Danger Approaches

What did one hundred cubic meters mean?

It was roughly the size of a room!

Originally, Grandmaster had thought Tang San's newly named Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges belt was quite impressive. With twenty-four cubic meters of storage space, he had even boasted that it was a top-tier Soul Tool, unmatched in terms of storage capacity.

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

Nothing exposed an inferior product faster than comparison!

Compared to the Nethersea Ring's one hundred cubic meters, the storage space of Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges no longer seemed all that remarkable.

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

He could not afford that humiliation!

Inside the carriage, an abrupt silence descended, replacing the earlier liveliness.

Grandmaster fell silent and did not ask for details about the Nethersea Ring, because that was Yang Ming's private secret.

Still, whenever his gaze happened to fall upon the beautiful Storage Ring, Grandmaster, much like Soul Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo at Spirit Hall before him, unconsciously began turning it over in his mind and letting his imagination run wild:

"Holy Soul Village... Soul Saint... Little San's father, Tang Hao... the peerless 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 viewed him as a junior, but more like the child of some great clan.

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

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

"When would I become as impressive as Ainz Ooal Gown and wear rings on all ten fingers?"

The rest of the journey passed without conversation.

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

Soul Hunting Forest.

Where there was demand, there was business. Due to the enormous demand for Soul Beasts, a trading market had long since sprung up outside the forest.

All kinds of pedestrians came and went along the crude roads paved with pebbles and gravel. The businesses lining both sides had flourished in a distorted fashion: inns, restaurants, brothels, clinics, weapon shops, armor stores, and all manner of other establishments stood one after another, offering every kind of service.

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

"Have an entry pass! Hunting Century Soul Beasts! Five-person team, need one more! Support-type Spirit Masters, come quick!"

"Taking newbies on a hunt! Get in fast! Ten gold coins per person, no bargaining!"

"Buying Soul Beast distribution maps! Price negotiable!"

All kinds of information converged here, turning the place into a hub for trading supplies and exchanging intelligence.

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

At a time like this, should he have shouted:

"Hello, everyone! I'm Zhazhahui! 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 evening's Legend—if you're my brother, come slash me!"

Thinking of it, Yang Ming could not help curling his lips into a smile.

Yang Ming followed behind Grandmaster and failed to notice that two little tails were trailing him a hundred meters behind.

The two tattooed men watched the direction Yang Ming was heading and spoke quietly.

"I didn't expect that 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 of footsteps. They seemed weightless, drifting along lightly.

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

"Soul Beasts are not as easy to hunt as you imagine. Some Soul Beasts are naturally powerful, and even if they have not cultivated for long, they can still possess formidable attacking power."

"Therefore, ordinary people who come here to hunt Soul Beasts usually form teams. By sticking together and compensating for one another's weaknesses, not only do they have a better chance of killing Soul Beasts, but they also gain an extra measure of security. After all, in Soul Hunting Forest, the most dangerous thing is often not the Soul Beasts, but human hearts."

"Fortunately, we are only hunting Century Soul Beasts this time. With me watching over you, as long as we do not provoke anything too powerful, there should not be any problems."

The three passed through rows of buildings and left the market.

Before them stood ancient trees that had grown for centuries. Their thick trunks required at least six people linking arms to encircle them, while their canopies shot into the sky. Dense, flourishing branches and leaves intertwined overhead, blotting out the entire sky. Sunlight could only filter through gaps in the foliage, casting shattered patches of light across the ground.

At the edge of the forest stood a massive iron fence more than ten meters tall. It looked extremely sturdy, and countless spikes protruded from the side facing the forest to prevent Soul Beasts within from charging out.

Outside the fence, soldiers had also been stationed in groups of one hundred. Clad in full suits of refined iron armor and holding long spears, they were impeccably disciplined as they marched back and forth on patrol. Even from afar, they gave off a grim, murderous aura. Clearly, they were battle-hardened elite soldiers with considerable strength, not mere decorations.

When Yang Ming's group approached, a squad of soldiers marched over in neat formation.

"Stop! Present your entry pass."

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

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

As he spoke, Grandmaster took out an entry pass. It was dark and black, made of some unknown material. The pattern upon it was formed from three combined symbols. At the center was a sharp sword pointed downward, flanked by a hammer on one side and a beast on the other.

This was a third-class entry pass from Spirit Hall.

The soldier accepted the pass and recognized it at once. A trace of respect appeared on his stern face. He returned the pass to Grandmaster with both hands, then waved for the soldiers to clear a path and let Yang Ming's group enter.

Not long after Yang Ming's group departed, the Tattooed Duo followed close behind.

Surprisingly, they too produced third-class entry passes from Spirit Hall.

(First update)