Bloodcrazed War Bear

After walking for about half an hour, Ling Yuan stopped beneath an ancient tree, turned around, and casually tossed aside the ten-year Lone Bamboo.

"All right, you should have a general understanding of the ten-year soul beasts in the outer region by now." She crossed her arms and leaned against the trunk, tilting her head at Ye Xunhuan. "Tell me, what are your thoughts on your first Spirit Ring?"

Ye Xunhuan did not answer immediately.

He lowered his head, seeming to ponder seriously.

In truth, when he had browsed through the Martial Soul Encyclopedia in the carriage last night, he had already narrowed down his first Spirit Ring to several possible directions.

The Behemoth was a top-tier beast martial soul that possessed both strength and defense. Its bloodline originated from primordial times, and it was born to prey upon the Dragon Clan. It possessed claws capable of tearing apart everything and an overwhelmingly powerful physique.

This meant that his Spirit Ring selection should focus on strengthening his power and defense while diversifying his offensive methods.

After a moment, Ye Xunhuan raised his head, his gaze calm.

"Sis, I want a Spirit Ring from a bear-type soul beast. As for the soul skill, an enhancement-type one would be best."

Ling Yuan raised an eyebrow, not surprised. "Tell me why."

"My martial soul is the Behemoth. Fundamentally, it has a bear-type bloodline."

Ye Xunhuan organized his words. "The first Spirit Ring is the foundation. I should choose a type of soul beast with the highest affinity for my martial soul. That way, the rejection during absorption will be minimal, and the soul skill's power can be maximized."

A trace of approval flashed through Ling Yuan's eyes. She nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.

Ye Xunhuan raised a finger and listed the names one by one.

"Earth Bear. A strength-type soul beast that excels at close combat. Its soul skills are usually strength enhancements or trampling-type attacks. If I successfully absorb one, my first soul skill should be a pure strength-enhancement ability."

"Dark-Gold Bear. A weakened branch of the Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear bloodline, but its bone density and defensive power are exceptionally outstanding among soul beasts of the same age. The soul skills it produces tend toward defensive enhancement, or close-combat abilities with blunt-force effects."

"Terrorclaw Bear. The opposite of the Dark-Gold Bear. Its strength is more geared toward tearing and close combat, and the soul skill it produces would most likely enhance the Behemoth's destructive power."

At this point, Ye Xunhuan paused, and a hint of fervor flashed in his eyes.

"Or... a Bloodcrazed War Bear!"

Ling Yuan's brows furrowed slightly. Clearly, she was unfamiliar with this soul beast.

Ye Xunhuan explained, "The Bloodcrazed War Bear doesn't belong to the Behemoth branch. It's a true native soul beast of the Douluo Continent. Its offensive and defensive capabilities aren't as outstanding as the three soul beasts I just mentioned, but it contains a trace of Berserk Bloodline. If I can absorb its Spirit Ring, there's a high chance I'll gain a berserk enhancement-type soul skill."

In truth, the Bloodcrazed War Bear was Ye Xunhuan's real target for this soul hunt. The previous three were merely alternatives.

After all, no matter how powerful a hundred-year soul skill was, it could not compare to a thousand-year soul skill. As his soul power increased, the gap would only become more obvious.

Enhancement-type soul skills, however, were truly valuable things that could be used from Level 10 all the way to Level 99.

"Bloodcrazed War Bear?" Ling Yuan repeated the name thoughtfully. "I really don't have much of an impression of that soul beast, but from your description, it does sound like a decent backup choice."

She straightened up and patted dust from her skirt that was not there.

"Since you know what you want, we'll search as we go. Earth Bears aren't uncommon in the outer region of the Star Dou Forest. Terrorclaw Bears and Dark-Gold Bears are a little rarer. As for Bloodcrazed War Bears, I'm not too sure."

Ye Xunhuan nodded and followed Ling Yuan deeper into the forest.

The two proceeded along a small path. Ling Yuan maintained her soul power perception at all times, keeping track of every soul beast aura within a hundred meters.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, Ling Yuan suddenly stopped and raised a hand, signaling Ye Xunhuan to be quiet.

"Three hundred meters ahead, there's a Terrorclaw Bear." She lowered her voice. "Its aura strength... around three hundred years."

Ye Xunhuan's spirits lifted. He quickly softened his footsteps, circled around a patch of bushes, and silently approached.

Through the gaps in the branches and leaves, Ye Xunhuan saw the soul beast in its entirety.

It was a bear-type soul beast that was not particularly large, standing around one and a half meters at the shoulder. Its body was covered in coarse, dark-brown fur, and its limbs were thick and powerful. The most eye-catching feature was its forepaws—five hooked, curved claws that gleamed with a cold metallic sheen. Each one was as long as a forearm.

The Terrorclaw Bear was using its claws to tear open a section of rotten wood, searching for grubs within to eat. Its movements were swift and clean. Wood split wherever its claws passed, showing just how terrifying its tearing power was.

Around three hundred and fifty years. Ling Yuan gave the precise answer.

Ye Xunhuan secretly shook his head.

Not bad, but not enough.

Normally, the absorption limit for a first Spirit Ring was four hundred and twenty-three years, but that was for ordinary soul masters.

He possessed the Behemoth's Primordial Bloodline, along with Innate Full Soul Power. His absorption limit was definitely far higher.

A three-hundred-and-fifty-year Terrorclaw Bear was not bad, but it was far from satisfactory.

After pondering for a moment, he turned to Ling Yuan and whispered, "Sis, this one's cultivation is a little low. Let's leave a mark on it and let it go for now. We can keep looking."

Ling Yuan was briefly stunned, then smiled.

"You've got pretty high standards." She did not ask further. With a flick of her fingertip, a strand of fiery-red soul power transformed into a thin thread and landed precisely on the fur at the back of the Terrorclaw Bear's neck, branding it with a soul power mark invisible to the naked eye.

"Let's go. Keep moving." Ling Yuan clapped her hands.

The two continued onward.

Their luck was not particularly good afterward.

After another hour of walking, they encountered several bear-type soul beasts in succession: two Earth Bears and one Dark-Gold Bear. Their cultivation levels ranged from two hundred to three hundred years, and Ye Xunhuan found them all too low.

They did pick up several Soft-Bone Rabbits and Pan Rock Crabs without soul power along the way.

Soft-Bone Rabbits were among the most common soul beasts in the outer region of the Star Dou Forest. Their meat was tender and delicious, making them the favorite provisions of soul-hunting parties and mercenaries.

Pan Rock Crabs were crab-type soul beasts with hard shells and tough meat. Their shells were as hard as rock, but their roe and crab paste were rare delicacies.

Ling Yuan efficiently prepared three Soft-Bone Rabbits and two Pan Rock Crabs.

"That should be enough. Let's eat first." Ling Yuan carried the prey to the side of a stream and deftly slaughtered and cleaned them. "The sun's already high in the sky. We can't go hunting soul beasts on empty stomachs."

Ling Yuan skillfully started a fire and roasted the meat, not forgetting to remind Ye Xunhuan.

"If you aren't strong enough, never live in the forest. The scent of roasting meat can easily attract powerful soul beasts."

Ye Xunhuan nodded obediently. "Mm-hmm. Sister Ling Yuan is so strong, so of course it doesn't matter for you."

"Of course!"

Before long, the fragrance of roasting meat drifted through the streamside.

The Soft-Bone Rabbit meat truly lived up to its reputation. Roasted to a golden brown, it was crisp on the outside and tender within, with rich juices bursting into his mouth with every bite.

Ling Yuan also split open the two Pan Rock Crabs and scooped out their roe and crab paste, roasting them over the fire until they sizzled.

"It's still missing something." Ling Yuan chewed on rabbit meat and frowned in distaste. "If only we had honey. Brushing a layer of honey over grilled meat—that would be truly perfect."

Ye Xunhuan laughed. "Looking for honey in the Star Dou Forest?"

"You'd be surprised, there really is some nearby." Ling Yuan wiped the oil from the corner of her mouth, stood up, and looked around. "There are plenty of wild hives in the outer region of the Star Dou Forest. The honey brewed by soul beast bees is extremely high quality. If we're lucky, we might run into some. Wait here. Your sister will be right back."