What kind of lion is this? Locking the first spirit ring

A year of bitter cultivation had long since honed his nerves to an incomparable toughness.

The moment the Ghost Shadow Leopard lunged, his body reacted even before his brain could process the threat.

Instead of retreating, he stepped forward into the direction of the attack, twisting his entire body at an impossible angle to narrowly evade those lethal claws!

The Ghost Shadow Leopard missed its mark, its agile frame twisting violently in mid-air as it kicked off the trunk of a nearby tree to propel itself forward once more, jaws agape as it snapped toward Ye Feng's neck!

Ye Feng let out a cold snort, his footwork shifting as his body slid sideways like a phantom.

This time, he did not dodge.

His left hand shot out like lightning, precisely clamping onto the Ghost Shadow Leopard's lower jaw, halting those foul-smelling fangs less than half an inch from his throat.

Simultaneously, the short sword in his right hand traced a cold arc from bottom to top.

"Puchi!"

The sharp blade sliced through the Ghost Shadow Leopard's soft underbelly without resistance, and warm blood sprayed out instantly.

The Ghost Shadow Leopard let out a shrill, mournful howl, its body struggling violently, but Ye Feng's arm held it fast like an iron vice.

Without a shred of mercy, he exerted force through his arm and thrust the short sword upward with all his might!

The tip of the blade pierced the Ghost Shadow Leopard's heart.

The fierce predator's body stiffened, the murderous light in its pupils rapidly dimming until its head finally hung limp.

Ye Feng released his grip, letting the corpse of the Ghost Shadow Leopard slide to the ground, scattering a pile of dead leaves.

He shook the blood from his short sword and watched the herbivorous soul beasts nearby, startled by the scent of blood, scatter in flight. The last trace of tension in his heart dissipated, replaced by a cold, icy calm.

Soon, night fell.

Ye Feng dared not light a campfire at such a time; that would be no different from igniting a beacon for death in the darkness.

He eventually found a sufficiently thick ancient tree nearby.

Using his short sword and his bare hands, he carved a tree hollow at the base of the trunk, just large enough for one person to curl up inside.

The process consumed a great deal of energy, and his hands were rubbed raw and sore by the rough bark.

Once finished, he crawled inside and used the original bark he had stripped away—still covered in moss—to create a lid, carefully sealing the entrance from the inside while leaving only a tiny, imperceptible gap for ventilation.

From the outside, the spot blended almost perfectly with the surrounding tree roots, making for an excellent disguise.

He feared he could no longer even enter the outer perimeter, forced to observe the situation from a hundred meters away.

At night, the roars, howls, and the shrieks of unknown creatures echoed through the surroundings, one louder than the next, like a symphony of death.

Ye Feng curled up in the narrow, dark hollow, trembling with fear throughout the night; he dared not truly fall asleep, drifting only in a state of light, hazy slumber.

Damn it, this is just too dangerous!

Such days continued for four consecutive days.

Over these four days, Ye Feng acted like a true hunter, engaging in combat with many hundred-year soul beasts.

He dodged the savage charge of a hundred-year Iron-Hide Rhino, narrowly escaped death in the webs laid by a two-hundred-year Three-Eyed Demon Spider, and even clashed head-on with a five-hundred-year Vajra Ape, the impact leaving his blood and qi roiling.

At this moment, he looked somewhat disheveled.

His clothes were already tattered, stained with mud and dried blood, and he bore quite a few wounds on his body.

Leaning against a tree, he pulled back the torn fabric at his shoulder to reveal a shocking claw mark that went deep enough to see bone.

This was left behind during a fight yesterday with a hundred-year Vajra Tiger.

That beast's defense and strength far exceeded other soul beasts of the same level. Although Ye Feng hadn't won and had ultimately escaped in a sorry state by relying on his footwork, he had gained invaluable combat experience.

He took out the healing medicine Wang Dali had given him, gritting his teeth as he applied the powder evenly over the wound.

A sharp, stinging pain flared, causing a fine layer of sweat to bead on his forehead.

All things considered, it's not a loss.

Another night passed.

Ye Feng twisted his stiff neck and crawled out of the tree hollow.

He glanced at the bow and quiver leaning against the tree trunk, shook his head, and set them aside.

The battles over the past few days had taught him that unless he held an absolute advantage for an ambush, the hit rate of a bow and arrow in high-speed combat was essentially zero. Carrying them was merely a burden; after all, this bow was not a martial soul, and he couldn't guide the arrows.

A short sword was enough.

He took a few pieces of dried meat from his pack—meat from a Pale Moon Wolf he had hunted the day before—and after a quick meal, he once again moved toward the depths of the forest perimeter.

As he crept to within a hundred meters of the true outer forest, a powerful sense of crisis suddenly struck him from behind!

A golden afterimage tore through the air, carrying a wave of scorching heat as it lunged toward his back without warning!

Every hair on Ye Feng's body stood on end!

There was no time to think; he rolled forward, his soul power instantly condensing into a thin shield of light across his back.

"Bang!"

With a dull thud, he felt a massive force slam into his back, sending him flying uncontrollably until he rolled several times on the ground before finally steadying himself in a wretched state.

A sweetness rose in his throat, and a trace of blood spilled from the corner of his lips.

Damn it, where did this thing pop out from!

Ye Feng quickly stood up, looking toward the direction of the attack with a guarded expression.

He saw a massive lion stepping out with elegant strides.

Its entire body was covered in golden fur, which flowed with a magnificent luster under the dappled light of the forest.

A pair of golden pupils were filled with the majesty of a king and cold, murderous intent.

Judging by its appearance, this lion had three to four hundred years of cultivation!

Ye Feng's heart skipped a beat; he felt this was going to be very troublesome.

If it were any other spirit beast, even one of three or four hundred years, he would dare to clash with it by relying on his agile footwork and the sharpness of his Light Blade.

But this was a lion!

Spirit beasts of the lion, tiger, sub-dragon, and titan categories were born at the top of the food chain, and their combat instincts and comprehensive strength were far beyond those of ordinary spirit beasts.

Fighting one was truly a life-threatening affair!

Ye Feng felt a bit of trepidation in his heart and had already begun calculating a route for retreat.

Hm? Wait...

He suddenly noticed something.

Beyond the powerful spirit power fluctuations, the lion also radiated an aura that was pure, sacred, and scorching.

That was... the light attribute!

A lion possessing a pure light attribute!

Ye Feng's heart began to beat wildly in that instant!

Although he did not know exactly what kind of spirit beast this was.

There was no doubt that it was far more precious than those so-called light-attribute spirit beasts in the guidebooks; at a glance, it was clearly a high-tier specimen with an exceptional bloodline!

You're the one!

All fear and thoughts of retreat were replaced in an instant by greed and desire!

Was this not the first spirit ring he had dreamed of?

Take the risk, and turn the bicycle into a motorcycle!

"Roar!"