Soul Hunting (Part 1)

Dihun Village, where Lin Qing lived, bordered Holy Soul Village, where Tang San lived, and both lay within Nuoding City. This year, Lin Qing was the only child in Dihun Village with Soul Power, so he received the village's sole work-study student slot.

Having just awakened his Martial Soul, Lin Qing still had three months before Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy began. Although his second Martial Soul could condense Spirit Rings on its own, meaning he did not need to worry about the bottleneck every ten levels,

his first Martial Soul still needed to hunt Soul Beasts to obtain Spirit Rings. After all, his second Martial Soul seemingly did not require cultivation, and it had no offensive ability either, which did not fit Lin Qing's plans. Therefore, obtaining a Spirit Ring for his first Martial Soul before school began was necessary. Besides, he had only revealed his first Martial Soul.

After giving it some thought, Lin Qing packed his things, bid old John farewell, and said he wanted to go to Nuoding City early to familiarize himself with it. After all, he would be spending nearly the next six years there.

After receiving permission, Lin Qing set out for Nuoding City.

After leaving the village, Lin Qing began considering where he should go to hunt for a Spirit Ring.

Soul Hunting Forest did not seem suitable. Entering Soul Hunting Forest required a permit, and Lin Qing neither had one nor had any way of getting one. Of course, he could obtain a permit by going to Spirit Hall, but if they invited him to join Spirit Hall again, it would be difficult to refuse. Lin Qing was not thick-skinned enough to accept handouts with a clear conscience.

"So, Star Dou Great Forest is my only option?"

Lin Qing ultimately made his choice. Star Dou Great Forest was not far from Nuoding City. By carriage, it would only take five or six days to arrive. With the speed he possessed after being transformed into a Demon, Lin Qing could reach the nearest Soul Hunting Town near Star Dou Great Forest within ten days.

As for Sunset Forest, sorry, it was simply too far away. It was close to Heaven Dou Imperial City, and even by carriage, the journey would take nearly a month, let alone on foot. Lin Qing did not have enough money to hire a carriage.

Lin Qing spent a total of twelve days traveling from Nuoding City to the Soul Hunting Town beside Star Dou Great Forest. Although he had been transformed into a Demon, his physique was not particularly strong. Forget reaching the level of a Demon King—he was still extremely far from the level of the Twelve Kizuki.

By Lin Qing's estimation, for his body to reach the passing standard of the Twelve Kizuki—roughly the level of Lower Rank Six—he would at least need to become a Soul King. To reach the Upper Ranks, he would need to become at least a Soul Sage.

However, those were not things Lin Qing needed to consider right now. What he needed to consider was his first Spirit Ring.

"So this is Soul Hunting Town?"

Lin Qing stepped into Soul Hunting Town. Though it stood beside Star Dou Great Forest, the Soul Masters here were remarkably lively. How should he put it? He could not think of a more fitting word, so lively would have to do.

In Soul Hunting Town, Lin Qing did not see the tension and solemnity he had expected in such a dangerous place. Instead, it was like any ordinary bustling market. There were stalls selling Soul Beast meat, inns, restaurants, and Soul Hunting teams constantly soliciting customers.

Lin Qing would not seek out a Soul Hunting team to help him hunt Soul Beasts. He was only a child, and there was no guarantee the members of those teams would not do something to him. Besides, he did not have much money. Other than what he had spent on bedding, he only had his living expenses for the first semester left.

After I get my Spirit Ring, I should register at the Spirit Hall Branch in Nuoding City. After all, a Soul Master receives one Gold Soul Coin every month.

Lin Qing thought to himself. He did not even have a single Gold Soul Coin on him right now, so one Gold Soul Coin already counted as a huge sum to him.

As Lin Qing walked through Soul Hunting Town, people occasionally cast looks at him upon seeing that he was a lone child. Even some Soul Hunting teams looked his way.

I need to enter Star Dou Great Forest as soon as possible.

Lin Qing thought as he turned through several streets, made a few minor efforts to conceal himself, and headed toward the forest.

Once he entered the forest, Lin Qing became alert. Star Dou Great Forest was fraught with danger, and a Soul Beast could leap out at any moment to deliver a fatal blow.

"What Soul Beast should I choose for my first Spirit Ring? With the physical strength of my Demonified body, I might not dare to try a thousand-year ring, but anything below that should not be a problem, right?"

Lin Qing was not very confident. He had never truly absorbed a Spirit Ring before. The Spirit Ring of Red Spider Lily had condensed on its own, and it was an unusual ring interwoven with green and blue, without a specific age. Thus, Lin Qing did not know exactly how many years of a Spirit Ring his body could absorb at most.

"To be safe, I should still absorb a Hundred-Year Spirit Ring. Even then, it should be at least eight hundred years old, or it would be somewhat wasteful."

Eight hundred years was already the upper limit for the second Spirit Ring of some young Soul Master geniuses. Still, Lin Qing had this much confidence. At the very least, no Spirit Ring under a thousand years could possibly burst him apart.

"As for what kind of Soul Beast to hunt? I'll leave it to fate. As long as it has an elemental attribute, it'll do," Lin Qing thought.

Finding a suitable Spirit Ring was not easy. Star Dou Great Forest was filled with danger and countless kinds of Soul Beasts. Finding an appropriate Spirit Ring would undoubtedly take time.

After staying on the outskirts of Star Dou Great Forest for over a month, Lin Qing found a small cave. His daily life consisted of eating ten-year Soul Beasts, and occasionally slaughtering one or two hundred-year Soul Beasts, allowing him to taste the delicious meat of various Soul Beasts.

"I've been in this forest for over a month now. Based on the tests from this period, even without sword techniques, I should still be able to deal with a Soul Beast close to a thousand years old."

After spending so long in the forest and fighting quite a few Soul Beasts, Lin Qing had gained a somewhat more concrete understanding of his strength.

He had explored this outer region thoroughly, and there were no Soul Beasts that Lin Qing needed. Either their attributes were unsuitable, or their cultivation was too low.

"Looks like I need to head a little deeper inside."

Once he said it, he acted. Lin Qing immediately packed his things, summoned his Martial Soul, the Nichirin Blade, and headed deeper into the forest.

Along the way, Lin Qing tried his best to avoid Soul Beasts. After all, thousand-year Soul Beasts had begun appearing in this area, and Lin Qing did not dare guarantee that he could kill one.

The sun hung high in the sky as Lin Qing found a pond. After investigating and confirming that there were no Soul Beasts nearby, he took out the dried Soul Beast meat he had roasted outside a few days earlier to fill his stomach.