Soul Hunting Forest

Only then did Xiao Wu realize how powerful the skill was. As if something had suddenly occurred to her, she asked in disbelief, "Then your first Soul Skill..."

Qin Muchu flicked Xiao Wu's forehead and smiled. "Not bad, little rabbit. You finally caught on. That's right—my Soul Skill, Ten Thousand Transformations, One Edge, can now carry the devouring effect of the Boundless Reversal Barrier."

Xiao Wu felt dizzy. Could a Ten-Year Soul Ring really grant a skill like that? Even the ninth Soul Skill from a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring couldn't be this outrageous, could it?

"Come on. I'm taking you shopping." In high spirits, Qin Muchu pulled the dazed Xiao Wu outside.

Time flew. In the blink of an eye, more than nine months had passed. Half a year earlier, Qin Muchu had bought intermediate cultivation arts from the System Shop. These arts finally had names: the Grand Void Visualization Method, the Nine-Turn Profound Art, and the Divine Sky Spirit-Refining Art. The purchase had nearly emptied his savings, but it had been worth every coin. His Soul Power grew about fifty percent faster than usual and was more refined, while his physical strength and mental power far surpassed those of Soul Masters at his level.

Qin Muchu lay on his bed, leafing through a thick book. He had spent a million in the shop to obtain Travels Through the Heavens. According to its description, it was a collection of notes jotted down by a true godlike master during his travels across the heavens. It recorded the strange and wondrous things he had encountered in different worlds, revealed the underlying logic of their cultivation systems, and included his unique insights into cultivation.

Though that master had written the notes casually, they were priceless to Qin Muchu. After all, the plane containing Douluo Star was relatively low-level, and its cultivation system had many shortcomings. Studying the book had broadened his horizons immensely and helped him spot problems common to many Soul Masters across the continent.

Once I become a god, if I can return to Blue Star, I'll write a novel about my journey here. Who knows whether those silly readers—no, those lovely readers—will believe it? As Qin Muchu thought this, a violent fluctuation came from beside him. His eyes lit up. "Xiao Wu, you've reached level twenty?"

Xiao Wu hopped off the bed, her long braid swishing behind her, her little face bright with delight. "That's right! I reached level twenty before you, so you lost. You have to keep calling me Sister Xiao Wu for another month!"

Qin Muchu walked over with a smile and patted her head. "All right, all right. Our Sister Xiao Wu is amazing. Tomorrow, we'll go to Soul Hunting Forest and hunt down your Second Soul Ring."

"If you keep patting my head, you'll make me stupid." Xiao Wu swatted his hand away and tilted her head. "These cultivation arts of yours really are incredible. Even with thirty percent of my Soul Power going toward tempering my body, I've progressed this quickly. My body is already stronger than those of most level-thirty Soul Masters. My Waist Bow relies mostly on physical strength to begin with. Now it's probably stronger than some third Soul Skills of the Power Attack System."

"Yes, yes, Sister Xiao Wu is the best. Get some rest. We have to get up early tomorrow to find your Soul Ring."

The night passed without incident.

The next day, Qin Muchu opened his eyes to find Xiao Wu glaring at him. "What's wrong?" he asked, puzzled.

"What's wrong? Who said last night that we should rest early so we could get up early and find my Soul Ring?" Xiao Wu puffed out her cheeks. She couldn't understand why he loved sleeping in so much.

"Oh, that." Qin Muchu glanced out the window. "It's still early. If I get up before lunch, that counts as getting up early, doesn't it?"

"Like hell it does! Get out of bed already!"

After quickly getting ready, the two of them asked their teacher for leave and headed to the nearest entrance to Soul Hunting Forest. What? You're asking why their teacher let them go so easily? Don't be ridiculous. Given the strength of these two little monsters, if they ran into a Soul Beast they couldn't handle, their teachers would be no help either.

At the entrance to Soul Hunting Forest.

A guard looked at the pass in his hand, then at the two children before him. "Where are your elders?"

"We came by ourselves," Qin Muchu said.

The guard frowned. "Kids, Soul Hunting Forest isn't a place to play. If you're here to hunt for a Soul Ring, go back and ask a teacher or elder to bring you in."

Qin Muchu blinked. It seemed they wouldn't get in today unless they showed what they could do. "Mister, we'll be fine. How about this? Sister Xiao Wu is the one who needs a Soul Ring. Spar with her, then decide whether to let us in once you've seen how strong she is."

The guards exchanged looks, then burst out laughing. The one facing Qin Muchu doubled over. "Hahahaha! You're a cute kid, but a Soul Beast won't care how cute you are when it eats you. Listen to me—go home and fetch an elder."

"I'm serious," Qin Muchu said helplessly. "Just test Sister Xiao Wu's strength before you decide."

Seeing how earnest the boy was, the guard stopped laughing. "All right. I haven't had a chance to fight in ages. I'll play with the little girl."

The prospect of a fight had Xiao Wu summoning her Martial Soul at once. "Xiao Wu. Rabbit Beast Martial Soul. Level-twenty Power Attack System Battle Soul Master."

On the continent, announcing one's Martial Soul and level before a friendly spar was basic etiquette. But the guard opposite her had frozen, staring in shock at the Yellow Soul Ring around her.

When Xiao Wu saw him standing there in a daze, she wrinkled her nose. "Mister, are we fighting or not?"

"Oh! Yes. Wang Wei. Golden-Ring Rat Beast Martial Soul. Level-twenty-five Agility Attack System Battle Soul Master." Coming to his senses, Wang Wei immediately summoned his Martial Soul. He no longer dared underestimate the girl. Good grief—a seven- or eight-year-old here to hunt for her Second Soul Ring? What kind of monster was she?

Seeing that he was ready, Xiao Wu bent her knees and waist, then drove off the ground with both legs. In an instant, she was right in front of Wang Wei. "First Soul Skill: Waist Bow!"

Feeling the force bearing down on him, Wang Wei's eyes flashed with alarm. "Second Soul Skill: Gray Shadow Devours the Sky!"

Thud!

After a dull impact, they sprang apart. Xiao Wu flipped once through the air and landed steadily, while Wang Wei stumbled back more than a dozen steps, stopping only when he struck a tree. Half his body was numb from the shock, and his palm throbbed. Xiao Wu, meanwhile, looked completely unharmed.

Stormy waves surged through Wang Wei's heart. He had never imagined the girl would be so strong. A level-twenty-five Battle Soul Master, he had been utterly overpowered in their first head-on clash. The other guards, who had been watching for a laugh, still wore their grins. Their mouths hung open as though they had seen a ghost.

"We can go in now, right?" Qin Muchu asked with a smile as he stepped up beside Xiao Wu.

"Of course. With her strength, I doubt any Soul Beast under five hundred years old could beat her. You'll be fine as long as you don't go too deep."