Beginner Soul Hunting Forest

A journey of several hundred li was neither particularly far nor particularly near. By the following afternoon, he finally arrived at the outskirts of the Beginner Soul Hunting Forest.

Looking ahead, rows of wooden shops stood on both sides of the path.

"Have a warrant—forming a team to hunt Strength-Type Soul Beasts. Hunting Agility-Type Soul Beasts—seven people waiting for a warrant."

All sorts of cries rose and fell.

"There sure are a lot of people." Yang Yunhai muttered, raising a hand to press down the bamboo hat on his head.

He dismounted, led Little Yellow Horse to a nearby post station.

Passing through the guards alone would be too conspicuous. Since evening was approaching, he planned to eat dinner first and wait until darkness fell before entering the forest.

Walking into the post station, he casually ordered several steamed buns and some tea, then began eating.

Every service outside the Soul Hunting Forest was expensive, even at official post stations. Still, there was an advantage: few people came inside to spend money. As long as one bought something, one could stay for a long time. It was better than remaining outside amid all those watchful eyes.

A boy traveling alone had to pay attention to his safety.

There had been few people on the official road, which was one thing. But now that he had reached such a crowded place, where most people were Spirit Masters, it was best to be cautious.

Time passed bit by bit. Half an hour later, the sky had finally darkened.

Seeing this, Yang Yunhai rose and walked to the counter.

After spending several Silver Soul Coins to board Little Yellow Horse, he turned and left the post station, heading straight toward the forest entrance.

After presenting his warrant, he entered smoothly beneath the guards' astonished gazes.

Then, following the direction the Village Chief had told him before leaving, he headed toward the Patrol Team's camp. At this hour, they should be resting.

Before long, he arrived near the brightly lit campfire.

"Who goes there!?" A sentry from the Patrol Team spotted Yang Yunhai approaching at once and shouted for him to stop.

"I'm here to see Chang Gong Ao, Uncle Ao," Yang Yunhai hurriedly replied.

Hearing that a friend had come to visit, the member looked him up and down. Seeing that his voice was still youthful and he was not very tall, he instinctively guessed that the person before him was likely one of Lonely Grass Village's young Spirit Master prospects. He had probably come to ask their captain for help obtaining a Spirit Ring.

He immediately turned toward a tent behind him and shouted, "Captain, someone's here to see you!"

Thud, thud, thud. Soon, a sturdy middle-aged man walked out of the tent.

"Uncle Ao!" Yang Yunhai, who had already removed his bamboo hat, immediately raised a hand in greeting.

"Xiao Hai?" Chang Gong Ao froze. Surprise flashed through his eyes, and he quickly strode forward, asking,

"Xiao Hai, have you reached Level 10?"

"Mm." Yang Yunhai nodded slightly.

"Blue Silver Grass can cultivate this quickly too?" Chang Gong Ao was quite shocked, but the steadfast, decisive nature he had developed through years of patrolling the Soul Hunting Forest quickly brought him back to himself. Smiling, he said, "Uncle was just eating. Come on, Xiao Hai, come in and have something."

He had always liked this sensible and clever child.

It was just a pity that his Martial Soul had awakened as Blue Silver Grass. He could not help but feel regret.

Yang Yunhai nodded and was pulled through the fence into the tent.

Under the warm candlelight, the tent was empty at a glance. There was only a wooden bed, several small chairs, and a long table laid with two plates of simple dishes. The furnishings were exceedingly plain and sparse.

"Sit." After leading Yang Yunhai to the table, Chang Gong Ao reached toward a shelf at the side, intending to take a fresh bowl and chopsticks.

"Uncle Ao, there's no need. I already ate before coming in," Yang Yunhai immediately said.

As he spoke, he took out the letter the Village Chief had written from his robe and handed it over. "Uncle Ao, Grandpa Tai asked me to deliver this letter to you."

"Oh?" Chang Gong Ao slowly sat down, took it, and was about to tear it open and read it.

"Uncle Ao, there's no rush. You should eat first, or the food will get cold soon," Yang Yunhai reminded him with a smile.

"Fair enough." Chang Gong Ao stopped, placing the letter on the table beside him.

As he picked up his bowl and chopsticks to eat, he voiced the question in his heart. "Xiao Hai, tell Uncle Ao about the academy. How did you cultivate your Soul Power to Level 10 so quickly?"

Yang Yunhai did not hide anything. He told him about his diligent cultivation at the academy and his lightning-guided training.

"Xiao Hai, you've suffered." Countless emotions ultimately became a single sentence from Chang Gong Ao's mouth. "Uncle Ao is proud of you!"

"It's nothing. You'll get used to it," Yang Yunhai said with an easy smile.

"No matter what, nothing matters more than staying alive." Chang Gong Ao set down his bowl and chopsticks, his voice carrying a hint of authority. "Also, you must be more careful in the future. Heavenly lightning is no trifling matter. Remember not to force yourself!"

As he spoke, he picked up the letter and opened it.

"Mm, I know." Yang Yunhai nodded slightly.

Only then did Chang Gong Ao lower his head to read the letter.

"???" After only one glance, his expression changed drastically. First came shock, followed by utter solemnity.

In the end, he slowly put down the letter, took a deep breath, and looked up at Yang Yunhai, his tone grave.

"Xiao Hai, have you thought this through?"

"Mm." Yang Yunhai nodded gently, but his voice was resolute.

Chang Gong Ao immediately fell silent. Then he let out a deep sigh and said, "Xiao Hai, hold out your hand and let Uncle Ao examine you again."

"Alright." Yang Yunhai nodded and extended his right hand.

Chang Gong Ao reached out and grasped it, carefully kneading and examining it. After a moment, he murmured softly, "The strength really is quite good."

Letting go, he looked up again and leaned forward slightly. His broad palm settled on Yang Yunhai's shoulder, his voice deep and weighted with a trace of respect. "You're a real man. Uncle Ao is proud of you!"

"Uncle Ao also believes that you'll succeed!"

If Yang Yunhai successfully put the Cross-Level Soul Ring Absorption Theory into practice, Chang Gong Ao had no doubt that it would overturn the entire Spirit Master world.

Perhaps Spirit Hall would choose to keep it secret, but as supporters, their family would certainly benefit as well.

His own limit might be fixed at Level 39, but after his son and grandson absorbed Spirit Rings across levels, he believed they would absolutely be able to go further.

Thus, Yang Yunhai might have initially risked his life only for himself. Yet countless people who came after him, including Chang Gong Ao's family, would benefit. How could such a person, such a pioneer of a new era, not deserve his respect?

Judge deeds, not intentions; judge intentions, and no one is perfect. He understood that principle as well.

Besides, Yang Yunhai had grown up under their watch and had always respected his elders.

How could he possibly refuse to help?

"Leave the Spirit Ring matter to Uncle Ao." As he spoke, he withdrew his hand.

"However," he shifted his tone, "Soul Beasts like Azure Vine are among the finest of all Plant-Type Soul Beasts. This Beginner Soul Hunting Forest is rather small, after all, so they are not commonly found here."

With that, he stood and walked to the bed, taking a thick book from beneath the pillow before returning to the long table while flipping through it.

"Here, take a look." He handed the book to Yang Yunhai. "These are the Plant-Type Soul Beasts with cultivation bases of a hundred years or more that the Patrol Team has discovered and recorded so far. You can also see whether there's anything suitable to pair with your Second Soul Ring in the future."

If he could truly absorb Spirit Rings across levels, Chang Gong Ao felt that Yang Yunhai would certainly break through Level 20. As for Level 30, he truly did not dare be certain.

"Thank you, Uncle Ao." Yang Yunhai carefully accepted it and began reading.

So few. Yang Yunhai slid his fingertip across the paper and silently grumbled.

But when he considered that Notting City was located in a remote region, surrounded by only small towns, it seemed reasonable again.

The Beginner Soul Hunting Forest was a place where the empire raised Soul Beasts in captivity. That meant the Soul Beasts inside were distributed as resources. A small place would naturally be allocated fewer good ones, especially top-tier Soul Beasts like Azure Vine.

In such a huge forest, there were only a dozen or so recorded Soul Beasts above a hundred years old, and not a single thousand-year one.

Suddenly, Tang San hunting a Ghost Vine of only around six hundred years for his Second Soul Ring seemed quite reasonable. He could not help thinking to himself.

It wasn't that they were unwilling to look for the optimal age—it was that there simply weren't any!

With that thought, and a slightly tense feeling in his heart, his fingertip continued moving downward.

A moment later, it finally stopped.