Quasi-Great Soul Master

No battle broke out, nor was there much commotion.

Shi An buried them one by one, thick earthen spikes brutally piercing through their bodies and leaving them no way to crawl out.

Buzzz~~~

Immediately afterward, rings of soul rings floated up from underground—nine in total, all of them yellow hundred-year soul rings.

Shi An roughly sensed them. These Rock-Earth Stone Crocodiles were all of similar age.

But to be safe, he still chose the soul ring with the lowest cultivation age to absorb.

Sitting cross-legged on the hillside, he enclosed himself within a circular stone wall. The damp soil beneath him made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Controlling the ground to kill nine Rock-Earth Stone Crocodiles at once had consumed quite a bit of his soul power.

Fortunately, as long as he stood upon the earth, a steady stream of earth power would flow into his body and help restore the soul power he had expended.

The yellow soul ring floated silently as the Origin Stone in Shi An's hand gave off waves of brown radiance.

Drawn by his spiritual power, the soul ring was like a stream that had found an opened sluice gate, flowing toward and enveloping the Origin Stone.

Coo, coo, coo~~~

The night had grown deep, and all was quiet.

Only the rustling of wind through the leaves and distant beastly roars could be heard.

Within the stone wall, Shi An sat quietly on the ground. A yellow soul ring had already enveloped the Origin Stone, and the powerful soul power surged through Shi An's meridians, bringing him indescribable pain.

It was as if hundreds, perhaps thousands, of needles were piercing his meridians.

Shi An's small body trembled faintly, and fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead.

He clenched his teeth and silently endured it all.

To become stronger, what was a little pain?

After a while, the soul power within his meridians gradually stabilized, while Shi An's aura had unmistakably reached the level of a rank-twenty Quasi-Great Soul Master.

A yellow soul ring circled beneath him, giving off faint fluctuations of soul power.

Shi An slowly opened his eyes, let out a long breath, and rose to his feet. Crackling sounds rang through his limbs and bones.

The coarse, short clothes he wore clung tightly to his skin, making him feel cramped and uncomfortable.

Shi An sensed that his physical condition seemed to have improved by a great deal. Even his perception of the earth had increased considerably.

He had originally been able to sense only an area within a hundred meters, but it had now expanded directly to around two hundred meters.

He looked at the soul ring beneath his feet. With a thought, it lit up.

"Hardening!"

Buzzz~~~

Not only did the earth and stone under his control become much harder, but a faint brown glow also wrapped around his body, increasing his defense somewhat.

Soul power radiated from the Origin Stone in Shi An's hand. Earthen spikes rose from the ground one after another, then actually floated into the air.

Under Shi An's control, the earthen spikes danced through the air, producing piercing whistles.

"Sure enough, as my level rises, my control over the power of the earth will increase as well."

Crack~~~

The earthen spikes slammed directly into a large tree. Pale wood chips scattered through the air, and unable to bear the force, the tree slowly toppled over with a creak, making a tremendous noise.

"It was time to find my second soul ring."

Shi An looked around once more. It was the deepest part of the night, so he was in no hurry to leave. Instead, he used the power of the earth to seal off the top of the stone wall, then raised a dry stone bed.

Only then did he sleep peacefully.

Moonlight filtered through gaps in the leaves, shining down on a coffin-shaped hut standing quietly on the damp ground. No matter how one looked at it, it was eerie.

The next morning.

The temperature gradually warmed, and dew trickled along the veins of leaves before falling to the ground, where it was quickly absorbed by the soil.

Shi An did not dismantle the coffin-shaped hut. He would leave a mystery here for anyone who came upon this place in the future to ponder.

Consider it a small bit of malicious amusement from someone from the twenty-first century.

The temperature in the forest rose quickly. The damp air was trapped beneath the thick canopy, making the forest humid and stifling.

Coupled with the faint smell of decay, it was practically a double blow to both body and mind.

Shi An moved through the trees, the ground beneath his feet resembling a conveyor belt as it carried him swiftly onward.

He looked at the map, his gaze falling on a corner where a line of small print was marked.

"Stonewall Bird... Entirely brown, adept at hiding and ambushing, likes to nest on cliffs, body like unyielding stone, sharp senses."

Shi An murmured to himself. Sharp senses meant powerful spiritual power.

If he could obtain a soul skill related to spiritual power, his control over the earth might rise to an even higher level.

Coo, coo, coo~~~

The calls of an unknown bird echoed through the silent mountains and forest. A broad canyon appeared before him, as though someone had split it open with a single sword strike.

The steep cliff faces were nearly vertical, with broken stones carpeting the ground. The dried droppings of several soul beasts gave off a pungent stench.

Shi An extended his perception to its limit. Every fluctuation in the ground and cliff walls within two hundred meters was easily captured by him.

At this moment, his gaze was fixed tightly on a protrusion on the cliff wall to the side.

Without careful inspection, one would likely think it was merely a protruding rock.

Yet within Shi An's sensing range, it was not a rock at all, but a living creature with breath and a heartbeat.

A Stonewall Bird.

Just as the map had described, it was truly impossible to spot when hidden unless one looked carefully.

He did not strike rashly, because he could not be sure whether a second or third Stonewall Bird lived within this long canyon.

So he used the old method—lure it out.

A stone spike rose from the ground, then shot toward the Stonewall Bird he had discovered like a cannonball.

The Stonewall Bird sensed danger approaching and instantly woke, releasing a sharp, piercing cry.

Seeing the incoming stone spike, it spread its heavy wings and abruptly shifted several meters upward.

But what the Stonewall Bird had not expected was that the stone spike seemed to have grown eyes. It directly curved through the air and stabbed toward its soft belly.

Though the Stonewall Bird possessed little intelligence, instinct drove it to shield its abdomen with its heavy wings.

Bang~~~

A dull impact rang out, and the Stonewall Bird was sent flying, crashing heavily into the cliff wall.

Although the Stonewall Bird had not suffered much injury, it was thoroughly enraged.

Its gaze swiftly turned downward, instantly locking onto Shi An.

A fierce glint flashed through its brown pupils. Beating its wings, it dove toward him, its sharp talons gleaming coldly like deadly hooked sickles.

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Shi An turned and ran without another word.

The ground beneath his feet began to flow, as if it had become a rapidly spinning conveyor belt, carrying him at high speed toward the dense forest.

The Stonewall Bird pursued relentlessly, its claws slicing through branch after branch with sharp cracking sounds.