When they reached the entrance to the Soul Hunting Forest, Director Su and the guards showed their passes, then led the group inside.
The Soul Hunting Forest was divided into many regions. Today, they were heading toward Blazing Mountain in the south of the forest.
Most of the Soul Beasts here had fire attributes.
The entrance where they stood was in the north of the forest, so they would have to travel deep into the woods for quite some time.
"There are many Soul Beasts along the way. Everyone, stay on your guard!" Director Su warned them.
Before he had even finished speaking, a low growl suddenly came from up ahead. Beneath a tree stood a huge wolf with a gray body and strangely crimson eyes.
"Everyone, be careful! It's an Iron-Back Wolf! Judging by its size, it must be at least three hundred years old!" Director Su shouted.
"How strange. We've only just entered the Soul Hunting Forest. How did we run into a three-hundred-year Soul Beast already? Normally, only low-tier Soul Beasts roam the outskirts," Mo Hen remarked.
Chu Qing gazed at the gray wolf baring its bloody maw. Rather than fear it, he was delighted. He had been wanting to test some of the other traits of his Void Devouring Flame Martial Soul, and now he had a ready-made test subject!
"Director Su, Teacher Mo, could you help me kill this Soul Beast?" Chu Qing asked.
"But this isn't a fire-attribute Soul Beast. Though this Iron-Back Wolf is three hundred years old, it isn't compatible with your Martial Soul. Surely you don't really believe Grandmaster's theory!" Director Su exclaimed in surprise.
"That's right, Chu Qing. You have to be cautious when choosing your first Soul Ring!" Teacher Mo said.
"Exactly, exactly," the other teachers chimed in.
"Please don't worry, teachers. I, Chu Qing, never do anything without being sure! This has to do with the traits of my Martial Soul that I mentioned earlier. I'm sure you can all see that my Martial Soul isn't an ordinary fire-attribute Martial Soul, so please trust me this once!" Chu Qing said.
The group thought of Chu Qing's black flame, then looked at his young but resolute face. One after another, they agreed.
"In that case, we'll help you kill this Iron-Back Wolf!"
With that, Director Su revealed his Martial Soul, the Swift Thunder Sword! Two yellow Soul Rings and one purple Soul Ring appeared around him.
The other teachers also revealed their Martial Souls.
Perhaps sensing the change in the atmosphere, the giant wolf swept its bloody maw over the group, then warily arched its body.
Then, instead of retreating, it charged toward them!
Director Su gave a cold laugh, unafraid. He took his stance and met the giant wolf's charge head-on.
First Soul Skill! Thunder Blade Instant Stab!
Silver Soul Power gathered at the tip of his Swift Thunder Sword. With a swing of Director Su's arm, it shot straight toward the Iron-Back Wolf!
With a boom, the Iron-Back Wolf's charge slowed sharply, and a sword wound several inches deep appeared across its chest.
"Now!"
The teachers unleashed their Soul Skills as well, streaks of energy crashing into the Iron-Back Wolf. Since all the teachers who had come were combat-type Soul Masters, the three-hundred-year Soul Beast gradually lost ground beneath their combined assault.
Before long, the teachers had beaten the Iron-Back Wolf to the brink of death. Chu Qing unleashed his Martial Soul and stepped forward. Director Su said, "You can try it now. If you're going to absorb its Soul Ring, this is the best time. If you're not, you can go ahead with your experiment."
He, too, was curious about what special abilities Chu Qing's Martial Soul possessed.
Chu Qing slowly summoned his Martial Soul. A mass of black flame instantly engulfed the dying Iron-Back Wolf, quickly ending its life. A yellow Soul Ring appeared, but Chu Qing had no intention of absorbing it. Instead, he continued to envelop the wolf's corpse in flames.
Soon, a shocking sight unfolded. As the black flames burned, the Iron-Back Wolf's several-meter-long body gradually shrank, until at last it vanished completely!
The group stared in shock. They had lived in Douluo Continent for so many years, yet had never seen anything like this. They had never seen such a bizarre Martial Soul!
Chu Qing paid no attention to their gazes. Instead, he slowly sensed the changes in his body. Although he hadn't absorbed the Iron-Back Wolf's Soul Ring, he could clearly feel a warm current flowing through his limbs and bones as the Void Devouring Flame consumed the wolf's corpse. Some of the Iron-Back Wolf's traits seemed to have appeared in his body as well.
Chu Qing slowly opened his eyes and stretched his limbs. He felt an indescribable lightness. He looked at a nearby tree so wide that two people could barely wrap their arms around it, clenched his fist, and punched it.
Thud! Crack! First came a dull thump, then the sound of wood splintering.
The group stared dumbfounded at the tree crashing down before them and murmured, "Could a six-year-old really have that much strength?"
Chu Qing quickly clasped his hands and said, "Thank you, teachers. I've learned something about my Martial Soul's traits."
Director Su was the first to recover from his shock. He hurriedly asked, "What exactly happened?"
"Teacher, it seems my Martial Soul can temporarily strengthen my body by refining the corpses of other Soul Beasts," Chu Qing said vaguely.
"So that's how it is. So that's how it is." Director Su stared blankly at the toppled tree and muttered to himself.
No! He couldn't rush into marrying off his granddaughter just yet! She was only a little older than this boy. Waiting a few years wouldn't hurt! Director Su couldn't help thinking to himself.
This child already possessed Innate Full Soul Power, and now he also had such a powerful, bizarre Martial Soul. His future achievements would certainly be limitless!
The other teachers, too, looked at Chu Qing with peculiar expressions.
What Chu Qing hadn't told them was that the Void Devouring Flame Martial Soul was capable of far more than that.
In theory, a flame-type Martial Soul should be suited to attacks at a distance, not to strengthening the body. But through experimentation, he had discovered that after refining an opponent, the Void Devouring Flame could also strengthen his body! It could even grant him some of the abilities of whatever it consumed!
He secretly spread his hands and focused his mind. His hands suddenly grew larger, and his nails lengthened abnormally. In an instant, his ordinary human hands transformed into wolf claws! This was a manifestation of beastification.
In other words, by consuming and refining different Soul Beasts, he might be able to gain all sorts of abilities in the future! He wouldn't be limited to the Soul Skills granted by Soul Rings!
At the thought, he was overjoyed. But he carefully returned his hands to normal, making sure the other teachers didn't see.
Until he had real power, he couldn't just show off this ability whenever he wanted.
Chu Qing then walked toward the teachers. He was just about to speak when a wave of dizziness suddenly washed over him. His legs gave way, and he toppled toward the ground.
Director Su reacted in the blink of an eye, quickly catching Chu Qing before he fell. He asked anxiously, "Chu Qing, what's wrong?"