The morning breeze had barely blown into Notting Academy when two groups were already gathered outside the gates.
One group was Tang San and Yu Xiaogang.
The other was more eye-catching. Su Hang stood at the front, with Xiao Wu beside him and a small bundle slung over her shoulder. It held two changes of clothes and half a bag of dried fruit—she was better prepared than anyone.
Tang San had just slung his cloth bag over his shoulder when he looked up and saw the formation.
He stopped in his tracks, his face darkening at once.
"You're going to the Soul Hunting Forest too?"
Su Hang leaned against the gate with his hands on his hips and answered briskly.
"The Soul Hunting Forest isn't yours."
Tang San had no answer to that.
He had planned to make the trip quietly, secure his First Spirit Ring, then return to the academy with Yu Xiaogang and slowly consider what came next.
But the moment Su Hang showed up, the whole trip took on a different flavor.
Xiao Wu bounced over beside Su Hang, clutching her bundle and standing there with complete confidence.
"I'm going with Brother Su Hang."
Tang San glanced at her, then looked back at Su Hang.
"You already have a Spirit Ring. What are you going for?"
Su Hang brushed his clothes and answered without hesitation.
"I'm finding a suitable Spirit Ring for Xiao Wu. And while I'm at it, I'll see what Grandmaster can do."
Yu Xiaogang's expression immediately soured.
He was taking Tang San out to secure his First Spirit Ring without a hitch.
He had already gone over the route to the Mandala Snake with Tang San the night before. He had carefully considered everything, from Spirit Beast Habits to where they might find one.
But Su Hang had just described the trip as a chance to "see what he could do."
Those words carried real weight in Yu Xiaogang's ears.
"Su Hang, you already have a Purple Ring. You still want to enter the forest?"
Yu Xiaogang stood with his hands clasped behind his back, holding himself very straight.
"The thing a beginner Soul Master should fear most is arrogance. The Soul Hunting Forest is full of complications. It's no place to show off."
Su Hang glanced at him, not backing down in the least.
"That's all the more reason to go."
"If I don't, how will anyone know whether your theories actually work?"
Yu Xiaogang's throat tightened, and the anger in his chest pressed hard against his ribs.
He had already been stewing over things the night before. This morning, he'd wanted to assert his authority as a teacher in front of Tang San, but Su Hang kept firing off remarks that hit him exactly where it hurt.
Tang San stood nearby without rushing to speak.
He had been watching the way Su Hang and Xiao Wu stood together.
Xiao Wu barely left Su Hang's side. Even the strap of her bundle angled toward him.
That alone said plenty.
"What are you planning to do, following us?"
Tang San got straight to the point.
Su Hang jerked his chin toward the forest.
"One word: steal."
Tang San's face darkened further.
"What are you stealing?"
Su Hang answered even more casually.
"Whatever you've got your eye on."
Even Yu Xiaogang couldn't help turning toward him.
He had still been trying to keep his composure, but the moment Su Hang said that, the air grew thick with the smell of gunpowder.
Xiao Wu's heart jumped. She hurried to cut in.
"Tang San, don't get the wrong idea."
"Brother Su Hang is finding a Spirit Ring for me, not stealing yours."
Tang San looked at her.
"You need a Spirit Ring?"
Xiao Wu nodded quickly.
"Of course. I have to cultivate too."
She said it so smoothly that she barely even blinked.
Su Hang almost laughed aloud.
This little rabbit was quick on the uptake.
But Tang San felt even more uncomfortable.
His instincts told him that Su Hang hadn't come along just because it was "on the way."
But the other man had laid out his reasons plainly, and there was nothing wrong with them.
Just then, the teacher on gate duty came out as well.
He had heard Su Hang's name the night before, and now that he saw him in person, he couldn't help looking him over several times.
Six years old, one ring, Purple Ring.
That was already outrageous by Notting Academy's standards.
The teacher stood at the gate, looked at Tang San, then at Su Hang, and finally spoke.
"You can go to the Soul Hunting Forest."
"But there's one rule: no fighting among yourselves inside."
"If anyone causes trouble, they'll bear the consequences."
Su Hang nodded.
"Don't worry. We're very good at following rules."
Xiao Wu nearly laughed aloud at that.
Good at following rules?
The way this guy had collected rent last night hadn't been polite in the slightest.
Tang San said nothing. He only hitched the strap of his bundle higher on his shoulder.
Seeing that the academy teacher had already relented, Yu Xiaogang could only swallow his words.
"Since that's settled, we'll go together."
"Once we're in the forest, follow my instructions."
Su Hang didn't argue. He simply stepped forward.
Xiao Wu followed close behind, conveniently catching hold of his sleeve.
"Brother Su Hang, don't leave me behind."
"I'm not very good at finding my way around. You'll have to look after me."
Su Hang glanced at her.
"You're not good at finding your way, but you're pretty good at attaching yourself to people."
Xiao Wu's cheeks warmed, and she quickly turned her head away.
"At least I picked the right person."
Tang San heard that and paused for a moment, his discomfort rising another notch.
On the way, Su Hang walked in front with Xiao Wu beside him, while Tang San and Yu Xiaogang followed behind. The formation looked a little strange.
Stranger still, Su Hang really did keep talking the whole way.
Not long after they left the academy, Yu Xiaogang began explaining Spirit Beast habitats, the ranges of several common Spirit Beasts in the Soul Hunting Forest, and how to determine their direction from footprints and flattened grass.
"Mandala Snakes usually live near wetlands. They're fast, venomous, and strong enough to constrict their prey."
"Your Blue Silver Grass is tough, but you'll be at a disadvantage in a head-on fight. You'll need to lure it first, then trap it."
Tang San listened attentively, keeping his steps steady.
Su Hang chimed in from the side.
"Your approach isn't wrong."
"But you've missed one thing. Mandala Snakes are wary of loud noises. When they sense an unfamiliar presence, they usually circle around first instead of charging in like fools."
Yu Xiaogang's brows knitted at once.
"You know about Spirit Beast Habits too?"
Su Hang lifted a hand.
"A little."
"At least more than you can learn just by memorizing books."
The anger in Yu Xiaogang's chest flared again.
He had already established himself as a "master of theory" in front of Tang San the night before. Now Su Hang kept tearing him down, and always with Tang San watching.
After hearing those few remarks, Tang San fell silent for a moment.
He cultivated the Mysterious Heaven Skill and valued caution above all.
What Su Hang had said really did hit the mark.
No matter how barbed his words were, Tang San had to admit the man wasn't talking nonsense.
Yu Xiaogang refused to be outdone and immediately took the conversation back.
"The most important thing in a Soul Master's cultivation is a solid foundation."
"In the Soul Hunting Forest, experience is what matters."
Su Hang turned his head slightly.
"Then let's go in and see."
With that one sentence, he cut off everything Yu Xiaogang had been about to say.
The group continued forward. The trees along both sides of the forest path gradually grew denser, and the air grew damper.
High among the branches, two figures swept along, one ahead of the other.
Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan stepped over a phantom trail of flower petals, while Ghost Douluo Gui Mei hid in the shadows. Neither came too close; they followed from a long way off.
Yue Guan raised a hand to brush aside a petal and spoke in a low voice.
"That boy went into the Soul Hunting Forest of his own accord. Saves us the trouble."
Gui Mei's figure remained hidden in the shadows. His answer was even shorter.
"If he dared come, it means this is where he plans to make his move."
Yue Guan turned his head.
"You're that sure?"
Gui Mei didn't answer at once. A moment later, he continued.
"His Holiness the Pope told us to keep an eye on Su Hang."
"This man wrote a diary one moment, then blocked half of Tang San's path the next."
"Now he's barging into the Soul Hunting Forest too. He's sure to have something else planned."
Yue Guan snorted.
"Then record everything."
"I want to see just how much this boy can change Tang San's path."
Ahead of them, Yu Xiaogang was still explaining the last few things to Tang San.
"Once we enter the forest, don't rush into action."
"First identify the type of Spirit Beast, then its age, then choose your position."
"For Blue Silver Grass's First Spirit Ring, a venomous snake would be ideal. The Mandala Snake is the best choice."
Tang San nodded.
"I'll remember."
Su Hang listened nearby, lightly tapping a finger against his sleeve.
He didn't say much more.
He knew perfectly well that the real show was yet to come.
Tang San wanted to get his Spirit Ring without a hitch this time. No chance.
When they reached the entrance to the Soul Hunting Forest, a guard raised a hand to stop them. He checked their travel documents as a matter of routine before letting them through.
"Once you're inside, don't wander off."
"You must be out before dark."
"There are plenty of Spirit Beasts in there. If something happens, no one can keep track of everyone."
Yu Xiaogang handed over the documents, and Tang San followed him through.
When it was Su Hang's turn, the guard's movements clearly slowed.
He looked at the Purple Ring, then at Xiao Wu beside Su Hang, and only then handed the documents back.
"Go on in."
Just before Su Hang crossed the gate, the Luck Deprivation Card inside him suddenly warmed.
The warmth was faint, but unmistakable.
He stopped, then looked up toward the depths of the forest.
The system notification sounded at that moment.
[Target opportunity has entered a hundred-mile radius.]
A faint smile touched Su Hang's lips. He didn't ask anything further.
Xiao Wu sidled up beside him and lowered her voice.
"What's wrong?"
Looking at the sea of trees ahead, Su Hang spoke just one line.
"Tang San, your first snake has already started slithering this way."
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