First Soul Hunt, Thunder Grand Canyon

"Big sister, you're so beautiful. Are you a Soul Master?"

Lin Yan put on an innocent smile, ran to Zhang Lexuan's side, and childishly tugged at the corner of her clothes.

Lin Yan was about the same age as Bei Bei. In terms of looks, he was even cuter than Bei Bei. His appearance gave him an advantage others lacked: he naturally inspired affection.

Children spoke without restraint.

Hearing Lin Yan call her beautiful, Zhang Lexuan revealed a lovely smile. She crouched down, pinched Lin Yan's cheek with her jade-like hand, and said with a smile, "Little fellow, you're very cute too. You guessed right, big sister is a Soul Master. What about you?"

Lin Yan shook his head. "I'm not a Soul Master yet, but my Soul Power is already at level ten. Once I obtain a Spirit Ring, I'll become one. Grandmother has been preparing to take me to obtain a Spirit Ring these past few days."

"You need to obtain a Spirit Ring too?"

A trace of surprise appeared in Zhang Lexuan's eyes. She carefully examined Lin Yan and indeed sensed that his Soul Power fluctuations had reached level ten.

Bei Bei walked over at this moment and looked at Lin Yan in surprise. "Cousin, your Soul Power is already at level ten?"

Lin Yan nodded. "That's right, Cousin. I have Innate Full Soul Power!"

As soon as he said this, both Bei Bei and Zhang Lexuan were greatly surprised. Innate Full Soul Power was not something commonly seen.

Bei Bei said with a hint of envy, "Cousin, you're really impressive. My Innate Soul Power was only level nine, and it took me two and a half months of cultivation to reach level ten."

Just then, a figure entered from outside. "Bei Bei, you came at just the right time. I was planning to take Lin Yan to obtain a Spirit Ring tomorrow. Since you're here, let's go together."

Seeing who had arrived, Bei Bei hurriedly called out, "Grandmother!"

"Good boy!" Lin Yuhuan lovingly rubbed Bei Bei's head.

Her eldest daughter had died, while her second daughter had disappeared, her whereabouts unknown. Before Lin Yan appeared, Bei Bei had been the only blood relative Lin Yuhuan could see. It was easy to imagine how dearly she cherished this grandson.

"Your Excellency." Zhang Lexuan bowed slightly.

"Mm." Lin Yuhuan looked at Zhang Lexuan, and then several traces of surprise appeared in her eyes. "Lexuan, have you reached the cultivation of a Soul Sage?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yan was immediately startled.

Zhang Lexuan truly was a genius. She was not even twenty, yet she already had the cultivation of a Soul Sage!

That cultivation speed was simply outrageous!

Bei Bei had given her up and chosen Tang Ya instead. What a foolish choice!

Since he didn't want her, then perhaps...

Zhang Lexuan had no idea what Lin Yan was thinking. She nodded in response. "It was merely good fortune."

"That is your talent. How can it be called good fortune?" Lin Yuhuan smiled. "Let's have a reunion dinner together today, get a good night's rest, and tomorrow Grandmother will take you to obtain Spirit Rings!"

Early the next morning, two luxurious carriages left Nine Treasure City one after the other.

Lin Yuhuan rode alone in the carriage ahead, while Lin Yan rode in the carriage behind with Zhang Lexuan and Bei Bei.

Lin Yan and Bei Bei sat on Zhang Lexuan's left and right.

Because he was Bei Bei's cousin, Zhang Lexuan clearly treated Lin Yan as a younger brother as well.

Zhang Lexuan tilted her head toward Lin Yan and asked, "Little brother Lin Yan, what is your Martial Soul?"

As soon as she asked this, Bei Bei also looked toward Lin Yan curiously.

During their earlier conversation, he had told Lin Yan about his own Martial Soul. Yet he had forgotten to ask what Lin Yan's Martial Soul was!

Lin Yan answered without hesitation, "Big sister, Cousin, my Martial Soul is the same as Grandmother's: the Black Demon Mace. But my Black Demon Mace seems to have mutated and gained a lightning-attributed attack."

The two of them immediately understood.

Zhang Lexuan smiled. "Then the conditions for the first Spirit Rings you and Bei Bei need are nearly identical. You could even seek out the same Soul Beast."

"And our destination this time is Thunder Grand Canyon. There are especially many lightning-attributed power-type Soul Beasts there, so it is perfectly suited for both of you!"

After traveling by carriage for half a month, Lin Yan's group finally entered the heart of a plateau.

This plateau was extremely unusual. Despite the clear skies, peals of thunder occasionally sounded from above.

The Thunder Grand Canyon Zhang Lexuan had mentioned lay deep within this plateau.

Thunder Grand Canyon was one of the most famous Soul Beast habitats on the Upper Continent. Due to its unique geography, more than ninety percent of the Soul Beasts here possessed lightning attributes and were exceptionally aggressive.

Therefore, ordinary people would not choose to obtain Spirit Rings here unless they had sufficient confidence in their strength.

The carriages stopped at the outskirts of Thunder Grand Canyon.

Horses would be frightened upon sensing the aura of Soul Beasts. Taking them inside would instead make accidents more likely, so entering on foot was the best choice.

After leaving behind the carriages and the coachmen, Lin Yan, Bei Bei, Zhang Lexuan, and Lin Yuhuan headed into Thunder Grand Canyon together.

Thunder Grand Canyon was not a single canyon. Rather, it consisted of countless irregularly shaped canyons connected together. From the sky, its shape resembled a giant spider sprawled across the ground.

The four found an entrance and entered the canyon.

The canyon was vast. Even its narrowest entrance was a thousand meters wide. The ground was covered with strange rocks and all kinds of vegetation, and in such complicated terrain, a moment of carelessness could easily lead to an ambush.

Sure enough, just after Lin Yan's group entered the valley, a one-meter-long Short-Tailed Leopard Cat leaped out from a crack between the roadside rocks.

This leopard cat was about the size of an adult hunting dog. For a Soul Beast, its body was even somewhat small and compact. Its fur was brownish-yellow, while its markings were blue.

Crackle!

It arched its back, and strands of blue lightning as thin as hairs suddenly burst from its fur. Its fierce eyes stared unblinkingly at Lin Yan's group.

It was just about to attack.

At that moment, Lin Yuhuan gave it a look.

Then Lin Yan, standing nearby, watched in astonishment as the first Soul Beast he had seen since coming to this world was frightened away by a single glance.

"Bei Bei, Lin Yan, this is your first time in a Soul Beast habitat. Remember this: once you enter a Soul Beast habitat, you must never let your guard down. Soul Beasts possess all sorts of strange abilities. Some excel at attack, some at defense, and others at concealment and ambush. Some Soul Beasts can even blend into their surroundings to the point where they cannot be distinguished with the naked eye. Therefore, you must remain cautious at all times," Lin Yuhuan warned them.

"Grandmother, we'll remember!" Lin Yan and Bei Bei answered together.