Azure Wind Wolf

Time flew by, and before they knew it, a year had passed. Jiede's soul power had quietly reached level 20.

Jiede still had no particularly good idea for the configuration of his second Soul Ring. He sat alone in Lu Cheng Clinic, spacing out, his mind filled with the books from the academy.

"Junior Brother, want to go up the mountain with me tomorrow to gather herbs? We can observe the growth characteristics of medicinal herbs firsthand while we're at it."

Lu Cheng interrupted Jiede's thoughts and spoke with a smile.

"Sure."

Since he had no leads on his second Soul Ring anyway, Jiede readily agreed.

Over the past year, Jiede had occasionally seen patients at the clinic.

Because the Mystic Pellet could identify herbs and accurately assess their medicinal properties, the prescriptions he wrote were remarkably effective. He had already gained a modest reputation in Notting City.

Even Lu Cheng's medical skills had improved by leaps and bounds alongside Jiede's growth.

Naturally, Yu He Clinic across the street was consumed with jealousy.

Whenever Yu He saw the clinic opposite doing booming business, his teeth itched with rage.

"Damn it, that little bastard Jiede... damn him!"

A clinic that had been deserted and on the verge of shutting down had been revived by a mere child.

His old face had been completely disgraced.

Azure Wood Ridge was a buffer zone on the outskirts of Star Dou Forest. Some low-level soul beasts lived there, most of them less than a hundred years old.

Lu Cheng and Jiede spent a full day and night traveling by carriage before reaching the place.

Early in the morning, quite a few mercenary groups had gathered at the foot of Azure Wood Ridge.

With baskets on their backs and herb hoes in hand, Jiede and Lu Cheng clearly looked like they were heading into the ridge.

"You two young brothers, going into the mountains to gather herbs? Want to join our mercenary group? We'll guarantee your safety!"

"No, thank you!"

A mercenary group stepped forward to recruit them, but Lu Cheng politely declined.

He had entered Azure Wood Ridge many times and knew it like the back of his hand. Besides, Lu Cheng was a three-ring Soul Elder.

Though he looked around thirty, he was actually only eighteen.

His father's death had dealt him a heavy blow, making him seem mature beyond his years, with a slightly weathered face.

He was rather stubborn, too. At his age, possessing the strength of three rings already made him a genius among his peers.

Yet in order to continue his family's generations-old medical tradition, he had delayed much of his cultivation.

Following Lu Cheng's footsteps, Jiede entered the ridge.

He began plotting how to persuade this senior brother of his to leave the mountains and join him in the Soul Master Tournament someday.

After crossing two mountain peaks, the two stopped halfway up another mountain.

Jiede patted the basket on his back, looked at Lu Cheng, and grinned.

"Senior Brother, how about a contest? Let's see who gathers more herbs this time."

Lu Cheng smiled gently and directly conceded defeat.

"No contest. Your martial soul can identify herbs, so you can find them with half the effort. How could I compete with you?"

"Ah, that's no fun."

Jiede sighed helplessly, dug up a ten-year-old bupleurum plant from beneath his feet, and tossed it into his basket.

Over the past year, he had become increasingly proficient in using the Mystic Pellet.

Now, without even summoning his martial soul, he could sense the distribution of herbs within a ten-meter radius.

Like a human radar, he could tell their type, age, and quantity.

The Mystic Pellet could clearly relay all that information to him.

"Junior Brother, your martial soul really is suited for the field of medicine."

Lu Cheng could not help but sigh from the side.

"It looks useful, but it doesn't have much offensive ability."

Jiede spread his hands, then asked,

"Senior Brother, I've known you for so long. I only knew you were a three-ring Soul Elder, but I still don't know what your martial soul is."

Lu Cheng raised a hand and summoned the shadow of a pitch-black mantis.

Its two mantis arms were enormous, covered in sharp spines and hooked barbs. With a light swing, they stirred up a gust of wind.

An intense, chilling killing intent washed over them in an instant.

"My martial soul is called the Shadow Mantis. It has the dark attribute."

"Whoa, that's so cool?"

Jiede's eyes lit up. "Senior Brother, what level was your Innate Soul Power?"

"Level 7."

"And your current level?"

"Level 37."

"What a waste of talent. Studying medicine is completely squandering it." Jiede could not help but lament.

Lu Cheng's gaze dimmed. "Carrying on the medical tradition was my father's final wish. I cannot let down his expectations."

Jiede took in every trace of unwillingness on Lu Cheng's face.

His senior brother clearly yearned for the path of a Soul Master, yet had no choice but to compromise for the sake of his father's final wish.

"Senior Brother, have you ever heard of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament?" Jiede asked tentatively.

"I've heard a little..." Lu Cheng nodded.

The two chatted on and off while continuing to dig for herbs.

After a while, Jiede finally revealed his true intention and suddenly asked, "Senior Brother, I plan to enter the tournament. Will you come with me?"

Lu Cheng's expression struggled for a moment. "Let's talk about this later."

Jiede's eyes flickered. Looks like there was hope...

The sky gradually darkened.

The two senior and junior brothers stopped beneath a large tree to make camp and lit a bonfire.

Sitting across from each other by the fire, Lu Cheng cleaned a pheasant he had just caught.

Jiede kicked Lu Cheng's basket twice with his foot. "Senior Brother, not bad haul."

Lu Cheng glanced at him. "Not as much as yours."

Jiede neither confirmed nor denied it, merely chuckling.

His basket was already half full of herbs, and every one of them was high quality. Not a single herb was less than ten years old.

Compared to his, Lu Cheng's herbs were far inferior. Their quality varied greatly, and there were only half as many as Jiede had gathered.

"Enough showing off. Take out the seasonings." Lu Cheng rubbed his forehead helplessly.

Jiede brushed the Soul Tool Ring on his finger and took out several packets of seasoning.

The sugar business was doing exceptionally well and had earned him quite a bit of money, so Jiede naturally did not treat himself poorly. He had bought a low-grade Soul Tool Ring.

Most of the ring's space was filled with gunpowder, prepared for emergencies.

It could not be helped. He simply did not have much powerful combat ability at the moment.

An hour later, the pheasant was cooked, and its rich aroma filled the air.

The two ate until their mouths glistened with grease.

Suddenly, a burst of commotion came from nearby.

Lu Cheng's gaze sharpened. He immediately summoned his Shadow Mantis martial soul, shielded Jiede behind him, and warily looked toward the source of the noise.

"Awoo~"

Low wolf howls rose one after another, making their scalps tingle.

"They're Azure Wind Wolves. They move in packs. Don't let their average individual strength fool you—their numbers are great."

Lu Cheng frowned slightly.

"Junior Brother, be careful."

Before he had even finished speaking, an Azure Wind Wolf suddenly sprang from the darkness and lunged at Jiede.

Just as Lu Cheng was about to turn and help, Jiede threw a punch and smashed it fiercely into the Azure Wind Wolf's head.

With a crack, the Azure Wind Wolf's head burst apart instantly, brain matter spraying everywhere.

Seeing this, Lu Cheng's eyes widened.

You called this a food-type Soul Master?

He split a skull barehanded?

Was that reasonable?

Lu Cheng asked himself whether, as a three-ring Soul Elder, he could kill an ordinary Azure Wind Wolf barehanded without using his martial soul.

But Jiede only had one ring, and he was a food-type Soul Master with no offensive ability.

How was that possible?

Jiede smiled faintly. "Don't worry, Senior Brother. As long as it isn't a soul beast over a hundred years old, I can handle it."

After a year, Jiede had reached the limit of consuming hundred-year Whale Glue. The medicinal power of hundred-year Whale Glue no longer had any effect on him.

The Foundation-Building Pill, however, could be taken every day without any upper limit. His physical fitness had long reached an incredibly terrifying level.

If neither side used soul skills and they fought barehanded, Jiede was confident he could fight Lu Cheng to a draw.

Soul beasts only produced Soul Rings once they reached ten years of cultivation. The Azure Wind Wolf Jiede had just killed was only two years old, so it had not produced a Soul Ring.

A few minutes later.

Only several Azure Wind Wolf corpses lay at the two men's feet.

"Junior Brother, something's wrong. Azure Wind Wolves always move in packs."

(Please keep reading, brothers. Don't stockpile the chapters just yet.)