"This should only be a little over a hundred years old, right?" When they returned to where Flender was, they saw the midsized Emerald Garlic at his feet.
Even Zhu Zhuqing nodded.
"If you're not satisfied, then let's keep looking." Flender didn't say much more and took off right where he stood.
Though Emerald Garlics were a type of gregarious plant Soul Beast, they were extremely rare. There were usually no more than two or three in any one place.
The two they'd found were probably all there were.
If they wanted to find any more Emerald Garlics, there probably wouldn't be any around the outskirts of the core area. They might have to search inside it.
Flender thought the same thing up in the sky, and acted on it, flying straight toward the target he'd picked out.
Down below, Du Hao glanced at the Hundred-Year Emerald Garlic, then stood up and said, "Let's keep looking. If we can't find one, we'll get your Soul Ring first."
"All right. We've already got our outdoor supplies ready, so we should be fine for half a month." Their luggage was all in Flender's Storage Soul Tool. They'd long since prepared for a drawn-out search.
After all, it was perfectly normal for obtaining a Soul Ring to take a while.
They searched ahead for about a quarter of an hour, and the sky had gradually grown dim.
"Wait, I think there's something moving up ahead!"
Zhu Zhuqing, who had been scanning their surroundings, suddenly fixed her eyes on a spot in the distance. Her body sank into a crouch.
"What is it?"
Du Hao hurried over from where he'd been searching.
Ahead lay a patch of damp-looking mud, surrounded by some thorny brush. Fortunately, the area was open, with a clear view of the sky above.
If anything seemed wrong, all they had to do was call out. Flender would probably notice the disturbance at once.
There was no need to worry about their safety at all.
"Look over there..." Zhu Zhuqing bent down and ran her finger over a faint mark in the dirt.
"An animal definitely passed through here, and the claw marks are still fresh..." Clearly, they'd entered another predator's territory.
"Don't tell me we're that unlucky." Du Hao frowned as he searched the area.
He hadn't expected to run into another beast so soon. Judging from the size of its territory, it probably wasn't weak.
"Shh! There's something moving over there." Zhu Zhuqing pointed toward the brush a short distance ahead.
From far away, they could see the patch of brush shaking. Something was clearly in there, though they couldn't tell what it was doing.
"Let's fall back first. Once we're farther away, we can see what's going on." As he spoke, Du Hao reached over his shoulder and took down the Zhuge Crossbow.
Keeping his guard up, he watched the direction the sound had come from as he slowly backed away in step with Zhu Zhuqing.
As for going over to inspect what kind of Soul Beast it was—no way. Two Soul Scholars who hadn't even obtained their first Soul Ring yet would be walking straight into a Hundred-Year Soul Beast's jaws. Wasn't it better to keep our distance and draw it out?
Once they'd backed away to a safe distance, Du Hao finally let out a breath, though he kept his eyes on the spot where the brush had been.
A black panther had emerged from the brush, a bloodied white antelope dangling from its jaws.
Its cold eyes flicked toward them.
Then the black panther, still holding its prey in its jaws, began to feast right there as if no one else was around.
The two of them didn't dare let their guard down for a moment.
"A-Hao, should we call the headmaster over?" Zhu Zhuqing suddenly asked.
"What's wrong?" Du Hao asked, puzzled.
Zhu Zhuqing stared at the black panther in the distance, longing in her eyes. "I feel like that Soul Beast is perfect for me. My Martial Soul is craving it. This seems to be the precondition for Martial Soul Evolution that Grandmaster mentioned: a compatible resonance."
The pre-existing compatibility between a Martial Soul and a Soul Beast meant that, when a Soul Master obtained a Soul Ring, their Martial Soul might react with a particular Soul Beast, producing a throb or resonance.
A Soul Beast that resonated with a Martial Soul was generally a very good match for it. In some cases, obtaining its Soul Ring could even give the Martial Soul a chance to evolve.
Du Hao hadn't listened to much of Grandmaster's theory, but he knew that much. And when his own little Kitten had spoken up, how could he not help her?
"No need to trouble the headmaster yet. I should be able to handle it.
"Zhuqing, hold this for me." As he spoke, he handed her the Zhuge Crossbow, then immediately opened the pouch at his waist.
With quick movements, he pulled out one component after another and assembled them like building blocks into two long tubes of different sizes.
The panther in the distance noticed the commotion, but it didn't react at all.
It simply watched them as it ate, disdain in its eyes.
After all, to its senses, the two people before it were terribly weak. It felt like a single puff of breath could kill them both. So it paid them no mind.
Instead, it focused on enjoying its meal.
"Zhuqing, hold it steady!" With practiced movements, Du Hao fitted the longer iron tube onto the front of the Zhuge Crossbow, then pulled the bowstring forward, extending it all the way to the tip of the tube.
Finally, he placed the shorter tube where the sight was.
"Done!" Looking at the fully assembled Zhuge Crossbow, Du Hao let out a long breath.
As for the two things he'd just put together, one was a telescope, and the other was an extended barrel... no, an extended arrow tube.
They were both based on suggestions he'd given Tang San.
It couldn't match the original Zhuge Crossbow's rapid-fire capabilities, but its single-shot power should be just as strong.
At least it should be enough to deal with the black panther in front of them.
"What is this?" Zhu Zhuqing looked completely puzzled. She couldn't make heads or tails of the thing in her hands.
"A Gun-Bow! Xiao San made it." Du Hao didn't waste any words. He loaded a bolt from the original magazine and adjusted the mechanism.
Once everything was ready,
Du Hao stepped behind Zhu Zhuqing and reached out to hold both her hands, aiming straight at the black panther in the distance.
"Zhuqing, take a deep breath!"
As Du Hao's breath brushed past her ear, Zhu Zhuqing's cheeks flushed a little more.
Feeling the warmth of his palms, she squirmed shyly. "Maybe we should still call the headmaster. That'd be safer..."
"No need. Just listen to me."
As if! If they called the headmaster over, what role would he have left to play?
It was a rare chance for some intimate time together. If he didn't seize it and grow closer to her, wouldn't that be a waste?
In the end, Zhu Zhuqing couldn't resist Du Hao, so she could only force down her unease.
Breathe in...
Once she'd calmed down, Zhu Zhuqing opened her eyes again. They were clear now, her gaze fixed firmly on the Soul Beast opposite them.
Du Hao, guiding her from behind, was pleased too. He spoke softly. "You don't need to tense up so much. That black panther hasn't taken us seriously at all. It's a sitting duck right now, so relax..."
Before you continue