Searching for a Soul Ring in Sunset Forest

"Lu Xuan, you've built a solid foundation. It's time to obtain your First Soul Ring."

Ten days later, Ye Renxin spoke to Lu Xuan with a solemn expression. "I've made the arrangements with your Uncle Zhao. He'll take you to hunt for your First Soul Ring tomorrow. Judging by my examination, your body should be able to withstand a Soul Ring of around five hundred years."

The "Uncle Zhao" Ye Renxin spoke of was Zhao Yan, Ye Lingling's father and a son-in-law who had married into the Ye Family.

Zhao Yan was a level seventy-nine Soul Sage, formidable even among Soul Masters of the same rank.

With him along for protection, even an ordinary twenty-thousand-year Soul Beast would pose no problem. Lu Xuan only needed a five-hundred-year Soul Ring, so the task would be easy for him.

"I understand, Master." Lu Xuan nodded, his expression serious. "Don't worry. I won't wander off. I'll stay right beside Uncle Zhao."

"Good." Ye Renxin nodded and handed Lu Xuan a bracelet-shaped storage Soul Tool. "You can activate it with Soul Power. When you're away from home, remember to keep clothes and food on hand."

"I'll remember, Master." Lu Xuan took the storage Soul Tool and turned it over curiously in his hands.

But when he probed it with his Soul Power, he discovered it was far from empty.

Besides a thousand Gold Soul Coins, it held a sizable stack of books and scrolls.

Lu Xuan felt a surge of emotion he could scarcely put into words. He had become Ye Renxin's disciple with selfish motives, yet Ye Renxin had treated him with complete sincerity.

Master, I won't let your efforts go to waste! Lu Xuan silently vowed that if he ever had the chance, he would help his master reach the rank of Titled Douluo—and perhaps even find a path to eternal life.

The next day, Lu Xuan set out with Zhao Yan for Sunset Forest.

As they traveled, Zhao Yan asked casually, "Xiao Xuan, what kind of First Soul Ring do you have in mind?"

Zhao Yan had not spent much time with Lu Xuan, but they shared the peculiar status of having married into the Ye Family. He felt no distance between himself and the young man.

As they hurried along, they fell into easy conversation.

"Uncle Zhao, Master gave me several options. I think any of them would work," Lu Xuan replied honestly. "My martial soul is a Jade Flute, so I should prioritize a Soul Ring with mental or sound-wave properties."

"Jade Cicada Soul Beasts, Gem Soul Beasts, Jade Bats, and the plant Soul Beast Jade Bamboo." Lu Xuan listed the possibilities in one breath.

If he chose one of the more attack-oriented Soul Beasts, the effect of his First Soul Ring would likely fall behind as his cultivation advanced, leaving it of limited use.

Enhancement abilities were different. Their benefits would stay with him, growing more valuable the further he progressed. The options Ye Renxin had chosen for Lu Xuan were all Soul Beasts suited to enhancement.

Beyond the kinds Lu Xuan had named, there were two choices that could be called ideal.

One was the Azure Jade Bird, a Soul Beast so close to extinction that it was nearly impossible to find. His master believed it would grant him a Soul Skill that enhanced all his attributes.

The other was the Immortal Herb Divine Black Jade Bamboo.

Divine Black Jade Bamboo was perhaps the Immortal Herb best suited to the Jade Flute martial soul!

To a Jade Flute martial soul, a ten-thousand-year Divine Black Jade Bamboo would be worth even more than a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

Lu Xuan knew that countless Immortal Herbs grew in Dugu Bo's Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. He simply could not be sure whether Divine Black Jade Bamboo had already grown there.

But he was in no hurry. There would be time to investigate it someday.

Lu Xuan and Zhao Yan chatted as they traveled. Whenever they encountered Soul Beasts that did not suit his needs, Zhao Yan drove them away.

Unfortunately, the Soul Beasts Lu Xuan sought were rare. After a long search, everything they found was either the wrong species or too young.

"Xiao Xuan, what do you think of that White Jade Cicada?"

"Uncle Zhao, it's only a little over two hundred years old. It's too young and too weak. Let's find another."

"What about that Purple Jade Bat?"

"Uncle Zhao, that one's over eight hundred years old. My body couldn't withstand its Soul Ring even if I risked my life."

"And that Blood Jade Cold Bamboo?"

"Its age is right, but its quality is too poor. It won't do."

Only someone as patient as Zhao Yan would have accompanied him through choice after choice.

Anyone else, put through so much back-and-forth, might have given Lu Xuan a harsh lesson by now.

"Chirp... chirp... chirp..."

Suddenly, a clear, pleasant call reached their ears.

"Uncle Zhao, did you hear that?" Lu Xuan perked up at once. "That's an Emerald Jade Cicada!"

"An Emerald Jade Cicada?" Zhao Yan recognized the Soul Beast, but he sounded uncertain. "Xiao Xuan, does it really suit your martial soul?"

"Well enough." Lu Xuan nodded. "The Emerald Jade Cicada is a healing-type Soul Beast. For a Soul Master with the Nine Heart Begonia, it would be among the top three choices. With my Jade Flute martial soul, it would most likely give me a wide-area healing Soul Skill."

Besides healing, the Emerald Jade Cicada could greatly accelerate recovery from injuries. If he had no dedicated healer traveling with him, an ability like that could prove crucial.

Seeing that Lu Xuan had made up his mind, Zhao Yan did not try to dissuade him. He led Lu Xuan quickly toward the cicada's call.

"Huh? It's caught in a spiderweb!"

Before long, they spotted the Emerald Jade Cicada. It was in trouble, bound fast in a giant web spun by a thousand-year spider-type Soul Beast.

The spider's presence was the only reason they had this chance to claim the cicada.

"Xiao Xuan, wait here and don't move," Zhao Yan instructed. "I'll capture that Jade Cicada."

"Wait, Uncle Zhao!" Lu Xuan called out urgently.

"That web was left by a Man Faced Spider over three thousand years old!"

"A three-thousand-year Man Faced Spider? So what?" Zhao Yan knew Man Faced Spiders were troublesome, but a mere three-thousand-year Soul Beast was no threat to a Soul Sage like him. If it appeared, he could kill it with a single thrust of his spear.

"Uncle Zhao, I know you're not afraid of it," Lu Xuan explained quickly. "The Soul Beast Compendium Master gave me says that Man Faced Spiders return to feed soon after catching prey. If this one still hasn't appeared, it's deliberately using the cicada as bait!"

"As bait?" Zhao Yan looked puzzled. "You mean this Man Faced Demon Spider left its prey there on purpose, waiting for something else to come along?"

"Exactly."