Su Ge controlled his body as he moved between the trees. With deliberate restraint, he made no great disturbance.
Recalling the information Tang San had revealed, he continued advancing in a straight line toward the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Along the way, it was not as if no Soul Beasts noticed Su Ge. Yet after sensing his aura, they all retreated without exception.
It felt like the suppression of bloodlines among Soul Beasts. This was especially true for Soul Beasts of the same kind—when the disparity between them was too great, even a lower-aged Soul Beast could sometimes kill one of a higher age.
Yet the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff could suppress not only its own kind, but every Soul Beast weaker than itself. At the same time, it was immune to bloodline suppression.
When it came to bloodlines, it truly had them figured out!
During his search, Su Ge did indeed discover several decent Soul Beasts.
For example, the Sharp Gold Tiger possessed peerless offensive power and tremendous strength. Its enormous fangs and power far beyond that of Soul Beasts of the same rank made it an excellent choice for a Soul Ring.
However, it was less than two thousand years old, and its bloodline was still somewhat lacking for a Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff. At most, it could serve as an alternative.
With Thousand-Year Soul Beasts beginning to appear, combined with the map, Su Ge could already confirm that he had gradually left the Outer Area of the Star Dou Great Forest and entered its Mixed Area.
Thousand-Year Soul Beasts were rare in the Outer Area. Even when they appeared, they were usually found within groups, suitable for lower-level Soul Masters to hunt for Soul Rings.
The Mixed Area was the largest region of the Star Dou Great Forest. It contained countless varieties of Soul Beasts, and Thousand-Year Soul Beasts had become commonplace. Occasionally, even Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts appeared in its deeper reaches!
This place could meet the Soul Ring hunting needs of many Soul Masters, though they usually entered in groups. Someone like Su Ge, entering alone, was relatively rare.
As for the regions farther in, they were not places Su Ge could enter yet.
Even if his strength could rival a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, two fists could not fend off four hands. On Soul Beast territory, it was better not to be too conspicuous.
And the appearance of a Thousand-Year Soul Beast with such a powerful bloodline as the Sharp Gold Tiger meant that Su Ge had finally reached his destination!
"The Lion-Tiger Beast, with its strength, could easily establish itself near the outskirts of the Core Area."
"However, the risks and rewards would not be proportional, so it is most likely located in the Mixed Area."
Recalling Tang San's description, Su Ge began concealing his aura as much as possible and minimizing the chances of battle. In the Mixed Area, he needed to preserve his strength more carefully.
After all, no matter how unmatched his combat strength was, he did not even possess a single Soul Ring yet.
If the Lion-Tiger Beast was not in the Mixed Area, then he might truly have to take a risk and venture into the Core Area.
Or perhaps find an acceptable replacement Soul Beast...
Over the next period of time, Su Ge began searching all over the Mixed Area. From common Hundred-Year Soul Beasts to areas where Thousand-Year Soul Beasts became frequent, he searched every nearby region one by one, yet found nothing.
To deal with unforeseen circumstances, he rarely ate dry rations. Most of the time, he found low-aged Soul Beasts to fill his stomach.
As for how he cooked them? Su Ge thought of the beggar's chicken method from his previous life...
And so, Su Ge darted all over the Mixed Area for more than half a month. When he entered the deeper reaches of the Mixed Area, he finally found some traces.
After passing through a forest, the view before him suddenly opened up.
The towering trees around him came to an abrupt end, replaced by a stretch of rocky hills. They were not particularly high and were covered with some greenery. Amid the vast mountain forest, this area was not very conspicuous.
However, Su Ge discovered a cave near the upper part of one of those hills.
Beside the cave was a beast trail.
Based on its habits and what he had seen along the way, Su Ge immediately judged it to be the cave of a tiger-type Soul Beast.
Though he no longer held much hope, this type of Soul Beast was still well-suited to the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff. If its bloodline and age were good enough, it could serve as one of his alternatives.
A bloody chunk of meat appeared in Su Ge's hand. It came from a Thousand-Year Iron-Hide Pig, whose firm flesh made many carnivorous Soul Beasts drool.
With a burst of strength, he hurled it deep into the cave!
If it ate meat, he would lure it with meat. If it did not, he would lure it with rage. Either way, it was bound to take the bait.
Sure enough, shortly after he threw it in, an oppressive roar erupted from deep within the cave!
Su Ge stood atop a tree, completely focused on the scene below.
He had more or less finished reading the Soul Beast materials Xiao Chenyu had given him during this time.
Combined with his constant observations and some practical experience, even if he encountered Soul Beasts he did not recognize, he could now roughly judge certain things about them.
Yet when he saw the Soul Beast charging out of the cave, his expression froze for an instant before being replaced by boundless delight!
Because the Soul Beast that emerged was precisely the Lion-Tiger Beast he had been searching for!
Su Ge narrowed his eyes and slowly examined the Soul Beast walking out of the cave.
It resembled a male lion, with a powerful physique and thick, forceful limbs. Its claws and fangs glinted with a chilling light beneath the sun, while its mane curled and flowed like flames.
Its head bore horns, its body was covered in scales, and its face largely resembled that of a tiger. Its long tail looked vigorous and powerful, while its roar rolled out like rumbling thunder.
The moment this Lion-Tiger Beast appeared, it immediately set itself apart from every Soul Beast Su Ge had seen before!
Even with the naked eye alone, one could sense its extraordinary bloodline and peerless combat strength!
Standing atop the tree, Su Ge looked at the Lion-Tiger Beast, his body trembling faintly—not from fear, but excitement!
"Preliminary estimate: around three thousand years old. Its combat strength probably does not fall below that of an ordinary Thirty-Thousand-Year Soul Beast!"
Su Ge stared fixedly at the Lion-Tiger Beast. This Soul Ring... he, Su Ge, was determined to have it!
"Still, to be safe, it would be best to draw trouble toward it and wear down some of its strength first."
He thought of a Soul Beast nearly twenty thousand years old that lived not far from here.
It was called the Diamond Tiger, and its bloodline and strength were both formidable. Its true combat strength was roughly on par with that of the Lion-Tiger Beast.
"As the saying goes, one mountain cannot contain two tigers. If I can provoke a fight between them, hunting the Soul Ring will become much easier."
He concealed his aura and watched the Lion-Tiger Beast glance around. Then, without further hesitation, he lightly withdrew, choosing not to provoke it rashly.
It was not that he could not defeat it. Rather, he was alone and had to consider his escape route after the battle. If he lost his life, then everything would truly be lost!
Su Ge's golden eyes gradually brightened in the darkness. A thoughtful glint flashed through them as a plan quietly began taking shape in his mind.
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