He passed through the Soul Tool barrier and entered the simulated Star Dou Forest.
A serene, elegant, and refreshing feeling, as if embracing nature, immediately filled his whole body.
Li Changsheng, walking through the forest, took several deep breaths and felt refreshed from head to toe.
After entering the simulated forest,
at first, there was only one path to follow. The farther they went, the denser the trees grew. Mottled thorns and weeds sprang up everywhere, some even taller than Li Changsheng and Li Zishuo combined.
At the beginning, quite a few other examinees walked alongside them. Gradually, they split off into their own groups and scattered through the simulated forest.
Li Zishuo followed behind Li Changsheng.
Up ahead, Li Changsheng took out his Refined Iron Spear and carved a path as he walked.
"How are we supposed to hunt Soul Beasts?"
Following close behind Li Changsheng, Li Zishuo could hardly hide his excitement.
Li Changsheng thought for a moment.
Then he stopped where he was.
He took out the map Seven Absolute Zither Master had given him.
It accurately marked several regions where Hundred-Year Soul Beasts were active. Likewise, some areas were frequented by Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. Those were absolutely forbidden zones. Even Li Changsheng didn't want to enter them recklessly, not even with the God of Wisdom available to use Parallel Calculation.
"Come with me. But have you thought about what you want for your First Soul Ring?"
After confirming their direction, he put the map away, gazed at the sunlight filtering through gaps in the dense forest, and continued clearing a path.
"What do I want?" Li Zishuo scratched his head, unsure what he meant.
After all, he was still just a child and hadn't received any systematic instruction about Martial Souls. He'd probably only heard his father talk about it now and then.
Li Changsheng didn't turn around. His eyes were fixed on a clump of thorns in front of him.
The clump was large, over a meter tall and a dull gray, as if it had withered and died.
But Li Changsheng knew the thorns blocking their path were a Plant-type Soul Beast.
He hadn't figured that out by sight. Using the Purple Demon Eye for a long time still drained his strength.
Instead, when he entered the simulated forest, he'd had the God of Wisdom activate Formless Cycle.
Formless Cycle could not only block other people's spiritual detection, but also release spiritual power to function like radar. Its range was limited, though, mainly because Li Changsheng was too weak.
He thrust out his hand and drove his Refined Iron Spear forward with a fierce upward heave, like a dragon rising to the heavens. A large clump of thorns was torn out by the roots, crackling as it flew before crashing heavily to the ground.
In an instant,
a white, misty ring of light, streaked with wisps of feather-white radiance, rose from the fallen thorns.
"A Soul Ring!" Li Zishuo pointed at the ring, leaning forward to stare at it and shouting with excitement.
Li Changsheng furrowed his brows, then gestured for Li Zishuo to be quiet.
"Shouting can attract Soul Beasts. Be careful." Li Changsheng lowered his voice.
Now, he could deal with Ten-Year Soul Beasts without relying on the God of Wisdom like before.
Even against an ordinary Hundred-Year Soul Beast, he could use his iron spear, find its weak point, and kill it with a single strike.
But Li Zishuo was with him. If a whole pack of Soul Beasts appeared, it would be difficult to keep him safe.
Hearing this, Li Zishuo blushed, embarrassed. He nodded and pointed at the Soul Ring that had appeared, deliberately lowering his voice. "Big brother, you're amazing! You killed a Ten-Year Soul Beast with just an ordinary iron spear."
Li Changsheng simply shook his head and continued onward.
"Your Martial Soul is suited to a control-focused path, and mine is also a control-type. So we just need to find and kill a Soul Beast with enough years and control attributes. But stay close to me. Don't go more than five steps away. If we find a Soul Ring that suits you, I'll cripple the Soul Beast first, then you can finish it off."
Li Changsheng took a moderately sized sword out of his Storage Soul Tool.
Li Zishuo took the sword and swung it a few times. As they walked, he asked in puzzlement, "Big brother, shouldn't we release our Martial Souls to guard against ambushes?"
Li Changsheng ignored the "big brother" and gripped the Refined Iron Spear in his hand.
He swept aside the bushes around them.
"Doesn't maintaining a Martial Soul require Soul Power? We can release them when danger comes. There's plenty of time for you to react, don't worry."
"Oh."
Li Zishuo nodded, choosing to trust Li Changsheng without question, then obediently followed behind him.
The forest was extremely dense. Every so often, they came across bleached bones and trees snapped in half.
With the God of Wisdom's assistance, the two easily chose the best route nearby. Along the way, they also encountered quite a few Ten-Year Soul Beasts, but they all seemed rather gentle and made no attempt to attack. Instead, they watched Li Changsheng and Li Zishuo leave.
Li Changsheng was more than happy that the Soul Beasts didn't attack. That way, he could focus on preparing to deal with a Hundred-Year Soul Beast.
He had plenty of ways to kill a Hundred-Year Soul Beast, and it would be easy for him. But Li Changsheng felt that without a challenge, there could be no improvement. He planned to hone his spear skills first, hoping to achieve the same feat as the God of Wisdom as soon as possible: shaping spear energy into form.
Of course, only if it was absolutely safe.
After walking for several hours, Li Changsheng and the others arrived at the region marked on the map.
The journey had truly been arduous. The forest was dense and the grass thick, and Li Changsheng had spent the whole way clearing a path with his spear.
It gave Li Changsheng the strange feeling that he'd been a child again in his previous life, furiously cutting down ten miles of rapeseed flowers.
Many Hundred-Year Soul Beasts lived here.
He glanced up at the sky.
A battle between Soul Beasts had once taken place in this area.
The trees had been snapped across a radius of more than ten meters, and tender new shoots had only just begun to grow.
The sunset dyed the horizon red. Even the scattered, broken clouds were colored until they looked like a huge fish slaughtered by the heavens, its scales stripped away and its blood still on it.
"Let's rest here for the night. We'll start looking for Soul Beasts tomorrow."
Although Li Changsheng said that, he was actually thinking that, by ordinary logic, lighting a fire here would definitely attract Soul Beasts. They might even come willingly, like fish taking the bait.
Of course, Li Changsheng had chosen the location carefully.
According to the map, they were in a buffer zone. Ahead lay the habitat of Hundred-Year Soul Beasts, while behind them lay the habitat of Ten-Year Soul Beasts.
Li Changsheng didn't bother looking for shelter. He decided they would rest where they were, leaning against a tree snapped in half. He picked up some broken branches and cleverly used his Second Martial Soul, Immortal Execution Painting's First Soul Skill, Three Thousand Sumeru Flames, releasing only a tiny spark to light the firewood.
"Isn't it dangerous to light a fire here?" Li Zishuo asked fearfully, leaning against a nearby tree stump.
Li Changsheng shook his head and explained his plan to lure Soul Beasts, reassuring Li Zishuo that nothing would go wrong. Li Zishuo had no choice but to rest where they were.
"We're doomed... I didn't bring any food."
Li Changsheng had just slumped down on the ground when he suddenly remembered he hadn't brought anything to eat!
Would they have to hunt Soul Beasts for food?
Besides, he didn't know how long it would take to find Soul Beasts suited to both of them.
"Big brother, I brought some."
Just then, Li Zishuo actually took several bundles out of his Storage Soul Tool.
Inside were flatbreads, roasted jerky, some pickled vegetables, and a large canteen.
Li Changsheng accepted the food, surprised. "You brought all this with you?"
Li Zishuo scratched his head. "My mom was afraid I'd get hungry on the way, so she told me to bring some. I hadn't needed it yet. Good thing I can use it now. At least it won't go to waste."
It was hard to imagine that a child from the richest family in God Soul Village would bring his own food when going out.
As Li Changsheng bit into the flatbread, a strange sadness suddenly welled up in his heart.
Li Zishuo sat nearby, wrapping the pickled vegetables and jerky in his flatbread before eating.
After they ate their fill, Li Changsheng sat by the campfire and entered a meditative state. The God of Wisdom automatically observed their surroundings, ready to react the instant anything stirred.
He was cultivating now for one main reason: to break through his Soul Power Level. He was already on the verge of reaching Soul Power Level 15.
After Li Changsheng urged him several times, Li Zishuo cautiously began circulating the Mysterious Heaven Skill and meditating.
In the forest, insects chirped one after another, and cold, eerie winds swept between the trees.
Near midnight, the campfire gradually died down, leaving only a few sparks. Moonlight spilled over the earth, bathing the ground in a shimmering silver glow.
Li Changsheng suddenly opened his eyes. A surge of purple light churned in them, vast and boundless.
He looked around, then noticed something a hundred meters away. In the darkness, the corners of his mouth lifted into a smile.
Then he closed his eyes and continued cultivating.
Where his gaze had fallen, pairs of shining eyes peeked out between the leaves. From the direction of the wind came a faint, unpleasant stench of blood.
A quarter of an hour later,
the campfire's last sparks went out.
Li Changsheng's aura suddenly trembled as his Soul Power officially broke through to Level 15. A deep, mighty surge of Soul Power burst from his body. At the same time, he raised his left hand, and a yellow Hundred-Year Soul Ring revolved around him. The pitch-black space around them instantly became a sea of fire.
Li Zishuo, meditating nearby, suddenly felt unbearably hot. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a world of flames. Worst of all, a mighty pack of wolves had also entered the space in the distance.
Li Changsheng had already stood up. His gaze fixed on the foolish Soul Beasts that had charged into the range of Three Thousand Sumeru Flames.
A pack of wolves.
Let's go back to what had just happened.
As Li Changsheng cultivated, he suddenly heard the God of Wisdom's warning.
A hundred meters away, a pack of Hard-Bone Wolves was approaching and watching the two of them. Leading them was a Hundred-Year Hard-Bone Wolf.
Wolves, especially packs, observed their enemies' movements and weaknesses from places where they were hard to detect, led by their Wolf King.
Clearly, the pack of Hard-Bone Wolves had been drawn by the campfire. They were watching Li Changsheng and Li Zishuo from a hundred meters away, extremely cautious.
Li Changsheng didn't mind. A hundred meters was plenty of distance to react, so he continued cultivating at ease while the pack watched.
The moment the campfire went out, the Hard-Bone Wolf King seemed to make up its mind and launched an attack.
Li Changsheng received the warning at once. As the pack charged forward, he promptly activated his Second Martial Soul, Immortal Execution Painting's First Soul Skill, Three Thousand Sumeru Flames, making the wolves charge right into the sea of fire and fall under his control.
What?
You're saying Li Changsheng had wanted to hone his spear skills?
Give me a break. A pack of wolves was charging at them in one rush, led by a Hard-Bone Wolf King that was more than four hundred years old and accompanied by dozens of Ten-Year Hard-Bone Wolves. Li Changsheng might survive, but Li Zishuo would be dead for sure!
Who cared about all those rules?
After living for so long, Li Changsheng understood one thing better than anyone:
"Having a shred of dignity is useless! With no face and no shame, you can live freely, joyously, and to the fullest!"
Before you continue