"How—how did you know?!" The girl was stunned. She simply couldn't understand how this handsome young man had figured out her situation.
She had sneaked out this time to prove that she could obtain her First Soul Ring on her own, without the protection of her clan's elders!
"If I'm not mistaken, you came here to hunt for a Soul Ring too, right?"
"That's right. Are you here for the same reason?" The girl stared at him in shock.
"Out of the way, all of you!" A gruff voice interrupted their conversation.
Chu Qing turned around in annoyance and looked up. A young man of about seventeen or eighteen, with a fierce expression and a scar stretching down the left side of his face to the corner of his mouth, was leading a group of people into the hotel and driving out the customers seated inside.
The hotel was an ordinary little establishment in town, and most of the people eating there were ordinary folk who made their living selling daily necessities needed for entering the forest. So, when they saw the scar-faced man, most of them hurriedly got to their feet.
Chu Qing, however, remained unmoved, and the girl wasn't frightened either. Instead, she watched the scar-faced man with interest.
Just then, a customer hurriedly said to the two of them, "You two kids, you'd better run. This gang runs roughshod over everyone. They're the local tyrants here, and their leader is called Zhang Dabiao. He's always been a bully."
With that, he didn't wait for them to answer. He simply left on his own.
The hotel owner watched awkwardly, not daring to do anything.
When everyone else had left, Chu Qing and the girl still didn't move. Zhang Dabiao impatiently strode toward them and said, "Are you two looking to die? I've booked this hotel for the day! Get lost!"
As he spoke, he reached out to grab Chu Qing's arm.
But Chu Qing merely snorted and ignored him, continuing to eat the food in front of him.
Zhang Dabiao froze, then stretched out his thickly muscled arm and yanked with all his might! Contrary to his expectations, Chu Qing didn't budge. He even kept using his right hand to pick food from the bowl with his chopsticks.
"Hmph, you're asking for death!" Zhang Dabiao roared. Then he summoned his Martial Soul. The phantom shape of a White Wolf appeared, with a white Soul Ring circling its body.
"Hmph, this kid really doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth! He dares to provoke our boss!"
"He's as good as dead!"
A thirteen-level Soul Master, Zhang Dabiao! His Martial Soul was a White Wolf!
He looked at the boy before him smugly. He was only seventeen, yet had already achieved such strength. He was one of the top talents in the nearby villages. In his estimation, this damp-behind-the-ears brat could be no more than a Soul Scholar who had just awakened his Soul Power.
Without waiting for Chu Qing to react, he immediately began circulating his Soul Power.
First Soul Skill! White Wolf Assault!
His body instantly underwent a beast transformation. His hand became a wolf claw, and he struck viciously toward Chu Qing's heart.
"Beast transformation? Who can't do that?"
Chu Qing circulated his Soul Power, and his left hand instantly turned into a wolf claw as well. But unlike Zhang Dabiao's, it was surrounded by a mass of black flames.
He threw a punch in return. Zhang Dabiao's wolf claw shattered inch by inch, and his entire hand looked as if it had been roasted in a raging fire, turning to charcoal.
At the same time, Chu Qing revealed his Martial Soul. Black flames blazed to life, and a wave of scorching heat enveloped the entire hotel. A yellow Soul Ring circled and darted around him.
Level twenty Battle Soul Master, Chu Qing. Martial Soul: Nihility Devouring Flame! I welcome your challenge!
"This kid can't be more than ten years old, can he? How can he be this powerful?"
"What kind of Martial Soul is Nihility Devouring Flame? How come I've never heard of it?"
Zhang Dabiao spat out the blood in his mouth and stared at Chu Qing with a grave expression. He struggled to his feet, then charged toward the girl with his other, uninjured hand.
The girl was shocked and was just about to circulate her Soul Power, but Zhang Dabiao was faster. In an instant, he was already upon her!
How could Chu Qing let him get the chance? He had already circulated his Soul Power. The Nihility Devouring Flame immediately split off a mass of flame, which formed a shield and hovered in front of the girl. The moment Zhang Dabiao's hand touched the fire, it was instantly coated in flames and turned to charcoal as well.
This was a new ability he had developed during this time: he could split off a mass of flame to attack or defend. As for its other possible uses, he still had to explore them.
"Ah!!!! My hand!!!" Zhang Dabiao cried out in agony and darted backward. Only now did he realize that he was no match for the young man before him. He hurriedly ran for the door.
"Hmph, trying to leave? Not so easily!" A ruthless gleam appeared in Chu Qing's eyes. Both times Zhang Dabiao had struck, he had aimed to kill. He was clearly a desperate criminal. How could Chu Qing let him leave alive?
First Soul Skill: Flame Devouring Heaven Burning!
A mass of black flame blasted out from around Chu Qing and struck Zhang Dabiao right in the heart. Zhang Dabiao immediately spat out a huge mouthful of blood!
The attack didn't end there. The flames didn't dissipate. Instead, they began to coil around Zhang Dabiao's body, starting from his chest. Before long, he let out a shrill scream.
"Help me! Help me! Hel—"
His subordinates watched, drenched in cold sweat and trembling so badly their legs gave out. Some had even wet their pants.
They wanted to run, but didn't dare. All they could do was stare blankly at Zhang Dabiao as the black flames consumed him.
Soon, his screams abruptly stopped. Zhang Dabiao's body turned to a pile of gray ash in the blink of an eye, and his Soul Ring gradually faded as Chu Qing refined and absorbed it!
The Soul Ring continued to fade as the Nihility Devouring Flame refined it, until it finally disappeared. At the same time, a mass of pure Soul Power entered Chu Qing's body. He instantly broke through to level twenty!
Because his strength had increased, the anticipated mental backlash never came. He felt only a slight discomfort, but even that confirmed his guess.
As expected, the Nihility Devouring Flame could not only devour Soul Beasts to strengthen itself, but could also devour the Soul Rings of its enemies!
The girl beside him watched this in astonishment. She hadn't expected this young man, who looked even younger than her, to possess such overwhelming strength!
He had even saved her. Her beautiful eyes shimmered with excitement, and she began to see the young man before her in a new light.
Just after the battle ended, on a rooftop not far away, an old man with a head of white hair but sharp eyes and a vigorous spirit sheathed his sword.
"Looks like you were right, Old Bone. It won't hurt Rongrong to get some experience. It'll also teach her just how cruel the real Soul Master World can be."
"Exactly. Rongrong insisted on coming out and getting her First Soul Ring by herself. It won't hurt her to see what it's really like."
"That kid's pretty impressive. He's young, yet powerful and decisive. He's also quite kind. He's a promising talent."
"You mean to—?"
"Let's watch him for a while before deciding."