Hunting a Spirit Ring

"You're leaving?" Bailu paused in the middle of eating, looking at Youquan in surprise. Then she lowered her head and continued softly, "That's true. You're a distinguished Spirit Master, and a genius with Innate Full Soul Power. You shouldn't be wasting your time in this little village."

Zhuang Yanyan also put the meat in her hand back into her bowl, staring at Youquan with her watery eyes.

"Sister Lu, Yanyan, I just want to get my first Spirit Ring first. Once I become a Spirit Master, I can receive subsidies from Spirit Hall. Then we'll have an income and can improve our lives, right? We're still young, after all. It isn't good for our bodies if we don't eat enough," Youquan explained to them.

Bailu nodded and took a bundle from a hidden compartment in the corner of the wall. "Although you killed the Wild Bull, it was only a ten-year Soul Beast. Hundred-year Soul Beasts are still very dangerous. This is the little money we had left from last time. We had planned to save it for emergencies. Take it and go to the Spirit Hall Branch in town. Seeing your talent, they might help you obtain a Spirit Ring. You might even be able to find a position in Spirit Hall through this. If you're lucky, you may even have a chance to attend Spirit Hall Academy."

Holding the bundle in her hands, Youquan found that the light bundle seemed to weigh ten thousand jin. She said in a muffled voice, "I'll come back."

Baishuang smiled. "Your road is still long. Go and do what you should do. We're living quite well too."

"When is Sister Youquan leaving?" Zhuang Yanyan clutched the corner of Youquan's clothes and asked quietly.

"Time waits for no one. I'm planning to leave tomorrow morning. Eat these rabbits as you see fit, or trade them for some staple food. It isn't safe for you to keep going to the Back Mountain for a few little rabbits." Youquan was worried. Neither Baishuang nor Bailu had Soul Power. Even if they were only ten-year Soul Beasts, they were still not something the two sisters could handle. Youquan was deeply concerned for their safety.

Because Youquan was about to leave, the three sisters talked for a long time.

Early the next morning, before dawn, Youquan got up. She tucked in Zhuang Yanyan's blanket, looked reluctantly at the two sisters, and said softly, "Sister Shuang, Yanyan, take care. I'll come back."

Not wanting the farewell to be too painful, Youquan could only slip away quietly while the two had yet to wake up.

Baishuang got up and looked in the direction Youquan had left, whispering, "Youquan, may your journey be smooth and your martial fortune flourish!"

Star Dou Great Forest, outskirts.

After leaving, Youquan arrived in a city and used the money Baishuang had given her to buy two maps. One showed how to reach the forests where Soul Beasts gathered, while the other was a map of the Douluo Continent.

Although it was best to hunt hundred-year Soul Beasts in small forests, most of those forests had been enclosed and required permits. Not only did Youquan know nothing about that, but even if she did, those places would never issue a permit to a child of only six. Left with no choice, Youquan could only choose one of the few open large forests.

After traveling for a long time, Youquan had spent all her money. She could only fill her stomach by hunting and searching for wild fruit. However, hard work paid off, and she finally arrived at the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest.

At that moment, Youquan cautiously searched the forest for a suitable Soul Beast.

"Roar!" A tiger's roar rang out. A crimson tiger stood some distance away, roaring at Youquan.

"Fire element!" Youquan's eyes lit up. Without another word, her Soul Force swept toward the fire-element tiger.

However, to her surprise, the tiger was not struck. With a leap, it pounced toward the branch where Youquan was crouching.

Youquan leaned back, and the tiger with red markings flew over her head, exposing its white belly.

Seeing the tiger's vulnerable underbelly, Youquan made a snap decision. She drew the dagger from her waist and viciously stabbed at its belly.

Just as the dagger was about to touch the tiger, it seemed to sense the danger. A layer of flames tightly shielded its belly, and the sudden heat sent Youquan spinning along the fallen tree trunk before she slid to the ground.

"This tiger is much harder to deal with than that Wild Bull. It looks like it's over a hundred years old. You'll do." Youquan's eyes were full of eagerness.

The tiger, having failed in its attack, landed opposite Youquan. Facing a child and still failing to strike her in one blow, it became somewhat enraged.

The tiger opened its maw, and a huge fireball formed inside it. One fireball after another rained down toward where Youquan stood.

"Explosive Step!" Soul Power gathered beneath her feet. Using her soul perception, Youquan easily dodged the incoming fireballs and appeared at the tiger's side in the blink of an eye.

"Eight Extremities Collapse!" Youquan clenched her right hand into a fist and slammed it hard into the tiger's head. Although she could not even unleash a tenth of Eight Extremities Collapse's true power at the moment, it was already the strongest attack she could use.

The tiger, several times larger than Youquan, was sent flying several meters. Its head tilted to one side, blood flowed from the corner of its mouth, and several teeth were mixed in with the blood.

Having been heavily injured by a child—food it had thought it could easily hunt—the tiger roared furiously at Youquan.

Seeing that Eight Extremities Collapse had only injured the tiger slightly, Youquan's expression darkened. She had not expected her opponent to be so difficult to deal with.

"Who's there? Come out!" Youquan shouted sharply toward her rear flank.

"Hehe, little girl, your perception is quite good." A thin middle-aged man with a somewhat lecherous-looking face stepped out.

"Uncle, save me!" Youquan's eyes filled with tears as she spoke pitifully.

Youquan had kept her Soul Force spread throughout the area the entire time and could confirm that he had not seen her use Eight Extremities Collapse. She immediately pretended to be helpless, while also testing him.

The man looked at Youquan suspiciously and asked, "Little girl, who injured this Fire Cloud Tiger?"

"I don't know either. I followed a pretty little deer in here, but I got lost by accident. Then this big tiger suddenly appeared and wanted to eat me. I was terrified." Youquan lowered her head and choked back sobs.

"I must've gone mad. What could such a little child possibly do?" The man turned toward Youquan with a smile. "Little sister, come with big brother later. Big brother will take you home to find your mother, all right?"

Looking at Youquan's pretty, delicate face, the man smiled maliciously. "Such a tender little girl would definitely fetch a good price if I sold her to those nobles. That'd be enough for me to live it up for quite a while."

The man muttered so quietly that he thought Youquan could not hear him. How could he have known that Youquan had never lowered her guard? With her powerful perception, she heard every single word.

Seeing the man engage the tiger called a Fire Cloud Tiger, Youquan immediately ran to one side and hid.

The man released his martial soul. Youquan could not tell what martial soul it was, but his body swelled, black fur covered his hands, and fangs emerged from his mouth.

As the man underwent Martial Soul Possession, three Spirit Rings appeared behind him—one white and two yellow.

"Looks like he has strength equivalent to a Soul Grandmaster. I should be able to kill him in a single strike." Youquan gathered all her Soul Force into a blade, hiding it in the shadows as she waited for an opportunity.

By the time the man finally managed to knock the Fire Cloud Tiger to the ground, he himself had also suffered considerable injuries during the fight.

"Damn it, it was actually a thousand-year Soul Beast." The man spat out blood and walked toward the Fire Cloud Tiger with a grim expression, preparing to deliver the final blow.

Just as the man was about to kill the Fire Cloud Tiger, a blade condensed from Soul Force pierced through his chest.