A Smooth Soul Hunting Expedition

A Smooth Soul Hunting Expedition

Early the next morning, on a broad road far from Seagod Lake, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong strolled side by side.

Since Wang Dong did not speak, Huo Yuhao naturally said nothing either. They quietly walked the entire stretch of road together.

Their destination was the entrance to Shrek Academy. Wang Dong was returning to her sect, while Huo Yuhao was going to take part in a soul hunt.

"See you next month." Huo Yuhao waved to Wang Dong, then, without any hesitation, headed straight for the teacher leading the Soul Hunting Team nearby.

This soul hunt was led by a powerful level seventy-three Soul Sage of the Assault Type, whose mutated Martial Soul was the Molten Blazing Lion, evolved from the Blazing Lion King. Besides Huo Yuhao, three other students were participating in the hunt.

Only the top three teams in the Freshman Assessment had the privilege of requesting that Shrek Academy send a teacher to help them hunt Soul Rings free of charge.

However, other students could join a Soul Hunting Team by paying a certain amount of Gold Soul Coins. This was the usual way ordinary students obtained Soul Rings, after all. Soul hunting came with both profits and risks.

Compared to independent Soul Hunting Teams, Shrek Academy was naturally more reliable and reputable, so its fees were often much higher as well.

In the inner courtyard, unless a student was exceptionally talented and received special attention, they had to accumulate contributions through regular missions if they wanted teachers or elders to assist them in hunting Soul Rings.

Seeing Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong seemed to want to say something, but she only waved and softly said, "Goodbye." Then she turned around and left as though fleeing.

The Soul Sage did not comment on the scene. He was also a teacher from the inner courtyard and had long grown accustomed to partings between close students.

After sweeping his gaze over the group, the Soul Sage said, "My name is Lie Yong. You may call me Teacher Lie. Director Du must have already given you my information, so I will not introduce myself further."

"Soul hunting has always carried risks. Even though we are only heading to the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest this time, you must not let your guard down."

"In the complex forest environment, even I, a Soul Sage, cannot guarantee that I will return safely every time."

After a pause, he continued, "If any of you are worried, you may leave now. Once we enter the Star Dou Great Forest, it will be too late for regrets."

"I will not intervene against ordinary ten-year Soul Beasts or those that have just reached a hundred years. The four of you will deal with those yourselves. I will only act against Soul Beasts with cultivation above five hundred years."

"Any other questions?"

The three students all shook their heads, indicating that they had none. Huo Yuhao said nothing either. In the event of a real accident, he probably would not be the worst off, since he was the most thoroughly prepared. Probably.

"Alright. The three of you are all level-twenty Soul Masters and are here to obtain your Second Soul Rings. Exchange information about your Martial Souls and Soul Skills so that no unexpected situations arise in battle."

The other three briefly introduced their Martial Souls.

Two had Tool Martial Souls. One had a shield, while the other had a bow. They were respectively a Defense Type Battle Soul Master and an Agility Assault Type Battle Soul Master. Their first Soul Skills were respectively a skill that used the Martial Soul itself to deflect force and block attacks, and a wind-attribute arrow attack of extreme speed.

The last person was rather special. Her Martial Soul was the Mad Sound Bee Queen, a Support Type Beast Martial Soul, and her first Soul Skill was a group enhancement skill.

With her current Soul Power, she could provide up to five Soul Masters with a speed boost lasting a maximum of ten minutes. The strength of the boost varied according to the Soul Masters' physical qualities, so it was not an especially powerful Soul Skill.

"Mm. Defense Type, Agility Assault Type, Support Type, Control Type. This lineup should have no problem handling ordinary Soul Beasts. Alright, since there are no issues, let's set off now."

Lie Yong promptly led the four twelve-year-old students toward the Star Dou Great Forest.

Because the three students differed in speed and stamina, it still took them several days to reach the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

When he saw the familiar signpost, Huo Yuhao's expression turned serious. Further in was where he had arrived after crossing over.

Though he had ultimately escaped danger, the confusion he had felt upon first crossing over remained vivid in his memory. But now, he had adapted to this world and would no longer be at a loss because of such sudden circumstances.

Before entering the Star Dou Great Forest, Huo Yuhao activated the most basic form of the Eye of Truth.

Through the Eye of Truth, he observed the various traces in the forest, allowing him to repeatedly guide the team around Soul Beasts that were not their hunting targets and would be troublesome to handle.

Meanwhile, Lie Yong remained in the center of the group, watching in all directions and listening carefully as he sensed the auras of nearby Soul Beasts.

Though they were only operating along the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, Thousand-Year Soul Beasts could still appear there. Soul Masters with only one Soul Ring were absolutely incapable of dealing with such creatures.

However, Lie Yong glanced at Huo Yuhao, who was steadily guiding everyone from the rear of the group, and secretly nodded.

Though this was nominally a soul hunt, the teacher leading every Soul Hunting Team also bore the task of evaluating the participating students.

This allowed them to discover special students who might not hold an advantage in direct arena battles but were instead suited to the unpredictable environment of the wilderness.

The other three are all fairly ordinary, but this student named Huo Yuhao has quite good powers of observation. He has such awareness even without activating a Soul Skill. No wonder he can serve as a first-year core student.

Not only did he perform well in arena battles, but he is also calm and steady in the wilderness. Not bad.

They had not walked far before their good fortune brought them their first target Soul Beast.

A tiny bird no bigger than a palm was flitting through a patch of flowers. The flowers seemed to have been produced by a plant-type Soul Beast around five hundred years old, called Wind Chime Grass.

The bird circling above and gathering nectar was a wind-attribute Soul Beast renowned for its speed: a Sonic Hummingbird.

It appeared to have only just surpassed five hundred years of cultivation, making it perfect for the level-twenty Agility Assault Type Soul Master in the group. The Soul Master became excited upon seeing a Soul Beast that suited him so well.

Seeing this, Lie Yong gestured for the students not to rush forward. He directly entered Martial Soul Possession, though he carefully controlled and concealed his aura.

Only his right arm transformed into a crimson lion's paw. Then, a crimson palm print struck the Sonic Hummingbird, knocking it unconscious with precisely measured force.

His right paw then closed in an empty grasp. The palm print circled around and captured the unconscious Sonic Hummingbird, bringing it back.

At that moment, the scorching Soul Power of the Soul Sage had not killed the Sonic Hummingbird with its mere five hundred years of cultivation, but the bird was covered in wounds and burn marks. It was obvious that it did not have long to live.

Whether in his control over his Martial Soul or his use of Soul Power, the leading Soul Sage possessed experience and methods far beyond anything a few first-year students could match.

Huo Yuhao focused particularly on the circulation of Soul Power within the Soul Sage's body and the pathways it traveled through when he controlled his Martial Soul to release that Soul Power palm print, committing it to memory.

The student with the bow-type Tool Martial Soul hurried forward to finish off the incapacitated Soul Beast, then began absorbing its Soul Ring.

Under Lie Yong's protection, the absorption process went smoothly. Though the Sonic Hummingbird's age was not at the limit, its attributes and type suited that Soul Master's Martial Soul very well.

Lie Yong nodded and said flatly, "Continue."

Then, with his hands clasped behind his back and the air of an expert, he led the students onward through the forest.

It seemed fortune favored Huo Yuhao's group. Before nightfall, another target Soul Beast entered their sight.

A giant turtle appeared before them, massive in size, covered in hard rocky skin, and bearing a heavy tortoise shell.

The giant turtle moved slowly. Even when it saw unfamiliar humans, it did not react much, merely drawing all its exposed body parts into its shell.

"Rock Turtle. Can any of you determine its exact cultivation age?" Lie Yong wanted to test everyone present, so he asked.

While the other three were still trying to recall the answer, Huo Yuhao spoke directly. "The way to determine a Rock Turtle's cultivation age is by the shell on its back."

"A Rock Turtle below a thousand years has an earthy yellow shell. Every ten years, the rocks forming its shell fuse together slightly. At the beginning, there are ten pieces in total."

"With every additional hundred years of cultivation, one piece of shell merges into the others, until it finally becomes one whole piece. When the rock shell has no gaps, it becomes a Thousand-Year Soul Beast."

"This Rock Turtle has six pieces of shell, and each piece bears seven lines. Therefore, its cultivation is around six hundred and seventy years, with an error of no more than thirty years either way."

"Mm. There are no other Soul Beasts nearby, so I'll leave this big turtle to you. I'll watch over you." Lie Yong nodded approvingly before speaking.

Rock Turtles were naturally timid. Even when facing natural predators, they responded only with defense. Their innate Soul Skill was Tortoise Shell Shatter. The rocky shell on their bodies could reduce an outside predator's attack by shattering one line on the shell.

The degree of reduction increased linearly with the total number of shell pieces. Even a Rock Turtle with only one transformed shell piece possessed defense that stood out even among Thousand-Year Soul Beasts.

Therefore, although Rock Turtles themselves had little offensive ability, few Soul Beasts chose such an unbreakable tough bone as prey. Their greatest natural enemies were Defense Type Soul Masters who coveted their innate Soul Skill.

Clang, clang, clang. As the Soul Masters scraped away at it, the Rock Turtle's shell only lost one layer, while the remaining six shell lines seemed to mock them.

Lie Yong's true purpose was to let the Tool Soul Master with the bow Martial Soul practice using his newly acquired Second Soul Skill. After all, a newly obtained Soul Skill had to be tested in actual combat.

The Rock Turtle had powerful defense and no offensive capabilities, making it the perfect target.

Seeing everyone except Huo Yuhao, who had not stepped forward to attack from beginning to end, Lie Yong waved a hand and once again used only the simplest Martial Soul Possession.

Then, with absolute strength, he shattered the Rock Turtle's remaining shell, exposing its fragile body, which was already badly injured.

"Alright, finish it off. This area is fairly good. The rest of you should find somewhere nearby to set up camp and prepare for the night." Lie Yong waved at the Tool Soul Master with the shield Martial Soul, who eagerly approached while holding a low-grade close-combat Soul Tool.

The night passed with the four students taking turns standing watch. Lie Yong would only intervene if the students encountered danger.

Though the Star Dou Great Forest was far from safe at night, Huo Yuhao's choice of campsite ensured that nothing unusual happened that evening.

Over the next few days, the group also found a suitable Soul Ring for the Soul Master whose Beast Martial Soul was the Mad Sound Bee Queen.

By coincidence, that Soul Ring had come from a Mad Sound Bee Queen around six hundred years old, a member of the same species as her Martial Soul. It was an excellent choice.

"Mm. We have covered nearly all of the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. Further ahead is the Mixed Zone. This is the troublesome part about Spiritual Attribute Soul Masters."

"Spiritual Attribute Soul Beasts are already rare, and most of them act alone, making them difficult to find."

Lie Yong looked at Huo Yuhao and continued, "However, since the academy promised to do its best to obtain the most suitable Soul Ring for you, it will not go back on its word. We will return to the city to rest and resupply first, then I will take you into the Mixed Zone."

The other three had no objections. They had already obtained the Soul Rings they wanted and naturally did not wish to continue taking risks in the Star Dou Great Forest.

Huo Yuhao nodded as well. In truth, not long after arriving, he had already learned from Sky Dream Ice Silkworm of a place where a suitable Soul Beast could be found.

It was the territory of the Big-Headed Spirit Apes. Though that area lay at the edge between the outskirts and the Mixed Zone of the Star Dou Great Forest, it was also along one of the possible routes Huo Yuhao's group could take back to Shrek City.

This was the result of Huo Yuhao repeatedly adjusting the route and guiding the group during the previous days of soul hunting.

"Alright, then let's return to the city first. Maybe we'll get lucky and encounter a suitable Soul Beast on the way back." Huo Yuhao did not refuse, instead beginning to lead everyone toward the area where the Big-Headed Spirit Apes gathered.

In the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, these Big-Headed Spirit Apes were considered a fairly powerful group. Combined with their Spiritual Attribute and their social nature, the strength of this tribe was far beyond that of ordinary solitary Soul Beasts.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had obtained this information when it fused with Huo Yuhao earlier and suppressed the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest with Spiritual Power. In less than a year, such a massive Big-Headed Spirit Ape tribe could not possibly have simply vanished.