Soul Hunting Forest, Soul Ring Selection

The forest mist had yet to disperse when an astonishing party arrived at the entrance to the Soul Hunting Forest.

A Soul Saint, three Soul Emperors, and four Soul Kings escorted a youth who had only just reached level ten as a Soul Warrior—such an outrageous lineup left the guard in charge of registration staring wide-eyed, his jaw nearly hitting the ground.

"Good heavens... even going to the Star Dou Great Forest with this kind of force would be extravagance, and they came here?!" The guard's thoughts churned like stormy seas, but outwardly he walked on eggshells, not daring to voice a single question. Before absolute power, any unnecessary words would only seem foolish.

He had just picked up the registry when Prince Xue Xing raised a hand in a dismissive gesture, his voice carrying an unquestionable chill. "No need."

"B-but sir, the rules..." the guard hurriedly protested.

Xue Xing's gaze narrowed slightly, his impatience plain to see.

Secrecy was paramount for this trip, and there could not be the slightest mishap with his nephew's safety. How could they leave behind a written record? With a flick of his fingers, a gilded token slid into his palm, its pattern of a swan spreading its wings gleaming with majestic authority in the morning light.

"In the Heaven Dou Empire," Xue Xing said softly, yet each word weighed a thousand pounds, "my word is the rule."

The guard had been ready to angrily rebuke such arrogant words, but the moment his eyes fell upon the prince's token representing the direct line of the Heaven Dou royal family, his face went deathly pale. Every word lodged in his throat, and he could not utter even half a syllable. He hastily bowed and retreated to one side, not even daring to raise his head for another look.

The group entered the Soul Hunting Forest in silence and began searching everywhere for traces of soul beasts. Yet they had barely ventured deeper when Prince Xue Xing furrowed his brow, his face full of disdain.

"Ten-year Lone Bamboo, ten-year Wind Baboon, ten-year Crimson Fire Ape... sigh, this forest is truly terrible. It's nowhere near as good as the Star Dou Great Forest."

Lin Ya, however, looked entirely unconcerned and said with a smile, "Uncle, I'm only absorbing my first soul ring. It's the same wherever I do it."

"That's true." Xue Xing nodded slightly, then seemed to recall something. He took an exquisite little wooden box from his robes and held it out to Lin Ya. "Xiao Ya, now that you're a Soul Warrior, it's time you had a soul tool of your own. This little trinket is for you."

"A little trinket?"

Lin Ya accepted the box curiously and gently opened it. Resting quietly atop the red brocade was a jade thumb ring engraved with a golden snowflake. Its radiance was restrained, yet it exuded nobility.

He slipped the thumb ring onto his thumb. It was slightly large, but did not affect its wearability in the slightest.

As he sent a thread of soul power into it, Lin Ya's heart jolted.

Within this seemingly ordinary thumb ring was an entire one hundred cubic meters of storage space!

Compared to Tang San's Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges, which held only twenty-four cubic meters and was divided into compartments, the difference was obvious at a glance.

Lin Ya inwardly sighed. Clinging to a top-tier backer truly was the most comfortable shortcut.

Seeing his delight, Xue Xing revealed a gratified smile. "This is the Xue Xing Ring. Not only does it possess vast storage space, it is also this prince's personal token. Once you reach Heaven Dou City, simply display this ring, and no one in the entire Heaven Dou Empire will dare stop you."

As Prince Xue Xing of the Heaven Dou Empire, he held immense power in the imperial court, second only to one and above tens of thousands. He had every right to say such words.

Lin Ya nodded solemnly and put the ring on properly before looking up to ask, "Uncle, then what soul beast should I choose for my first soul ring?"

At those words, Xue Xing stiffened slightly, looking somewhat awkward.

If he had been matching soul rings for the family's inherited White Swan martial soul, he would naturally have known exactly what to do. But Lin Ya's martial soul was an unprecedented mutated martial soul, and he could not determine the right choice at once.

"Xiao Ya, I haven't asked yet. What abilities does your martial soul... actually possess?"

"I don't know." Lin Ya shook his head. "But I feel like it can probably accommodate soul rings of any attribute."

"That vague?" Xue Xing helplessly stroked his chin. After pondering for a moment, he simply stopped dwelling on it. "Fine. For your second soul ring, I'll definitely ask a master from the soul master world to advise you. As for now—"

His tone paused, and he spoke bluntly and domineeringly. "As long as your first soul ring is old enough, its soul skill cannot possibly be bad."

Simple and crude, yet absolutely correct.

As for judging the age of soul beasts, Prince Xue Xing might not have been as well-versed in theory as Yu Xiaogang, but the people around him were all royal experts hardened by countless battles. They could accurately judge it with a single glance.

"Release your martial souls."

"Yes!"

At the command, the seven soul masters behind him released their martial souls simultaneously.

They did not unleash their full strength. Yet merely releasing a trace of their soul pressure made the vegetation within a thousand meters tremble and turned the air heavy.

Rustle, rustle—

Sensing that terrifying aura, every soul beast under ten years old in the forest fled in panic. Only century-old soul beasts could barely hold their ground.

Prince Xue Xing waved a hand, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

"Capture every century-old soul beast in the vicinity alive!"

"By your command!"

Before the words had even faded, the seven soul masters vanished from where they stood. The next instant, thunderous crashes and the roars of soul beasts sounded one after another from deep within the forest.

In less than ten minutes, the seven returned, each carrying a soul beast. They threw them heavily before Lin Ya, their movements crisp, efficient, and highly professional.

Lin Ya looked at the seven fierce century-old soul beasts on the ground. Though all had been gravely injured and subdued, their dense soul beast aura still made his heart tremble slightly as a level-ten Soul Warrior.

Under normal circumstances, Nuoding Academy did not even have many century-old soul rings in total. Yet now, seven living century-old soul beasts lay before him, ready for him to choose from.

The contrast filled him with an indescribable sense of exhilaration.

The Soul Saint at the head of the group stepped forward and respectfully reported to Xue Xing, "Your Highness, we captured seven century-old soul beasts in total: a century-old Lone Bamboo, a century-old Wind Baboon, a century-old Netherwolf, a century-old Azure Sea Ape, a two-hundred-year Ghost Vine, a two-hundred-year Cockscomb Phoenix Snake, and this one—"

The Soul Saint abruptly dragged the enormous creature behind him forward and slammed it heavily onto the ground.

It was a purple-green giant spider over three meters long. Its body was hideous, its fangs glinted coldly, and even as it lay at death's door, it still radiated a vicious aura that made one's heart pound.

"This is?" Xue Xing raised a brow.

"Reporting to Your Highness, a Soul-Devouring Demon Spider with a full three hundred years of cultivation! This soul beast is extremely rare. I never expected one to be hidden in this tiny Soul Hunting Forest!"

Soul-Devouring Demon Spider?

Lin Ya's gaze sharpened.

There were countless spider-type soul beasts on Douluo Continent, but the Man-Faced Demon Spider, Cave Demon Spider, Soul-Devouring Demon Spider, and Death Spider were the most famous. The first two were known to all because of Tang San, while the latter two owed their fame to Spirit Hall's Pope—Bibi Dong.

Once a Soul-Devouring Demon Spider broke through the hundred-thousand-year mark, it would evolve into a Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor—and that was precisely Bibi Dong's second martial soul!

Seeing Lin Ya's gaze settle on the demon spider, the Soul Sage immediately gave a detailed introduction:

"Soul-Devouring Demon Spiders are vicious by nature, outcasts reviled even among soul beasts. Their greatest innate talent is devouring! They speed up their cultivation by devouring other soul beasts. That is why they are targeted by both soul masters and soul beasts alike, making them extremely rare. Even in the Star Dou Great Forest, they are seldom seen."

"Sounds pretty good."

Looking at the seven soul beasts before him, each of a different age and attribute, Prince Xue Xing nodded in satisfaction. He patted Lin Ya on the shoulder, his tone gentle.

"Choose, Xiao Ya. Take whichever one catches your eye."