Beast Tide

When Chu Heng returned to the Shelter carrying the cleaned rabbit, he found someone sitting by the fire who hadn't been there before.

The person sat beside the flames, pulling dry branches from the woodpile and feeding them into the fire one by one.

"Sis!"

Chu Heng's eyes lit up when he recognized the familiar figure. It was Su Xianling, who had left several days ago.

"You're back?"

Su Xianling glanced up at him, her expression unchanged.

In truth, she had been following Chu Heng in secret the entire time.

She had watched him leave the Shelter to look for prey, discover the Rabbit-type Soul Beast, and take it to the stream to clean it.

She had simply returned to the Shelter ahead of him.

Of course, she couldn't let Chu Heng know any of that.

So she sat quietly beside the fire, pretending she knew nothing about what had happened.

At his current level, Chu Heng had no way of knowing how long Su Xianling had been watching him.

Still, seeing her in front of him put him strangely at ease. Living alone in a forest like this was lonely. Even with memories of his previous life, he found it hard to get used to being on his own for so long.

"Sis, did you come to keep me company?"

Chu Heng asked hopefully.

Su Xianling smiled.

"What are you thinking?"

"This is your training. I'm not going to interfere."

With that, her gaze fell on the rabbit in Chu Heng's hand.

"I only came to get a share of the meat."

"Huh?"

The hope on Chu Heng's face froze.

Why did I even ask?

He had never expected Su Xianling to refuse to help and then show up to take a share of the food he had worked so hard to catch.

Chu Heng's mouth twitched.

But faced with her matter-of-fact expression, he couldn't bring himself to refuse.

"Fine. I'll roast it now."

Chu Heng crouched beside the fire and got to work.

He had finally caught his first prey, so he was already in a good mood. Now he had someone to talk to as well, and his hands moved a little more briskly.

Noticing the change in his mood, Su Xianling smiled faintly.

In a place like this, enduring loneliness was only the first step. Spending so long acting alone also wore a person down.

And when someone had another person to share an achievement with, the satisfaction often grew, giving him a reason to keep going.

That was the real reason Su Xianling had appeared now, despite deciding not to interfere with Chu Heng's attempt to survive on his own.

As for the rabbit meat? She certainly hadn't come all this way for a bite to eat.

Before long, two rabbit legs were roasting over the fire, filling the air with a rich aroma. Chu Heng and Su Xianling took one each.

To Su Xianling, it was an ordinary meal.

But to Chu Heng, the energy in the Soul Beast's flesh could do more than fill his stomach. It would also help his body recover and sustain his training.

"Thanks for the meal."

After finishing her rabbit leg, Su Xianling didn't ask Chu Heng for more. She sat beside him and quietly watched him finish his portion.

Only after Chu Heng set down the bone did she stand and brush off her clothes.

"I'm leaving."

Without waiting for a reply, she turned and left.

Chu Heng watched her disappear among the trees and shook his head helplessly.

My sister really does come and go as she pleases...

Since Su Xianling had no intention of staying, he would have to rely on himself in the days ahead. There was still plenty of meat left on the rabbit. If he didn't handle it properly, it would spoil, and the smell of blood might attract nearby Soul Beasts.

So Chu Heng spent the rest of the morning preparing the remaining meat and smoking it over the fire to make it last as long as possible.

But he couldn't live on meat alone.

He needed other foods to stay healthy.

That afternoon, Chu Heng spent most of his time searching around the Shelter for edible plants. Fortunately, he found a decent amount: some edible ferns and several kinds of fruit he could confirm were safe. He brought them all back.

For the next few days, at least, he wouldn't have to worry about going hungry.

With his basic needs taken care of, Chu Heng could finally devote more energy to growing stronger.

Over the next few days, he began seeking out nearby Soul Beasts to fight.

Often, Chu Heng was injured, but the Soul Beast fared no better, and both sides eventually withdrew. Through battle after battle, his combat experience grew noticeably.

But after spending so much time fighting and training for days on end, Chu Heng failed to notice that the food stored in the Shelter had quietly run out.

One evening, he dragged his exhausted, hungry body back to the Shelter and searched everywhere, only to find nothing to eat.

"..."

Chu Heng fell silent. He had no choice but to go hungry that night.

At first light the next morning, he got up and went to the fruit tree he had found earlier. He picked two pieces of fruit, barely enough to take the edge off his hunger.

That day, Chu Heng went all out.

When he spotted a Black-Spotted Pig with fifty years of cultivation in the forest, he pursued it relentlessly.

When the Black-Spotted Pig ran, he chased it.

When it fought back, he dodged.

At last, just before his strength gave out, he managed to kill it. His food problem was solved once again.

Having learned his lesson, Chu Heng became more careful.

No matter how absorbed he became in training, he made sure to check his food supplies in advance so he wouldn't end up hungry again.

As the days passed, Chu Heng grew increasingly accustomed to life in the Soul Hunting Forest, and the number of Soul Beasts he had killed continued to rise.

Unfortunately...

He still hadn't encountered a Soul Beast truly suited to him.

"Sigh..."

Outside the Shelter, Chu Heng leaned against a rock and let out a sigh.

"When is this going to end?"

A month had passed before he knew it.

After a month of training and fighting, Chu Heng's Soul Power was nearing the limit of level ten.

Only one step stood between him and becoming a true Soul Master. Once he found a Soul Beast suited to him, everything else would fall into place.

But that crucial step remained out of reach.

Chu Heng had begun to wonder whether he should call Su Xianling and ask her to take him deeper into the Soul Hunting Forest to try his luck.

Before he could act, however, a familiar figure landed in front of him.

"Sis?"

Su Xianling wore none of her usual easy smile. Instead, her expression was unusually grave.

"Chu Heng, a Beast Tide has broken out in the inner reaches of the Soul Hunting Forest. I've just received orders to help suppress it."