Report: This Soul Beast Deserves Death!

The deepest part of Spirit Hall's Soul Hunting Forest.

A low-lying valley.

Jagged rocks stood all around, while towering trees filled the enormous valley. Looking down from above, it resembled a primeval forest.

This was Dragon-Seeking Valley!

A squad of Spirit Hall's iron-armored warriors guarded the mountain pass surrounded by peaks. To enter, one needed a fourth-rank or higher permit for the Soul Hunting Forest.

After bringing Xu Huxiao's group of four here and presenting the map detailing the Soul Beast distribution within Dragon-Seeking Valley, Wang Zhong remained outside rather than following them in.

After all, what kind of Soul Ring one acquired was somewhat private. Besides, with His Excellency Demon Bear present, even a Thousand-Year Soul Beast would be easy prey.

And that was indeed the case.

There were no fewer than nine types of sub-dragon Soul Beasts in Dragon-Seeking Valley, but only two met Xu Huxiao's requirements:

The Long-Armed Dragon Ape, which preferred living in groups.

And the Black-Patterned Dread Lizard, which preferred living alone.

With their target decided, they had barely entered Dragon-Seeking Valley.

When Xu Huxiao's group of four encountered a pack of powerful Back-Passing Dragon Apes.

Without another word, Xu Bayan caught one with ease. In the blink of an eye, he had seized an unlucky specimen around four to five hundred years old.

"The age of a Back-Passing Dragon Ape is easy to determine. Just look at the scales on its palms."

"For every additional hundred years, its body grows taller and stronger. It can reach nearly three meters at most, and its strength also increases dramatically. One finger will become covered in black scales."

"Once black scales cover all of its fingers, it means the Dragon Ape has reached a thousand years. At that point, it undergoes a transformation. Rather than growing larger, its body shrinks, its fur gradually falls away, and hard scales grow over its entire body."

"A thousand-year Long-Armed Dragon Ape possesses greatly enhanced defense and speed."

"Once it reaches Ten Thousand Year, a dragon horn grows from its forehead, and its strength undergoes explosive growth."

"As for the one beneath my foot, only four and a half of its fingers are covered in scales, so it should be around four hundred and fifty years old."

"The limit for an ordinary Soul Master's first Soul Ring is four hundred and twenty-three years, but your body is sturdy, son. I don't think absorbing this four-hundred-and-fifty-year one will be a problem."

"What do you think? Do you want this Long-Armed Dragon Ape? It should be able to add seventy percent strength and sixty percent defense to your Twin Arms Martial Soul. You might even obtain its unique area attack skill—Thousand-Force Battlefield."

Xu Bayan pinned the trembling Dragon Ape beneath his foot while explaining Soul Beast knowledge to his son.

Beside him, Bao Jingjing was somewhat frightened by the ugly, vicious-looking Dragon Ape and kept hiding behind Bao Dexian.

Xu Huxiao, on the other hand, was full of interest.

In truth, Xu Bayan did not need to explain anything. Through the Eye of Omniscience, Xu Huxiao had already learned all the information about this Soul Beast.

[Soul Beast]: Long-Armed Dragon Ape

[Age]: Four Hundred and Fifty-Two Years

[Innate Abilities]: First, Long-Armed Might; second, Berserk; third, Thousand-Force Battlefield.

[Path to Death]: Neither dragon nor ape, looking all vicious and sinister. One glance tells you it is no good creature. This Dragon Ape deserves death!

This was the Soul Beast information obtained through the Eye of Omniscience. Its age and innate abilities were both extremely comprehensive.

It was just that.

The "Path to Death" below was a little unserious.

Xu Huxiao focused his mind on the innate abilities section, and detailed information on all three abilities immediately appeared in his mind.

[Long-Armed Might]: When the Long-Armed Dragon Ape activates this ability, the strength of both arms doubles, while its defense increases by sixty percent.

[Berserk]: When the Long-Armed Dragon Ape's life is threatened, it pounds its chest to activate Berserk. Under the intense mental stimulus of rage, its speed increases by seventy percent and its strength increases by eighty percent.

[Thousand-Force Battlefield]: A special ability granted by the Long-Armed Dragon Ape's Sub-Dragon Bloodline. When used, the Long-Armed Dragon Ape can combine its innate presence with the surrounding force within a fifty-meter radius, mixing it with Soul Power to form arrows of Thousand-Force Battle Qi and fire them out. It is a wide-area group attack skill.

They were three very good abilities.

However, Berserk affected the mind after activation and came with furious emotions. Xu Huxiao hesitated when he saw that.

If he chose this Long-Armed Dragon Ape as his first Soul Ring, the resulting Soul Skill would very likely be a mixture of several abilities. In other words, when he activated his first Soul Skill to enhance his attributes, it might also bring the furious emotions of Berserk.

Excessive anger would stimulate the Martial Soul energy of Hulk. He was worried that his two Martial Souls might conflict because of it.

After all, he intended to cultivate both in the future.

But it was also possible that the resulting Soul Skill would not carry Berserk after absorption.

There was a certain element of chance.

Xu Huxiao decided not to absorb it for the time being.

There was still the Black-Patterned Dread Lizard in Dragon-Seeking Valley. If its abilities were worse, then he would choose this Long-Armed Dragon Ape instead.

Xu Huxiao said, "Father, I want to take a look at the other Black-Patterned Dread Lizard first, then compare them before making my choice."

"Fine. Let's keep looking around Dragon-Seeking Valley and get something for dinner while we're at it."

Ordinarily, once a Soul Beast died, it condensed into a Soul Ring and vanished, making it inedible.

But that only applied to ordinary people.

High-level Soul Masters had simple special methods that could prevent a dead Soul Beast from condensing a Soul Ring, allowing it to become edible instead.

The Black-Patterned Dread Lizard's frequent haunts were marked on the map near a shallow bank beside a small stream, making them easy to find.

This Dragon-Seeking Valley within Spirit Hall's Soul Hunting Forest was near the Star Dou Great Forest. It was a tropical rainforest with lush vegetation.

Besides sub-dragon Soul Beasts, it also contained an abundance of other kinds of Soul Beasts.

Along the way, Xu Huxiao's group encountered six or seven groups of Soul Beasts. Of course, that was because Xu Bayan had not released his Title aura.

His son rarely had the chance to come out, so Xu Bayan deliberately wanted Xu Huxiao to see the various kinds of Soul Beasts and explain them to him.

This combination of practical observation and theory was highly effective for learning.

But for Xu Huxiao.

Learning about Soul Beasts was not all that necessary.

After all, he possessed the Eye of Omniscience, which saw through everything. He could learn all information about any Soul Beast with a single glance.

And he could even clearly see their paths to death.

Xu Huxiao silently mocked it in his heart.

By a stream in the dense forest.

With Xu Bayan and Bao Dexian clearing the way, they quickly reached the Black-Patterned Dread Lizard's frequent haunts and spotted, from afar, a giant lizard over three meters long resting beneath the shade of a tree.

The giant lizard had a sturdy grayish-white body covered in jet-black demonic patterns. Unlike ordinary giant lizards, its hind legs were exceptionally thick, while its forelimbs were comparatively short.

"This is a Black-Patterned Dread Lizard. Judging by the eight full rings of black patterns on its tail, along with its size, this should be an eight-hundred-year Soul Beast."

"Huxiao, this one isn't suitable for you. Let's search around some more."

Xu Bayan had gleaned the information with only a glance.

But just as he was preparing to leave and continue searching, Xu Huxiao beside him grabbed hold of him.

"Father, this is the one!"

Xu Bayan's expression turned stern as he frowned. "Son, absorbing a Soul Ring is no joke. The four-hundred-and-twenty-three-year limit is a conclusion reached through the experiments of countless Soul Master scholars. Exceeding the limit will cause problems."

"If your Soul Power runs rampant, you could suffer severe injuries at best, leaving your Soul Power unable to improve for the rest of your life, just like Luo Ming."

"At worst, you could directly explode and die. You must be cautious."

Xu Huxiao had long prepared an explanation for absorbing a Soul Ring beyond his level, and he had already obtained information on this Black-Patterned Dread Lizard through the Eye of Omniscience.

It was better than the Long-Armed Dragon Ape, and he was very satisfied with it.

[Soul Beast]: Black-Patterned Dread Lizard

[Age]: Eight Hundred and Sixty Years

[Innate Abilities]: First, Gluttonous Grip; second, Hunting Camouflage.

[Path to Death]: Tsk, tsk. Its name has "dread" in it. What else is there to say? It is an evil Soul Beast. This Dread Lizard deserves death!

Although it was only eight hundred and sixty years old and had not reached his limit of eleven hundred years.

Xu Huxiao had nevertheless decided this was the Soul Beast he wanted, because he knew the limit given by the Eye of Omniscience was his true limit. Even one year beyond eleven hundred would not work.

Even if he found a Soul Beast slightly over a thousand years old, absorbing its Soul Ring right at the limit would still be extremely risky.

Besides, having a purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring as his first Soul Ring would be too eye-catching.

Although Spirit City was temporarily peaceful, hidden dangers still remained. If that conspicuous purple first Soul Ring drew malicious attention from others.

And brought him more impossible-to-guard-against assassination attempts, that would be a loss.

Fighting one's way back from death was certainly stirring.

But Xu Huxiao knew he was not some chosen protagonist. He would not be guaranteed to survive every life-and-death crisis.

At this stage, the important thing was to develop steadily for a while, until he possessed enough power to protect himself.

And if he only exceeded the established four-hundred-year limit, there would be no problem as long as the Soul Ring remained yellow.

As for convincing his father.

Xu Huxiao said, "Father, I'm confident I can absorb this Soul Beast's Soul Ring. If you're truly worried, you can inspect my Bloodline Power."

"Even if your Bloodline Power exceeds... Hm? This Bloodline Power—son, how do you possess such immense Bloodline Power?!"

Seeing that his son insisted, Xu Bayan naturally grabbed Xu Huxiao's arm. With his attainments in Bloodline Power, he immediately sensed something unusual with only the slightest probe.

Xu Bayan said in shock, "Your Eight Extraordinary Meridians are actually innately connected?!"

This...

One had to know that Xu Bayan himself had only opened his Governing and Conception Vessels even now.

While Xu Bayan was astonished, Bao Dexian beside him was somewhat confused.

What were the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, and what did it mean for them to be connected?

This involved the secrets of Bloodline Power cultivation. Ordinary Soul Masters, and even many Titles, might not know that once the meridians of the human body were connected, not only could Soul Power cultivation speed increase tremendously, but it also meant the body could absorb Soul Rings beyond its level.

In other words, with his Eight Extraordinary Meridians connected, Xu Huxiao's physical condition had at the very least reached the level of a twentieth-level Soul Grandmaster. The limit at level ten was four hundred and twenty-three years, while for a twentieth-level Soul Grandmaster, it was seven hundred and sixty-four years.

At the same time, not only was his physique stronger, but having the Eight Extraordinary Meridians connected also meant he could withstand a greater impact of Soul Power.

Xu Bayan looked at his son as though he were a monster. With this kind of body, he was truly gifted beyond reason!

Perhaps this kid really could surpass the limit and absorb an eight-hundred-year Soul Ring.

The astonishment in Xu Bayan's eyes gradually turned into delight. Naturally, the older the Soul Ring one could absorb, the better.

If it could be absorbed, even a million-year first Soul Ring would not be a problem!

That was because an absorbed Soul Ring not only improved a Soul Master's Soul Power, but its power also allowed the Martial Soul to grow and evolve while strengthening the Soul Master's body.

"Damn it! As expected of my son! Heh heh!"

Xu Huxiao was delighted when he heard that. "Then, Father, does that mean you agree?"

Unexpectedly, Xu Bayan said:

"With me protecting you, along with your monstrous talent, you can indeed give it a try. But there is still one test. If you pass it, it will prove that you truly have the ability to try."

"Otherwise, to be safe, we should choose a Soul Beast around six hundred years old."

"Father, what test?" Xu Huxiao's eyes brimmed with confidence.

"The test is this: personally hunt this Black-Patterned Dread Lizard."

"If you complete the test, Daddy has another gift for you."