Forming a Team to Hunt Beasts

When it came to their backgrounds, two of the four people present fell into a somber state, which caught Xiao Yan off guard.

Good grief, he had only spoken casually, yet he hadn't expected both of them to be the type with tragic histories.

"Let's not talk about that. By the way, Brother Yuhao, is your Martial Soul... eyes?"

"Ah... yes, but Xiao Yan, how did you know?"

Huo Yuhao was startled, wondering how his own affairs had come up. He tilted his head; although he was much more mature than children of his own age, in Xiao Yan's eyes, he still appeared somewhat naive.

"Heh, just a guess."

"Wow... then, what is your Martial Soul?"

Huo Yuhao looked at Xiao Yan, curious.

Xiao Yan curled his lips into a light smile, and at the same time, he stimulated his soul power, summoning the Xiao Fire Dragon that had been sleeping in his dantian.

"Come out, Xiao Fire Dragon!"

"Cha!"

The golden Xiao Fire Dragon appeared before everyone. However, due to the fierce battle not long ago, the Xiao Fire Dragon appeared somewhat listless, yet it still left Beibei and Tang Ya dumbfounded.

"This... what kind of Martial Soul is this? It looks like a fire type, but it's golden all over. Could it be an earth type? A lizard Martial Soul?"

Xiao Yan was taken aback and said solemnly:

"What lizard? This is a proper fire dragon, even if it doesn't have dragon bloodline."

"Can something without a dragon bloodline even be called a dragon..."

Beibei was speechless and retorted. Xiao Yan looked at him and raised an eyebrow:

"Then let me ask you, if you put a Xiao Fire Dragon and an Alolan Exeggutor with a ten-meter-tall neck together, which one is a dragon?"

"Of course it's the Xiao Fire Dragon! Not to mention whether it has dragon bloodline, is that 'coconut tree' you mentioned a dragon?"

"Exactly. An Alolan Exeggutor is Dragon-type, while the Xiao Fire Dragon is Fire-type. But wait until my Xiao Fire Dragon evolves once... twice... and then Mega evolves into a Duraludon, then it will be Dragon-type."

Beibei opened his mouth, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

Fine, there was no reasoning with this guy who saw dragons in everything and spouted nonsense.

Xiao Yan also knew he couldn't communicate with these natives of another world. After all, without having seen a Pokédex, it was hard to imagine that a group of creatures completely unrelated to dragons could be Dragon-type, while a group of guys with "dragon" in their names were not.

For example, Charizard, as well as Gyarados and Tropius.

Speaking of Martial Souls, Xiao Yan suddenly remembered that the three people before him seemed to have come to the Star Dou Forest specifically to hunt soul beasts and obtain soul rings.

He looked at the Xiao Fire Dragon and said deliberately:

"Sigh, I originally came to the Star Dou Forest intending to obtain my first soul ring. My Martial Soul awakened three years ago, and I've only just reached level ten after cultivating until now. It's truly shameful."

"Ah? Three years ago? Then aren't you... only nine years old?"

Huo Yuhao widened his eyes as he looked at Xiao Yan, and Xiao Yan nodded.

"That's right. Besides, our village recommended me to study at Shrek Academy this year. Look, this is the recommendation letter for Shrek Academy."

Feigning ignorance and innocence, he fished the recommendation letter out from his bosom.

"Ah! It really is an admission recommendation letter for Shrek Academy! Little Brother Xiao, you've got a real treasure here!"

Tang Ya carefully examined it, confirming that the wax seal and stamp of Shrek Academy were genuine, before handing it back to Xiao Yan:

"However, you must remember, you shouldn't show such a good thing to just anyone. It's only because you showed it to us. Our Tang Sect has one quota every year to recommend a student for the Shrek Academy entrance interview."

"As it happens, this year's went to Yuhao, and since we are both senior students at Shrek Academy, we won't be snatching your recommendation letter."

Only then did Xiao Yan put on a look of sudden realization and nodded.

"Okay, Big Sister Tang Ya, I will be careful."

After carefully putting away the letter, Tang Ya pursed her lips and tentatively mentioned:

"By the way, Little Brother Xiao Yan, since you are also here to hunt soul beasts, are you planning to enroll in the academy afterward?"

"Ah, yes, that is my intention. Since you are senior students at Shrek Academy, are you also here to hunt for soul rings?"

"Yes, yes... hey, why don't we team up? After we finish hunting our soul beast, we can help you hunt yours, and then we can all go back to Shrek Academy together!"

Hearing this, Xiao Yan showed an expectant look, appearing somewhat excited:

"Really? That's great! I was just worrying about not being able to beat a soul beast. I encountered a giant turtle earlier that stirred up monstrous waves; it was simply too powerful. Since I have a fire-attribute Martial Soul, I was severely countered by it, which is why I was knocked unconscious. Come to think of it, I have to thank you for saving me."

"It was just a small favor, a small favor. However, Little Brother Xiao Yan, since your Martial Soul is fire-type, it's best to hunt fire-type soul beasts. That water-type turtle isn't suitable for you. Let's go deeper into the forest to find other soul beasts."

Tang Ya covered her mouth and chuckled, and Xiao Yan nodded, casually agreeing with a few words.

While they were talking, Huo Yuhao had actually speared a few more fish from the water. After a flurry of activity, everyone ended up with two grilled fish in their hands. Tang Ya, in particular, grabbed two at once and ate them with great delight.

"Mmm... Yuhao, your skill at grilling fish is truly superb!"

She praised Huo Yuhao's craft while eating, making the blue-haired boy lower his head in embarrassment, only scratching his head repeatedly with his hand.

"It's not that good..."

Once everyone had eaten their fill and rested well, Xiao Yan took the opportunity to meditate and recover some soul power. When the sunlight spilled down once more, it was another morning.

Xiao Yan was awakened from his meditation by Beibei. After a simple cleanup and a meal of Huo Yuhao's grilled fish, everyone was ready to set off and hunt soul beasts.

Whether they were luckier than Xiao Yan and Xiao Yulü or not, as they walked through the forest, they only encountered a pack of Wind Baboons composed of ten-year soul beasts. After a long trek, they finally found a target that met Tang Ya's requirements.

It was a large snake, about three to four meters long, entirely peach-red, with a small flower on its head emitting a fragrance.

"It's a Datura Snake! Wow, a thousand-year-level one, that's great! I want this one!"

Tang Ya, upon seeing such a giant creature, was not surprised but delighted, exclaiming in a sweet voice.

Xiao Yan observed carefully. The Datura Snake was coiled around a large tree, resting and unaware of their presence.

"Beibei, you and I will go up and try to kill this Datura Snake quickly, then leave it with just enough life for Sister Ya to obtain her soul ring."

Beibei looked at the young man, a smile curling his lips:

"No need. Teacher Ya, you protect these two!"

With that, Beibei let out a low roar, his martial soul revealed, his soul rings shining. He was, astonishingly, a three-ringed Soul Elder with two yellow and one purple soul rings!

"First soul skill, Thunder Dragon Claw!"

Blue lightning roared, and a dragon claw condensed from lightning shot out, striking the Datura Snake.

The Datura Snake was extremely agile. Although ambushed, it reacted. The moment Beibei's attack was launched, it suddenly sprang up, leaping into mid-air.

However, Beibei advanced instead of retreating. His second soul ring lit up, and he roared again:

"Second soul skill, Thunderous Might!"

Countless tiny lightning snakes suddenly enlarged, transforming into a net of lightning that enveloped the Datura Snake.

"Good control!"

Xiao Yan shouted, then roared loudly, commanding:

"Xiao Fire Dragon, Spark!"