The Jingyang Mountain Range lay in the north-central part of the Sun Moon Continent, roughly a thousand kilometers from Mingdu, while Dongyang City stood at the continent's northeasternmost edge, already very close to the Ice Sea. The two places were several thousand kilometers apart.
The Jingyang Mountain Range covered an extremely vast area, with branches extending in every direction and abundant vegetation. Within the mountains lay exceptionally rich mineral resources, as well as many unusual Soul Beasts that favored metal-attribute energy.
Although several thousand kilometers was a long distance, it posed little difficulty for a Soul Engineer like his father. With a flying Soul Tool, the journey would take only about seven hours.
That afternoon, Xu Haoyang gave Xu Zhengyang a Class 4 flying Soul Tool. This was also Xu Zhengyang's first encounter with one.
The entire flying Soul Tool resembled a backpack with two silver wings. Once supplied with Soul Power, it could propel its user through the air at high speed while also maintaining balance. Xu Zhengyang tried it out and found it extraordinarily fast, exceeding three hundred kilometers per hour.
Only after actually trying a flying Soul Tool did Xu Zhengyang understand how practical and versatile Soul Tools were. Flight, for instance, was an ability an ordinary Soul Master could attain through cultivation only upon reaching Titled Douluo rank, but with a flying Soul Tool, any Soul Master could fly.
Early the next morning, father and son took to the air with their flying Soul Tools and began flying southeast.
Flying with a Soul Tool for the first time, Xu Zhengyang felt exceptionally agile in the air. In particular, as he watched mountains and trees race past before his eyes and effortlessly crossed one river after another, he grew increasingly fond of this flying Soul Tool. It was simply a divine tool for traveling.
Xu Haoyang remained beside Xu Zhengyang throughout, teaching him how to use the flying Soul Tool and occasionally offering pointers on flying techniques.
At that moment, Xu Haoyang seemed to see through his son's thoughts and could not help laughing heartily.
"Zhengyang, you've always resisted Soul Tools, but there's really no need to think so much about it. Even if you don't intend to learn how to forge Soul Tools, you still need to understand the principles behind their use. Only then can you bring out their full power and make all sorts of things easier."
"For example, besides flying Soul Tools, there are also support Soul Tools, such as charging Soul Tools that can quickly replenish the Soul Power in your body. There are also defensive Soul Tools that can make up for shortcomings in your defenses..."
Only then did Xu Haoyang breathe a sigh of relief. "That's the right approach. When the time comes, I'll take you to visit the Xu Clan's Soul Tool forging base in Dongyang City. You might just fall in love with Soul Tools."
The two chatted as they traveled. After a full eight hours of flying, they finally reached the Jingyang Mountain Range.
The entire Jingyang Mountain Range resembled an enormous spider. It covered a vast area, with eight branches stretching in eight different directions. These branches twisted and wound around one another in a tangled web, sheltering the central mountains at their very heart.
Upon reaching the outskirts of the Jingyang Mountain Range, both stopped flying and prepared to proceed through the mountains on foot. Flying above mountains with such complex terrain was extremely dangerous, as it was easy to come under attack from Soul Beasts.
Xu Haoyang did not rush into the Jingyang Mountain Range. Instead, he took Xu Zhengyang to a nearby location where troops of the Sun Moon Empire were stationed, both to prevent people from entering the mountains and to keep the Soul Beasts within from attacking humans.
Even though they belonged only to a collateral branch of the Sun Radiance Lineage, they were still allowed to rest near the troops for a night. After all, flying continuously for so long during the day had consumed far too much Soul Power.
Only early the next morning did Xu Haoyang lead Xu Zhengyang into the Jingyang Mountain Range.
Only after truly entering a Soul Beast forest did Xu Zhengyang understand how terrifying it was.
Even ordinary trees towered a hundred meters high, and many of the trees were already Soul Beasts themselves, attacking ordinary people who approached them.
The ground was also overgrown with all kinds of wild grasses, without a single intact path. Beneath those grasses in particular, it seemed that a Soul Beast attack could come at any moment.
Within just a few kilometers, the two suffered several Soul Beast attacks. Fortunately, this was the outskirts of the Jingyang Mountain Range, and their attackers were merely ten-year Soul Beasts, though they were still extremely ferocious.
His father's Sun Martial Soul, however, seemed to possess a certain innate ability to restrain Soul Beasts. The Sun Martial Soul possessed the ultimate power of flame, while these Soul Beasts, having lived in the forest for so long, were somewhat afraid of firelight.
Xu Zhengyang himself remained tense to the utmost. Unknown dangers could arise at any moment in this Soul Beast forest, and although his father was a Soul King, he might not be able to protect him at every instant.
Over the next few days, the two kept searching the outskirts of the Jingyang Mountain Range for tiger-type Soul Beasts. Whether because Soul Beasts were relatively scarce on the outskirts or not, they never found a suitable one.
They did come across some fairly good hundred-year Soul Beasts. Unfortunately, to Xu Zhengyang, any Soul Beast other than a tiger-type was useless, and he had no interest in them at all.
Only after a full ten days did Xu Zhengyang faintly hear a tiger's roar in the distance.
Xu Haoyang's expression immediately lit up with delight. Disregarding whether their surroundings were dangerous, he grabbed Xu Zhengyang and sprinted toward the roar. In the depths of a Soul Beast forest like this, no one dared use a flying Soul Tool.
After rushing nearly a thousand meters, the two finally reached the source of the tiger's roar.
At a sand dune stood an enormous tiger more than eight meters long, gnawing on a giant ox. The surrounding ground looked like scorched earth.
The tiger was covered in mottled reddish-yellow markings. Rather than ordinary fur, its surface looked more like a layer of scale armor. Its eyes were crimson, and even its tail brimmed with strength.
After they slowly drew closer, Xu Zhengyang's face lit up. "Father, it's actually an Ironclad Explosive Flame Tiger! Not only does it have very powerful offense and defense, but it also possesses the fire attribute. It's perfectly suited to the utmost yang and unyielding strength I'm pursuing."
Beside him, Xu Haoyang instead looked solemn. "No, Zhengyang. Take a closer look. This Ironclad Explosive Flame Tiger is over eight meters long, and the king-character marking on its forehead has more than six segments. Judging by that, it's already six hundred years old. In your current condition, you simply can't absorb it. It would be suitable for your second Soul Ring in the future, though."
Hearing this, Xu Zhengyang finally examined the Ironclad Explosive Flame Tiger carefully. It was indeed a Soul Beast over six hundred years old, beyond the limit he had planned for himself.
After only a moment, Xu Zhengyang seemed to make up his mind.
"Father, I want this Ironclad Explosive Flame Tiger as my first Soul Ring. I believe I can absorb it successfully."
"Besides, haven't you already made all the preparations for me?"