Yu Xiaogang had no idea how things worked behind the scenes.
He had no idea, either, that his own temperament had caused him to offend people he shouldn't have.
Though the other party was indeed a nobody in his eyes, before he had absolute strength of his own, that person might be a nobody by status, but in terms of strength, they saw him as an ant.
With no other choice, he could only pick a squad at random to help him hunt a Soul Beast.
In truth, he could simply have waited for his father to emerge from seclusion and asked him to help with the Soul Hunting.
But he wanted to prove himself. He wanted to become a Soul Master right away.
Before long, a squad appeared in front of Yu Xiaogang.
The moment he saw the squad leader, Yu Xiaogang's expression darkened.
The squad leader was a Soul King named Yu Xiaolin.
He was one of the members who had taken part in the recent Genius Exchange Tournament.
He could have achieved even greater things, but had lost only because of the gap in cultivation.
Because of that, Yu Xiaolin was filled with resentment and hatred toward Yu Xiaogang.
He was among those in the clan who bore the greatest grudge against him.
"Come on, I'll take you Soul Hunting!"
Yu Xiaolin looked at Yu Xiaogang, and a harmless smile immediately spread across his face.
He looked positively warm and genial.
Anyone who didn't know better would have thought they were the best of brothers.
But to Yu Xiaogang, that smile looked so vicious, so terrifying.
I absolutely can't let them help me hunt a Soul Beast!
Yu Xiaogang grew wary, his eyes full of suspicion.
His instincts told him that if he went Soul Hunting with these people, he'd have a hard time getting the Soul Ring he wanted.
"I'm requesting a different Soul Hunting team!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Yu Xiaogang went straight to the person in charge to make his request.
"Every One-Ring Soul Master in the clan gets only one chance to go Soul Hunting. Once you've made your choice, you can't change it."
"You've already used your chance. Now you can either let them help you hunt a Soul Beast, or figure out how to do it yourself."
The person in charge spoke coldly, giving Yu Xiaogang no room to negotiate.
If Yu Xiaogang hadn't been so detestable, and hadn't crossed him, he wouldn't have minded helping him switch teams. After all, he was the Sect Master's son.
No matter how useless he was, he still deserved certain privileges.
But what Yu Xiaogang had done had truly left a bad taste in his mouth. Why should he help him?
"I refuse to let you hunt a Soul Beast for me."
After hesitating for a moment, Yu Xiaogang still chose not to let the squad help him with his Soul Hunting.
He was genuinely afraid that if he let them help, something unexpected would happen.
He refused angrily, then left at once.
"Interesting. This is really interesting. I wonder what our young Sect Master will do next?"
Yu Xiaolin watched the direction Yu Xiaogang had gone, a smile on his face, though his eyes were full of coldness and murderous intent.
If Yu Xiaogang had let them help him hunt a Soul Beast, they really wouldn't have been able to do much.
After all, he was the Sect Master's son. Tampering with his Soul Ring would cause a great deal of trouble.
At most, they could make him suffer a little during the hunt.
They were, after all, the clan's Soul Hunting team, and had to follow the rules.
But if Yu Xiaogang paid someone to help him with his Soul Hunting, that would be a different story entirely.
Just as expected, Yu Xiaogang was now preparing to pay someone to help him hunt a Soul Beast.
He still had quite a bit of money on him.
Before long, he found a suitable Soul Hunting team.
Yu Xiaogang had no idea that after he and the team had agreed on the terms of their Soul Hunting arrangement, they soon got in touch with Yu Xiaolin.
After a private discussion, both parties left in high spirits.
Once everything was ready, the Soul Hunting team took Yu Xiaogang out to hunt a Soul Beast.
There was an area in Thunder Canyon where the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan kept Soul Beasts in captivity specifically to help clan disciples hunt their first few Soul Rings.
Among them were plenty of Sub-Dragon Soul Beasts.
The team didn't openly make things difficult for Yu Xiaogang, since he had paid them.
Throughout the journey, they took attentive care of him and didn't let him suffer in the slightest.
They even told him what to keep in mind when entering the Soul Beast Forest.
They really did provide excellent service.
This put Yu Xiaogang's uneasy heart at ease.
As the people around him treated him with ever-greater respect, he gradually began to get carried away again.
He started to feel as if he were somehow above them.
What Yu Xiaogang didn't know was that, though these people treated him with great respect and were perfectly pleasant toward him,
their actions were the complete opposite of what they showed on the surface.
Before the hunt, Yu Xiaogang had clearly agreed with them on all sorts of terms for the expedition.
Hunting a Ten-Year Soul Beast cost the least, while a Hundred-Year Soul Beast came at a different price. And the longer the hunt took, the more Gold Soul Coins he'd have to pay.
The price went up with every passing day.
So the places this Soul Hunting team took Yu Xiaogang were all wrong for the Soul Ring age he needed.
There were Hundred-Year Soul Beasts and Ten-Year Soul Beasts, but not a single one with Sub-Dragon attributes.
No matter how useless he was, Yu Xiaogang had still spent a long time studying Soul Master theory. He knew perfectly well that his first Soul Ring should ideally come from a Sub-Dragon Soul Beast.
Five or six days passed in the blink of an eye, and they still hadn't found a target.
During those five or six days, Yu Xiaogang had nearly spent all his Gold Soul Coins.
There was nothing he could do. Although this Soul Hunting team provided excellent service, everything came with a price.
During the process, they'd also guided Yu Xiaogang, introducing him to all kinds of Soul Beasts in the Soul Hunting Forest and helping him learn more about Martial Souls and Soul Beasts.
Yu Xiaogang had become absorbed in it, too.
Not only did he not think anything was wrong, he even felt that the Soul Hunting Squad was providing considerate service.
He was the classic fool who got sold off and still helped count the money.
"Captain, aren't there any Hundred-Year Soul Beasts with Sub-Dragon attributes around here?"
Yu Xiaogang wanted to keep studying for longer, learning more about Soul Beasts under the Soul Hunting Squad's protection.
But the money in his pouch could no longer cover the costs.
So much time had passed, and he still hadn't found a Soul Ring suited to him.
He immediately grew anxious.
"Xiaogang, there are indeed Hundred-Year Sub-Dragon Soul Beasts, but they all live deep in the Soul Beast Forest. There are also Thousand-Year or Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts guarding them."
"Once you go in there, the slightest mistake could get someone killed."
"These team members are all my closest friends and family, brothers who've faced countless life-and-death situations alongside me. As captain, I have to take responsibility for them. I can't take them into a place with Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts lurking around. I'm truly helpless."
The Soul Hunting Squad's captain looked at Yu Xiaogang with an aggrieved expression.
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