"Hey, what's wrong? You look absent-minded."
Tie Li took Tie Wu out of Northland City. Along the way, Tie Wu seemed burdened with worries.
"N-No, it's nothing."
He was too embarrassed to tell Tie Li it was because of a woman. Besides, he felt that his brother simply did not understand this sort of thing. Telling him would be pointless.
Tie Li planned to take Tie Wu to Northland Forest to obtain a soul ring. Northland Forest was a small-to-medium soul beast forest. Thousand-year soul beasts were not uncommon in its core area, but ten-thousand-year soul beasts were quite rare.
Tie Wu's martial soul was the Flame Wolf. His soul ring choices would focus on offensive and fire attributes, with speed as a secondary consideration.
Tie Li brought Tie Wu to Northland Forest, bypassing the outer region and entering the core area directly.
"You need to be more careful. This is the core area of Northland Forest, after all," Tie Li reminded him.
"I understand."
Just as the two made their first move in the core area, a black shadow rushed toward them from afar.
It was a six-thousand-year Blackwind Panther. Several wounds marked its sleek, glossy fur, seemingly left behind by soul masters.
Sure enough, a group of soul masters was pursuing it a hundred meters behind it.
The Blackwind Panther was fleeing when Tie Li and Tie Wu blocked its path. Its body paused, and its speed slowed.
"Roar!"
The soul beast's instincts told it that the human soul masters before it were even more terrifying.
Seeing the Blackwind Panther slow down, the group of soul masters chasing it immediately picked up their pace.
One of them, a Soul King, unleashed soul skills in rapid succession. One white, two yellow, and two purple—five soul rings flickered in unison.