Solo Hunt

Just as he was immersed in the strange sensations this land brought him, a figure silently appeared at Xue Qinghe's side.

It was a tall middle-aged man dressed in fitted clothes, with a gray cloak draped over them.

His features were ordinary, the kind that would never be remembered if he were placed in a crowd.

But the instant Li Hanche's gaze swept over him, he noticed something: the man stood in the snow, yet his feet had not sunk into it in the slightest.

Not even a single crack marred the surface of the snow crust.

Xue Qinghe did not turn around, merely tilting his face slightly.

"You're here?"

The middle-aged man nodded without speaking.

His gaze passed over Xue Qinghe and settled briefly on Li Hanche.

It lasted only an instant, yet Li Hanche felt the pressure of being assessed. It was not deliberate intimidation, merely the natural gaze of a powerful person.

Li Hanche looked away.

He did not ask who the man was, nor did he ask why he had been following them.

He did not even spare the middle-aged man a second glance.

Instead, he felt the Frost Heaven Record circulate ever faster within him and sensed the natural, perfect boost this icy, snow-covered land gave to his cultivation method.

Snake Lance Douluo's gaze lingered on him for another breath.

A six-year-old child had watched a stranger appear out of nowhere beside the crown prince, yet he was neither surprised nor curious. He did not even ask a single question.

There were usually only two explanations for such a reaction: either the child had been scared witless, or he was far more composed than his age suggested.

And the child before him, standing in the snow with steady breathing and clear eyes, was clearly not the former.

Xue Qinghe tucked his hands into his sleeves, his gaze falling upon Li Hanche as well.

Night came earlier in the Far North than anywhere else on the continent. The wind across the snowfield grew fiercer, carrying snow grains that struck their faces with an increasingly painful sting.

"We'll make camp here tonight," Xue Qinghe said.

Snake Lance Douluo nodded, turned toward the carriage, and began unloading the camping supplies.

His movements were practiced, as though this was far from his first time doing such work.

A dignified Titled Douluo was now doing a groom's work, yet there was not the slightest trace of discomfort on his face.

The next day

Snake Lance Douluo led the way, and with every step he took, the snow beneath his feet automatically parted to either side, as though an invisible hand had cleared a path for him.

Xue Qinghe walked in the middle, with Li Hanche following behind.

After they had traveled for about half an hour, Snake Lance Douluo suddenly slowed.

His gaze swept over several fresh beast tracks in the snow, then he looked toward a patch of crushed shrubs in the distance before turning back to glance at Xue Qinghe.

Understanding at once, Xue Qinghe stopped and turned to Li Hanche.

"Uncle Snake, go catch a few hundred-year soul beasts and bring them here. Let the boy get some practice first and familiarize himself with the rhythm of real combat. As for thousand-year ones... catch one around a thousand years old and another around two thousand years old. Bring them both back and let him choose."

Snake Lance Douluo nodded. His body shifted slightly, and one corner of his cloak lifted in the wind as he prepared to leave.

At that very instant, golden light exploded in Li Hanche's mind.

The familiar system notification, so smug it made his teeth itch, sounded right on cue.

"Ding! Detected that the host is about to begin his first soul beast hunt. A first battle is one of the most important rites in a soul master's life. The [First Hunt Glory] choice mission has now been triggered."

"Please make your choice within three breaths."

Three dazzling golden options appeared in his mind.

Li Hanche glanced over them and fell silent.

[Option One: Hunt Alone]

"Refuse Snake Lance Douluo's help and insist on personally finding and hunting a soul beast. Reward: movement technique Treading Snow Without Trace."

"Note: As a cheat-powered protagonist, aren't you embarrassed to let someone else handle your first battle?"

[Option Two: Accept Help]

"Allow Snake Lance Douluo to capture soul beasts for you and reap the benefits without lifting a finger. Reward: none."

"Note: Let others catch the soul beasts and help you beat them half to death before you absorb their soul rings. In the future, are you going to have someone else enter the bridal chamber in your place too?"

[Option Three: Abandon the Hunt]

"Loudly declare, 'Soul beasts are so adorable, how can we hurt them?' Then turn around and leave the Far North. Reward: permanent title [Sanctimonious Bitch]. Title effect: displayed above the host's head and visible to every living creature on Douluo Continent."

"Note: Are you serious?"

He immediately ruled out options two and three.

The reward for option one, Treading Snow Without Trace, had practically been delivered to his doorstep. How could he possibly refuse it?

Besides, though the system's note was begging for a beating, it was right. As a transmigrator with cheats, letting someone else handle his first battle really was hard to justify.

The moment Li Hanche made his choice, his body was already moving. He arrived at Xue Qinghe's side.

"Big brother. I'll do it myself!"

The three words rang out with unquestionable force.

Xue Qinghe looked at him. Snake Lance Douluo looked at him too.

Both men's gazes fell upon the six-year-old child, and their expressions were remarkably identical: Are you kidding me?

Xue Qinghe looked at Li Hanche's earnest face, but the first thought that surfaced in his mind had nothing to do with soul beasts.

That "big brother" of yours really does sound much more familiar than "Brother Qinghe."

How many days has it even been? You say it like we've known each other for twenty years.

But he did not say it aloud.

He was Xue Qinghe, the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire.

His scheming nature and upbringing would not allow him to argue over a form of address with a six-year-old child in front of Snake Lance Douluo.

He merely turned the thought over once in his mind, then suppressed it.

He is mine.

I provided the resources to cultivate him. I gave him the villa he lives in. I allocated the Gold Soul Coins he spends. I sent the maids at his side.

From the moment he took my hand at Martial Soul Temple, this child became a piece in my arrangement. A piece with great potential, but still only a piece.

A piece having a little temper, a little stubbornness, and being a little overly familiar are not major issues. I can tolerate it.

Having thought it through, Xue Qinghe's expression returned to its gentle composure.

He turned to Snake Lance Douluo and gave a slight nod.

Snake Lance Douluo withdrew the step he had only half taken.

He did not ask why, nor did he question why a six-year-old child believed he could hunt a thousand-year soul beast alone.

He simply retreated quietly to Xue Qinghe's side. His gray cloak fell back into place, concealing his entire presence completely, like a sharp blade returned to its sheath.

The discipline of a Titled Douluo was displayed to the fullest at that moment. Once his master had nodded, he did not question the reason.

Xue Qinghe looked at Li Hanche again.

"Are you sure?"

Li Hanche nodded without saying another word.

Xue Qinghe tipped his chin toward the direction Snake Lance Douluo had investigated earlier.

"Then let's go. A thousand-year one, as you said."