We couldn't wait any longer!
I leaped out of bed, stuffed the pouch holding more than 1,300 Gold Soul Coins into my robe, and felt its hefty weight give me a surge of confidence.
Cultivation resources had to be spent where they counted!
I pushed open the door and headed straight downstairs without a moment's hesitation. Then I strode toward Nuoding City's busiest commercial district.
The commercial district was far livelier than I'd imagined, with Soul Masters and commoners streaming back and forth.
Ye Feng had no interest in admiring the scenery. With a clear goal in mind, he soon found a storefront called the Four Seas Shop.
The shop covered a vast area and had an imposing façade. It was clearly a large general store that sold just about everything.
Ye Feng stepped inside. The shop was packed with goods, from weapons and armor to medicinal herbs and scrolls. It had everything one could want.
He went straight to a young attendant who looked fairly sharp.
"Excuse me, do you have basic meditation techniques like Heart Separation Control?"
The attendant looked Ye Feng over. Though he was dressed plainly, his bearing was exceptional, so the attendant replied courteously:
"We do. These common techniques aren't worth much. They're mainly for Auxiliary or Life Skill Soul Masters who need precise control. This way, please."
Following the attendant's lead, Ye Feng soon found a yellowed little booklet in the corner of a bookshelf. Its cover read Introduction to Heart Separation Control.
"This is the one. How much?"
"That'll be one Gold Soul Coin."
Ye Feng readily handed over a Gold Soul Coin and tucked the booklet into his robe.
With his goal accomplished, he had no intention of lingering. He turned to leave.
But as soon as he turned around, he stopped in his tracks.
A figure had appeared some distance behind him without a sound. Youyou was watching him intently.
Yu Xiaogang.
Ye Feng's heart gave a jolt.
How was this guy like a ghost, haunting him wherever he went?
Yu Xiaogang slowly approached, his eyes scanning Ye Feng from head to toe. His scrutinizing air made it seem as if he were inspecting a possession of his own.
"You were lucky. You went alone, yet somehow made it back alive from Soul Hunting Forest."
He spoke with a condescending sneer.
Then his gaze fell on the booklet Ye Feng had just tucked into his robe. Only a corner showed, but he recognized it all the same.
A smug, unmistakably proud look flashed across Yu Xiaogang's face.
"I thought you were a stubborn fool who wouldn't listen to reason. But it seems you've finally come around and chosen the Auxiliary path, just as I laid out in my theory."
He clasped his hands behind his back and lifted his chin slightly.
"So, what Soul Skill did you get? Tell me, and I'll see whether it suits your Martial Soul."
Ye Feng sneered inwardly.
If he'd actually listened to this guy, he wouldn't have made it back from Star Dou Great Forest—hell, he might not even have survived Soul Hunting Forest.
Still, Ye Feng was happy to fool Yu Xiaogang and tease the idiot who thought so highly of himself.
He sighed with feigned dejection, forcing a bitter, helpless look onto his face.
"Ah, Grandmaster, you were right. With my shadow's light attribute, the Auxiliary healing path really is the best way for me to develop."
"As for my first Soul Skill... sigh, it came from a ten-year light-attribute Soul Beast. Nothing worth mentioning! Nothing at all!"
As he spoke, Ye Feng shook his head for effect, acting the part of a hotheaded youngster who sorely regretted his choices.
"I see!"
Yu Xiaogang took the bait at once and nodded in satisfaction. The look on his face—Everything is going according to my plan—nearly made Ye Feng burst out laughing.
"Although I don't know what your first Soul Skill does, it doesn't matter."
Yu Xiaogang raised his head haughtily, adopting a benevolent air.
"I can give you some pointers in advance about your second Soul Skill, so you don't make another wrong turn."
With that, he fell silent, waiting for Ye Feng to speak with an expression that said, Come on, ask me.
Ye Feng could barely keep from gagging.
The way this man put on airs had been reliably consistent for ten years.
But on second thought, one of the slots in his plans for his first three Soul Rings really was reserved for a healing or support ability.
The biggest drawback of his trip to Star Dou Great Forest had been his lack of knowledge about Soul Beasts. He couldn't even recognize the more advanced ones. He'd just stumbled into a lucky find by sheer chance.
It wouldn't hurt to ask this so-called Grandmaster and squeeze out some useful information.
With that in mind, Ye Feng cleared his throat and put on just the right look of eager curiosity.
"Ahem! Well... do you have any good suggestions, Grandmaster?
Or perhaps there are some advanced Soul Beasts I haven't heard of?
I've read everything in the Spirit Hall and the library, but nothing seems like a particularly good match."
"Hmm."
Only after hearing Ye Feng ask for his advice did Yu Xiaogang nod in satisfaction.
"Anything recorded in ordinary materials is common knowledge in the Soul Master World. Information about truly advanced Soul Beasts wouldn't be shared so easily."
He paced a couple of steps, savoring Ye Feng's "admiring gaze."
"Since you've asked, I suppose I can go out of my way to give you a few pointers."
"In Star Dou Great Forest, there are three top-tier plant-type healing Soul Beasts. They're the ideal Soul Ring choices dreamed of by all Auxiliary and healing Soul Masters, and they also fit your future path very well."
"First, Holy Light Lily. Second, Warm Sun Flower Spirit. Third, Condensed Light Holy Grass."
Ye Feng quietly memorized the three names.
Holy Light Lily, Warm Sun Flower Spirit, Condensed Light Holy Grass... They sounded like good things.
But the problem was...
"Grandmaster, are you messing with me?"
Ye Feng spread his hands, looking suitably "troubled."
"I've never heard of any of those.
Even if I were lucky enough to run into one in the forest, I wouldn't be able to tell them apart.
What do they look like? Or... do you have an illustrated guide or something I could take a look at?"
He didn't want to be fed pie in the sky.
If this guy dared to dangle some empty promise in front of him, then before leaving Nuoding City today, Ye Feng would find a sack, shove this so-called Grandmaster into it, and cripple his third leg!
"Heh."
Yu Xiaogang let out a derisive chuckle.
"I've already given you a few pointers because I see you have some talent. And now you want an illustrated guide? The exact details?"
His expression turned cold, tinged with reproach.
"Do you realize that theory is a Soul Master's most precious asset? How could I pass it on to just anyone?"
Ye Feng's expression froze.
So after all that, he'd just been screwing with him?
A rush of fury shot straight to his head.
He drew a slow breath in, then let it out, fighting the urge to smash his fist into that hypocritical face.
"Get out of the way. You're blocking my path."
Before you continue