The next morning.
At the very center of the square stood fifty heavily armored knights, lined up in perfect formation.
These fifty men were the absolute elite that Emperor Xue Ye had specially selected from the Heaven Dou Royal Knights to protect Xue Yao.
Every one of them had at least the strength of a Soul Grandmaster. Formed into a battle array, they even dared to go toe-to-toe with a Soul King.
On either side of the Royal Knights stood two hundred Royal Guards from the Farack Kingdom.
Their equipment was not as luxurious as that of the Heaven Dou knights, but every one of them was a first-rate warrior, chosen from among hundreds in the kingdom.
"Hahaha! Yao'er! This old man is late!"
Accompanied by a hearty laugh, an old man in a loose blue robe swaggered out through the palace gates, surrounded by a group of attendants.
Xue Yao sat astride a snow-white steed. He turned to look and couldn't help twitching the corner of his mouth.
The man was none other than Feng Cang, the old dean of Godwind Academy and an eighty-two-ranked Soul Douluo.
Two years ago, the old man had been so thin he was little more than skin and bones, with the ethereal bearing of an immortal.
But now?
After being treated like a living ancestor in the Farack Kingdom for two whole years, not only had his complexion grown rosy as a baby's, he had even managed to eat himself a little potbelly!
The once-loose blue robe now looked rather tight on him.
"Elder Feng, you're looking better and better," Xue Yao greeted him with an amused smile.
Feng Cang's old face reddened. He coughed twice and patted his protruding belly.
"Ahem, well... The climate and water in Farack are good for you."
But his expression quickly turned serious. He walked up to Xue Yao's horse, a flash of undisguised astonishment in his eyes.
The previous night, Xue Lang had sent someone to notify him that Xue Yao was entering the forest to hunt for his third Soul Ring. Feng Cang had just taken a sip of premium Longjing tea when he spat it right out.
Eight years old? A third Soul Ring?! What kind of peerless monster was this?!
So first thing that morning, Feng Cang had dropped everything and insisted on personally leading the escort.
To witness the birth of an eight-year-old, level-thirty monster with his own eyes—his life would be complete!
"Yao'er, His Majesty the King and the Queen are in the carriage behind us. This old man will personally clear the way for you today! Even if a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast shows up, it won't lay a single hair on your head!"
Feng Cang thumped his chest in assurance, his Soul Douluo's might on full display.
"Thank you for the trouble, Elder Feng." Xue Yao nodded.
"All troops, heed my command! Our destination: the southern foothills of Sunset Forest! Move out!"
Fine clothes and spirited steeds; banners streamed in the wind.
Dressed in a fitted white hunting outfit, Xue Yao sat astride his white horse, a translucent wind-attributed gemstone hanging at his waist.
Behind him surged the silver steel tide of the Heaven Dou Royal Knights.
The commoners and merchants in Farack City watched the imposing procession pass, their eyes filled with awe and fervor.
"Look! That's our Viscount Sky Wind!"
"With a procession like that, even a prince of the Heaven Dou Empire couldn't outdo him!"
"Of course not! Young Master Yao is a god to us in Farack!"
The party left the city and raced north.
Though this area was not as terrifying as the heart of Sunset Forest, it was still home to large numbers of high-level Soul Beasts.
Half a day later, the main force officially entered the forest's outer reaches.
Once inside, the privileged status of this massive procession was on full display.
When ordinary Soul Masters went hunting for Soul Rings, they moved cautiously and suppressed their auras, afraid of attracting a whole pack of Soul Beasts.
But Xue Yao's party? They didn't need to hide at all.
"Royal Knights, form a wedge and advance!" the knight captain leading the way ordered.
The fifty heavily armored knights immediately released their Martial Souls. With lances bristling like a forest, they forcibly carved out a wide path ahead.
The low-level Soul Beasts on the outskirts sensed the murderous presence of the massive army from far away and fled in terror.
That was the confidence of a great power. No luck needed, no hiding—just sheer force sweeping everything aside!
The main force advanced in a straight line through the forest for a full two hours, reaching the territory where thousand-year Soul Beasts roamed.
The trees around them grew thick, and the air was heavy with a primeval, savage aura.
"Stop!"
Feng Cang had been resting with his eyes closed, releasing his spiritual power to sense their surroundings. Suddenly, he snapped his eyes open.
He raised his right hand, and the entire procession came to an instant halt.
Feng Cang narrowed his eyes and looked toward a steep cliff to the right.
"What pure wind-element energy..."
He turned to Xue Yao, his chubby face flushed with excitement.
"Yao'er, luck is on our side. There's a big fellow about three li to the right."
"Its age... is definitely over four thousand years, and it may even be close to the five-thousand-year mark!"
Xue Lang and Gao Nianzhen stepped out of the luxurious carriage behind them.
"Elder Feng, what kind of Soul Beast is it?" Gao Nianzhen asked anxiously. Though she was a Soul Saint, she wouldn't dare let her guard down when faced with a five-thousand-year Soul Beast in the wild.
Feng Cang didn't answer directly. Instead, he pushed off with the tip of his foot and floated up to the treetops dozens of meters above, as weightless as a falling leaf. A moment later, he landed back on the ground, his eyes blazing with fervor.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty the Queen! And above all, congratulations, Yao'er!"
Feng Cang was so excited that his voice climbed several octaves. "It's a Wind-Breath Dragon!"
At the words "Wind-Breath Dragon," Xue Lang drew in a sharp breath.
Even Xue Yao, who had remained composed all along, saw his eyes light up.
On Douluo Continent, any Soul Beast with the word "dragon" in its name was an overlord among its peers, no matter how thin its bloodline.
And the Wind-Breath Dragon was one of the top Sub-Dragon species of the wind element!
It possessed not only the formidable physical defense of the Sub-Dragon race, but also an even more terrifying absolute mastery over wind.
An ordinary Soul Master who encountered a Wind-Breath Dragon of the same level would usually be toyed with until they died.
"Elder Feng, are you sure you saw correctly?" Xue Lang swallowed. "How could a Sub-Dragon species be in this branch of Sunset Forest?"
"I'm absolutely certain!" Feng Cang replied firmly. "Its entire body is covered in blue-gold dragon scales, it has a pair of wings on its back, and every breath sends out powerful cutting currents. It's unquestionably an adult Wind-Breath Dragon!"
He looked at Xue Yao, unrestrained fervor in his voice.
"Yao'er, this Wind-Breath Dragon is around five thousand years old. For an ordinary person, hunting it would be suicide."
"But for your Griffin Martial Soul... it's practically the perfect third Soul Ring, made just for you!"
"The essence of a Sub-Dragon's physique, combined with a top-tier wind attribute. Once you absorb it, your third Soul Skill will be terrifying beyond all reason!"
Xue Yao swung down from his horse and rolled his wrist, listening to his bones crack.
After searching for so long, he had finally come across prey worthy of his attention.
"Five thousand years. A Wind-Breath Dragon." Xue Yao's lips curved in a sharp smile. "Now that's the kind of spectacle befitting me."
He turned to the knights behind him and to his parents.
"Everyone, fall back one li and set up camp. Seal off the perimeter. Don't let any other Soul Beasts come near and interfere." Xue Yao's tone brooked no argument, carrying the authority of a ruler.
Xue Lang froze. "Yao'er, you're going to face it yourself? It's a five-thousand-year Sub-Dragon! Why not have Elder Feng beat it half to death for you?"
"No need."
Xue Yao shook his head, rejecting his father's suggestion outright.
"I said it before. To hunt a high-level Soul Beast, I have to defeat it head-on with overwhelming strength to obtain the finest, purest Soul Ring."
"Elder Feng, come with me. If it tries to run, seal off its escape route." Xue Yao looked at Feng Cang and gave the order.
"As for the fight..."
"Keer!"
A piercing eagle's cry rang through the forest and into the clouds.
The majestic Royal Griffin appeared behind Xue Yao, its golden-green light illuminating the dark forest.
"I'll handle it myself."
Xue Yao stamped the ground with the tip of his foot. His body became a streaking afterimage as he shot toward the cliff!
A young man on a spirited steed, dressed in fine clothes. Today, he hunted a dragon!
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