The Millennium Snake Demon's Dream of Becoming a Dragon, but There Are No Dragons in the Beginner Village

Soul Hunting Forest, entrance.

The trees grew denser, the light dimmer, and the scent of earth and vegetation in the air became increasingly rich.

As they walked, Qian Renxue spoke in a calm, instructive tone. "Tell me your specific requirements for your first soul ring."

She Xian pondered for a moment before giving his carefully considered answer.

"Water or ice attribute. As for species, snakes would be best."

"My twin martial souls are both serpent-shaped. Snake soul beasts have the highest bloodline affinity with them and the lowest chance of rejection during fusion."

He paused, then added, "If we happen to find a dragon-type soul beast, that would be even better."

Qian Renxue raised an eyebrow slightly. "A dragon?"

She Xian explained, "Snakes and dragons share a certain degree of bloodline connection."

Of course, his true calculations went far beyond that.

If a serpent-shaped martial soul absorbed a dragon-type soul ring, it might trigger a bloodline evolution.

If Little White could embark on the path of dragon transformation, a millennium-old snake demon transforming into a true dragon would send her combat power soaring!

In his mind, Little White's gentle voice poured half a basin of cold water over him.

"Husband... for a snake demon, becoming a dragon is extraordinarily difficult."

"I cultivated for a thousand years in my previous life and never even touched that threshold."

There was apology in her voice, but she quickly added, "Still, I will work hard."

She Xian soothed her inwardly. It's fine. We'll take it one step at a time. First, let's get the first soul ring.

Lastly was the age.

She Xian said solemnly to Qian Renxue, "A millennium soul beast would be best."

Qian Renxue agreed with his reasoning regarding snakes and dragons.

The logic was clear, and the judgment sound.

But regarding dragon-types, she gave him a proper dose of cold reality.

"Dragon-type soul beasts cannot be found in this Soul Hunting Forest."

Her tone was calm but beyond dispute.

"This is an artificial hunting ground where soul beasts are kept in captivity. The species here are mostly low- and mid-tier."

"Dragon-types, even the lowest-grade draconic subspecies, are almost impossible to find in a place like this."

"If you need one, I can take you to the Star Dou Great Forest to look."

She Xian felt somewhat disappointed, but not surprised.

Dragons were top-tier soul beasts to begin with.

Running into a dragon in a beginner village hunting ground would be a bug.

"Since we're already here, let's take a look first."

Qian Renxue nodded slightly. "Then we'll head deeper in. According to the information, there's a cold pond at the deepest part of this Soul Hunting Forest."

"A cold pond?!"

She Xian's eyes lit up.

No wonder Qian Renxue had brought him to this Soul Hunting Forest, far from Heaven Dou City, despite there being one nearby.

So his teacher had prepared in advance.

"If there are no top-tier soul beasts here, I'll take you to the Star Dou Great Forest or the Far North Icefield. In any case, we can't waste your talent."

Qian Renxue's assurance filled She Xian with joy and gratitude.

She really was a good teacher!

Not long after they ventured deeper.

A low whimper came from the bushes ahead.

More than ten gray figures darted out from the forest, forming a fan-shaped half-encirclement around them.

Gale Wolf Beasts.

They were the size of calves, with gray fur like steel needles and glowing green pupils that brimmed with hungry savagery.

Ten-year soul beasts. Individually, they were weak, but in packs, they posed a considerable threat.

Their claws scraped at the ground as low growls rose and fell.

She Xian instinctively took half a step back. This was his first time encountering soul beasts.

He knew that with Qian Renxue present, this pack of wolves did not even qualify as an appetizer.

But facing a pack of real soul beasts in the body of a six-year-old, he could not suppress the instinctive tension.

Qian Renxue did not retreat a single step.

She turned her head and glanced at She Xian, her golden eyes calm.

"Perfect timing."

"Watch closely."

Qian Renxue's tone shifted from travel mode into teaching mode.

"The core of a soul master's combat lies in soul skills."

"Every soul ring can grant a soul skill. The higher the soul ring's age, the greater the soul skill's power."

She raised her right hand.

Golden light surged.

A radiant Angel Holy Sword condensed out of thin air in her hand.

Holy golden light flowed across the blade.

Wherever its edge pointed, even the leaves around it trembled and rustled.

A yellow soul ring lit up beneath Qian Renxue's feet.

"This is my century-old soul skill."

She swung her sword.

A golden sword aura swept through the air like a crescent moon, casually passing through the wolf pack.

Where the golden light passed, the heads of more than ten Gale Wolf Beasts separated from their bodies at once.

Blood spurted like fountains as they fell in neat unison.

From martial soul summoning to soul skill release to wiping out the entire pack, no more than two breaths had passed.

She Xian stared, dumbfounded, at the white ten-year soul rings scattered across the ground.

This was the first time since his transmigration that he had personally witnessed a soul master's methods of combat.

He had previously seen his grandfather, She Long, make a move in the rift.

But that had been a Title Douluo crushing low-level soul beasts. What he had witnessed then was the overwhelming aura and pressure of an expert.

Qian Renxue's strike was different.

She had deliberately slowed the process down.

She demonstrated each of the four steps in turn: martial soul summoning, soul power infusion, soul ring activation, and soul skill release.

A standard textbook-style teaching demonstration.

She Xian rapidly digested the information inwardly while sharing his impressions with the two beings in his mind.

Little White sighed. "So the spells of this world are obtained through the soul rings of soul beasts. How peculiar."

"In my world, demons cultivated their demonic power through demon cores to cast spells. I never imagined that power here had to be taken from soul beasts."

The Medusa Queen sneered. "Obtaining skills by killing soul beasts? Nothing but picking up scraps from others."

"The Snake-People Tribe's battle instincts are carved into their bloodlines. Why would they need such a roundabout method?"

She Xian spread his hands inwardly. The power systems are different. Since we were born on Douluo Continent, we have to follow its rules.

Fortunately, he had two cross-world martial souls acting as advisers.

Though one only knew how to offer gentle encouragement, while the other only knew how to mock him coldly.

Still, that was better than being completely in the dark.

Qian Renxue withdrew the holy sword, and the golden light faded.

"Do you understand now?"

She Xian nodded. "The martial soul is the vessel, the soul ring is the energy source, and the soul skill is the form of output. The three are one."

A trace of satisfaction flashed through Qian Renxue's golden eyes.

"You learn quickly. Let's continue."

After dispersing the wolf pack, the two continued deeper into the forest.

The farther they went, the denser the trees became and the dimmer the light grew.

The humidity in the air rose, while moss and standing water began appearing on the ground.

They were approaching a water source.

The bushes to their left suddenly stirred without wind.

A faint rustling came from within, mixed with a nauseating stench.

"Something's there!"

She Xian alertly stepped back.

Qian Renxue narrowed her golden eyes.

The rustling drew closer and closer.

A jade-green triangular snake head poked out from the bushes.

Its body followed.

Its entire body was jade-green, its scales covered in strange patterns. It was several meters long, with a body as thick as a bowl.

Its forked tongue flicked out with a hiss, while its cold vertical pupils locked onto the two of them.

Qian Renxue swept it a glance and immediately made her judgment.

"A Mandala Snake. Poison attribute, violent temperament, and an extremely strong sense of territory."

Her gaze quickly scanned its body.

"Judging from the color of its scales, the density of its patterns, and the proportions of its head, it is roughly four hundred years old."

A snake-type martial soul—it seemed suitable at first glance, but the attributes were wrong.

The Mandala Snake leaned toward poison, while Little White possessed dual water and ice attributes.

The mismatch was too great. Forcing absorption would either result in severe rejection or distort the soul skill.

Little White shook her head gently as well. "Husband, I can't sense any resonance with it. Our attributes are incompatible."

She Xian withdrew his gaze. "Teacher, this one won't work. Its poison attribute doesn't match my martial soul."

Qian Renxue nodded slightly. "Indeed. Let's go."

The two turned, intending to take a detour around it.

But the Mandala Snake had no intention of agreeing.

Its territory had been invaded, and now its prey wanted to leave?

"Hiss!"

Its jade-green body suddenly shot forward, its jaws opening wide as it lunged at She Xian's back.

Qian Renxue did not even lift her eyelids.

She flicked her right hand, and the Angel Holy Sword flashed with golden light.

"Schiing!!!"

The Mandala Snake's head flew high into the air, spun twice, then landed on the ground with a smack.

Its body convulsed twice on the ground before going completely still.

She Xian looked back, the corner of his mouth twitching.

His teacher killed soul beasts like a chef slicing cucumbers.

Every battle had the same viewing experience: before he even had time to get nervous, the soul beast had already lost its head.