As a rank ninety-five Titled Douluo relying on the flight capabilities of his Bone Dragon Martial Soul, Bone Douluo was certainly fast. In less than a quarter of an hour, he arrived at the outskirts of Sunset Forest.
Landing and setting Gu Yang down, Bone Douluo said, "A Soul Beast's attributes are mostly related to its habitat. If you want an earth-attribute defensive Soul Beast for your first Soul Ring, your best choice would be the rocky region in the northwest of Sunset Forest."
Gu Yang nodded in agreement, then volunteered, "Grandpa, let me walk in front. I've never fought a Soul Beast before, so this will be a good chance to master and understand my Martial Soul more quickly."
"All right."
Bone Douluo nodded approvingly. He wholeheartedly agreed with Gu Yang's idea. The strength of a Martial Soul and one's Soul Power Level were merely strength on paper. What truly determined a Soul Master's strength was, to a greater extent, their practical ability to react in battle.
As for danger? With a Titled Douluo renowned for his defense present, the likelihood of Gu Yang suffering an accident in Sunset Forest was virtually zero.
Seeing Bone Douluo agree, Gu Yang headed into Sunset Forest.
As one of the three great Soul Beast forests on the Douluo Continent, Sunset Forest was smaller than Star Dou Great Forest, but it was more than sufficient for obtaining a first Soul Ring.
From the outset, Gu Yang headed toward the rocky region in the northwest.
Along the way, a few blind fools among the Soul Beasts occasionally launched surprise attacks, though most were Ten-Year Soul Beasts. There was only a single hundred-year Soul Beast, a Variegated Flower-Stem Snake.
Gu Yang dispatched them all with swift strokes of his bone sword.
A bone sword capable of breaking through Bone Douluo's Bone Dragon Martial Soul naturally possessed considerable power.
The tough hides of these Soul Beasts were instantly reduced to little more than paper before it.
As for Soul Beasts of greater age, not a single one appeared.
With greater age came greater intelligence; they were no longer driven solely by the instinctive savagery of younger Soul Beasts.
Older Soul Beasts could sense Bone Douluo's strength, so they all chose to give him a wide berth.
Thus, Gu Yang slew Soul Beasts along the way with Bone Douluo following behind, and the young boy and the old man arrived one after the other at the northwestern corner of Sunset Forest.
"Kree! Kree!"
As they passed a giant tree, a series of screeches came from its treetop.
Looking toward the sound, Gu Yang saw an entirely earthen-yellow baboon baring its teeth at him from the treetop.
The AI system also provided a notification as Gu Yang looked over.
"King Kong Baboon! An earth-attribute Soul Beast. Its attacks primarily rely on palm strikes and biting with its fangs. Highly aggressive. Its hide is as hard as steel, providing considerable defensive capabilities. Agile in movement, it can contend with higher-ranked Soul Beasts by relying on its group-living nature." "Compatibility as the host's first Soul Ring: 90%!"
The King Kong Baboon bared its teeth, two long, narrow tusks protruding from either side of its broad mouth. It was full of hostility toward Gu Yang, who had intruded into its territory.
While Gu Yang was sizing up the King Kong Baboon, it made the first move.
Its hind legs kicked hard against the trunk, and its entire body instantly became a blur as it lunged at Gu Yang.
Just as the King Kong Baboon closed in on Gu Yang and raised its palm to strike him-
Gu Yang planted his right foot and immediately leaned backward, perfectly evading the King Kong Baboon's attack. Its palm swept just past his face.
His bone sword slashed upward. Even as he evaded the King Kong Baboon's attack, Gu Yang counterattacked.
Yet whether in age or agility, this King Kong Baboon far surpassed every Soul Beast Gu Yang had encountered before.
Facing Gu Yang's attack, the King Kong Baboon twisted its body into an astonishingly exaggerated curve, using the movement to evade his strike.
After dodging Gu Yang's attack, the King Kong Baboon immediately put some distance between them.
A trace of wariness entered its gaze as it looked at Gu Yang.
This human was no simple opponent!
Over the next few exchanges, neither Gu Yang nor the King Kong Baboon could land an attack on the other. Instead, both continued to expend their stamina, and their breathing grew heavier.
The King Kong Baboon constantly shifted around Gu Yang, trying to find an opening to attack.
Only when it reached Gu Yang's back did it launch another fierce assault.
From this angle, Gu Yang simply had no time to turn around and respond.
Even Bone Douluo's gaze sharpened. In his view, Gu Yang probably really could not dodge this time and would have to take the blow.
Yet no one noticed the flicker of a smile in Gu Yang's eyes.
"Squelch!"
The King Kong Baboon's palm finally stopped ten centimeters from Gu Yang's head, but it could not advance even a fraction farther.
Intense pain kept radiating through its body. Bewildered, the King Kong Baboon looked down, only to discover in shock that, at some unknown point, a deathly white bone spike had emerged from Gu Yang's back and pierced straight into its body.
"Well done, boy!"
Having watched closely throughout, Bone Douluo naturally understood Gu Yang's tactics.
Perhaps from the moment he realized he could not deal with the King Kong Baboon's agility, Gu Yang had already begun planning this move, waiting for it to take the bait.
Everyone, including Bone Douluo, had simply assumed subconsciously that Gu Yang's means of attack-his Martial Soul-consisted solely of the bone sword in his hand.
They had completely forgotten that Gu Yang's Martial Soul was not a single bone; every bone in his body was at his disposal.
Even Bone Douluo, who knew Gu Yang well, had done so, let alone that King Kong Baboon.
Even the opening at his back had been deliberately offered by Gu Yang, who had simply waited for the King Kong Baboon to fall for it.
At this thought, Bone Douluo could not help looking satisfied.
A powerful Martial Soul and outstanding combat instincts were both essential requirements on the path to becoming strong.
Having landed his strike, Gu Yang slowly retracted the bone spike in his back. The King Kong Baboon, its body pierced through by the spike, fell to the ground and twitched a few times before losing all signs of life.
Before long, a pale yellow ring coalesced above the King Kong Baboon's corpse.
[King Kong Baboon, 415 years. Absorption success rate: 100%. Chance of obtaining a King Kong defensive Soul Skill after absorption: 68%. Chance of obtaining a speed or agility Soul Skill: 30%. Chance of obtaining another type of Soul Skill: 2%.]
"This King Kong Baboon is around three to five hundred years old. If you really intend to absorb an earth-attribute defensive Soul Beast for your first Soul Ring, it meets your requirements perfectly." As a Titled Douluo who had roamed the continent for many years, Bone Douluo naturally had the necessary knowledge.
Gu Yang nodded slightly, naturally aware that this King Kong Baboon met his requirements.
But just as he sat cross-legged and prepared to absorb the King Kong Baboon's Soul Ring, waves of chattering rang out around them.
Looking up, he saw King Kong Baboons crowding the surrounding branches, at least twenty or thirty of them.
Baboons were group-living Soul Beasts and rarely acted alone. The one Gu Yang had hunted was most likely a member of this group, responsible for keeping watch or scouting.
In the center of the group stood an exceptionally muscular giant baboon, a full size larger than the others.
It stood a full meter and a half tall, its limbs muscular and brimming with strength.
At that moment, it was glaring viciously at Gu Yang.