Level ten

Jiang Che opened the wooden box, and blue-gold light burst out instantly, illuminating the entire stone chamber.

Rich vitality spilled from the wooden box, filling every corner of the chamber. A crystal-clear Soul Bone lay quietly inside, radiating heart-pounding fluctuations of energy.

"Tang San, I'll gladly help myself to your birth mother's Soul Bone!"

After confirming that the box contained the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone, Jiang Che put it into System Storage.

He did not dare absorb the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone now. If an ordinary person with only level-three innate soul power suddenly made meteoric progress in cultivation, he would have no way to explain it.

After obtaining the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone, Jiang Che was just about to leave when his gaze suddenly settled on Ah Yin.

Jiang Che hesitated for a moment, then pulled Ah Yin up by the roots and put her into System Storage.

"Taking you along might come in handy later."

Time stood still inside System Storage. Once he got out, he would find somewhere to plant her for the time being.

Soul Hunting Forest.

A burly figure stood atop an ancient tree not far away.

It was Tang Hao.

He watched Tang San, who had successfully finished absorbing his first Soul Ring nearby, his eyes full of gratification.

Tang Hao slowly raised his head and looked toward Holy Soul Village. His eyes reddened slightly, and his fists clenched unconsciously.

"Ah Yin, if you knew our son had twin martial souls and innate full soul power, you would surely be very proud too. His name will certainly resound across the continent in the future."

"One day, my son will stand at the pinnacle of the continent, then raze Spirit Hall to avenge you."

After Tang Hao returned to Holy Soul Village, unease arose within him. His heart kept feeling empty, as though he had lost something extremely important.

He kept feeling that something was wrong.

His heart suddenly trembled, and he looked toward the mountain behind the village.

Ah Yin!

The path up the mountain behind the village felt a little unfamiliar to Tang Hao.

Over the past six years, he had come here only a handful of times.

Only after feeling his way around for a while did Tang Hao reach the waterfall on the mountain.

When he saw the footprints at the cave entrance, his unease reached its peak.

He saw the hollow where the Blue Silver Grass had originally been planted, and that Soul Bone was gone as well.

Tang Hao stood motionless, the rage within him pouring out as though it had taken physical form.

"Aah-!!"

"Who was it! Who did this!"

Tang Hao summoned the Clear Sky Hammer, and nine Soul Rings appeared beneath his feet: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, and red.

Boom!

The soul power of a Titled Douluo erupted without restraint. At that moment, Tang Hao was like an addict crazed to the extreme after taking drugs.

Tang Hao swung the Clear Sky Hammer, wreaking havoc behind Holy Soul Village. Trees toppled one after another, rocks were smashed to pieces, and an entire area was instantly leveled.

He could find no trace of anyone, not even the aura of a Soul Beast.

"Who was it? Who on earth was it!"

"No matter who it was, I'll find this thief, even if I have to turn the entire continent upside down."

"I'll make this thief learn what happens to anyone who steals from me, Tang Hao."

Two years flew by, and Jiang Che was already a second-year student at Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy.

"Phew..." He emerged from meditation, a bitter expression crossing his face.

Two years, and his soul power had only reached level nine.

The gulf in talent really was enough to drive someone to despair.

To think that Tang San had become a certified level-thirteen Soul Master within days of entering Nuoding Academy, while he had squandered two years and still remained a level-eight Soul Scholar.

What pained Jiang Che even more was seeing the system shop's daily refreshed merchandise. Countless times, he had been tempted, and countless times, he had missed out.

"My soul power should break through to level ten in a few days."

The library at Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy.

Jiang Che browsed the books, gathering information on Soul Beasts and recording it in a notebook.

[Phoenix Spirit Butterfly: appears in places thick with flowers, has keen hearing and extremely tenacious vitality. Target locations: Soul Hunting Forest, Sunset Forest, Northern Cloud Mountain Range.]

[Glazed Crystal Turtle: prefers damp caves, has a glazed-colored shell, formidable defenses, slow movement, and extremely strong reproductive ability. Sighting locations: Soul Hunting Forest, Star Dou Great Forest, Rocky Jungle.]

[Four-Winged White Crow: inhabits the canopy, has four wings, high speed, and a long, thin, pointed beak. Sighting locations: Sunset Forest, Star Dou Great Forest.]

"Alas, Nuoding Academy still has far too little information on Soul Beasts."

Jiang Che was not collecting this information merely out of curiosity, but to plan the Soul Rings for his Martial Soul.

In the world of the Douluo Continent, the quality and age of Soul Rings and Soul Bones could affect a Soul Master's Martial Soul after birth. Soul Masters whose Martial Souls were of lower quality were particularly susceptible to outside influences.

The days passed like this, until three days later.

"Phew..." Jiang Che exhaled a breath of stale air and emerged from meditation. "Sure enough, without a Soul Ring, my soul power gets stuck at a bottleneck and can't increase any further."

Putting his thoughts aside, Jiang Che returned to the dormitory and packed his things, preparing dry rations, water, insect-repelling incense, and other supplies for his upcoming journey to Star Dou Great Forest.

Star Dou Great Forest was a hundred times more dangerous than Soul Hunting Forest, but without a permit, a little kid like him who was not even ten could not enter Soul Hunting Forest.

Still, this was not a bad thing. Star Dou Great Forest had a far richer variety of Soul Beasts than Soul Hunting Forest, allowing him to find the Soul Beast he wanted sooner.

That was right. Jiang Che did not intend to have the academy help him hunt for a Soul Ring. If he did, his first Soul Ring would only be a white, ten-year Soul Ring.

He planned to hunt for a Soul Ring himself, using the Soul Ancestor Trial Card he had treasured for two years.

A Soul Ancestor Trial Card lasting half an hour would be enough to ensure his safety, provided he stayed on the outskirts of Star Dou Great Forest.

Before that, however, he needed to choose a weapon that suited his hand.

The blacksmith's shop.

Inside the shop, the clang of hammering rang out incessantly. Scorching waves of air mixed with coal smoke blasted against his face, making his cheeks feel tight.

Jiang Che's gaze swept over the rows of weapons, but after seeing their steep prices, he quietly weighed his pocket.

While he was calculating, a burly, bare-chested man strode over.

Noticing Jiang Che's Nuoding Academy uniform, a flicker of envy crossed his eyes. "Young fellow, looking for a weapon?"

"Don't worry, everything in our shop is forged from top-grade refined iron. Guaranteed to feel right in your hand."

As he spoke, he lowered his voice. "Speaking of which, there's a student at your academy named Tang San who comes here to smith every few days. That lad's about your age, but even old hands like us admire his smithing skills."

Hearing this, Jiang Che's lips curled into a sly smile. "Boss, what a coincidence! Tang San and I are roommates. We eat and live together. On that account, shouldn't you give me a friend's discount?"

Hearing this, the burly middle-aged man's smile grew warmer. "Of course, of course. Since you're young Tang San's roommate, I absolutely have to give you a discount."

Jiang Che seized the opportunity to fan the flames further and revealed his real reason for coming. "Boss, I'm buying a weapon to hunt for my first Soul Ring. I need a sharp short blade or dagger. Do you have any recommendations?"

"Your first Soul Ring!!!"