A streak of blood appeared across Gangzi's face.
If that arrow had veered just a little farther,
it would have struck his close-cropped hair.
His face twisted with humiliation and anger.
His eyes blazed with fury.
"Teacher!"
Little Tang San ran over.
He stood in front of Yu Xiaogang.
His gaze warily fixed on the depths of the bamboo grove.
Rustle.
Footsteps crunched through the bamboo grove.
Then,
a figure appeared.
"Ji Feng!"
"It's you!"
The master and disciple blurted out in unison.
They recognized Ji Feng at a glance.
In the distance,
Ji Feng held a bow and arrow.
The arrow in his hand was condensed from Soul Power.
A strange expression appeared on his face.
"So it's you guys..."
He had never expected to run into Tang San and Yu Xiaogang here.
When Yu Xiaogang saw that the newcomer was that brat Ji Feng, his vigilance faded, replaced by anger. "Were you holding a grudge because I got you expelled from Notting Academy!?"
"Ji Feng! You're vicious! How could you strike so cruelly? You nearly killed my teacher!"
Little Tang San pointed at Ji Feng.
He denounced him with righteous indignation.
"You've got it wrong. I'm at level 10 now, and I only came to Soul Hunting Forest to obtain a Soul Ring."
"Since you're here, I'll look somewhere else."
With that,
Ji Feng turned and left.
"What? Level 10?"
Tang San froze at those words.
He thought he must have heard wrong.
His teacher had brought him here to hunt Soul Beasts
because his level was Innate Full Soul Power.
But Ji Feng had an ordinary Martial Soul.
When had his Soul Power reached level 10?
Just as Tang San looked doubtful,
Yu Xiaogang spoke. "Xiao San, keep your distance from people like him. He's not only vicious, he has no character either. His mouth is full of lies."
"I understand, Master!"
Little Tang San clasped his hands in a salute.
But a murderous glint appeared in the corner of his eye.
He had lived two lifetimes.
It was fair to say he was mature beyond his years.
Ji Feng had provoked him twice now.
In his eyes, this boy had earned his death!
"Next time we meet, you'll get what's coming to you!"
Little Tang San thought to himself.
Then he followed Yu Xiaogang.
They continued onward.
Meanwhile,
after leaving,
Ji Feng familiarized himself with his bow in the forest.
A few hours later,
he gradually learned to control his Soul Power and draw and shoot.
"Open panel."
Name: Ji Feng Martial Soul: Hou Yi Soul Power: Level 10 (100/2000)
"The experience bar is still moving. Could I level up without absorbing a Soul Ring?"
Watching the experience bar on his status panel,
he saw it keep jumping
as he killed Soul Beasts.
Ji Feng guessed.
"But there's no rush to look for a Soul Beast that suits me."
As he thought,
Ji Feng narrowed his eyes.
A mocking smile curled his lips.
With a subtle change in his expression,
he put away his bow.
Then slipped deeper into the forest.
He turned back and tracked Tang San and Yu Xiaogang.
Soul Hunting Forest.
A thicket.
"Fart like thunder, Earth-Shattering Luo Sanpao!"
Better late than never—he'd arrived just in time.
In the middle of the battle,
Yu Xiaogang unleashed his Martial Soul.
With Little Tang San at his side, he was locked in a desperate fight against a 422-year-old Datura Snake.
"Gangzi is really something. He brought his disciple out to hunt Soul Beasts and nearly got himself killed."
"Now let's see Tang San's performance."
Ji Feng gave a cold laugh.
He hid in the shadows.
He crouched in the grass.
This was a passive ability of the King Template.
As long as the enemy didn't enter the grass
and reveal his position,
no matter how high their level was,
they wouldn't be able to discover him.
Ji Feng stood right there in the grass.
Anyone else
would have spotted him at a glance.
But at that moment, the Datura Snake was raising a thunderous commotion throughout the forest.
Tang San, Gangzi, and even the Soul Beast
kept passing back and forth,
yet none of them noticed him!
"Not good. I'm poisoned."
Yu Xiaogang used Earth-Shattering Luo Sanpao, farting like thunder.
After being poisoned by the Datura Snake, he was knocked unconscious in an instant.
He fell senseless to the ground.
Ji Feng found it hard to watch.
"Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track! Purple Demon Eye!"
Next, it was Little Tang San's turn to act.
It had to be said—
Tang San was the chosen child of the plane.
He really did have some tricks up his sleeve.
Though he was only ten, he relied on Tang Sect secret techniques
to barely hold his own against the 422-year-old Datura Snake.
"Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon!"
In the blink of an eye,
Tang San seized his chance.
He pulled the snake's head toward him.
"Mysterious Jade Hand!"
Tang San thrust out the short sword in his hand.
"Perfect!"
Tang San was a genius.
There was no denying he knew how to seize an opportunity.
But
Ji Feng was hidden in the shadows.
After awakening the super Martial Soul Hou Yi,
he wasn't to be taken lightly either.
He had even staked out the spot in advance,
getting a bead on the opportunity before Tang San.
Ji Feng drew his bow and nocked an arrow.
His eyes blazed like torches in the dark forest.
"Praise the sun!"
A voice that seemed to come from the primordial wilderness
rang through the dim forest,
from behind Tang San.
Then came a sharp cry of the Golden Crow.
At once,
a streak of light swept toward them.
"What the hell is that?!"
Tang San had no time to turn around.
The sudden sound startled him.
That moment of distraction—
Smack!
The sound of the Arrow of the Scorching Sun striking the Datura Snake's body
rang through the forest.
"Waaah!"
The Datura Snake let out a cry of pain.
After thrashing about,
a yellow Soul Ring
appeared.
"Ji Feng!"
Already wounded and on the verge of passing out,
Tang San saw Ji Feng step out.
He held a bow and arrow.
Tang San's eyes widened.
His eyes blazed with fury.
The venomous hatred in his heart was impossible to hide.
"Tang San, good thing I got here in time. Otherwise, that beast would've beaten you to death."
Ji Feng said with a smile.
He spoke with a look of genuine concern.
"Pfft!"
It would've been better if he'd said nothing.
After hearing Ji Feng's words,
Little Tang San finally couldn't hold it in any longer.
Rage surged into his heart.
He spat out a mouthful of blood.
Clutching his chest, he collapsed to the ground.
He lay unconscious.
"Dead?"
Ji Feng froze.
Then he thought better of it. That couldn't be.
He must've just fallen asleep.
"Young people sure are healthy. They hit the ground and fall right asleep."
After leaving those words behind,
Ji Feng's lips curled upward.
He turned and walked toward the Datura Snake he'd shot dead.
His first time striking,
and he'd successfully stolen the kill.
Ji Feng was rather surprised.
It only bolstered his confidence.
"Four hundred and twenty-two years."
"I remember the maximum age for the First Soul Ring is four hundred and twenty-three years."
"You'll do for my First Soul Ring."
With that,
Ji Feng's lips curled upward.
He sat cross-legged on the spot.
And began absorbing the Soul Ring.
Absorbing a Soul Ring was a long process.
Since this was his first time absorbing one,
Ji Feng was nervous too.
In cultivation, time slipped by unnoticed.
Only when Ji Feng heard a voice beside him
did he open his eyes.
By then, he had finished absorbing his First Soul Ring.
He looked up.
An old man and a young man
were walking toward him.
But they weren't coming to greet him warmly.
Their expressions were dark and uncertain.
"Tang San, you're awake?"
Ji Feng said with a smile.
Crack!
At the sight of Ji Feng's punchable expression,
Tang San clenched his fists, the faint sound of his knuckles cracking audible.
He'd never imagined
that Ji Feng
would suddenly change his tune.
He wasn't acting as overbearing as before, either.
Instead, every time he opened his mouth, his words were dripping with sarcasm.
Enough to infuriate anyone.
That damned Ji Feng!
Before you continue