Cultivation Breaks Through Level Twenty, Heading to the Hunting Soul Forest

Time flew by like a white colt flashing past a crack.

More than two years had already passed since Li Qinglian awakened his Martial Soul.

Li Qinglian's cultivation had also successfully broken through to rank twenty.

During this time, the Evil Fire inside Li Qinglian had only erupted once. This time, Li Qinglian had experience. After leaving Blazing Fire Academy, he jumped into a lake and quickly suppressed the Evil Fire.

There was a pond filled with lotuses near Li Qinglian's residence.

It was currently the season when they bloomed.

The surrounding air was filled with the fresh fragrance of lotus flowers.

Li Qinglian looked at his own reflection on the surface of the water.

Two years had passed, and Li Qinglian had changed greatly, especially in appearance. His childishness had faded quickly, and he had grown increasingly handsome. The silver-white strands in his hair had also gradually increased.

"Rustle."

A sound of something cutting through the air came, carrying the familiar feminine fragrance of a woman's body.

Immediately after, a long leg swept straight toward his chest.

Li Qinglian leaned backward, dodging it with effortless grace.

Huo Wu tapped the tips of her toes lightly and kept flying in with kicks at Li Qinglian.

Behind her, a shadow identical to herself condensed, the hazy Fire Shadow filled with an illusory quality.

Seeing this, Li Qinglian also released his Martial Soul.

The Fire Phoenix phantom turned into a binding rope, tightly tying up Huo Wu's body.

Immediately after, Li Qinglian grabbed the ankle of Huo Wu's right leg as she kicked at him and pulled hard. Huo Wu's whole body fell to the ground as if she had been forced into a split.

"Ah. Little brother Qinglian, you hurt me."

Huo Wu pouted her rosy lips and looked at Li Qinglian with an aggrieved expression.

A dazed look flashed through the girl's eyes.

Two years had passed, and the boy from back then had already grown into an incomparably handsome youth. Though he was still a young youth.

"Sister Huo Wu. Stop using that trick. I didn't even use any strength."

Li Qinglian looked at the girl helplessly.

The girl had long wine-red hair and wore a gold-red qipao that tightly wrapped around her explosively developed figure.

In two years, Huo Wu had also changed greatly, becoming more and more like a grown young woman.

"I listened to you. I'm wearing safety shorts."

"But because I'm wearing a qipao, if the underwear is too thick, the outline will show, so it's a thin style."

Seeing Li Qinglian look at her and seem about to say something again, Huo Wu spoke first.

However, her tone carried a trace of teasing and amusement.

She did not mind being seen by Li Qinglian at all.

She had already figured out the pattern of Li Qinglian's Evil Fire. In the short term, Li Qinglian's Evil Fire would not erupt.

"Ahem."

Li Qinglian coughed lightly.

He was somewhat defeated by Huo Wu's bluntness.

Huo Wu had never treated Li Qinglian as an outsider, and she also loved to sneak-attack him, so accidental exposure was practically a common occurrence.

The natural environment of Blazing Fire Academy was indeed very hot, suitable for cultivation, but it was indeed somewhat troublesome to live in.

He could understand that Huo Wu did not like wearing the school uniform that wrapped her body up tightly.

But at the very least, she still had to wear safety shorts.

Sometimes, he even suspected this woman was deliberately teasing him.

In his mind, that thread of desire was faintly stirred up by Huo Wu.

"No women in the heart, and the sword is drawn like a god."

Li Qinglian murmured and closed his eyes.

"What do you mean, no women in the heart, and the sword is drawn like a god? Little brother Qinglian, if you dare not be interested in women, hmph, just see how I'll torment you." Hearing Li Qinglian talking to himself, Huo Wu burst into laughter.

"And..."

"Little brother Qinglian. Look at me. I don't believe you can look at me and still have empty eyes."

Huo Wu quietly walked over to Li Qinglian, cupped Li Qinglian's face, and blinked her big eyes.

Not far away, Huo Wushuang watched Huo Wu and Li Qinglian fooling around and was already completely used to it.

This girl Huo Wu has really fallen in love with Li Qinglian.

But Li Qinglian is indeed quite suitable for my younger sister. It's just that in the future, I'm afraid he'll be a passionate sort.

Huo Wushuang cared about his younger sister and did not want her to have to fight other women over a man in the future.

But those two women from Tianshui Academy were not easy to deal with.

Shui Bing'er in particular could enter a Martial Soul fusion state with Li Qinglian. The bond between those two was almost impossible to sever.

And his sister and Shui Bing'er were sworn enemies, as incompatible as fire and water. He feared she would suffer grievances in the future.

"All right. Little sister, stop making trouble."

Hearing this, Huo Wu stuck out her tongue and stood beside Li Qinglian.

"Qinglian, your cultivation has broken through to rank twenty. What are your plans?" Huo Wushuang asked.

"I think with my current body, I can absorb a Soul Ring of around three thousand years."

Li Qinglian analyzed it rationally.

"Three thousand years? A Soul Ring of that age should suit you best."

"Also, I suggest you go straight to the Hunting Soul Forest to look for a soul beast for your second Soul Ring."

"Our Liehuo Academy gets some slots to enter the Hunting Soul Forest every year, but only Soul Masters below rank thirty can go in to hunt souls."

Huo Wushuang said.

The soul beasts in the Hunting Soul Forest were all artificially captured and bred, and every thousand-year soul beast was extremely precious. Outsiders were absolutely not allowed to hunt them lightly.

But Li Qinglian was only rank twenty. Who could have imagined that he could already absorb a thousand-year Soul Ring now?

"I'll go with him. For a soul beast around three thousand years old, we should be able to manage."

Huo Wu volunteered, speaking to Li Qinglian.

She was already rank twenty-six now and had the qualifications to fight a thousand-year soul beast. Add in a monster like Li Qinglian, and they should not run into any real danger in the Hunting Soul Forest.

"Fine." Huo Wushuang agreed.

Since his sister's heart was already with Li Qinglian, he was happy to create opportunities for the two of them to be alone.

"All right. Then we'll ask the dean for leave tomorrow."

A strange light flickered in Li Qinglian's eyes.

He hoped his second Soul Ring would be a high-burst soul skill. Paired with the strong control of his first soul skill, its practical combat effect would be quite good.

In the depths of Red Flame Canyon, within the Hunting Soul Forest.

A river of lava wound through the land, and waves of heat distorted the air.

A gigantic bird, crimson-gold from head to tail, circled above the canyon.

Red Flame Golden Roc!

This was a flying-type fire soul beast of roughly three thousand years.

It was larger than an ordinary golden roc, with a wingspan of over five meters, and every feather flowed with a molten-gold sheen.

When its wings beat, fine sparks fell like rain, scorching even the rocks with charred marks.

A pair of eagle eyes, sharp as flame, locked onto the unwelcome intruders who had entered its territory.

"The Red Flame Golden Roc... This soul beast will probably be hard to deal with."

"A top-tier thousand-year raptor is much more troublesome than soul beasts on the ground."

Huo Wu's pretty face tensed.

If it were a soul beast on the ground, she would not be worried. But one that flew in the sky was a problem.

"Indeed."

Li Qinglian nodded slightly.

"But it isn't completely hopeless."

"Sister Huo Wu, look. There's a dense stand of trees not far ahead. If we can think of a way to lure it over there, I can ambush it from the side. We should have a chance."

"But with a raptor like this that excels at flight, I have to severely damage its wings in one strike before we'll have a chance to kill it."

Watching Li Qinglian explain everything so calmly, Huo Wu's beautiful eyes flickered with a strange light.

She was five or six years older than Li Qinglian, but that did not stop admiration for him from rising in her heart.

Li Qinglian had clearly hardly ever left the academy, yet in many ways, he was even more mature than she was.

Perhaps there really were people in this world who were born knowing.

Li Qinglian's sword was very sharp. But even if he faced the Red Flame Golden Roc head-on, it would be impossible for him to severely wound the soul beast directly. Instead, he would easily alert it. Once a flying-type soul beast became wary, it would be very difficult to hunt.

"I understand."

"I'll find a way to anger it and then lure it to where you're hiding. Then you make your move. Is that it?"

"I should be fine."

Huo Wu gave a slight nod.

She estimated the distance. It was only about a thousand meters. If she ran at full speed, she probably would not be caught that quickly.