and Jiang Min, there were exactly seven people.

Jiang Min stepped forward quickly and said with a smile.

"Alright, the people are here! Our Self-Strengthening Group is finally complete."