By daybreak, shafts of sunlight pierced the thin mist, lending the morning woods an extra touch of mystery.
Lin Nuo looked at the mist filling the woods and decided to wait until it dispersed before moving on. After all, the early worm got eaten by the bird, and he had no desire to run into a Soul Beast out foraging.
Yu Xiaogang, meanwhile, was still half asleep. Yesterday's mosquitoes had nearly driven him mad, and his face was now covered in red sores.
"Xiaogang, stop scratching. Keep that up and your face will swell into a pig's head."
Already irritable after a sleepless night, Lin Nuo grew even more annoyed watching Yu Xiaogang scratch away.
Left with no choice, Lin Nuo secretly took a jar of ointment from his storage Soul Tool Ring and tossed it to Yu Xiaogang.
"Lin Nuo, you had this all along? Why didn't you give it to me sooner?" Yu Xiaogang demanded angrily when he saw what it was.
Lin Nuo couldn't be bothered to respond and merely gave a few placating chuckles.
While Yu Xiaogang applied the ointment, Lin Nuo secretly rubbed the ring on his finger, marveling at how useful the treasure was.
After swindling four jade stones out of Yu Xiaogang some time ago, he had set one into the ring and stored the other three at home.
With the ring decorated and remodeled, if Yu Xiaogang could recognize the jade set into it, Lin Nuo would eat it.
On this Soul Hunting trip, he wouldn't even have carried a pack if he hadn't been worried about making Yu Xiaogang suspicious.
The ointment worked quite well. A quarter of an hour after Yu Xiaogang applied it to his face, the swelling hadn't completely subsided, but at least the itching had stopped.
Only when the sun had fully risen did the mist winding through the forest gradually recede, revealing the outlines of layer upon layer of trees.
Once they could properly see the path, Lin Nuo and Yu Xiaogang set out.
The two made their way through the woods and soon reached a thicket of royal bamboo grass. Looking at its dense growth, Lin Nuo couldn't quite decide what to do.
Seeing Lin Nuo stop, Yu Xiaogang asked in confusion, "Why have we stopped?"
Lin Nuo gave Yu Xiaogang a disdainful look.
"We can't make out the path ahead. If you want to go first, I have no objections!"
Yu Xiaogang shrank back at that. The way ahead didn't look safe, and he certainly didn't dare lead.
Feeling that he had lost face, he flushed and said to Lin Nuo, "Then just go around!"
Lin Nuo rolled his eyes at Ganzi. Does he think I don't want to go around? The problem is that two groups of Soul Beasts have gathered on either side. If I were alone, I'd force my way through, but I'm worried you, useless as you are, will drop the ball.
Looking at Yu Xiaogang's self-righteous expression, Lin Nuo helplessly explained their current situation.
After hearing him out, Yu Xiaogang had no solution either, though he was curious how Lin Nuo knew what was nearby.
Noticing Yu Xiaogang's puzzled expression, Lin Nuo said quietly, "I passed through here a few times while helping the academy's teachers hunt for souls. But the grass wasn't this tall back then!"
With that, Lin Nuo crouched down and grabbed a handful of grass to inspect.
After examining it, Lin Nuo shook the dew from his palms, then said to Yu Xiaogang, "Xiaogang, apart from being a little sharp, the grass around the edges is nowhere near becoming plant Soul Beasts. I just don't know what the royal bamboo grass in the center is like."
"Besides, even if the royal bamboo grass has become Soul Beasts, we don't need to worry too much. We just need to watch out for Soul Beasts hiding in the thicket!"
Seeing Ganzi remain silent, Lin Nuo understood everything!
Having come this far, neither Yu Xiaogang nor Lin Nuo was about to give up.
In the end, their only choice was to risk pressing on.
Unfortunately, Lin Nuo had no fire-type Soul Skill to clear a path, or they wouldn't have needed to be so cautious. Firewood could clear the way too, but it would be too inefficient and take too long.
So Lin Nuo cleared the way ahead, with Yu Xiaogang following close behind.
They advanced slowly, their nerves taut the entire time, always ready for whatever danger might arise.
They were lucky and encountered no danger along the way. They had now reached the center of the thicket.
After they went a little farther, the royal bamboo grass before them stood taller than either man. Its leaves had also grown sharper and were covered in barbs.
Lin Nuo suddenly stopped. The tense Yu Xiaogang behind him failed to notice and walked straight into his back.
"Xiaogang, this royal bamboo grass really does count as Soul Beasts now. But they can't move, so we just need to be careful."
"Summon Sanpao now and have him sniff for any other scents."
Yu Xiaogang, who had stumbled from the collision, looked ahead when he heard this.
When it came to judging a Soul Beast's age, Yu Xiaogang truly was a Grandmaster. A casual glance told him that most of the royal bamboo grass Soul Beasts before them were ten-year beasts, while the six largest stalks were around a hundred years old.
Unless they were unusual variants, plant Soul Beasts generally had difficulty moving and could inflict only limited harm. But plant Soul Beasts shared a symbiotic relationship with certain animal Soul Beasts, so there might well be Soul Beasts beneath the royal bamboo grass before them.
Then Yu Xiaogang gave Lin Nuo a look that said he understood and began summoning his Martial Soul.
A flash of white light appeared, and Luo Sanpao materialized before them, charging straight into Yu Xiaogang's calf.
"Luo, luo-"
Ignoring Luo Sanpao's affectionate greeting, Yu Xiaogang immediately ordered, "Sanpao, scout ahead and see if there are any other scents!"
Hearing his master's command, Luo Sanpao moved to the front and lowered his short, stout body to sniff the ground.
"Xiaogang, your Sanpao is as clever as ever!" Lin Nuo marveled, clicking his tongue at the sight.
"Luo, luo!"
"Luo, luo!"
Seemingly catching a scent, Luo Sanpao charged off like a hunting hound.
"Sanpao!"
Not knowing what was happening, Yu Xiaogang hurried after him.
"Xiaogang, wait!"
"Ugh!"
Lin Nuo first tried to stop him, but when Yu Xiaogang wouldn't listen, he could only follow.
Luo Sanpao looked bulky, but he wasn't slow. By the time Lin Nuo and Yu Xiaogang caught up, he had already pinned down a grass mouse.
Seeing that it was only a grass mouse, both men breathed a sigh of relief. After all, its presence suggested there were no other predators around for the moment.
Their chase had turned misfortune into a blessing: they were now near the edge of the thicket.
However, both men were a sorry sight. The royal bamboo grass had long since slashed their clothes to tatters, and several bloody scratches were faintly visible on their bodies.
Elsewhere, Li Mingzhu had reached the area frequented by the thousand-year Mandala Snake. Great swathes of mandala flowers bloomed in wild profusion, and the Mandala Snake lay in their midst, its dark green scales half hidden among the petals. Every so often, it flicked its forked tongue and let out a faint hiss.
After carefully observing the area, Li Mingzhu found that there was only one Mandala Snake among the flowers, which initially struck him as odd. But on second thought, snake Soul Beasts were highly territorial, so it was perfectly normal for one to occupy an entire area.
After studying the surrounding terrain, Li Mingzhu scouted around to see whether there were any "helpers" he could use!
"Hang in there a little longer, Xiaogang. We'll get there before tonight."
Seeing Yu Xiaogang's listless state, Lin Nuo offered him some encouragement.
After they traveled another stretch, Lin Nuo's Soul Power had fallen below half. For safety's sake, he could only choose a spot nearby to rest and recover.
While Lin Nuo meditated to restore his Soul Power, he told Yu Xiaogang to keep watch. But Yu Xiaogang was slumped limply against a tree by then and could only summon Luo Sanpao to stand guard in his place.
Before you continue