The Hunt Begins

The other students were mostly at the Soul Elder Soul King level, with two Soul Elders, one Soul Ancestor, and one Soul King.

Apart from that Soul King, none of them are worth paying special attention to.

Generally speaking, Soul Ancestor are basically ready to graduate, and Soul King can still come to the academy to participate in Soul Hunting, which proves that they have entered the Inner Court. Inner Court students mostly have some special characteristics.

If Bai Cai chooses to interfere with the Soul Hunting, that Soul King might cause some trouble.

"Aren't you going to say anything?"

Wang Dong took a few steps closer, subtly blocking his path. "I'm not some monster, why are you avoiding me?"

For Bai Cai, avoiding Wang Dong is very simple; a wide-area Spirit Detection is sufficient, without even needing to maintain high precision. Like Bai He among chickens, her radiant aura is readily apparent.

Moreover, Bai Cai had already planned to cultivate in seclusion and avoid Wang Dong; this was at most a side effect.

The Bai Cai retorted, "Isn't it okay to forget like this?"

Wang Dong flatly rejected the idea, "No way!"

Those memories, those emotions, are profound and colorful; I will remember them for a lifetime.

Therefore, avoiding it is the right choice.

The Bai Cai sighed, "Wrong time, wrong place, wrong encounter—it's bound to bring disappointment, bitterness, and disaster."

Bai Cai used to dislike riddle tellers, but many things are best left unsaid and can only be explained through riddles.

Tang San, Divine Realm, Godhood, Tang Wutong, Golden Dragon King, Silver Dragon King.

There are many reasons and justifications, but all we can do is present the riddle and let Wang Dong guess it himself.

Wang Dong pointed to himself, "Wrong?"

One mistake can negate your emotions, your memories, and your ability to change.

How cold!

How arrogant!

"If we forget each other, we can avoid many disasters."

Having shared a dormitory for a year, Bai Cai looked away and, at great risk, issued a warning.

"Disaster?"

Wang Dong was secretly alarmed, but his expression remained resolute. "No matter what disaster strikes, we'll face it together."

"Poor, poor, poor."

The Bai Cai had an indifferent expression.

"What can a Soul Elder do?"

"With your limited capacity and level of understanding, what right do you have to know the truth?"

"You have no idea how terrible those things are!"

"Go back, go back, go back to the academy, go back to the world of light."

A hint of pity appeared in her eyes, Bai Cai suddenly turned around and followed Xiao Xiao away.

Just as Wang Dong was about to leave, a stern warning and a pitying gaze immediately flashed through his mind.

Resentment, frustration, pain, and bitterness—the emotions are complex because of my belief in Bai Cai.

Despite the many riddles, Wang Dong still understood that the Bai Cai wasn't denying him, but rather leaving him out of protection.

I am weak and merely a burden, so the truth cannot be revealed; therefore, I should return to normalcy.

The Light Goddess Butterfly brought neither light nor happiness; aside from its embellished beauty, it was utterly useless.

Wang Dong summoned a hammer and recalled a Clear Sky Secret Art Realm.

Suppressing Soul Power to rapidly increase its strength is generally used for Soul Elder and above, saving valuable cultivation time.

Generally speaking, talented young Soul Master can break through to Soul Elder at the age of fifteen or sixteen, and break through to Soul Ancestor at the age of eighteen or nineteen.

However, by using the Clear Sky Secret Art to suppress Soul Power, a young Soul Master with exceptional talent may very well break through to the Soul King level before the age of twenty.

If supplemented with precious medicines, such as the essence blood of Soul Beast or Spirit Grass Pill, it is not impossible to catch a glimpse of the Soul Emperor realm.

His cultivation talent was no less than that of the two seniors in the inner courtyard. If they were considered once-in-a-century talents, he should be considered once-in-a-millennium talents.

Four years, no, not even four years, I will definitely be able to break through to the Soul Emperor level within three years.

Even though I hate cultivation, even though I hate hardship and toil.

But...

Watching the Bai Cai disappear into the distance, Wang Dong decided to return to his sect and engage in rigorous cultivation until he could meet him again and face everything together.

"I hope Xiao Xiao can help."

"At least let him remember that the girl had a terrible personality, pretended to be a boy and shared a dorm room with him for a year, and waited a long time for an answer."

Unlike their first visit to the Star Dou Forest, and unlike their first trip to the Far North for Soul Hunting, the Soul Hunting team organized by the academy moved very quickly, and in just over a day, they had already stepped into the Star Dou Forest.

Perhaps the students are strong enough, perhaps the team is well-rounded enough, or perhaps they have no shortage of so-called training, but this hastily assembled academy Soul Hunting team has only one target: Soul Beast.

After resting in the town for a night and bathing in the Morning Sun, Bai Cai officially stepped into the Star Dou Forest with the Soul Hunting Team.

Thousand-year-old Soul Beast are rarely seen at the edge of the Star Dou Forest, Hundred-Year Soul Beast are equally rare. Experienced senior students are not afraid to reveal their aura and head straight into the forest.

The withered branches and fallen leaves were very quiet, and ordinary birds and beasts were nowhere to be seen. Those ten- or Hundred-Year Soul Beast with some intelligence had already avoided the group of Bai Cai.

Many Soul Master are accustomed to concealing their aura to avoid attracting Soul Beast that are over ten thousand years old. However, the living range of Soul Beast is usually arranged according to their age. Ten -Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast mainly live in the inner area, while thousand-year-old Soul Beast mainly live in the outer area. Unless they are ferocious Soul Beast are constantly roaming around, ordinary Soul Beast rarely leave their own hunting range.

The sudden appearance of a Titan Giant Ape on the outskirts of the forest is an unprecedented event, occurring only once in ten thousand years. With the signing of the agreement between Soul Master and Ferocious Beast, the number of high-level Soul Beast roaming within the Star Dou Forest has decreased significantly, and many mid-level Soul Master above the Soul Ancestor even need to poach.

Poaching involves venturing deep into the forest, even into its core areas, to hunt rare Soul Beast. While there is a high risk of encountering high-level Soul Beast or even Ferocious Beast, the rewards are substantial.

According to records, the top Ferocious Beast in the Star Dou Forest have been in a deep slumber for at least a thousand years. Unless one does something reckless, normal hunting rarely attracts high-level Soul Beast or even Ferocious Beast.

The term "courting death" usually refers to slaughtering Soul Beast to create Soul Bone.

Normally, with the Soul King leading the team and the Soul Saint protecting them, the Soul Hunting team that Bai Cai and Xiao Xiao belong to could act with complete impunity.

The targets of the Soul Hunting Team are at most Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, and the academy prohibits the slaughter of Soul Beast to create Soul Bone. Even if roaming Soul Beast appear in this area, the Soul Saint Teacher can still handle them.

Therefore, fishing by sensing scent is much easier than relying on luck to find a target.

After a peaceful half-day in the forest, as darkness approached, the Soul Hunting Captain, nearing the Soul Emperor level, called to his teammates to prepare for the night.

"Ye Yan, Wang Tan, Xiao Xiao, Abbott, gather together to rest and prepare for the night. I'll go find some firewood."

Ye Yan is the name of the Soul Ancestor in the team. The other two are self-explanatory. However, the Soul Hunting Captain did not greet Bai Cai, as if he did not regard him as a team member, or perhaps there was some hidden reason.

However, just as the captain took a few steps, a voice rang in his mind.

[31 degrees west of south, a ten- Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, a snake, 1000 steps away; 43 degrees east of south, a ten- Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, a cat, 700 steps away.]

The captain remained outwardly calm, but suddenly stopped in his tracks.

[White...]

[Don't say it aloud, keep it like this. Soul Beast are very perceptive; they can tell.]

To be honest, I don't believe it.

The captain glanced to the side of the tent, and their eyes met instantly.

[Soul Bone?]

[Ability.]

[I don't know what special effects would allow Soul Master to monitor an area over a thousand paces away and locate snake-type and cat-type Soul Beast that are skilled at hiding and are over ten thousand years old, without using Soul Power.]

How do we communicate?

[...]

The captain looked at the Bai Cai, Bai Cai looked at the captain.

"Senior Zhou, we've already set up camp. Aren't you going to go find some firewood?"

"Soon, very soon."

The captain replied, glancing at the Bai Cai once more.

[The inner court all say you're the greatest genius in ten thousand years, but I think you're still far from it.]

How much is left?

[No more, no less.]