Azure Wood Puppet, Thunderfire Thunderbolt Bomb!

Early the next morning, Ning Chen bade farewell to Shen Yushan, carrying the luggage he had prepared, and left Jade Verdure Studio.

Myriad Realms Roulette came with its own spatial barrier, but it could only store items obtained through the roulette's draws and could not hold objects from the outside world.

Still, it did not matter. Once his cultivation improved, he could simply buy a storage-type Soul Tool.

After leaving Jade Verdure Studio, Ning Chen headed straight out of Barak City.

As the capital of the Balak Kingdom, Barak City was home to countless Soul Masters.

For that reason, with the approval of Spirit Hall and the Heaven Dou Empire, the Balak royal family had personally funded the construction of a small Soul Hunting Forest fifty li southeast of the capital.

This forest was jointly managed by the Heaven Dou Empire, Spirit Hall, and the Balak Kingdom. Though it was not particularly large, it was more than sufficient for Ning Chen.

In particular, the Soul Hunting Forest contained rare gemstone-type soul beasts, which perfectly suited the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's choice for its first soul ring.

Although two months of cultivation had confirmed that he possessed the Heart Body Martial Soul, Ning Chen did not intend to cultivate his Body Martial Soul first.

The greatest advantage of Twin Martial Souls was that one Martial Soul could be cultivated to a high level first. Once one possessed sufficient strength, one could then attach soul rings of adequately high age to the second Martial Soul.

For Ning Chen, his goal was to give his Heart Martial Soul a full set of powerful soul rings over fifty thousand years old. Only then could he fully develop the potential of his Body Martial Soul.

He would also gain strength far surpassing that of his peers.

As for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda being an auxiliary-type Martial Soul and lacking offensive power, that was not a problem for Ning Chen at all.

With Myriad Realms Roulette, could he possibly lack offensive methods?

The Soul Hunting Forest of the Balak Kingdom lay roughly fifty li southeast of the capital.

Relying on the inexhaustible inner energy of the perfected Nine Yang Divine Skill, Ning Chen used Soul Power to travel the entire way. In less than half a day, he arrived near the Soul Hunting Forest.

Finding a secluded spot, Ning Chen took out two black hooded cloaks from his luggage, one large and one small.

The smaller one was naturally for himself. As for the larger one, it had been prepared for the reward he had drawn from Myriad Realms Roulette this month, which was also one of the trump cards that gave Ning Chen the confidence to come hunt soul beasts.

With a wave of his hand, a wooden humanoid puppet with an entirely emerald-green body appeared out of thin air at his side.

This was the reward Ning Chen had obtained from Myriad Realms Roulette this month: an Azure Wood Puppet from an immortal cultivation world, with strength roughly equivalent to the Early Qi Refining stage!

Although its power had been somewhat weakened after Myriad Realms Roulette adapted it to this world, Ning Chen's tests showed that it was at least as strong as a Junior Soul Elder.

Furthermore, the Azure Wood Puppet came with a defensive spell, Azure Wood Shield, whose defensive capabilities were enough to withstand the full-force strike of a power-attack Battle Soul Ancestor.

Though its offensive power was somewhat lacking, it was more than enough to deal with hundred-year soul beasts.

Moreover, Ning Chen had ten Thunderfire Thunderbolt Bombs from a martial arts world that he had drawn last month. Their power was not weak, and they could perfectly make up for the Azure Wood Puppet's lack of offensive ability.

After summoning the Azure Wood Puppet, Ning Chen dressed it in the hooded cloak, wrapping its entire body tightly. He also placed a mask over its face.

After looking it over and confirming that there were no issues, Ning Chen headed toward the Soul Hunting Forest with the Azure Wood Puppet.

The Soul Hunting Forest had been enclosed and built by the Balak Kingdom, and many Soul Masters came and went. The nearby villagers had thus gathered here and formed a small market, providing all kinds of supplies for Soul Masters who came to hunt soul beasts.

Ning Chen had brought dry rations and water, so he did not stop at the market.

Controlling the Azure Wood Puppet to walk ahead, Ning Chen followed behind it all the way to the entrance of the Soul Hunting Forest.

Balak Kingdom soldiers stood guard here, and they had even constructed watchtowers.

Because of the special nature of the Soul Hunting Forest, most of those passing through were Soul Masters. These kingdom soldiers, who normally held their heads high before commoners, appeared exceptionally friendly and humble when facing Soul Masters who had come to hunt soul beasts.

Though the Azure Wood Puppet looked strange, after Ning Chen controlled it to reveal the Soul Power pressure of a Soul Elder, no soldiers came to question it.

After presenting the hunting permit he had prepared beforehand, Ning Chen controlled the Azure Wood Puppet and entered the Soul Hunting Forest with it.

After entering the Soul Hunting Forest, Ning Chen did not linger and directly led the Azure Wood Puppet westward.

Although the Balak Soul Hunting Forest was not large, its proximity to the capital meant that many Soul Masters came and went. Information about the forest was widely circulated among the common folk.

Which areas contained what soul beasts, what temperaments different soul beasts had, and where soul beasts of various ages were generally distributed...

Such information was not difficult to obtain as long as one was willing to make the effort to ask around.

Ning Chen's target for this journey had been set long before his departure.

On the western side of the Soul Hunting Forest lay a small stretch of hills, with undulating terrain, exposed rock, and relatively sparse vegetation.

The soil there was barren and unsuitable for tall trees, but it contained a small mineral vein, making it the ideal habitat for Rock Crystal Beasts.

Rock Crystal Beasts were gemstone-type strength soul beasts. They fed on ore, possessed vicious temperaments, and were fiercely territorial.

Their soul rings could grant Soul Masters soul skills involving strength enhancement or body hardening, and they had exceptional compatibility with the auxiliary attributes of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.

They were among the most suitable choices for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's first soul ring.

As Ning Chen moved through the woods, he controlled the Azure Wood Puppet through his mind and had it follow closely behind.

The Azure Wood Puppet's steps were steady and soundless. Its emerald-green wooden body revealed not the slightest flaw beneath the cloak.

The Soul Elder-level pressure it emitted also caused the low-level soul beasts they encountered along the way to avoid them from afar, saving them quite a bit of trouble.

After walking for roughly two hours, the surrounding vegetation finally began to change.

The tall trees gradually became fewer, replaced by low shrubs and exposed rocky ground. Even the soil beneath their feet grew increasingly hard.

From time to time, he could see tiny mineral particles embedded in the rock layers, glimmering faintly under sunlight filtering through the canopy.

Ning Chen stopped and looked toward the undulating outline of the hills in the distance. He muttered softly, "It should be somewhere nearby."

He patted the Azure Wood Puppet beside him. "Partner, get ready to work."

Taking five Thunderfire Thunderbolt Bombs from the space attached to Myriad Realms Roulette, Ning Chen handed them to the Azure Wood Puppet to carry, allowing it to adapt to the situation during battle.

The other five Thunderfire Thunderbolt Bombs remained in the spatial barrier. Ning Chen could retrieve them with a thought, and he kept them for self-defense.

After being adapted to this world by Myriad Realms Roulette, the Azure Wood Puppet did not require spirit stones from the immortal cultivation world to operate, but it had to be infused with sufficient Soul Power beforehand.

After their journey just now, the Soul Power stored within the Azure Wood Puppet had already been depleted considerably.

In a relatively safe location, Ning Chen replenished the Azure Wood Puppet with his own Soul Power.

Nine Yang Soul Power possessed Endless Life. Although the total amount of Soul Power required by the Azure Wood Puppet exceeded Ning Chen's total tenth-level Soul Power, relying on the characteristics of the Nine Yang Divine Skill, Ning Chen fully charged the Azure Wood Puppet in roughly the time it took to drink a cup of tea, and was ready to begin searching for soul beasts.