Soul Hunting Pass｜Off to Soul Hunting Forest (Thanks for the support with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets; please keep reading)

Nuoding City.

The Spirit Branch Hall stood at the end of Nuoding City's busiest street.

Passersby who walked by would unconsciously slow their steps, and some even went out of their way to avoid it.

Lin Jing stood before the branch hall's entrance. He had changed back into his coarse hemp clothes.

A few creases still clung to the hem, and he looked every bit like a child from a farmer's household in the village.

The two guards standing before the Spirit Branch Hall were looking around with bored expressions.

One of them noticed Lin Jing approaching out of the corner of his eye and immediately stepped forward.

"Stop!"

The other guard came forward too, blocking the way.

"Where'd you come from, brat? Take a good look. This is the Spirit Hall, not somewhere you can just wander into."

The first guard waved him away, his voice full of impatience.

"Move along, move along."

Lin Jing lifted his head.

Sunlight fell across his face. His features were clean-cut, and his looks were almost too fine.

Though his "S"-rank face wasn't quite enough to make him seem like an enchantress descended upon the mortal world, leaving men and women alike dazed at the sight of him,

it was enough that anyone who met his gaze would instinctively lose their temper and take a liking to him.

Seeing Lin Jing's looks, so at odds with his clothes, the two guards visibly hesitated in the middle of shooing him away.

Lin Jing seized the moment, blinked, and spoke with an innocent, adorable air:

"Big brother, I'm here to apply for a pass to enter Soul Hunting Forest."

"A pass?"

The guard froze and looked Lin Jing up and down. Just as he was about to speak, a sudden voice interrupted him.

"What's going on?"

The voice came from behind Lin Jing.

At the sound of it, the two guards instantly put on fawning smiles and bent nearly in half.

"Grandmaster, you're back!"

Their attitude was like night and day compared to before.

Grandmaster?

Lin Jing's expression stiffened.

It couldn't be that Great Shit who spouts Martial Soul Theory stolen from others...

He turned around and glanced behind him.

His mind relaxed at once.

The newcomer was a young man in a Spirit Hall uniform, with a tall, slender build.

It was the Soul Grandmaster who had helped awaken his Martial Soul a few days ago, Su Yuntao.

Su Yuntao gave a noncommittal "Mm."

His gaze swept over the two guards, then settled on Lin Jing.

It didn't take him long to recall Lin Jing.

Thanks to Lin Jing's outstanding appearance—and the fact that he had Innate Full Soul Power, yet his Martial Soul was the Trash Martial Soul Blue Silver Grass—Su Yuntao remembered him quite clearly.

"So it's you."

Lin Jing turned all the way around and tilted up his little face, his big, bright eyes brimming with anticipation.

"Grandmaster Su Yuntao, I heard you can come to the Spirit Hall to get a pass to enter Soul Hunting Forest."

"A pass..."

"Come inside with me."

Su Yuntao started toward the Spirit Hall.

Lin Jing obediently followed.

This time, the guards didn't stop him.

Once they passed through the entrance, the light dimmed.

The corridor was quiet, save for the footsteps of the two men, one ahead of the other.

Su Yuntao led Lin Jing deeper inside. After turning two corners, he pushed open a heavy wooden door.

Beyond it was a modest lounge.

The furnishings were simple: a few sofas, a wooden table, and a kettle and cups in the corner.

"Have a seat."

Su Yuntao gestured toward the sofa, then went to the table and poured two cups of water.

He pushed one toward Lin Jing and sat opposite him with the other.

Su Yuntao took a sip before speaking. "I was the one who oversaw your Martial Soul Awakening, so I know your Innate Soul Power."

"No need for a test."

He set down his cup, his tone growing a little more serious.

"However, for your own safety, I still need to ask you a few questions."

"Only if I'm satisfied with your answers will I give you a pass to enter Soul Hunting Forest."

Lin Jing nodded earnestly.

Su Yuntao straightened up and asked his first question.

"Has a Soul Master agreed to take you to hunt for a Spirit Ring?"

Unruffled, Lin Jing gave the answer he had prepared in advance.

"The uncles in the village pooled some Gold Soul Coins to hire a Lord Soul Master for me."

"That Lord Soul Master agreed to take me to hunt for a Spirit Ring."

Su Yuntao nodded.

That answer was just what he had expected.

With Innate Full Soul Power, even with a somewhat useless Martial Soul, Lin Jing was only one Spirit Ring away from becoming a Soul Master.

It was perfectly normal for the village to pool its money and hire a Soul Master to help him hunt for one.

"Second question."

Su Yuntao continued.

"What's the age of the Spirit Ring you're aiming for?"

A hint of nervousness and embarrassment immediately appeared in Lin Jing's eyes.

He lowered his head.

"The Lord Soul Master said... he'd find me a Ten-Year Soul Ring..."

"Something relatively safe."

After saying this, he sneaked a glance at Su Yuntao.

As far as Su Yuntao was concerned, Lin Jing's answer just barely passed muster.

He didn't ask anything else.

He took a blank pass from his robes and pulled out a pen, then quickly began writing.

The pen scratched across the paper with a soft rustle.

Lin Jing sat opposite him, quiet and still.

Before long, Su Yuntao handed over the completed pass.

"This is your Soul Hunting Pass. It's valid for one month."

"Once you've used it, just throw it away. You don't need to return it."

Lin Jing accepted it with both hands, carefully examined the writing, then tucked it away in his robes with great care.

"Thank you, Grandmaster Su Yuntao."

He thanked him earnestly.

Looking at Lin Jing, Su Yuntao thought that the child was handsome and polite. It was hard not to like him.

He hesitated, then added a word of caution.

"Child, don't trust people too easily. Be careful on the road."

Though it probably wouldn't help much.

If that Soul Master really had ulterior motives, Lin Jing's current strength—without even a single Spirit Ring—would be no match for him, no matter how vigilant he was.

The gap between a Soul Master and a Soul Scholar was a vast chasm.

Su Yuntao sighed inwardly, keeping those discouraging thoughts to himself.

"Thank you for the warning, Grandmaster. I'll be careful."

Lin Jing stood up and thanked him again.

Then he turned, opened the lounge door, and walked out.

He crossed the corridor and left the Spirit Branch Hall.

The sunlight outside was a little dazzling.

Lin Jing narrowed his eyes and headed toward the city gate that led out of Nuoding City.

He wasn't worried that his lie would be exposed after today.

Once he got his Spirit Ring, he had no intention of registering with the Spirit Hall.

He still had a hundred Gold Soul Coins on him, which would cover his expenses for now. He didn't need the Spirit Hall's monthly Soul Master allowance—not those measly few coins.

He walked out through Nuoding City's gate.

The view opened up before him.

Two dirt roads wound into the distance. One led toward Holy Soul Village, while the other led to Soul Hunting Forest.

Lin Jing set foot on the right-hand road, the one leading to Soul Hunting Forest.

Second Spirit Ring.

Here I come!

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

His figure gradually disappeared along the dirt road leading to the forest.

Behind him, Nuoding City's outline grew smaller and smaller.

Ahead, Soul Hunting Forest's outline grew larger and larger.