Early the next morning, as Tang San and Yu Xiaogang waited for Qi Ling at the academy gates, Qi Ling arrived looking as happy as a child, unable to hide the smile on his face.
"What happened, Brother Qi? Did something good happen?" Tang San asked curiously.
"Haha, nothing. Little San, I'll show you when I get the chance. I guarantee it'll give you a shock!" Qi Ling said, like a child showing off his favorite toy.
"Qi Ling, the Soul Hunting Forest is a long way away. We may well have to spend the night outside. Don't you need to bring some luggage?" Seeing Qi Ling's bare back, Yu Xiaogang could not help reminding him.
"Don't worry, Grandmaster. I've made every preparation."
As Qi Ling spoke, he suddenly pulled a pile of luggage out of his Infinite Space, stacking it into a small mountain on the ground.
"Look, Grandmaster. What I've prepared is enough to live outdoors for half a month."
Looking at the mountain of luggage before him, Yu Xiaogang's mouth fell open in surprise. When did this boy get a Storage Soul Tool too?
Moreover, the Soul Tool he had given Tang San only contained a small space, nowhere near as large as the space Qi Ling had demonstrated-not even half its size.
A Storage Soul Tool this large was no longer a question of price. It was a priceless treasure! Just how many secrets did this boy Qi Ling have that he knew nothing about?
After making their preparations, the three set off together. It was not until noon the following day that they finally reached the Soul Hunting Forest.
Anyone standing before that boundless expanse of towering trees, stretching as far as the eye could see, would feel their own insignificance. Even though Grandmaster had prepared them mentally, Qi Ling and Tang San were still deeply awed!
"It's huge! A forest this big must have plenty of Soul Beasts!" Qi Ling said.
"Naturally. This is a forest where the empire keeps Soul Beasts, with a wide variety of species! Although high-level Soul Beasts are rare here, it's more than sufficient for your first Soul Beasts," Yu Xiaogang said.
"Come on. Let's enter the Soul Hunting Forest first."
The entrance to the Soul Hunting Forest was heavily guarded by imperial troops. After all, as the most important strategic resource, Soul Beasts were a matter of utmost importance to a nation. Only those with permission could enter.
"Halt! The Soul Hunting Forest is a restricted national site! No entry without special permission!" the noncommissioned officer on guard told the three with strict formality.
Yu Xiaogang showed no expression. He simply took out a command token with complete composure and handed it to the officer.
The officer accepted the token and lowered his head for a single look. His expression immediately changed, and he said respectfully, "So it's you, Grandmaster! Please forgive my offense!"
After Yu Xiaogang took back his token, the three entered the Soul Hunting Forest without trouble, ready to search for suitable Soul Beasts.
However, the sharp-eyed Qi Ling noticed the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon emblem on Yu Xiaogang's token, as well as his forlorn expression. But since Yu Xiaogang said nothing, Qi Ling did not ask further.
Just after entering the Soul Hunting Forest, the three encountered quite a few Soul Beasts. Most had strange, bizarre appearances, unlike ordinary animals.
Holding a blue shortsword, Tang San looked very excited. After all, he had only seen these Soul Beasts in books before. Seeing them alive naturally felt different.
However, these Soul Beasts were all relatively young. Most were only a little over ten years old, and even ones over a hundred years old were rare. Tang San dispatched several Soul Beasts, but none had a Soul Ring suitable for him.
As for Qi Ling, he did not so much as look at these Soul Beasts, not merely because their attributes were completely incompatible with his own, but for another, more important reason!
My Martial Souls are a Divine Dragon and a Demon God. I have to find Soul Rings worthy of their status, don't I? I can't give a Divine Dragon a toad's Soul Ring, can I?
Continuing their exploration, the three ventured deeper and deeper, gradually reaching the depths of the Soul Hunting Forest. More and more varieties of Soul Beasts appeared, and even quite a few Hundred-Year Soul Beasts had begun to show up.
Tang San had already hunted several Soul Beasts, including Lone Bamboo, but none had been a completely satisfactory choice, so they continued searching.
This only ended when they caught a sickly sweet, rank scent.
Smelling the scent in the air, Yu Xiaogang suddenly said excitedly, "Yes, that's the smell! Little San, this is the Soul Ring best suited to you!"
"Really, Teacher? What Soul Beast is it?" Tang San asked.
Before Yu Xiaogang could answer, Qi Ling was already stroking his chin. "A Hundred-Year Soul Beast, the Poison Arrow Demon, the Mandala Snake! Hmm, this Soul Beast's traits really do match Little San's Blue Silver Grass perfectly. Grandmaster, you truly have thought of everything!"
Having obtained half of Yu Xiaogang's "Ten Core Theories of Martial Soul," Qi Ling could already be considered an accomplished Martial Soul scholar. Even Yu Xiaogang marveled in admiration at the insights he offered.
Hearing Qi Ling's words, Yu Xiaogang immediately felt that rare joy of finding someone who understood him! He said excitedly, "Yes, Qi Ling, you think so too, don't you?"
"I reached this judgment after consulting a great deal of material and analyzing Tang San's Martial Soul! Look, this Mandala Snake's body... its skin... even its venom..."
Whenever Martial Souls were involved, Yu Xiaogang could lose himself completely, becoming fully immersed in his own world. This was already an old habit of his.
But at that moment, Qi Ling could not help throwing cold water on his excitement. "Grandmaster, hold off on getting excited. Something's not right here. You'd better take a look first."
Hearing Qi Ling's words, Yu Xiaogang calmed down and followed his gaze.
There, besides the enormous Mandala Snake, stood a toad whose entire body was golden yellow. It was not large, yet it gave off a sense of great danger.
"This, this is..." Looking at the golden toad, Yu Xiaogang actually failed to recognize it for a moment.
"A Dragon-Cry Golden Toad, an extremely rare kind of Soul Beast. They're generally small, but extremely dangerous!" Qi Ling said. "Judging by this golden toad's size, it's at least five hundred years old."
This Dragon-Cry Golden Toad was so small that, compared with the Mandala Snake before it, it was not even enough to fill a gap between the snake's teeth.
Yet for some reason, the Mandala Snake's face wore a frightened, uneasy expression. Its enormous body twisted restlessly, as though it wanted to flee immediately.
"The Mandala Snake is so frightened. It must be hiding from this golden toad, right?" Tang San said. "Teacher, why don't we catch them while they're fighting?"
"Little San, there were two mistakes in what you just said." Yu Xiaogang stared at the Dragon-Cry Golden Toad, cold sweat running down his forehead.
"First, they are indeed predator and prey, but it's the Dragon-Cry Golden Toad that preys on the Mandala Snake! With its abilities, the Mandala Snake is no match for the golden toad at all."
"Huh? How could that be?" Tang San was startled. A toad was actually preying on a giant snake? This was simply unheard of!
"Second!" Yu Xiaogang continued, "What we need to do now isn't think about reaping the fisherman's profit from their struggle. We need to seize the chance and run for our lives!"