Soul Hunting Forest

Early the next morning, after asking for leave, the two left Notting Academy.

The nearest Soul Hunting Forest to Notting City was four hundred li away.

Unlike wild Soul Beast Forests such as Sunset Forest and Star Dou Great Forest, the Soul Beasts in Soul Hunting Forest were raised by humans, making it convenient for low-level Spirit Masters to acquire Soul Rings.

Moreover, Soul Hunting Forests generally did not contain Soul Beasts with excessively high cultivation. Thousand-year Soul Beasts were relatively rare; the most common ones were hundred-year Soul Beasts or those below that level, suitable for level-ten or level-twenty Spirit Masters seeking Soul Rings.

However, entering Soul Hunting Forest required a Soul Hunting Token. As long as one's Soul Power level had reached a multiple-of-ten bottleneck, one could spend a few Gold Soul Coins at Spirit Hall to obtain one.

And obtaining a Soul Hunting Token required the guarantee of three nobles? That was simple enough. There were practically countless nobles in the Heaven Dou Empire.

As long as a Three-Ring Soul Grandmaster joined the Heaven Dou Empire's official ranks, they could obtain the title of baron.

However, most noble titles did not come with fiefs, and such landless noble titles were one of the Heaven Dou Empire's best methods of recruiting Spirit Masters.

After leaving Notting Academy, Ye Chen and Xiao Wu headed straight for Spirit Hall.

After spending a few Gold Soul Coins at Spirit Hall to obtain a Soul Hunting Token, they hired a carriage and hurried toward Soul Hunting Forest.

The carriage was not particularly fast, and Douluo Continent certainly had no highways. Having set off in the morning, Ye Chen and Xiao Wu did not reach Soul Hunting Town at the entrance to Soul Hunting Forest until noon the following day.

Soul Hunting Town was somewhat noisy, with no shortage of people coming and going. Ye Chen felt that it was even livelier than Notting City, though its population was smaller.

The two had arrived by carriage, so they did not feel tired. Besides, Ye Chen had made preparations back in Notting City, so there was no need to purchase supplies in Soul Hunting Town.

Thus, Ye Chen and Xiao Wu went directly to the entrance of Soul Hunting Forest.

From afar, Ye Chen saw a massive iron fence encircling the outer perimeter of Soul Hunting Forest. Countless spikes protruded toward the forest, and the fence stood over ten meters tall, looking exceptionally sturdy.

That was not all. Outside the fence, a hundred-man squad of soldiers patrolled the area. Every one of them wore full suits of refined iron armor and carried a spear. Their military bearing was stern and orderly, and the hundred steel-clad warriors standing together gave off an aura of grim slaughter.

Ye Chen was somewhat puzzled. Did Soul Hunting Forest belong to Spirit Hall, or to the Heaven Dou Empire?

Presumably, this had originally been territory of the Heaven Dou Empire, only for Spirit Hall to develop and make use of it later. Were the two sides running this business together?

After they presented their Soul Hunting Token, the soldiers guarding the entrance to Soul Hunting Forest allowed them through.

Though they were surprised that only two children had come to Soul Hunting Forest, they knew that anyone capable of acquiring a Soul Ring at such a young age was no ordinary person. There was no need for them to worry.

As soon as he entered Soul Hunting Forest, Ye Chen could not help but lose himself for a moment as he looked at the towering trees around him and felt the tranquil aura within the forest.

"Xiao Chen, you have to be careful. This is Soul Hunting Forest, and it's very dangerous! But don't be afraid. With Sister Xiao Wu here, I'll protect you!"

Xiao Wu said to Ye Chen.

"Ahem, Xiao Wu, I'm not as weak as you think. I only brought you along so there wouldn't be any accidents while I absorb the Soul Ring."

"Uh, don't tell me you think Soul Beasts are all weak enough for a mere Soul Scholar like you to hunt?"

Xiao Wu widened her eyes and spoke with a look of astonishment.

"Just watch. Let me show you my little treasure!"

As he spoke, Ye Chen took a Type 95 Automatic Rifle from his Storage Necklace.

The reason Ye Chen had chosen this weapon was because the Type 95 was not large. It was only a little over seventy centimeters long, had a 5.8-millimeter caliber, and its recoil was something he could currently withstand. It suited him perfectly.

Furthermore, the Type 95's bullets were quite powerful, capable of penetrating an eight-millimeter steel plate from a hundred meters away. Blowing off the head of a Four-Ring Soul Elder with one shot should not be difficult at all.

"What is that thing?"

Seeing Ye Chen pull out a black lump of metal, Xiao Wu was utterly confused.

"This is called a firearm. Forget hundred-year Soul Beasts—even some thousand-year Soul Beasts probably couldn't withstand its power."

To be honest, firearms were far less effective against Soul Beasts than against Spirit Masters.

Soul Beasts were generally far more resilient than Spirit Masters, and some scale-armored Soul Beasts were practically born wearing bulletproof vests. Ye Chen did not know whether the firearms in his hands could pierce the scales of thousand-year defensive Soul Beasts.

Moreover, many Soul Beasts were quite large. Even if a bullet broke through their defenses, it would be little more than a scratch if it failed to hit a vital spot.

"You're saying this firearm can kill a thousand-year Soul Beast?"

Xiao Wu's face was full of disbelief. She quickly leaned over and peered toward the dark muzzle ahead of her, wanting to see what secrets it held.

Seeing Xiao Wu put her head beneath the muzzle, Ye Chen immediately twitched the corner of his mouth and moved the gun away.

After all, the firearms in Ye Chen's Storage Necklace had all been loaded as self-defense weapons. Though they would not easily misfire due to their good quality, who could say for certain?

What if it did misfire? Wouldn't this silly little bunny get her head blown off in one shot?

"Be careful. Never put yourself in front of the muzzle. Bullets don't have eyes."

Xiao Wu: "..."

Then, seeing Xiao Wu's expression that plainly said she did not believe a word of it, Ye Chen fired a shot at a towering tree beside them.

Bang—

A flash of fire burst from the muzzle. The bullet shot out at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow, drilling deep into the tree trunk and scattering countless splinters.

Though the bullet's effect was not particularly flashy, ordinary Spirit Masters below the fifth ring would absolutely be unable to withstand it unless they used defensive Soul Skills or dodged in advance.

"Hiss, that's so powerful."

Seeing Ye Chen create such a huge commotion with just a light pull of his finger completely overturned Xiao Wu's understanding of the world.

"Do you believe me now?"

"Mm-hmm, what an amazing firearm!"

Xiao Wu had no choice but to admit that the firearm in Ye Chen's hands possessed tremendous power.

"All right, it's time to start looking for a Soul Beast."

As he spoke, Ye Chen opened the System Shop and purchased a Lucky Card worth one million Gold Soul Coins.

Although the note beneath the Lucky Card merely said that it slightly increased luck, it was still a bonus, wasn't it?

With the boost to his luck, perhaps he would have an easier time finding a Soul Beast suited to him and obtaining an exceptional Soul Skill.

And Ye Chen guessed that it might also give him a greater chance of obtaining a Soul Bone.