Danger Closing In

What did one hundred cubic meters mean?

It was the size of an entire room!

Originally, Grandmaster had thought the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges belt Tang San had just named was quite impressive. It had twenty-four cubic meters of storage space, and he had even boasted that it was a top-tier Soul Tool, unrivaled in terms of storage capacity.

Now, looking at the Nethersea Ring in Yang Ming's hand, he finally understood that there was always someone better. Grandmaster felt a burning pain on his face and was rather embarrassed.

Nothing exposed inferior goods like comparison!

Compared to the Nethersea Ring's one hundred cubic meters, the storage capacity of the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges was no longer particularly noteworthy.

Yang Ming had even spared Grandmaster's pride by not mentioning the soul-binding feature unique to high-grade Storage Rings. Otherwise, after hearing it, Grandmaster probably would not have been able to hold his head up before a junior like Yang Ming.

He could not afford to lose that much face!

An abrupt silence descended inside the carriage, replacing the earlier liveliness.

Grandmaster kept his mouth shut and did not ask for details about the Nethersea Ring, because that was Yang Ming's personal secret.

Still, whenever his gaze inadvertently fell upon the beautiful Storage Ring, Grandmaster, much like Great Spirit Master Ma Xiunuo from Spirit Hall before him, unconsciously began racking his brains and letting his imagination run wild:

"Holy Soul Village... Soul Saint... Little San's father, Tang Hao... the exceptional Soul Tool in Yang Ming's hand... Hiss... could Holy Soul Village be hiding some earth-shattering secret?"

Grandmaster was nearly stunned by his own wild speculation. Even the way he looked at Yang Ming changed; he no longer regarded him as a junior, but more like the scion of some great clan.

Naturally, Yang Ming had no idea what Grandmaster was thinking. After binding the Nethersea Ring with his soul imprint, he put it on his right thumb. It fit rather well.

Looking at the Nethersea Ring on his thumb, a peculiar look appeared in Yang Ming's eyes.

"When would I become as outstanding as Ainz Ooal Gown, with all ten fingers covered in rings?"

The rest of the journey passed in silence.

Four hundred li was neither particularly far nor particularly near. Limited by the primitive transportation of the era, Yang Ming and the others set out in the morning and did not reach their destination until noon the following day.

Spirit Hunting Forest.

Where there was demand, there was business. Because there was an enormous demand for Soul Beasts, a marketplace had long since been established outside the forest.

Along the simple road paved with pebbles and crushed stone, pedestrians dressed in all kinds of styles came and went. The businesses lining both sides of the street were thriving in an abnormal fashion: inns, restaurants, brothels, clinics, weapon shops, armor stores, and all sorts of other establishments stood in neat rows, offering every kind of service.

Someone had once joked that outside Spirit Hunting Forest, one could easily find the strongest liquor and the hottest women.

"Got a permit! Forming a team to hunt a Century Soul Beast! Four spots open in a five-man team! Support-class Spirit Masters, come quickly!"

"Taking newcomers on a hunt! Hop aboard now! Ten gold coins per person, no bargaining!"

"Buying Soul Beast distribution maps! Price negotiable!"

All kinds of information converged here, forming a place for trading supplies and exchanging intelligence.

As Yang Ming walked down the street and listened to the occasional shouts around him, he suddenly had the absurd illusion that he had entered some shoddy domestic online game.

At a time like this, should he yell:

"Hello, everyone, I'm Jagged Hui. This is a brand-new version you've never played before. Just experience it for three minutes, and you'll love this game just like I do. This legendary game—if you're my brother, come slash me."

Thinking of that amusing scene, Yang Ming could not help curling his lips upward.

Yang Ming followed behind Grandmaster, unaware that two little tails were trailing him from a hundred meters behind.

Watching the direction Yang Ming was heading, the two tattooed men spoke in low voices:

"I didn't expect this kid to be hunting Soul Beasts for a Soul Ring at such a young age. His talent must be pretty good."

"Who cares whether he's talented? He's dead anyway! He can only blame himself for being the descendant of a traitor to the organization!"

As the two tattooed men walked, they did not make the slightest sound. It was as though they had no weight, drifting along lightly.

Grandmaster led Yang Ming and Tang San deeper into the marketplace while explaining to them:

"Hunting Soul Beasts is not as easy as you imagine. Some Soul Beasts are naturally powerful; even if they have not cultivated for long, they can still possess tremendous offensive strength."

"Therefore, most people who come here to hunt Soul Beasts choose to form teams. Everyone works together and makes up for one another's shortcomings. This not only raises the chances of hunting Soul Beasts, but also provides another layer of security. After all, within Spirit Hunting Forest, the most dangerous thing is often not the Soul Beasts, but human hearts."

"Fortunately, the one we are hunting this time is only a Century Soul Beast. With me watching over you, as long as we do not provoke anything too powerful, there should basically be no problem."

The three of them passed through layers of buildings and left the marketplace.

Before them stood ancient trees hundreds of years old. Their thick trunks were at least wide enough for six people to encircle with their arms, while their crowns soared into the sky. Their lush branches and leaves interwove, blotting out the entire sky. Sunlight could only filter through gaps between the branches and leaves, casting shattered patches of light across the ground.

At the forest's edge stood a massive iron fence over ten meters tall. It looked extremely sturdy, and countless spikes protruded from the side facing the forest, preventing Soul Beasts from charging out.

Outside the fence, groups of soldiers had also been stationed. Every hundred men formed a unit, clad in full suits of refined iron armor and carrying long spears. Their formation was orderly as they marched back and forth on patrol. Even from afar, they exuded a chilling aura. Clearly, they were battle-hardened elite soldiers with formidable strength, not mere decorations.

When Yang Ming and the other two approached, a squad of soldiers marched over in neat formation.

"Stop there. Present your permits."

Grandmaster took the opportunity to turn back and explain to Yang Ming and Tang San:

"Not just anyone can enter a state-run Spirit Hunting Forest. Only Spirit Masters who have received permits issued by Spirit Hall are qualified to enter and hunt Soul Beasts."

As he spoke, Grandmaster took out a permit. It was jet-black, and its material was impossible to identify. The pattern on it was composed of three symbols: a downward-pointing sword in the center, with a hammer on one side and a beast on the other.

This was a third-class permit from Spirit Hall.

The soldier accepted the permit and recognized it at a glance. A trace of respect appeared on his stern face. He returned it to Grandmaster with both hands, then raised his hand to signal the soldiers to clear a path and allow Yang Ming's group inside.

Not long after Yang Ming and the others left, the Tattooed Duo followed them over.

Surprisingly, they also produced third-class permits from Spirit Hall.

(First update)