Breakthrough and Beast Tide

Although he possessed thirty levels of soul power, without soul rings or soul skills to bolster him, the combat strength he could unleash was extremely limited.

He could not even fully activate his martial soul abilities, relying only on simple soul power blasts and summoning the Judgment Sacred Sword, which lacked any soul ring enhancements, to fight.

However, the Ironclad Rhinoceros was renowned for its sturdy defenses. With one side waxing while the other waned, Mu Feng found it truly difficult to break through its defenses. Only by focusing all his attacks on a single point did he stand a chance.

To that end, he had to remain utterly focused to ensure the accuracy of his attacks and evade its charges.

After three years of actual combat training, even if fighting this rhinoceros took considerable effort, he should not have ended up in such a sorry state.

It all stemmed from the battle itself. Perhaps enraged by Mu Feng's kite-fighting tactics, the Ironclad Rhinoceros neither dodged nor evaded when Mu Feng thrust at its eye, instead charging straight into his sword.

Relying on the extreme control over his body forged through three years of physical training, Mu Feng forced his muscles to explosively exert themselves in an instant. He skimmed past its rhinoceros horn and narrowly evaded the attack.

The Ironclad Rhinoceros, whose eye socket had been pierced through, was already doomed to die. Having lost consciousness, it naturally could no longer maintain its charge.

Its two front legs stumbled to the ground, dragging the rest of its body over with them. By sheer coincidence, it struck Mu Feng, who was still in midair, and its massive body came crashing down on top of him.

The tremendous impact instantly filled Mu Feng's vision with stars. After training all morning, he was already somewhat exhausted, and the prolonged struggle had been an ordeal in itself.

The Ironclad Rhinoceros's final, accidental blow became the last straw that broke Mu Feng. Crushed until he could barely breathe, his vision went black, and he fainted on the spot.

Xiao Hei skillfully pried open Mu Feng's lips and stuffed a green pill into his mouth. The pill began dissolving in his mouth at a visible rate.

Mu Feng's daily high-intensity training placed an enormous burden on his body. Ye Xishui had no choice but to refine pills specifically for him—mild pills that aided the recovery of his soul power each day.

Mu Feng's injuries from being knocked unconscious were not serious. His clothes were merely somewhat tattered, and after resting for a while, he gradually recovered.

Having regained some awareness, Mu Feng guided the gentle medicinal power to slowly nourish his meridians, just as he normally did.

But today, the "path" seemed especially difficult to traverse. Feeling his soul power stagnate, Mu Feng suddenly exerted force and desperately fought against that constipated sensation. With a muffled grunt, he seemed to hear a bang come from within his body.

He instantly opened his eyes from his meditation. An unprecedented sense of comfort flowed throughout his body, making his entire body feel unblocked.

"Did I break through? I broke through!"

Feeling his soul power coursing through his meridians with unprecedented smoothness, Mu Feng leaped straight off the bed and shouted excitedly.

His cheers echoed continuously through the underground space. Long Xiaoyao, who heard the commotion, froze for a moment before smiling faintly. He stroked his chin and murmured, "Looks like it's time to take this little fellow to obtain a soul ring."

"The soul ring you choose must suit the characteristics of your martial soul. Forcibly fusing with a soul ring whose attributes differ too greatly will result in rejection and bodily damage at best. At worst, the soul ring may explode. Not only would that inflict a severe mental shock, it could also cause irreversible damage to your martial soul."

Among the four travelers, three were tall and one was short. The short one was naturally nine-year-old Mu Feng. Beside him was the silver-haired elder, Long Xiaoyao, while behind them followed Mu Feng's two trusted companions—Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai.

Mu Feng nodded. By that logic, to maximize the benefits his soul ring would provide, a soul beast with a sacred aura would be the best choice.

The Evil Demon Forest was saturated with dense negative spiritual energy, and its overlord, the Evil Emperor, was also a soul beast aligned with darkness. That was why the Holy Spirit Cult had established its headquarters in the Evil Demon Forest, where it benefited evil soul masters' cultivation.

Light-type soul beasts were as rare as endangered animals here, making them extremely difficult to find. The few they did find were either too young or possessed such a thin light bloodline that it could practically be ignored. None of them met Mu Feng's expectations.

Thus, Long Xiaoyao personally set out with Mu Feng for the Star Dou Great Forest. It could be called an encyclopedia of the soul beast world, rich in life energy and home to nearly every type of soul beast.

Although Ye Xishui had been the one to suggest that Long Xiaoyao lead the group, Long Xiaoyao himself had also been quite willing.

Yet what had originally been a simple trip to obtain a soul ring gradually became a sightseeing journey after Mu Feng witnessed so many unfamiliar sights along the way.

Having spent more than nine years in Douluo, he had scarcely seen anything beyond Stone Village and the Holy Spirit Cult's underground city. Naturally, he was intensely curious about the customs and scenery outside.

As they drew closer to the Star Dou Great Forest, Mu Feng noticed that the walls of the cities along the road grew increasingly thick and sturdy. Numerous soul cannons had also been installed between the battlements, and security was extremely tight.

The cramped tavern was full of rough, brawny men with bare chests, clutching large mugs. After taking a heavy swig, they would slam them onto the tables, splashing drops of golden ale everywhere.

Curiously, Mu Feng walked over to the tavern's notice board, which was covered with party recruitment notices for hunting soul beasts.

"Boss, four mugs of ale." Long Xiaoyao knocked on the table. The tavern was so noisy that, without using soul power, he had to shout at the top of his lungs.

Accustomed to peace and quiet, he truly could not stand such a chaotic environment. If Mu Feng had not insisted on coming, babbling about "experiencing the local customs" and "when in Rome," Long Xiaoyao would never have set foot in this tavern on his own.

Mu Feng sat on a barstool at the counter, his toes barely touching the floor. "I don't want ale. Bring me the strongest drink you have."

The bare-chested, wheat-skinned owner suddenly heard a childish voice and blanked for a moment. Such a voice was exceedingly rare in this tavern full of howls and drunken shouting.

He turned toward the source of the voice and saw a handsome young boy seated to his left, having just removed the hood of his cloak.

Watching the owner's thick chest hair bounce up and down, Mu Feng felt that this little tavern was exactly like the scenes he had imagined in his previous life. Now this is more like it. It finally feels like I've transmigrated.

Three tall figures accompanied the boy, one of them gray-haired and clearly advanced in age.

The owner keenly sensed that this was likely a core disciple from some sect who had come out to obtain a soul ring. However, such people generally visited more upscale establishments. It was extremely rare for them to come to his shabby little tavern.

Knowing he could not afford to offend the handsome young master before him, the owner turned to look at Long Xiaoyao, the eldest among them.

Long Xiaoyao nodded, indicating his approval of Mu Feng's choice, then sat down beside him. "Drink less. We still have important business to handle later."

If the boy had not occasionally drunk with him before, allowing him to gauge Mu Feng's tolerance, Long Xiaoyao would never have let him fool around like this.

"You guests are heading to the Star Dou Great Forest to obtain soul rings, right?" The owner deftly took out several cups, lined them up, and struck up a conversation as he poured the drinks.

"Yeah." Mu Feng accepted a cup, took a hearty gulp, and let out a satisfied "Ah."

"Then you really picked an unfortunate time."

Hearing that, Mu Feng asked in confusion, "What happened?"

"Although the Star Dou Great Forest rarely has large-scale beast tides, every so often there's a small soul beast riot. Each time, the city has to be sealed off for five or six days."

"Several teams were wiped out outside the city a few days ago. Rumor has it that nearly ten ten-thousand-year soul beasts suddenly appeared outside."

"I'm sure you noticed that inspections were much stricter than usual when you entered the city. I reckon the city has already been sealed off. Otherwise, my business wouldn't be this good."

Just a few ten-thousand-year soul beasts—even if Long Xiaoyao did not act, his two trusted companions would be more than enough to handle them. He swirled his cup before draining the little remaining at the bottom.

Mu Feng casually pulled out a gold soul coin and flicked it before the owner. "Thanks, boss. Keep the change." Then he turned and followed Long Xiaoyao out.

The group headed toward the city gate, only to be stopped halfway there and informed that the road ahead had been sealed.

"We entered the city just this morning, and by evening it was locked down. Just as the owner predicted."

Walking down the sparsely populated street, Long Xiaoyao said, "The outer regions of the Star Dou Great Forest are mostly home to ten-year and hundred-year soul beasts. To find a thousand-year light-type soul beast, we'll have to venture deeper into the forest."

He added, "But we'll set out after it gets darker, so we don't alert the city guards and cause unnecessary trouble."