Heading to the Star Dou Great Forest

Ye Feng wished he could rush up right now and smash that nauseating face into a pulp.

It was just hateful that his current abilities were not enough.

Just wait! When the time comes to leave Nuoding City, he would definitely find an opportunity to give this clown a brutal beating!

"Hmph! Let's see what kind of waves you can make without the academy's help!"

Yu Xiaogang was trembling with rage, leaving behind a harsh threat:

"Don't go dying in the Soul Hunting Forest!"

After saying this, he stormed out and slammed the door behind him.

As soon as he left, Aolan and the others immediately swarmed in.

"That clown of a master! How infuriating!"

Aolan cursed indignantly:

"Brother Feng, should we find a chance to beat him up?"

"Don't any of you be impulsive!"

Ye Feng raised a hand to stop them:

"Although this guy is a theoretical failure, he is still a level 29 Soul Grand Master. If we fight him head-on, we are no match for him."

"Oh!"

Wang Sheng's eyes lit up, and he chuckled:

"I understand what you mean, Brother Feng!"

"What do you understand?"

Ye Feng shot him a glance.

"Everyone, hurry up and cultivate!"

Ye Feng's voice suddenly turned cold as he swept his gaze over the group.

"Don't let it be that I've graduated while you lot are still idling away your time in this academy!"

As his voice fell, the entire dormitory fell into dead silence. The boys, who had been filled with righteous indignation just a moment ago, all wilted, lowering their heads and not daring to make a sound.

Ye Feng looked at their appearance and sighed inwardly.

They were only children, after all.

"Alright, go and cultivate."

Ye Feng waved his hand, his tone softening slightly:

"The sooner you become a Soul Master, the sooner you can shed the status of a work-study student. Don't forget the purpose for which we came here."

"Yes, Brother Feng!"

The group responded in unison, dispersing to return to their respective beds.

Watching the dormitory return to an atmosphere of cultivation, Ye Feng finally turned around to start packing his meager belongings.

The academy's vacation would officially begin tomorrow.

Early the next morning, before the sky had fully brightened.

Ye Feng stood at the entrance of Dormitory Seven with a small bundle on his back.

Aolan, Wang Sheng, and the others had insisted on seeing him off.

"Brother Feng, are you sure you don't want us to go with you? An extra person means extra support!"

Aolan said in a muffled voice, his face full of worry.

The Soul Hunting Forest was no place to play around.

"That's right, Brother Feng. Even if we can't be of much help, we can still run errands or keep watch!"

Wang Sheng also chimed in eagerly.

Ye Feng smiled and patted Aolan's sturdy shoulder.

"Alright, I appreciate your intentions, but the soul beast I'm looking for this time is a bit special. Having more people around would actually be inconvenient."

He paused, then looked at Wang Sheng.

"You kid, your Battle Tiger martial soul has plenty of ferocity but lacks agility. Go back and practice your basics more; stop thinking about slacking off."

"Hehe, I know, Brother Feng."

Wang Sheng scratched his head.

After a simple farewell, Ye Feng did not linger, turning to walk toward the gates of Nuoding City.

He did not head straight out of the city, but instead turned into a quiet alley, at the end of which stood an inconspicuous blacksmith shop.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

A dull, rhythmic hammering sound echoed from the shop.

Ye Feng pushed the door open, and a wave of heat mixed with coal dust and iron filings rushed to meet him.

A brawny man with a bare, muscular torso was swinging a hammer, sweat soaking his bronze-colored skin.

"Old Wang, is it ready?"

Ye Feng asked.

The brawny man stopped his movements, wiped his sweat with a towel hanging around his neck, and turned to see it was Ye Feng, revealing a set of white teeth.

"You brat, you're right on time."

He set down the hammer, walked to the corner, pulled a heavy bundle from a pile of clutter, and tossed it over.

"It's all in there, made exactly to your specifications. You get what you pay for."

Ye Feng caught the bundle and opened it to inspect the contents.

Inside was a set of form-fitting black leather armor, supple yet sturdy.

A long bow half the height of a man, its frame polished to a smooth finish.

A quiver containing ten refined steel arrows, the arrowheads tri-edged and glinting with a bloodthirsty cold light.

Besides these, there was a sharp short blade and some tools for wilderness survival.

These items had exhausted all his savings from the past year.

Ye Feng stroked the cold arrowheads, and a thought flashed through his mind.

Poison.

If he were to coat these arrowheads in potent poison, would they be more effective against Spirit Beasts?

The power of a bow and arrow might only inflict superficial wounds on a century-level Spirit Beast.

But if he added toxins, the damage would be entirely different.

However, a second thought immediately dismissed the idea.

His target was a Spirit Beast with a pure light attribute.

The light attribute possessed an innate, powerful ability to purify and resist most negative status effects and toxins.

Ordinary poisons, let alone causing damage, would likely be purified into nothingness by the light spirit power on the beast's surface the moment they made contact, rendering them completely useless.

Unless it was one of those extremely rare, exotic poisons capable of eroding energy itself.

But such things, let alone in Nuoding City, might not even be found in the entire Fasinuo Province.

It seemed he would have to rely on raw strength after all.

"Thanks, Old Wang."

Ye Feng carefully strapped the bundle to his back.

"Be careful on the road."

Old Wang the blacksmith picked up his hammer again, giving the instruction without looking back.

"Mn."

Ye Feng replied, turned, and walked out of the blacksmith shop.

He pulled a yellowed map from his bosom—something he had pestered the academy for—which detailed the route from Nuoding City to the Star Dou Great Forest.

After identifying the direction, Ye Feng took a deep breath and strode toward the city gates.

Star Dou Great Forest, here I come!

The journey was far more distant and arduous than he had imagined.

To save time, Ye Feng traveled day and night, barely stopping to rest.

He spent his days traveling and his nights meditating in hidden spots to recover his spirit power, gnawing on dry rations when hungry and drinking from mountain springs when thirsty.

After a full half-month of travel, when he arrived dusty and weary at the final supply town marked on the map, he had lost a significant amount of weight, but his eyes were clearer and more spirited than ever.

He found a roadside tea stall, sat down, and let out a long sigh of relief.

He had finally arrived.

The tea stall was small, with only a few tables occupied by other Spirit Masters and merchants traveling to and from the forest.

Just as Ye Feng lifted his tea bowl, he heard the discussion of several burly men at the neighboring table.

"Tsk tsk, have you heard? I don't know what got into the Star Dou Great Forest yesterday, but all the Spirit Beasts inside went berserk. Many Spirit Masters who had gone in didn't even have time to retreat before they were killed."

A man with a scar lowered his voice, his face showing a hint of lingering fear.

"That's not the half of it! I heard from some brothers who made it back that in yesterday's riot, not a single person who entered the outer perimeter of the Star Dou Great Forest came back alive!"

Another man with an eyepatch chimed in, taking a large gulp of low-quality ale:

"Look around, which of those professional Spirit Beast hunting squads dares to go in today? They're all cowering in town like cowards!"