Star Dou Great Forest

"Teacher..."

Kong Deming looked at Xu Tiance, who had turned toward him with a fawning smile still on his face, and shook his head with a laugh. "You didn't think of me when you were speaking, but now that the words are out, you remember me?"

Kong Deming paused, then looked at Ye Guyi seriously. "This child is about your age. Let her live with you in the Offering Hall and receive instruction alongside you. If we don't keep her there, her Holy Angel Martial Soul will likely prevent her from ever growing stronger. Evil Soul Masters will hunt her down before long."

"Child, what's your name?"

"My name is Ye Guyi. My Martial Soul is the Holy Angel, and I have Inborn Rank 9 Soul Power."

Ye Guyi's eyes were red and swollen from crying, but they remained bright. Her expression was utterly earnest.

Inborn Rank 9 Soul Power... That's quite a good talent. As it happened, Ye Guyi's Soul Power had just reached rank ten, and she had yet to obtain her First Soul Ring.

On this trip, they could hunt Soul Rings for both Tiance and Ye Guyi.

Kong Deming nodded to himself. Without saying anything more, he turned toward the Soul-Guided Carriage.

Xu Tiance took Ye Guyi's hand and smiled. "I'm Xu Tiance. You can call me Tiance from now on. The man you just met is my teacher, the Chief Offering of the Sun Moon Empire. The man over there is also an Offering of the Sun Moon Empire. You can call him Uncle Ye."

Feeling the warmth of Xu Tiance's hand, Ye Guyi blushed faintly, but she did not pull away.

Having him hold her hand made her feel safe.

In the Outer Area of the Star Dou Great Forest, ancient trees towered high enough to blot out the sky. Layers of green canopy blocked most of the sunlight overhead, leaving only scattered, dappled rays to spill down and illuminate the forest.

An ordinary person would have had to be cautious at every step after entering the Star Dou Great Forest, but Xu Tiance had no such worries.

Kong Deming was certainly strong enough to keep him safe. After all, even Ye Xishui had acknowledged his strength in the original story. He might not be able to truly contend with a Level 99 Limit Douluo, but he had the strength of a Level 98 Super Douluo. Besides, Kong Deming was not alone. Another Level 9 Soul Engineer, Ye Yulin, stood beside them.

"Guyi, you took Century-Old Whale Rubber on our way here, and it strengthened your body somewhat. There's no need to consider Soul Beasts of three or four hundred years. Your target should be at least five hundred years old. As for the type, we'll try to hunt a Soul Beast with the light attribute."

"Tiance, we decided which Soul Beast you needed before we came, so there's no need to say more. Now we just have to focus on finding them."

Kong Deming walked at the front of the group, spreading out his powerful mental senses. Ye Yulin guarded Xu Tiance and Ye Guyi from behind.

Under Kong Deming's mental perception, the Soul Beasts in the Outer Area had almost nowhere to hide.

Before long, Kong Deming found the first Soul Beast with the light attribute.

It was a Golden Light Wolf, named for its light attribute and razor-sharp claws. Among light-attribute Soul Beasts, it was relatively common but quite useful. Unfortunately, this one was only two hundred years old and did not meet their requirements.

Kong Deming left it undisturbed and continued his search.

Both light-attribute and Mental Attribute Soul Beasts were rare; light-attribute ones might be rarer still. They were fortunate to be in the Star Dou Great Forest. In the Soul Beast habitats of the Sun Moon Empire, they might not have found one suited to Ye Guyi at all.

As Kong Deming searched patiently, a Soul Beast soon entered the range of his perception. Surprise lit his face.

"I didn't expect us to be so lucky on this trip. To think we'd encounter such a rare Soul Beast."

No sooner had he spoken than Ye Yulin moved from behind Xu Tiance and Ye Guyi and appeared directly in front of the beast.

Ye Yulin was a Level 9 Soul Engineer rather than a particularly powerful combatant by Soul Master standards, but the gulf in cultivation between him and the beast was enormous.

In an instant, he captured it and brought it before Ye Guyi.

Kong Deming spoke at just the right moment.

"This Soul Beast is called a Radiant Pegasus. It carries the bloodline of the Light Unicorn and is exceedingly rare. Among light-attribute Soul Beasts, it's unquestionably top-tier. Its age is ideal, too: a full six hundred years, right at the limit of what you can withstand."

"Kill it and absorb its Soul Ring."

Xu Tiance gave Ye Guyi an encouraging look. She drew a deep breath, gripped the Soul Guidance Dagger he had given her, and took two steps forward.

My path as a Soul Master... my path to revenge... begins now!

Resolve flashed in Ye Guyi's eyes. She drove the Soul Guidance Dagger straight into the beast's abdomen.

Soon, a bright yellow Soul Ring slowly rose from the Radiant Pegasus's corpse.

Without hesitation, Ye Guyi sat cross-legged and drew the Soul Ring onto herself.

Kong Deming watched her closely. The Whale Rubber had indeed strengthened her body, but whether she could absorb a Soul Ring beyond the usual limit remained untested.

Soon, however, his worries vanished.

It did not take Ye Guyi long to absorb the Soul Ring completely. As she slowly stood, a bright yellow Soul Ring rose beneath her feet.

Ye Guyi opened her eyes, excitement shining in them. "My Soul Power has reached rank thirteen!"

"What about your Soul Skill? What skill did your First Soul Ring give you?"

Only after Xu Tiance's reminder did Ye Guyi think to check. She closed her eyes again and searched within herself.

Then she opened them once more. "My first Soul Skill is called Radiant Light. It's an area-of-effect skill that releases holy light. While I'm bathed in it, all my attributes increase by one hundred percent, and the light suppresses and purifies evil powers."

A one-hundred-percent boost to all her attributes?

That Soul Skill is already comparable to Dai Mubai's third Soul Skill!

Xu Tiance clicked his tongue, unable to help feeling impressed.

No wonder it carries the Light Unicorn's bloodline. A rare Soul Beast like the Radiant Pegasus really does grant a formidable Soul Skill!