First Soul Ring!

Liu Feng tugged on the reins, but the chestnut horse beneath him still wouldn't move. It stood like a stone, its muscles taut, as if it were dead.

The Black Tiger emerged from the woods, lowering its enormous head, the character for "king" etched into its forehead, and approached Liu Feng. Its python-like tail swayed gently.

Two streams of white mist poured from its nostrils and lingered in the air.

Even with his limited experience, Liu Feng could tell this was a Soul Beast!

The two slave traders escorting him hadn't dared take the main road, but they surely wouldn't have dared venture deep into the Star Dou Great Forest, either.

And yet, right here on the outskirts—far out on the outskirts—he'd run into a genuine Soul Beast?

Thanks to the powerful perception granted by his Elf King bloodline, he could sense the immense power within the Black Tiger.

With his puny body, if he really had to fight, he probably wouldn't even make a toothpick for the Black Tiger.

"Roar...!"

The Black Tiger slowly drew closer to Liu Feng, its eyes gleaming with a frightening light.

Liu Feng noticed that the Black Tiger's tail had mutated. It was like a scorpion's stinger!

This was a Scorpion Tiger!

It wasn't as monstrous as the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, but it was still a top-tier Soul Beast.

He acted without hesitation. A flash of purple light, and the Purple Star Spirit Bow appeared in his hand.

He drew the bow and fired an arrow at the Scorpion Tiger.

Without bothering to see what happened, he clamped his legs hard around the chestnut horse. It still wouldn't move.

He simply swung himself off and sprinted away!

He ran so fast that he far surpassed the limits of the human body in his previous life.

"Roar...!"

A low tiger's roar rang out.

Liu Feng had barely run a hundred meters when a gust of wind suddenly swept over his head.

The Scorpion Tiger landed on the road ahead. Its eyes, black as onyx, held an almost human emotion.

It seemed to be laughing at Liu Feng's short legs, as if he could actually outrun it.

Liu Feng plucked the bowstring and instinctively fired a dozen arrows in rapid succession.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...!"

Every arrow shot toward the Scorpion Tiger's eyes.

Given the Scorpion Tiger's strength, Liu Feng could only hope to hurt it by targeting a few vulnerable spots.

Otherwise, he might not even manage to shoot off a few hairs!

He fired as he retreated.

He moved back toward the chestnut horse.

He was clearly less meaty than the horse. If he could draw the Scorpion Tiger's attention to it, that would be ideal.

The Scorpion Tiger raised its plump paw and easily slapped Liu Feng's light arrows out of the air.

It seemed to be getting annoyed. It roared at Liu Feng.

"Roar...!"

The grass on the ground bent away from Liu Feng.

The shock wave knocked him down, and he tumbled head over heels.

The Scorpion Tiger lightly leaped over and landed in front of Liu Feng.

One huge paw pressed down on his chest, pinning him in place.

"..."

Liu Feng still struggled, but even with the Purple Star Spirit Bow in hand, he could do little now.

As the Scorpion Tiger's enormous head drew closer and closer, he could even feel its breath!

Was he really going to die here?

There was absolutely no chance of turning things around!

Liu Feng felt unwilling to accept it. He couldn't understand why he was so unlucky.

How could he run into a Soul Beast on the outskirts of the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest?!

"If you're going to eat me, then do it! Get it over with!"

Liu Feng shut his eyes and stretched out his neck.

"Slurp...!"

The pain he'd imagined never came.

On the contrary, it felt as if someone had wiped his neck with a damp rag.

"???"

While Liu Feng was still dumbfounded, he got licked several more times.

Now his face reeked faintly.

Liu Feng opened his eyes, only to see the Scorpion Tiger looking at him with a strange "smile."

Its huge, round head looked adorably goofy, and there wasn't a hint of killing intent in its eyes!

And, though he wasn't sure if he was imagining it, Liu Feng could actually sense the Scorpion Tiger's... affection for him?

"You're not going to kill me?"

Liu Feng blinked. The Scorpion Tiger lowered its head and licked him several more times.

Liu Feng quickly pushed its enormous head away, then nervously reached out and patted it.

The Scorpion Tiger immediately narrowed its eyes and began to purr, sounding like an engine.

"!!!" Liu Feng climbed to his feet and hugged its head.

That feeling of closeness grew even stronger!

And he could faintly sense the thoughts the Scorpion Tiger was conveying.

It had sensed his aura and come running out of the Star Dou Great Forest!

"Roar..."

The Scorpion Tiger let out a low growl.

Now that Liu Feng heard it, it felt completely different from before—almost as if it were acting spoiled toward him!

"My name is Liu Feng. You want to follow me?"

The Scorpion Tiger nodded and looked at him eagerly.

Liu Feng didn't hesitate. "All right! I..."

He was just about to speak when the arm touching the tiger's head suddenly felt as if it had been shocked by electricity.

He staggered back a few steps. A purple Soul Ring slowly descended from above his head.

"!!!"

"A Soul Ring?!"

Liu Feng was stunned. He hadn't even killed a Soul Beast, and yet he'd already gained his First Soul Ring?

He looked up, only to see a faint purple glow hovering above him.

He searched through his bloodline memories, and his eyes lit up.

"Sprite Dragon!"

The Sprite Dragon was the contractual companion of the elves. It could stimulate their bloodline, allowing an elf's body to produce Soul Rings on its own.

The Sprite Dragon's growth depended on its master's growth, so its future potential was limitless.

Not only had Liu Feng been reborn as an elf, but his bloodline talent was also quite high!

Otherwise, how could he have received the Sprite Dragon's enhancement already?

And he'd even attracted the Scorpion Tiger, which had asked to become his guardian beast of its own accord.

That meant his bloodline still held even more talents waiting to be uncovered!

Liu Feng suddenly felt that his future was full of promise!

"Gurgle, gurgle..."

His stomach happened to rumble just then.

Beside a stream.

Liu Feng stood on the bank, nocked an arrow, and fired several times in quick succession. Every shot hit a fish.

For him, shooting arrows was almost entirely instinctive. He didn't need to aim at all!

This had to be another talent from his Elf King bloodline!

He had the Scorpion Tiger start a fire, then sat beside it and roasted the fish.

Ordinary elves supposedly disliked meat, but he was different.

The fish sizzled as it roasted, fat bubbling on its surface.

Meanwhile, he began studying his First Soul Skill.

"Ghostly Phantom..."

"Increases mental strength. Arrows can turn invisible intermittently after being fired, or become completely invisible in the dark. Reduces air resistance and the sound of wind, and carries the Annihilation trait, clinging to its target like a bone-deep curse. It can also pursue enemies relentlessly, never stopping until they're dead."

Liu Feng leaned against the Scorpion Tiger and looked around.

His purple eyes quickly spotted a cicada perched on a leaf twenty meters up, shrilling sharply.

"Whoosh...!"

Purple light flashed. In the next instant, it appeared beside the cicada's wing.

The gust of air it stirred up blew the cicada straight off the leaf.

The cicada beat its wings in midair and was about to fly away.

The light arrow that had already shot past suddenly turned around!

"Whoosh...!"

The arrow hit the cicada squarely.

In an instant, the cicada vanished completely from the air.

"Roar...!"

The Scorpion Tiger gave an approving roar.

Liu Feng smiled. With his archery skills and Soul Power, he finally had a little more confidence in his ability to survive!

"Fish time...!"

"Little brother, your grilled fish smells delicious."

A pleasant voice rang out from behind him.

Liu Feng was slightly startled. He hadn't sensed anyone approaching at all!

"Roar...!"

The Scorpion Tiger hurriedly got to its feet and warily turned toward the rear.

In the dim woods, a graceful figure in green slowly emerged.