Soul Hunting Forest

"They're gone!"

"The people over here are gone, too!"

Several shouts echoed above Notting Academy. The people who had been hot on the heels of the shadows were now like headless flies.

All it took was a turn around a corner, or a dash into an empty storeroom.

The moment anyone's gaze strayed from those figures, the little thieves vanished without a trace. They were only a few Spirit Master-level thieves, yet a dozen teachers had spent half the night chasing them and still hadn't caught a single one alive?

Listening to the steady stream of bad news, Principal Fuqi's face darkened. He was so angry his teeth ached.

Then, amid the string of bad news, someone suddenly waved an arm. He seemed to be holding something high as he shoved through the crowd and hurried over.

"Principal! We found the stolen Soul Hunting Permit!"

"Huh?"

By the faint firelight, everyone turned to look at the Soul Hunting Permit in his hand.

Its material was pitch-black, and it bore a vivid red pattern of a sword, hammer, and crown. Principal Fuqi took it in a daze. Its familiar feel left no doubt: this was his academy's Soul Hunting Permit.

The stolen permit had simply been found again. So what had all those people gone to such lengths for?

"What did they mean by this?"

Principal Fuqi muttered to himself. The exhausted teachers around him scratched their heads, unable to make sense of it.

Several days later,

At dawn, the mist had yet to lift completely. Before a vast primeval forest, a human-built market bustled with activity. Spirit Masters waiting to go Soul Hunting had their packs on and were already lined up in a long queue.

Many burly Spirit Masters escorted well-dressed nobles on their hunts, while others prepared to risk their lives for their second or third Spirit Ring.

Of course, plenty of Spirit Masters were also risking their lives for their very first Spirit Ring.

Beginner Soul Master Academies were indeed obliged to help their students hunt for Spirit Rings, but how many commoner Spirit Masters with only one or two levels of Innate Soul Power could reach level ten before graduating at twelve?

A Spirit Hall guard stationed at the entrance glanced down at the pitch-black permit in his hand, then looked at the group of youths before him, none older than seventeen or eighteen.

"You're going in to hunt?"

"Yes."

The leader nodded, then added a few shrewd words.

"We're all level ten Spirit Masters, and we graduated from the same beginner academy. We thought we could look out for one another. Besides, we're only hunting Soul Beasts like Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo. There's no need to waste money hiring outsiders."

Seeing there was no profit to be made from them, the Spirit Hall guard frowned and shooed them away.

"Fine! Get in there, quick!"

"Thank you, thank you."

They took the permit,

and the group headed into Soul Hunting Forest.

Once the market town behind them had disappeared and there was no sign of any other hunting parties nearby, they all let out a long breath.

Bang!

Smoke burst outward. The three young men shrank considerably, revealing the exact same face beneath. Naruto, at the head of the group, casually tossed away the Soul Hunting Permit. The moment it hit the ground, it exploded with a bang.

Another Naruto appeared on the spot, bent over and pounding his back like an old man.

"I nearly suffocated! Turning into a tiny object is seriously the worst!"

"That's nothing! I'm lugging all this luggage!" Shadow Clone A panted heavily and pointed to the pile on his back, which was taller than he was. He, too, complained.

Naruto was still a penniless pauper. Where would he get something as high-end as a Soul Tool?

The two clones exchanged a glance and reached an understanding. Then they turned around, their dangerous gazes falling on the two empty-handed figures.

"Don't look at me! I ran my legs off buying all that stuff. It's not like I didn't do any work!" Shadow Clone B hurriedly waved his hands and explained. After a brief moment of thought, the others nodded in agreement. Everyone's gaze settled on the last person.

"What are you looking at me for? I'm the real one!"

Naruto clasped his hands behind his back, exuding a majestic air as he spoke with righteous conviction.

"Good! Let's all attack together! Kill that lousy emperor and seize his throne! I'll crown you all princes!"

"We brothers will stand as one and make sure he doesn't come back alive!"

"Eldest! Second! Get him! I'll back you up!"

The three cursed, yet stood frozen in place.

No wonder they were all joined at the hip. Every one of them wanted to be the father, regardless of seniority. What a rabble.

A cold glint flickered in the real Naruto's eyes. When he struck, he did so with the grace of an antelope leaping onto a jutting rock. His fists flashed out in a blur, and in just a few moves, he took all three down!

Really, he was just bullying them with the advantage of being the real one.

"..."

A moment later, A, B, and C covered their bruised, purple faces, their lips puckered. They looked aggrieved but had no choice but to submit to the real one's tyranny and respectfully call him "Father."

Naruto paced back and forth before the three, sizing up his Shadow Clones.

Without borrowing Soul Power from Dong Trumpet, the three Shadow Clones had already taken up most of Naruto's Soul Power. And they hadn't disappointed him.

Unlike the fragile clones created by the basic Clone Technique, these three had taken several punches from him and were still lively and moving normally, showing no sign of collapsing.

He nodded to himself,

then stopped and issued an order.

"Split up and search. When you find a target, dispel your Shadow Clone and notify me."

"What about you?"

"I'll watch the luggage."

The three Shadow Clones scowled. When no one moved, Naruto gave them a threatening look and urged them on.

"Why are you still standing there? Get going!"

Only then did the three grumble and hurry off into the forest.

"These... clones of yours..."

Bibi Dong's hesitant voice sounded in his ear. Naruto paused and waited.

"They can think clearly and act independently. They've retained about sixty or seventy percent of your strength, and their bodies are much sturdier than your previous clones. It's just that their personalities... are rather like yours..."

"Why does it sound like you think having a personality like mine is a bad thing?"

Naruto frowned.

Bibi Dong's eyes widened slightly, and she sat up straight. "Isn't it?"

Naruto's eyelids drooped halfway. He couldn't be bothered to engage with the increasingly irreverent Pope.

He picked up a note, his expression turning somewhat grave. It listed the Spirit Rings he and Bibi Dong had carefully chosen after discussing the matter. In this remote corner of the continent, there were only... three Soul Beasts in the forest suited to his Martial Soul!

"Roar!!"

A beast's roar rang across the forest.

The Diamond Elephant, several people tall, raised its forelegs high, then slammed them down. The entire mountain forest shook.

The hunting party before it swayed wildly, their formation thrown into disarray as they fled in panic. The eight-hundred-year-old Diamond Elephant showed no mercy. It toppled trees as it chased them down!

From a distance, Naruto watched the trees fall from his perch in the branches, looking somewhat disheveled. He had long since gotten used to it.

This was the deepest part of Soul Hunting Forest. The patrol guards were supposed to clear out Soul Beasts over a thousand years old, but there was no guarantee none had slipped through. Even if he was lucky and didn't encounter a thousand-year Soul Beast, these seven- and eight-hundred-year-old ones were far stronger than him.

As he was thinking, Naruto suddenly pressed a hand to his forehead, his brows furrowing.

Another Shadow Clone had been killed by a Soul Beast.

But at last, there was good news.

He'd found one!

Somewhere in the forest, at a pond,

four enormous crocodile turtles stretched out their necks and pushed aside the reeds along the bank.

In the grass lay a huge, damp crater. The four giant turtles had just blasted a stream of water from their mouths, gouging it out together.

Looking at the crater, the turtles' eyes held a faintly human confusion.

Where had the two-legged creature gone?

Far from the bank, already deeper in the forest,

Naruto crouched in the thick grass, silently counting his blessings. Good thing he'd sent Shadow Clones ahead to scout. Otherwise, he wouldn't even have known how he'd died when those four water cannons hit.

Through the dense branches and leaves, Naruto watched the four giant turtles from a distance.

"Four Pure Water Turtles?"

Bibi Dong sounded somewhat surprised.

Naruto, who had studied for barely half a year and was still practically illiterate, wore a clear, foolish look.

"You really are lucky, brat. These four Pure Water Turtles may be the only ones left in this Soul Beast forest."

Bibi Dong was exasperated by Naruto's matter-of-fact behavior. She raised a slender finger and explained, "Judging by the patterns on their shells, the two smaller ones are around two hundred years old. The medium-sized one is three hundred and ninety years old. The largest is about five hundred and seventy."

"Three hundred and ninety years. That's only about thirty years short of the limit for a first Spirit Ring."

With that, Bibi Dong crossed her arms.

After waiting a while, the smile at the corner of Bibi Dong's mouth gradually faded. Naruto still hadn't moved, remaining crouched in the grass.

"What's wrong?"

Bibi Dong asked with a frown.

Naruto turned around, looking utterly confused. "Huh? You didn't tell me which Pure Water Turtle I should choose."

"Brat!?"

Bibi Dong's face turned livid. Her icy words were filled with barely restrained fury. "Didn't you hear what I just said? Or have you been reading the Heavenly Book too much?"

"The limit for a first Spirit Ring is four hundred and twenty-three years!"

"Oh."

Naruto merely nodded.

That attitude only made Bibi Dong angrier. Before she could rise in a fury and demand an answer, Naruto calmly spoke again.

"I wasn't asking some good-for-nothing about Martial Soul Theory. I was asking the Pope of Spirit Hall. Please tell me, what is my body's limit right now? Which Soul Beast should I choose?"