Soul Hunting Forest

"Hahaha... Sanmei, what goes on in that little head of yours all day?"

Tang Hao forced out a dry laugh and began clumsily inventing a past for himself:

"Your dad did awaken a Martial Soul back then, but my talent was poor. After half a lifetime of scraping by, I'd barely reached the twenties as a Soul Grandmaster. Then I suffered a hidden injury fighting someone, so I came back to the village to make a living as a blacksmith."

"So that's what happened..."

Tang Sanniang still had a nagging feeling that something was off, but the weathered look on her father's face stirred her filial devotion.

Tang Hao had just breathed a silent sigh of relief, thinking he had gotten away with it.

"Oh? A Soul Grandmaster in the twenties? Badly injured, so you can't use your Soul Power?"

Huo Yuhao, who had been resting with his eyes closed against the Cushioned Seat, suddenly opened them.

He looked at Tang Hao with a faint, knowing smile:

"Then Uncle Tang must have an extraordinary constitution. Without using a shred of Soul Power, you kicked a level twenty-nine Grandmaster away like a ball, relying on nothing but brute strength... Blacksmithing must be a peerless divine art. Sanmei, you should ask your dad to teach you its secrets."

"Pfft!"

Beside him, Xiao Wu couldn't hold back. She covered her mouth and laughed.

Tang Hao's weathered face reddened. Huo Yuhao's barbed words left him speechless.

He shot Huo Yuhao a fierce glare and said through gritted teeth:

"You little brat, I've swung a sledgehammer for years. Is it so strange that I've got some raw strength? If you run into danger in the forest, don't expect me to save you!"

"It's okay, Senior Brother. If Dad won't save you, I will."

Tang Sanmei patted her chest and spoke in earnest.

"..."

The carriage fell deathly silent.

Tang Hao stared wide-eyed at his precious daughter, who was patting her chest with a look of righteous resolve. His chest tightened, and he nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Fine! Just fine! I scrimped and saved to raise you for six years, and this brat had you bring him foot-washing water for a few days. Now you're ready to let your dad die for him!

Tang Hao clutched his chest. His beard trembled with indignation, and his eyes even glistened with tears.

This little padded jacket didn't just let in the cold—it had an assassin hiding inside!

Huo Yuhao was delighted by Tang Hao's look of utter despair.

He reached out and rubbed Tang Sanmei's head, a smile tugging at his lips:

"Don't worry, Sanmei. Since Uncle Tang says he won't look after me, I naturally have a way to stay alive. Unlike certain people, I don't just swing a sledgehammer when trouble comes. I use my head."

Tang Hao gritted his teeth and turned away, pretending to admire the scenery as he repeated furiously to himself:

Don't get angry. Don't get angry. Once we're in the forest, let's see how long that mouth of yours stays so bold before a Soul Beast scares you into wetting your pants!

Half a day later.

The carriage stopped before a bustling Market.

Beyond the Market lay the Soul Hunting Forest, enclosed by towering iron fences.

As a place where the Heaven Dou Empire kept Soul Beasts, its perimeter was heavily guarded.

"Stop! Access Token!"

Two fully armored soldiers crossed their spears, coldly blocking the four of them.

Tang Hao stepped forward without expression, pulled a grimy, lowest-tier Spirit Hall Access Token from his clothes, and flashed it before the guards.

Once they saw the token, the guards immediately withdrew their spears and let them through.

As the heavy iron gates slowly opened, a strong gust carrying the smell of earth and the scent of Soul Beasts rushed out from deep within the forest.

"Stay sharp, all of you!"

The moment Tang Hao entered the forest, he slipped into a fighting stance.

Though he claimed to be only in the twenties, the killing aura honed by years on the edge of life and death spilled from him unbidden.

He gripped the heavy hammer he had brought from the Blacksmith Shop. His tall, burly body stood before the other three like an unbreakable shield.

"Soul Beasts could attack at any moment. Stay close behind me, all three of you, and keep quiet!"

Tang Hao barked the warning without looking back.

"Uncle Tang, you don't have to put so much effort into the act."

Huo Yuhao spoke calmly, his hands in his pockets.

"Searching these dense woods with your eyes is too slow. Since you're only a Soul Grandmaster now, leave the scouting to me."

As soon as he finished speaking, Huo Yuhao's pale golden eyes lit up.

Hum.

A white Soul Ring glowing faintly rose from beneath his feet.

Tang Hao turned at the sound. The moment he saw the white Soul Ring, he froze, then burst into wild laughter.

"Pwahahaha!"

Tang Hao clutched his belly, laughing so hard he could barely hold his hammer. He pointed at the white ring beneath Huo Yuhao's feet, tears nearly spilling from his eyes:

"So this is what you meant by using your head! I thought you had some grand move up your sleeve! After all that talk, your First Soul Ring turned out to be the most worthless thing there is—a white Ten-Year Soul Ring!"

At last, Tang Hao felt as though he had vented much of the frustration he had bottled up over the past half month. He looked smugly at his daughter:

"Sanmei, look at your senior brother! He absorbed a worthless Ten-Year Soul Ring, and he still dares to boast in front of me?"

"Dad! Don't talk about Senior Brother like that!"

Tang Sanmei's little face flushed with urgency. She was about to counter with the theory of Origin Rings, but Huo Yuhao raised a hand to stop her.

Huo Yuhao watched Tang Hao laugh himself breathless. His eyelids didn't so much as twitch; only a playful smile touched his lips.

"Uncle Tang, finished laughing?"

Huo Yuhao's gaze sharpened.

"Then brace yourself."

"First Soul Skill: Spiritual Detection, Shared."

At Huo Yuhao's murmur, a strange, invisible wave spread outward. Before Tang Hao could react, it forcibly linked to his mind!

"Hic!"

Tang Hao's laughter cut off like a rooster suddenly seized by the throat!

At the front of the group, Tang Hao felt a boom in his head, and the world before his eyes changed beyond recognition!

The thick leaves and shrubs that blocked his view seemed to turn translucent.

A three-dimensional image covering every angle within a dozen meters appeared in his mind, as clear as a radar display!

He could even see a ten-year-old Spotted Cat crouched behind a bush to his front left, licking its paws;

behind a tree trunk on his right, a Green Bamboo Snake flicked its tongue. He could even sense the rhythm of its heartbeat!

"Hiss!"

The mighty Clear Sky Douluo sucked in a breath.

This impossible, godlike perspective surpassed anything he had known in his life!

Tang Hao whipped his head around:

"You... what kind of Soul Skill is this? How the hell could a Ten-Year Soul Ring have something like this?"