After driving off two waves of attacks from the Nether Wolf and the Datura Snake, and with the Datura Snake's blood scattered around them, they were left in peace for the rest of the night. No reckless Soul Beasts came to disturb their rest.
Yu Xiaogang refused Lin Mo and Tang San's offers to take the night watch, and kept watch alone through the night.
He did not sleep a wink.
After everything that had happened the previous day, Yu Xiaogang had grown even more curious about Lin Mo.
What exactly was Lin Mo's Martial Soul?
Despite not having obtained his First Soul Ring, Lin Mo had managed to utterly overpower a Soul Beast of the Datura Snake's rank.
And it seemed that if Lin Mo hadn't been wary of the Datura Snake's venom, he would have killed it even faster!
Yu Xiaogang racked his brains, but couldn't find any records of a Martial Soul that matched Lin Mo's performance.
Under normal circumstances, a Beast Martial Soul user could never unleash such terrifying strength without the boost of a Soul Ring.
Even a top-tier Beast Martial Soul user couldn't suppress a Datura Snake with physical strength alone at the Soul Scholar stage.
Time passed bit by bit, and the eastern horizon gradually turned pale.
When Lin Mo crawled out of the tent, his face still showed a hint of weariness.
He rubbed his eyes and instinctively glanced around. Only after confirming there was no danger nearby did he relax.
Tang San had gotten up a little earlier than him and was already helping Yu Xiaogang pack up camp.
The three of them ate a little dry food, drank some water, dismantled and packed away the tent, then prepared to venture deeper into the Soul Hunting Forest.
After what they had experienced on the first day, the three of them proceeded with even greater caution as they prepared to venture deeper into the Soul Hunting Forest.
The first day had been a fruitless one.
They still needed to press farther in to find suitable Soul Beasts for Lin Mo and Tang San, so they could obtain their First Soul Rings.
But Lin Mo, walking at the very back of the group, kept glancing around almost unconsciously, feeling a little uneasy.
As he rested in the tent the night before, he had sensed a faint, elusive gaze watching him from somewhere nearby.
It was as if someone were lurking in the shadows, observing his every move. Yet whenever he tried to investigate, that gaze would immediately vanish.
With Luo Sanpao, a skilled tracker and scout, leading the way, the three made good progress.
Whenever they encountered a relatively powerful Soul Beast, they simply detoured around it and avoided a direct confrontation.
They didn't encounter another cunning Soul Beast adept at ambushes, like the Datura Snake.
The sun gradually climbed overhead, its rays pouring straight down from above.
After a morning of searching, the three had ventured much deeper into the Soul Hunting Forest. As noon approached, Yu Xiaogang was about to call Lin Mo and Tang San over to rest and prepare for what came next.
But Luo Sanpao suddenly seemed to notice something and let out a series of "luo-luo" calls.
Following Luo Sanpao's gaze, Lin Mo spotted an unexpected sight.
Not far from where they stood, an ape was locked in battle with a mass of vines.
The ape was powerfully built, its body covered in brown-black fur. Its arms were clamped around the vines coiled around it, ripping them off one by one.
But the vines seemed almost alive. Every time the ape tore one free, another quickly took its place.
It let out furious roars and pounded the ground with its fists, smashing out one shallow crater after another. Yet the vines didn't loosen their grip in the slightest.
"Teacher, what are those?" Tang San asked instinctively, looking at the two Soul Beasts battling in the distance.
He hadn't been learning from Yu Xiaogang for long, and didn't know much about Soul Beasts yet.
"That ape is called a Vajra Ape. It excels at defense, and its strength comes second..." Yu Xiaogang's eyes flashed with excitement. He pointed to the vines wrapped around the Vajra Ape and said:
"If I'm not mistaken, that plant-type Soul Beast is an Azure Vine!"
Yu Xiaogang grew even more excited as he spoke. "Xiao San, this is fate!"
"Judging by their size, both this Azure Vine and that Vajra Ape are a little over four hundred years old..."
"That means we've found Soul Beasts for both you and Lin Mo!"
A glint of excitement flashed in Tang San's eyes at his teacher's words.
But unlike before, Lin Mo didn't rush to act. Instead, he watched the Azure Vine and the Vajra Ape fighting in the distance.
For a moment, he couldn't help feeling suspicious.
He wasn't surprised that the Soul Hunting Forest contained Soul Beasts suitable for him.
But to find Soul Beasts suitable for both him and Tang San at the same time...
Could anything in the world really be that coincidental?
And both Soul Beasts were over four hundred years old, apparently still within the maximum age of a First Soul Ring that he and Tang San could withstand.
That was far too convenient.
More suspicious still, the two Soul Beasts were fighting each other, and the battle had severely weakened them both.
Under normal circumstances, either the Azure Vine or the Vajra Ape could easily drive off the Datura Snake he had killed.
But in their current condition, the Datura Snake could probably take them both on without breaking a sweat.
Could he really be this lucky?
This was the sort of luck that made you think you'd walk out the door and get struck by fortune!
The Vajra Ape was covered in wounds, and even seemed to be running out of strength.
The Azure Vine tangled up with it wasn't faring much better.
It, too, looked rather listless.
The doubts in Lin Mo's mind grew heavier.
The two Soul Beasts were indeed in poor condition. Any Soul Beast three or four hundred years old could come along and take advantage of them.
But the question was: how had they ended up fighting in the first place?
The Vajra Ape didn't eat vines, and the Azure Vine wouldn't pick a fight with an ape that could easily smash its vines to pieces.
This was all getting a little too coincidental!
Before Lin Mo could collect his thoughts, Yu Xiaogang patted him on the shoulder. "Lin Mo, can you handle that Vajra Ape on your own?"
"Yes, no problem," Lin Mo replied, nodding almost unconsciously.
He took his eyes off the Vajra Ape in the distance. "What about you and Xiao San, Grandmaster? Can you handle that plant Soul Beast called the Azure Vine?"
"Even though it's weakened, plant-type Soul Beasts are known for their tenacious vitality..."
"That won't be a problem." Yu Xiaogang nodded.
Tang San nodded as well.
From his brief observations, he had already gained some initial understanding of the Azure Vine.
Plant-type Soul Beasts excelled at control and had tenacious vitality. It was in much better condition than the Vajra Ape.
With his teacher's Martial Soul, Luo Sanpao, supporting him, and his own Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Tang San was confident he could wear down this hundred-year Soul Beast.
The Azure Vine wasn't nearly as dangerous as the Datura Snake—or at least, it didn't look as dangerous on the surface.