The next day
At the old campsite in the Soul Beast Forest, Fang Le was doing some handiwork.
"Damn it, I'm never doing carpentry again!"
Fang Le gripped Twin Star and cursed through gritted teeth as he worked on the piece of wood, showing off his outstanding creative skills.
Judging by the scraps littering the ground around him, though, his craftsmanship wasn't very good.
Twin Star was sharp, but Fang Le couldn't use it very well with his fingers.
Either he put too much force into one spot and cut right through the wood, or he moved his hand too quickly somewhere else, bringing the blade into intimate contact with his fingers.
Fang Le was at his wit's end. After all, he had never been the patient sort.
It was just that this task was such a pain, and was clearly meant to train his temperament.
He had to make tools that met certain requirements, then use them to defeat specific monsters.
For someone like Fang Le, whose experience with handiwork began and ended with watching other people do it, this was pure torture.
And for some reason, these trials felt just like "m"c, tormenting him body and soul.
He was supposed to be a carefree player who never learned from his mistakes and started building the moment trouble came along.
Was this revenge for all the times he'd used creative mode?
"Kid, are you sure you can do this? I thought you humans were supposed to be pretty good at making tools.
Forget complicated Soul Tools. Some of the ten-thousand-year-old monkeys in the Star Dou Forest could make these little things faster than you."
Watching Fang Le suffer through the task, the Scarlet King couldn't help mocking him.
His hands were so clumsy. How was he any different from a Soul Beast?
"You can't lump everyone together like that. Everyone has their own talents.
I'm just not particularly good at this stuff! All right! It's done!"
His mouth was the only thing on him that was truly unyielding.
But after tinkering away for ages, Fang Le finally managed to make a one-piece wooden hoe that was at least passable.
It was also the last item the task required.
"Hahaha! You call that 'done'?
The handle's square. I thought all the other humans made theirs round. And that hoe head—neither square nor round, and smaller than a fruit? You really think you can till the soil with that?"
The truth was often the most hurtful thing, but it could also be the most satisfying.
It all depended on who said it and when.
Scarlet King: For some reason, saying it like this feels so good. So refreshing!
"You... Hmph! What's wrong with it being square? I'm a Block Person, after all! And small things are cute."
Fang Le decided it was best not to humiliate himself any further. He should finish the task and claim his reward first.
Once he got stronger, he'd get his revenge—by giving them a sound beating.
Just as Fang Le indignantly set the finished tools together,
a beam of light flew out of his body and circled the five tools, seemingly evaluating them.
After a few laps, the glowing orb shot straight away as a streak of light, vanishing into the distance.
"Is the second task over just like that? Or are there other conditions we need to fulfill?"
Di Tian stared at the departing streak of light.
After seeing how divine Fang Le's First Soul Skill was, he was intensely curious about the second ability he had just acquired.
Would it be another ability that defied common sense?
"Not yet. What comes next is the easy part: beating up monsters!
Come on! I want to see what a zombie looks like in this world."
Fang Le stood and brushed the dust off his pants, then set off in the direction the streak of light had gone.
"Is there something fun again? Then let's hurry! Oh, right, Fang Le, want to ride on my back? We'd get there faster!"
"Sure..."
Di Tian and the Scarlet King (black lines): A daughter's grown up and doesn't want to stay at home anymore!
They were both still little ones, yet they seemed to be able to glimpse the future at a glance.
Auspicious Beast, you're giving yourself away way too easily. Is that really a good idea?!
Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest.
"Nannan, keep it up! Once you get a Soul Ring and become a Soul Master, you'll be able to earn more money. Then Mom..."
There were five people in the group, two adults and three children. Jiang Nannan and the other two children were in the middle of the group.
As they cautiously ventured forward, she silently steeled herself.
Jiang Nannan's father had died when she was young, and her mother had raised her all by herself.
But two years ago, perhaps after years of hard work, or perhaps because of some hidden illness, Mother Jiang's health had suddenly collapsed.
If Jiang Nannan hadn't been lucky enough to awaken a Soft Bone Rabbit with innate eighth-rank Soul Power during her Martial Soul Awakening not long afterward, she might already have been an orphan.
A local noble had invested in her, and now, knowing that she could earn more money to pay for her mother's treatment if she became a Soul Master,
Jiang Nannan had become desperate to grow stronger. That powerful resolve drove her to cultivate diligently every day.
In less than three months, she had broken through twice and reached level ten, becoming a quasi-Soul Master.
Then, with help from the noble who had invested in her, she came to the nearby Soul Hunting Forest to hunt for a Soul Ring.
Just as she eagerly anticipated obtaining her First Soul Ring, a child beside her suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
"What's that?!"
Following his gaze, all five of them looked up at the sky.
A streak of light shot straight toward them.
Then it plunged into the ground not far in front of them.
"Crack, shrrr, boom!"
Before they could go over to investigate, a violent rumbling sounded.
Then, beneath a large tree not far ahead of them,
the ground split open, and a battered, blue-black hand burst out of the earth beneath the tree.
A powerful aura surged up from the ground.
The earth exploded, and even the tree that had been growing there was blasted into the air, crashing down with a tremendous thud.
A vast cloud of dust billowed up.
"What kind of monster is that?!"
Before Jiang Nannan could see what had happened,
the Soul Master leading the group let out a startled cry.
The wind was always blowing through the forest, so the dust couldn't keep blocking their view for long.
When Jiang Nannan finally saw what was inside, she stumbled backward in terror.
A humanoid creature stood amid the dust, with a greenish face and fangs.
Its clothes were tattered, and all four of its limbs were visibly damaged. Some of its joints were even exposed.
Yet strangely, despite all that, its body wasn't hunched over in the slightest. It stood bolt upright.
Both of its hands, each with nails as long as blades, were held straight out in front of its chest. It looked bizarre.
Even more astonishing was the aura it gave off.
The Soul Master leading the group was at least a Soul Ancestor, close to being a Soul King.
But compared to the monster, he was clearly weaker by more than just a little.
"Roar!"
The monster's scarlet eyes seemed born for slaughter.
It roared and charged at the group. At the same time, to everyone's shock,
five Soul Rings—white, yellow, purple, purple, and black—slowly descended and encircled the monster.
A Soul King!
"Am I going to die here?"
Before you continue