Encounter

Lu Baichuan's Martial Soul was a Silkworm, and the Black-Striped Snake's Soul Ring was indeed well suited to him.

A Silkworm attacked by spitting silk. After absorbing the Black-Striped Snake's Soul Ring, the silk it produced would become far tougher and might even carry the Black-Striped Snake's venom.

A white Soul Ring emerged beneath him. From this moment on, he was a true Soul Master.

Lu Baichuan opened his eyes and saw Tie Li and He Dadan's envious expressions, unable to stop a trace of pride from rising within him.

"Thank you, Teacher," Lu Baichuan said.

Bai Qing merely waved a hand and said calmly, "All right, let's continue onward."

After that, they encountered several more soul beasts, but none met the two boys' requirements.

He Dadan's Martial Soul was a mutated Mongrel Dog Martial Soul, while Tie Li's Martial Soul was a Forging Hammer. The Soul Ring attributes they needed were similar.

The Soul Hunting Forest was even more dangerous at night. With Bai Qing's strength as a Battle Soul Elder, he could go several days without rest.

As their teacher, he took the night watch upon himself.

Besides, he did not trust a few students to stand watch.

"Dali, guess what my Soul Skill is?"

That night, the restless Lu Baichuan could not help showing off his Soul Ring.

"This isn't a ten-year Soul Ring. It's a thirty-year Soul Ring."

"Just look around the academy. How many people have luck as good as mine?"

"I feel like running several kilometers would be no problem for me now."

Tie Li chose to ignore him, but Bai Qing was the first to lose patience.

"If you keep babbling, go back by yourself."

Sure enough, Lu Baichuan immediately quieted down.

The Soul Hunting Forest was cold at night, and without a fire to keep warm, the three huddled together, able to feel one another's warmth in the frigid darkness.

"Get up!"

Bai Qing suddenly shouted. The three immediately woke with a start. For a three-ring Soul Elder to be this tense, something must have happened.

Strands of black wolf fur emerged across his body, and his frame became even more broad and lean.

One white, one yellow, one purple!

Three Soul Rings appeared beneath him. He was also a Soul Elder who possessed a thousand-year Soul Ring.

The white Soul Ring lit up. Bai Qing appeared beside the three boys, tucked them beneath his arms, and sprinted into the distance.

Tie Li felt the icy wind rushing at him, as though it wanted to pry his mouth open.

"Boss, there's a Soul Master ahead. Let's lure the soul beast toward them."

"He's a three-ring Battle Soul Elder, but he has three youths with him. He won't be able to move quickly."

"You two are fast. Go stop them first."

Behind them was a soul hunting group. They had accepted a deposit to help a noble obtain a Soul Ring.

They had been hunting a hundred-year Fire Python. With their wealth of experience and coordination, things had gone smoothly, and they were just about to severely injure it.

Unexpectedly, its mate returned to the nest at that moment.

The nearly four-hundred-year Thunder Python was beyond this soul hunting group's ability to handle.

Without hesitation, they abandoned the noble and his steward, intending to use them to delay the Thunder Python while they escaped.

The noble's steward was a two-ring Soul Grandmaster, but he was utterly helpless before the four-hundred-year Thunder Python and did not hold it off for long.

The soul hunting group's leader was a three-ring Soul Elder, with one white and two yellow Soul Rings. The other seven were all two-ring Soul Grandmasters, each with one white and one yellow Soul Ring.

They were no match at all for a soul beast like the Thunder Python. Forget four hundred years—even a hundred-year Thunder Python could easily kill them.

The hundred-year Soul Rings beneath two Soul Masters in the hunting group shone yellow. Their speed suddenly increased, making them a third faster than Bai Qing even after he used his first Soul Skill.

Seeing that they were about to catch up, Bai Qing's second Soul Ring lit up.

He opened his bloodstained maw as white light gathered within it. Two streaks of light shot from his mouth, blasting toward the two Soul Masters.

The two could not dodge in time and were struck by the streaks, large patches of burns appearing across their bodies.

"Damn it."

The two cursed under their breaths. Getting injured now was extremely dangerous—not only because of the Thunder Python behind them, but also because of their own leader.

"Hiss, hiss."

At that moment, terrifying blue-white light gathered around the Thunder Python's horn.

Several bolts of lightning surged forward, including toward Bai Qing at the front.

Boom!

Fortunately, they managed to dodge. The lightning bolts blasted down thick trees.

"You three run east. I'll see if I can buy you some time."

With the three of them in tow, none of the four could escape. He could only stay behind and delay it for a while so the three of them could flee on their own.

Tie Li and the others knew how dire the situation was and ran east according to their teacher's instructions.

As for the soul hunting group, every one of them had suffered serious injuries after being struck by the Thunder Python's attack.

Escaping was nearly impossible.

"Let's try. Otherwise, we'll all die." Bai Qing appeared beside the leader of the soul hunting group.

The man had not seen Bai Qing send his students away and assumed this teacher was going to fight for his students.

Come to think of it, would an academy teacher let students who were not even Soul Masters run around the Soul Hunting Forest?

"Then let's try." A strange gleam flashed through the hunting group leader's eyes. He had survived countless soul hunts through more than mere experience.

Tie Li's face was pale, but he still kept running east as Bai Qing had instructed.

When he came back to his senses, he realized that his companions had disappeared, leaving him alone.

Had they gotten separated?

Looking at the pitch-black forest around him, Tie Li felt helpless for the first time.

"Hiss."

A faint rustling came from the grass. Tie Li immediately summoned his Martial Soul. Only when he felt the weight of the hammer handle did he calm down a little.

A dim glint appeared in the grass, and an old wolf blinded in one eye leaped out.

Tie Li smelled the foul stench from the old wolf's mouth. At the most dangerous moment, his senses became exceptionally sharp, while fear and every other emotion vanished completely.

He gripped the Forging Hammer in his hand and smashed it down viciously.

"Forging is a craft. Besides the strength of your arms, you also need to use the strength of your waist."

"When the hammer strikes the iron, can you feel the force generated between them? The greater the force, the greater the rebound. Your hammer will give an excited 'tremble.'"

"Remember that feeling, and you will become a qualified blacksmith."

Buzz!

The instant the hammer face of the Forging Hammer Martial Soul struck the old wolf's skull, vibrations ran through the hammer. With that single blow, every organ in the old wolf's head was shattered.

A white Soul Ring appeared above the old wolf's corpse. This was an old wolf driven out by its pack. Judging from its appearance, it was a Nether Wolf.

"A fifty-year Soul Ring."

In the eyes of most academy students, this counted as a high-quality Soul Ring.

As long as he absorbed this Soul Ring, he could become a Soul Master. He would gain the ability to protect himself and have a better chance of leaving the Soul Hunting Forest.

Yet Tie Li simply stood before the white Soul Ring for dozens of breaths. He was fleeing for his life; time was precious.

"Still unwilling to accept it?"

At that moment, a violent boom rang out. Even Tie Li, several miles away, could feel the ground quake.

That direction was where he had just escaped from... Had something happened?

Should he go take a look? It was a dangerous thing to do. If he was not careful, he might lose his life there.

At that moment, another possibility came to Tie Li's mind. It was as though Pandora's box had been opened, and even his breathing grew heavy.

The terrifying aura emitted by that Thunder Python was at least at the hundred-year level.

A hundred-year Soul Ring would be an enormous improvement for a Soul Master of commoner birth like him.

The Thunder Python's bloodline was considered superior among soul beasts, while his Martial Soul could only be called ordinary. Absorbing the Thunder Python's Soul Ring would greatly improve the quality of his Martial Soul.