Tang Feng had been stuck at rank twenty for over three months. During those three months, he could still cultivate Soul Power, but the Soul Ring bottleneck made its growth noticeably slow.
"Soon." Tang Lie naturally understood his grandson's thoughts and reassured him, "You have two choices before you now."
"First, you can accompany the sect's Soul Hunting team to the ancestral grounds in the rear mountains again. It's safe there, but..."
At that thought, Tang Lie sighed. "Over the past few years, the Thousand-Year Soul Beasts on the outskirts of the rear mountains have almost all been hunted down. Strength-type Soul Beasts were scarce to begin with. Finding one over eight hundred years old with a pure bloodline would be harder than ascending to heaven."
"Second, the sect master has already approved a secret expedition in the coming days. The Fifth Elder will lead a team of core disciples who have broken through to rank thirty or above to hunt in a wild Soul Beast forest. The closest and relatively safest one is Sunset Forest."
Tang Lie fixed Tang Feng with a blazing gaze. "But you know as well as I do that the enmity between our Clear Sky Sect and Spirit Hall runs as deep as the sea. Once our whereabouts are exposed, Soul Douluos or even Titled Douluos will lead teams to intercept and kill us. Danger will lurk everywhere."
Tang Feng raised his head at those words, excitement stirring within him. Sunset Forest? Isn't that the place I've always wanted to visit in search of that treasure land?
Without a trace of fear in his eyes, Tang Feng said, "Grandpa, I choose Sunset Forest. The path of cultivation goes against heaven in the first place. If I shrink back at every turn, I might as well retire to the countryside now."
"Hahaha, good!" Tang Lie laughed proudly. "Then you'll join this hunt. Remember, whatever happens, staying alive comes first."
"Yes, Grandpa. I won't disappoint you." Seeing Tang Lie agree, Tang Feng nodded happily.
Then, as though another thought had occurred to him, Tang Feng asked tentatively, "Grandpa, this hunt will take at least two or three months. Could my medicinal bath allocation... be given to Brother Jian?"
Tang Lie sighed at that and refused sternly. "Sect resources cannot be privately transferred. That is an ironclad rule! Once we open that door, people will use 'personal favors' as a cover for shady dealings. Wouldn't the sect's resources end up becoming certain people's private property?"
Tang Feng considered it for a moment and immediately understood. "That's true. No one knows whether your intentions are genuine or false. If someone uses threats or bribes, the rules will fall into chaos."
Seeing that Tang Feng understood, Tang Lie softened his tone and patted his shoulder. "But you needn't worry. I've seen all the effort Little Jian has put in lately, and his progress has already been considerable. The sect's annual tournament is coming up in a few days. He can still fight for one final chance. With his current combat strength, he should have a chance. Follow your own path without worry."
"Yes, Grandpa," Tang Feng answered quietly.
At this, Tang Lie drew an ancient-looking ring from inside his robe. A dull gray crystal was set into its face.
"This is the Storage Soul Tool I gave your father back then. Now I'm passing it on to you. Its internal space isn't large, only eight cubic meters, but that's enough for your belongings. I've already put a hundred Gold Soul Coins inside. Being out in the world isn't like being in the sect. You'll need some money on hand for food, clothing, and other expenses."
Tang Feng took the ring, his heart growing heavy, and solemnly slipped it onto his left index finger. He infused it with Soul Power, bringing its entire interior into view. Besides a small pouch of Gold Soul Coins, there were several changes of clothes, a few bottles of healing medicine, and a Clear Sky Sect token wrapped in red cloth. It was his grandfather's token.
"Thank you, Grandpa. Don't worry. Whatever difficulties I face, I'll definitely come back." Tang Feng's voice was a little strained, like a child leaving home on a long journey for the first time.
The currency system of the Douluo Continent had three tiers: Gold Soul Coins, Silver Soul Coins, and Copper Soul Coins.
Officially minted by the two great empires, one Gold Soul Coin could be exchanged for ten Silver Soul Coins or a hundred Copper Soul Coins.
Gold Soul Coins had tremendous purchasing power. An ordinary family of three spent only two or three Gold Soul Coins a year. Silver Soul Coins and Copper Soul Coins were used for ordinary households' daily transactions. A single Silver Soul Coin was enough for a decent meal at an ordinary restaurant.
As for Copper Soul Coins, they were essentially the small change commoners used to buy firewood, rice, oil, and salt.
Tang Feng made a rough conversion. One Silver Soul Coin was probably equivalent to somewhere between five hundred and a thousand yuan in his previous life, putting a Gold Soul Coin at six or seven thousand yuan.
These hundred Gold Soul Coins would be worth six or seven hundred thousand yuan in my previous life, perhaps even over a million. Grandpa really is generous-one gift, and he's handed over a whole house. At that thought, Tang Feng instantly felt like a liberated serf who had become a wealthy landowner.
Three days later, at midnight.
Beside a secluded cliff in the Clear Sky Sect's rear mountains, twelve figures assembled like ghosts.
The Fifth Elder, Tang Rui, personally led this expedition out of the sect. As a rank eighty-nine Soul Douluo, he possessed formidable combat strength.
The five second-generation disciples accompanying him were all sect elites:
Tang Yan, a rank seventy-three Soul Saint;
Tang Yue, a rank sixty-nine Soul Emperor;
Tang Zheng, a rank sixty-five Soul Emperor;
Tang Lan, a rank sixty-two Soul Emperor;
All four possessed the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul.
Tang Ze, a rank fifty-eight Soul King, had a peculiar "Nine-Leaf Blood Lotus" as a Martial Soul. Its petals were crimson as blood, and a sacred healing liquid could seep from the lotus's center. Tang Ze was the team's only healing support-type Soul Master.
Among the six disciples who needed Soul Rings, one was a fifteen-year-old rank thirty Quasi-Soul Elder named Tang Yun. There were also two Quasi-Soul Ancestors and two Quasi-Soul Kings.
Tang Feng stood at the very back, only half a head shorter than Tang Yun. He tightened the demon mask on his face. The cold mask covered most of his features, leaving only a pair of black eyes exposed.
About to encounter the outside world of the continent for the first time, Tang Feng could not help feeling somewhat apprehensive. He took a deep breath and hurried after the team, hoping to gain something from this trip.
The twelve became twelve dark shadows, silently slipping down the cliff. They avoided every official road and Spirit Hall patrol, traveling only through wild mountains and remote wilderness.
They hid by day and traveled by night. Apart from the Fifth Elder briefly leaving to buy necessities in a small town, they did not encounter a single living person in ten days.
At dusk on the eleventh day, they finally reached the outskirts of Sunset Forest. As soon as they stepped into its outer reaches, a primeval, untamed presence washed over them.
Unlike the rear mountain range, the air here carried a damp, sickly-sweet tang mixed with sulfur-the smell of Soul Beast urine, rotting corpses, and sulfur from underground hot springs fermenting together.
Ancient trees towered like enormous pillars supporting heaven and earth, their overlapping crowns forming a sea of dark green clouds. Poisonous mushrooms and twisted vines were everywhere.
There was no path beneath their feet. Under the thick moss lay a soft layer of rotting leaves that swallowed their feet to the ankles.
Every step required care. Beneath any fallen leaf might lurk a venomous Soul Beast, such as a spider or snake.
Since twelve people made too large a target, and two of them needed Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, they agreed on signals and a rendezvous point before splitting into three teams.
The Fifth Elder took the two Quasi-Soul Kings straight into the depths of Sunset Forest. After all, a Fifth Soul Ring required a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. He could not ensure everyone's safety if he brought so many children along.
Soul Saint Tang Yan, Soul Emperor Tang Yue, and healing-type Soul Master Tang Ze led the two Quasi-Soul Ancestors toward the forest's middle region. Most Soul Beasts there were around five thousand years old, just right for a Soul Ancestor's Fourth Soul Ring.
The two Soul Emperors, Tang Zheng and Tang Lan, took Tang Feng and Tang Yun to search for suitable strength-type Thousand-Year Soul Beasts along the boundary between the outer and middle regions.
The four advanced slowly through the dense forest, with Tang Zheng clearing the way and Tang Lan guarding the rear.
Tang Lan said quietly, "Tang Yun, your Third Soul Ring needs to come from a strength-type Soul Beast under eighteen hundred years old. We'll have to go a little deeper. As for you, Tang Feng..."
"Uncle Lan, anything under twelve hundred years will do," Tang Feng replied.
Up ahead, Tang Zheng chuckled at that. "Little fellow, you want a Thousand-Year Soul Beast for your Second Soul Ring? Aren't you afraid your body will burst and you'll die?"
"Uncle Zheng, my First Soul Ring was already six hundred years old. Before we left, I asked Grandpa to test my physical strength. Anything within twelve hundred years won't be a problem," Tang Feng replied confidently.
"All right. I've already heard about you. Since you've made your decision, we'll do as you wish." With that, Tang Zheng fell silent again, and the four continued forward warily.
Tang Feng had indeed tested his physical strength before departing. It was already no worse than that of an ordinary Soul Elder.
He estimated that enduring a Soul Ring around fifteen hundred years old would not pose any major problems. Choosing one around twelve hundred years old was a precaution he had promised his grandfather to take.
In Tang Feng's mind, age was not actually that important. If he encountered a top-tier Soul Beast with a superior bloodline and high compatibility, he could accept one under a thousand years old. After all, some rare, top-tier Soul Beasts were hard to encounter even once in a lifetime. Even if one was less than a thousand years old, Tang Feng did not want to miss it.