Entering the Soul Hunting Forest

Outside the Soul Hunting Forest, four people were already waiting in a carriage.

In Nuoding City, carriages were a means of transportation only wealthy families could afford. Ordinary people traveling far had to hope that a passing merchant caravan would give them a ride. It was clear, then, that these four were either wealthy or from prominent families.

Of the four, two were young—a boy and a girl. The boy had a defiant look in his eyes, while the girl stood casually, seemingly outgoing by nature. Both were around twelve years old, barely considered adults on the Douluo Continent.

The other two were middle-aged men. One appeared calm and composed, while the other looked somewhat fierce. They seemed to be the two youngsters' bodyguards.

Seeing that they matched the description, Bai Yu walked over, displayed Nuoding Academy's Academy Emblem, and smiled. "Hello, I'm Bai Yu. Are you from the Su Family?"

The four of them froze when they saw Bai Yu. The young man asked incredulously, "You? A little brat? No way. I thought Nuoding Academy would send a sixth-year student to assist us kids. What year are you in?"

Bai Yu immediately understood. These people looked down on him because he appeared too young!

Hmm, Nuoding Academy probably only told them my name and nothing else. If I say I'm a first-year student, they'll definitely be shocked, but they might think I'm inexperienced and cancel the mission.

But if I say I'm an upperclassman, they'll surely be suspicious. What upperclassman was this short?

After some thought, Bai Yu smiled. "What year I'm in isn't important. What matters is that I'm a one-ring Artifact Soul Master from the Support System. I meet your requirements, don't I?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Yu summoned his martial soul. A Hundred-Year Soul Ring emerged, and the sacred aura of the Human Emperor Banner left the four of them overjoyed.

"That's right. Who cares what year you're in? As long as you meet the requirements!"

The young man beamed as he introduced them. "My name is Su Lin. This is my girlfriend, Chen Mei. These two are Uncle Li and Uncle Huang, retainers of our family."

Su Lin pointed at the fierce-looking man. "This is Uncle Li, level 16."

He then pointed at the composed man. "This is Uncle Huang, level 21."

Bai Yu nodded. One level 21 leading the team and one level 15 holding the line seemed ordinary enough, but in a small city like Nuoding City, they were already quite formidable.

Under the Douluo Continent's system, powerful people were either academy teachers or members of sects. Although the seven great sects also had families behind them, they presented themselves to the outside world primarily as sects, such as the Clear Sky Sect and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Thus, in general: sects > top-tier families > academies > ordinary families.

Although the Su Family was also a prominent family in Nuoding City, Nuoding City was ultimately just a small city. How powerful could a prominent family here really be?

At most, the Su Family had one or two Soul Elders, and they still had to guard the family estate. How could they spare the time to escort others?

After exchanging information with the four, Su Lin said, "There are two main purposes for entering the Soul Hunting Forest this time. First, to find a suitable soul ring for my girlfriend, Chen Mei. Second, to find a certain material for me. I have a use for it—"

Before Su Lin could finish, Bai Yu frowned. "Wait. The mission log said you only needed to find a soul ring. Why has there suddenly been another task?"

Su Lin explained, "After all, two and a half months have passed. It's normal for there to be new developments."

"No. The mission I accepted was only to help you find a soul ring."

Bai Yu firmly refused.

Su Lin frowned. At that moment, Chen Mei spoke impatiently. "We'll double your payment. Is that enough?"

After saying that, she pulled Su Lin aside and whispered, "It wasn't easy to find a Support System Soul Master who met the requirements. Just pay him more. He's from Nuoding Academy, so he's more reliable than anyone else."

Su Lin nodded. That was true. Bai Yu was from Nuoding Academy, after all. He was far more reliable than those unaffiliated Soul Masters.

While the two spoke, Bai Yu was also thinking. Chen Mei could freely use the Su Family's money, and the Su Family was willing to Hunt for Soul Ring for her. Were these two about to get engaged?

Well, it had nothing to do with me, but gathering more intelligence never hurt.

After settling the payment, the group entered the Soul Hunting Forest with Su Lin leading the way.

As one of Nuoding City's prominent families, the Su Family naturally had the freedom to enter and leave the Soul Hunting Forest.

They entered the Soul Hunting Forest at ten in the morning and searched until five in the afternoon without finding anything. Uncle Huang glanced at the sun's position and said, "Everyone, let's find a place to spend the night. We've been searching all day and are tired. We'll rest for now and continue tomorrow morning."

Everyone nodded, knowing this was not something that could be accomplished in a single day. They took out their tools and found an open area to set up camp.

Su Lin took something out of his pack and fiddled with it for a while. To Bai Yu's surprise, it gradually unfolded into a tent!

Chen Mei did the same, and only then did Bai Yu realize that the two tents could be combined into one large tent.

They even slept together when camping overnight. They really were a couple about to get married. And those tents looked expensive too. They really are rich. If my identity didn't make it impossible to explain the source of enormous wealth, I would've modified myself into a billionaire long ago.

Bai Yu thought this to himself.

Uncle Huang looked at Bai Yu and said:

"Old Li and I will take turns keeping watch tonight, but we don't have any extra tents."

Bai Yu smiled.

"No matter."

Now that he had entered the Soul Hunting Forest, he was hardly going to be picky about the conditions in a place like this. Besides, being picky wouldn't help anyway.

After everyone had set up their tents and eaten dinner, Uncle Huang leaned against a tree and fell asleep. He was stronger than Uncle Li, so he would take the second half of the night watch. Naturally, he needed to seize the chance to rest now.

The remaining four sat around the campfire and chatted. Of course, Bai Yu mainly listened, listening to the socially fearless Su Lin brag extravagantly about one thing after another while gathering useful intelligence about the powers within Nuoding City from his boasts.

Occasionally, he said a word or two himself, but none of it had much substance.

At that moment, Bai Yu felt a little hungry. Just as he was about to take out some rations, Chen Mei across from him suddenly opened a box of pastries and began eating with Su Lin.

Bai Yu could tell at a glance that they were exquisite pastries made by a pastry shop in Nuoding City, and they were quite expensive. At any rate, he normally couldn't bear to buy them.

Bringing expensive pastries even to the Soul Hunting Forest—truly the habits of a wealthy family. Bai Yu took out his rough rations, intending to fill his stomach casually, when Chen Mei suddenly handed him two pastries.

Bai Yu paused, and Chen Mei said, "We're teammates now, after all."

Bai Yu thanked her and accepted the pastries. Chen Mei and Su Lin had already eaten some, so he did not hesitate. He gently placed a pastry in his mouth. The sweet cream melted across his tongue, offering Bai Yu, exhausted from the day, a small measure of comfort.

"Not bad. Really tasty."

Bai Yu silently judged in his heart.

After they finished eating, time slowly passed amid their idle conversation. At ten that night, Su Lin and Chen Mei crawled into their sleeping bags. Uncle Li looked at Bai Yu and said, "You should get some sleep too, kid. I'll take the first watch."

Bai Yu nodded, but he did not fully trust Uncle Li, so he had no intention of sleeping.

The Myriad Souls Banner contained ample Soul Power that he could replenish at any time. Missing one or two nights of sleep would not matter.

Thus, Bai Yu leaned against a tree with his eyes half-closed, looking as though he were asleep but not quite, while actually remaining constantly aware of his surroundings.

One hour passed. Then two. Midnight arrived, and sleepiness began to wash over Uncle Li as well. He could not help but yawn.

But he had to wait until one o'clock to switch shifts with Old Huang, so he still had to hold on for another hour.

Yet at that very moment, from a large tree not far behind him, a black shadow as swift as lightning suddenly struck, viciously lunging for the back of Uncle Li's neck!

Uncle Li felt every hair on his body stand on end. He hurriedly threw himself to the side in a desperate dive, narrowly avoiding the ambush.

Fortunately, he had extensive combat experience. Another Soul Master of the same level might not have been able to dodge it!

At the same time, Bai Yu sprang to his feet and shouted, "Enemy!"

The next instant, Uncle Huang awoke immediately and spotted the beast that had ambushed Old Li at a glance.

It was a black Mamba Snake, around fifty years old, roughly equivalent to a level-twenty human Soul Master.

I saw some readers discussing the issue of how Soul Beast age corresponds to Soul Master levels. I wanted to figure it out too, but the original work contradicts its own settings too often. Some Century Soul Beasts can fight Soul Elders, while some can only fight Soul Grandmasters. I looked online, but opinions varied wildly and there was never any unified standard, so I can only use an approximate scale. Of course, if I've contradicted the established setting, readers are welcome to point it out.