"Come out, Luo Sanpao!"
"Woof woof!"
After presenting his permit and entering Soul Hunting Forest, Yu Xiaogang summoned his one-of-a-kind Martial Soul—Luo Sanpao!
It had pale purple fur, drooping little ears, big dark blue eyes, a plump body, and four short, stubby legs. It looked just like a dog—one even fatter than a pig.
A snort of laughter escaped Lan Si, his childish face crumpling as he burst out laughing.
"What's so funny?" Yu Xiaogang asked, brows furrowing. He had a feeling Lan Si was laughing at him, but he had no proof.
"N-nothing. I just think Grandmaster's Martial Soul is adorable." Lan Si crouched and stroked Luo Sanpao like he was petting a dog in his previous life.
Lan Si's affection greatly improved Luo Sanpao's impression of him. The creature rubbed its enormous head against Lan Si's calf, then rolled over to expose its belly as a friendly gesture.
Seeing Luo Sanpao cozying up to Lan Si, Yu Xiaogang's mouth twitched. He ignored Lan Si and turned to Tang San, giving him a brief explanation before continuing along the path.
Luo Sanpao led the way, with the two boys following behind.
Before long, Luo Sanpao stopped in front of an ancient tree about nine meters tall.
"Looks like we're in luck." Yu Xiaogang pointed toward it and said to Lan Si, "This Soul Power Holy Wood is over ninety years old. It hasn't reached a hundred yet, but it's very close. Choose this one. You should get a decent healing Soul Skill or one that boosts Soul Power."
Lan Si gave Yu Xiaogang a scornful look and shook his head.
"What? Are you dissatisfied with something? Don't reach too high, young man. Soul Power Holy Wood over ninety years old is already quite rare." Yu Xiaogang's face darkened. Since taking Tang San as his disciple, he had once again experienced the sting of being mocked, and his anger flared.
Tang San also sensed the tension in the air. Frowning, he advised Lan Si in a seemingly friendly tone, "You should choose this Soul Power Holy Wood. Teacher's theories can't be wrong."
"Sorry, Grandmaster, but I've made my own choice. Thank you for bringing me into Soul Hunting Forest. I'll take my leave." Lan Si sneered inwardly, tapped the ground with his toes, and leapt into a nearby tree. His figure flashed between the branches, and in a few bounds he was gone.
"Teacher, he..." Tang San stared at the spot where Lan Si had disappeared, his expression stunned and disbelief flickering in his eyes. He had never imagined Lan Si could move so nimbly. Even he, who had practiced the Mysterious Heaven Skill and Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track since childhood, could only just manage that.
But Lan Si was merely a local, and his Martial Soul was Support-type.
Grandmaster had said Support-type Soul Masters had no offensive power. Tang San had believed him without question.
Yet Lan Si had done it. He had not only easily defeated Xiao Wu, who had a Rabbit Martial Soul and Innate Full Soul Power, in the work-study students' dormitory, but could also move with such agility.
I really can't underestimate the Soul Masters of this world, Tang San thought with a sigh.
"Forget him. Those who won't heed their elders' advice learn the hard way. Let him be. This Soul Beast forest is full of dangers, so we'd better be careful." Yu Xiaogang was also astonished by Lan Si's agility, but at that moment his anger drowned out everything else.
So what if he was agile?
He was only a Support-type Soul Master with Innate Soul Power of level five, and he didn't even understand how to respect his teacher. No matter how quickly his Soul Power increased early on, he could never compare with Tang San, who had Twin Martial Souls.
Once Tang San obtained his First Soul Ring under this grandmaster's guidance, Lan Si would regret it.
"Mm." Tang San also felt dissatisfied with Lan Si. Since the other boy didn't know what was good for him, he could fend for himself.
Along the way, Lan Si came across all sorts of Soul Beasts.
There were Variegated Cats, Lone Bamboo, Short-tailed Leopards, and countless other Ten-Year Soul Beasts, but he didn't encounter a single one over a hundred years old.
"Good thing the books my parents left in the Soul Tool describe Soul Beasts. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to tell how old they are."
Standing in a tree somewhere in Soul Hunting Forest, Lan Si closed the thick book in his hands and felt quietly relieved.
He glanced up at the darkening sky, looked around, and found a secluded spot. Then he pitched his tent and scattered the snake-repelling powder he had bought in advance around it.
"Keer!"
In the middle of the night, an eagle's cry jolted Lan Si awake.
He leapt from his tent and darted outside. In the faint moonlight, he could just make out two shadows chasing each other several hundred meters away.
Only when they drew closer could Lan Si see what they were.
The pursuer was an eagle Soul Beast with a wingspan of over four meters. Its feathers were a reddish blue, thin as a cicada's wings and extraordinarily sharp. In the moonlight they gleamed with a dazzling metallic sheen. Every branch in its path was sliced clean through.
The one being chased was a snake. Its dark green body was over three meters long, nearly four, and covered in strange patterns.
One eagle chased, one snake fled. The snake wasn't badly hurt, but it was already at the end of its strength.
"So it's a Red Feather Eagle and a Datura Snake." Lan Si was both startled and delighted.
He had actually come across two Hundred-Year Soul Beasts at once.
According to the book, a Datura Snake gained a year of age for every centimeter it grew in length. This one was over three meters long, nearly four, making it close to four hundred years old.
The Red Feather Eagle's age, on the other hand, was calculated by its wingspan. It gained a year for every centimeter of wingspan. With a span of over four meters, this Red Feather Eagle had already surpassed four hundred years.
"The Datura Snake's done for. It hasn't been hurt much yet, but the Red Feather Eagle is already a little stronger, with powerful defenses and resistance to poison. On top of that, snakes are naturally at a disadvantage against eagles. It probably can't escape this time—wait, they came from the depths of Soul Hunting Forest. Could this be the same Datura Snake Tang San encountered in the original story?"
Lan Si looked around. Sure enough, the Datura Snake was heading straight for the outer reaches of Soul Hunting Forest.
Following its route, he spotted an enormous boulder a hundred meters to the right, as big as a small hill. A narrow crack split its middle, opening into a hidden space large enough for the Datura Snake to hide in.
If the Datura Snake slipped beneath the boulder, the Red Feather Eagle wouldn't be able to do a thing to it.
After all, no matter how powerful the Red Feather Eagle was, it was still just a Hundred-Year Soul Beast. It could do nothing against a boulder the size of a small hill.
"Let me give you two a hand." Lan Si chuckled, lightly tapped the ground with his toes, and used the cover of night to dart into the narrow opening ahead of the Datura Snake.
Inside, the crack opened into a hidden space, and Lan Si was small enough to move around freely.
Holding his breath, Lan Si guarded the entrance.
Before long, the rustling sound of snake scales scraping against plants came from outside.
When the sound drew close, lightning crackled around Lan Si's left hand. The Clear Sky Bamboo Shoot appeared, its tip angled down as he swung it at the Datura Snake's triangular head.
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