The Ring-Hunting Team

The morning mist hadn't dissipated yet, and the forest was damp. The five people walked upstream along the dry streambed. Lu Yuan led the way, taking small but steady steps. He held a stone slab in his left hand, on which the terrain was roughly outlined with charcoal.

"Stop." He raised his hand.

The four people behind her immediately stopped. Shen Moxin adjusted her glasses and quickly jotted down a note in her notebook. Mo Chen listened intently, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the leather pouch at his waist. Su Yan and Li Wangye held their breath.

Lu Yuan didn't turn around, his voice low. "Thirty paces to the left front, there's something in the crevice of the rocks. The Soul Power fluctuations are weak, and it smells of earth. It's a ' Burrowing Weasel,' a first-tier, low-level one. It will scream if disturbed."

He paused, then asked, "How should we handle this?"

Su Yan whispered, "Go around it."

"The alternative route?"

"The right side is a scree slope, fast but noisy," Shen Moxin continued. "The left side is dense forest, slow but concealed."

Which side to choose?

Mo Chen licked his lips. "We'll see. Let's play it safe this time and go left."

Lu Yuan nodded, put away the stone slab, and turned to the left.

The group moved again. Li Wangye couldn't see enough, and his breathing became heavy.

"Relax," Lu Yuan's voice drifted over. "Tension drains your energy. Focus on the area within thirty paces; leave the rest to me and Mo Chen."

Li Wangye blushed and took a deep breath.

The route for this trip into the mountains was carefully planned by Lu Yuan. It avoided conflict zones and bypassed the territories of dangerous Soul Beast. The journey was cautious, even circuitous.

But that's exactly the kind of caution Lu Yuan wanted.

He explained everything without stopping along the way. The shape of the feces, the depth of the claw marks, the nibbling marks, the residual Soul Power in the air... every detail was broken down into information and then strung together to form a judgment.

"This isn't hunting," he once told Su Yan during a break, "It's about collecting data and verifying theories. The more we understand about Soul Beast, the less rejection we'll experience when fusing Soul Ring."

Su Yan listened intently. His right hand remained loosely clenched, with a faint, illusory image of an iron hammer floating in his palm.

Mo Chen was busy testing his new gadgets. He would occasionally bury several metal lumps, about the size of walnuts, in the ground or wed them in cracks in the rocks. Some were warning devices, some were interference devices, and one even had a disc pointer that would deflect slightly.

"Rough, too rough," he muttered as he adjusted the settings, his eyes gleaming. "The energy flow patterns need to be 30% finer... I'll fix it when I get back."

Shen Moxin the quietest. Her gaze behind her glasses was sharp and focused, and her notebook was filled with densely packed text and diagrams, categorized neatly.

They encountered several Soul Beast along the way. Two "Iron-Beaked Sparrow" flew low overhead, but they were signaled in advance to crouch and avoid them. A "Mottled Python," a mid-level first-tier creature, was coiled on a withered tree. After observing it for a moment, Lu Yuan judged that it was in a sluggish state after eating its fill, and decisively led the team to quickly pass through from the downwind side.

After each situation, he would briefly review it, explaining why he chose that method and what the rationale was. There was no preaching; it was more like a discussion among colleagues.

Li Wangye listened with great eagerness. The academy only taught rigid rules; it didn't teach you how to judge the state of Soul Beast by its flight posture, let alone what strategies to adopt in different terrains and at different times.

He suddenly understood why Lu Yuan had brought him here. It wasn't just about observation; it was about letting him see firsthand what a rigorous system of observation and reasoning lay behind those "experiences."

At noon, the team rested at the foot of the leeward rock face.

Lu Yuan spread out the stone map, pointing his finger to a marked area. "We'll enter this rocky area this afternoon. According to the data and the old hunter's account, there might be ' Mountain-Shaking Armadillo ' activity there. It's earth and stone attributed, with strong defense; its attacks mainly consist of charge and shockwaves. The cubs have a prominent 'Steady' characteristic, suitable for Su Yan's First Soul Ring."

He looked at Su Yan: "The age should be controlled at around a hundred years. Your body, after training and nourishment with essence, can withstand it. Remember, the most suitable is not necessarily the strongest."

Su Yan nodded emphatically. "I understand, sir."

"The Mountain-Shaking Armadillo's senses aren't very sharp, but its shell is highly sensitive to ground vibrations. Approach it quietly, and keep your Soul Power to a minimum." After giving his instructions, Lu Yuan put away the map. "Rest for fifteen minutes."

The rocky area was difficult to traverse, with jagged rocks requiring climbing. Mo Chen led the way, nimble and steady-fed. Lu Yuan provided support from the middle, Shen Moxin and Li Wangye looked after each other, and Su Yan brought up the rear.

As the sun began to set, Mo Chen crouched behind a rock and made a hand gesture.

Lu Yuan leaned closer and looked in the direction he was pointing.

Below was a patch of gravel, leaning against a steep rock wall. At the base of the rock wall was a hole about half a person's height. Outside the hole, a Soul Beast the size of a millstone was slowly moving.

It resembles an enlarged pangolin, with a thick, dark yellowish-brown carapace that has rock-like patterns on its surface. Its limbs are short and thick, and its claws are jet black.

"Mountain-Shaking Armadillo," Mo Chen said in a low voice, his voice tinged with excitement, "Judging by its size and the sheen of its carapace, it's no more than 120 years old. A lone cub! Lucky you!"

Lu Yuan observed for a moment and nodded. "There are no signs of adult activity around. The cave entrance is fresh; it's a temporary shelter." He quickly judged, "The terrain is favorable. We're upwind, and the rock walls can block out any noise. Teacher Shen, take notes."

Shen Moxin had already taken out her notebook and was quickly sketching a simplified map of the terrain.

"Mo Chen, the things." Lu Yuan held out his hand.

Mo Chen took out two gray stones and handed them to him. These were simple Soul Power interference devices hastily made before setting off, capable of emitting chaotic earth-attribute Soul Power ripples to interfere with the Mountain-Shaking Armadillo's perception of ground vibrations.

"Su Yan, Li Wangye, keep a close eye on things." Lu Yuan said in a low voice while holding onto the stone, "Set up the environment before the encirclement. Lower the jammer to the side of the vent to cover the target area without alerting you due to sudden fluctuations in Soul Power. The optimal distance is thirty to fifty paces."

He gestured to Mo Chen: "You go behind the pile of rocks on the right. I'll go to the rocky ridge on the left. Teacher Shen, you and the other two stay here, remain hidden, and keep an eye on things. Wait for my signal."

Mo Chen crouched and slid to the right. Lu Yuan circled to the left. The two moved lightly, but their speed was not slow.

Su Yan watched, holding her breath. Her heart pounded powerfully, a mixture of tension, anticipation, and intense excitement from complete focus. The illusory hammer felt slightly warm in her palm.

Lu Yuan and Mo Chen arrived at their positions almost simultaneously. They looked at each other, and Lu Yuan nodded slightly.

Mo Chen stuffed the interfering stone into the gaps in the pile of stones. Lu Yuan bent down and wedged another stone into a crevices in the rock ridge, concealing it with gravel.

The moment the disturbance stone began to ripple, the Mountain-Shaking Armadillo cub below stopped its thrashing and raised its head to look around warily. Its short, thick tail thumped the ground uneasily, making a dull thud.

There was a reaction, but it wasn't severe. The interference was effective.

Lu Yuan lowered his body, raised his right hand, and prepared to make an encirclement gesture.

A metal piece the size of a button that Mo Chen had clipped to his waist suddenly emitted a very faint buzzing sound!

Mo Chen's expression changed drastically.

Lu Yuan's hand froze in mid-air. Without any hesitation, he clenched his fingers and pressed them downwards—emergency concealment!

The Mountain-Shaking Armadillo cub below also sensed something and abruptly turned its head to look at the other side of the slope.

A rustling sound came from behind. Then, four or five figures emerged from behind the rocks and bushes.

These people were dressed in a disheveled manner, a mix of leather armor and cloth shirts, some with one arm bare. Their weapons were a motley collection: knives, axes, short spears, and one carrying a crude crossbow. The leader was a burly man with a hideous scar on his face, bald, and muscular, carrying a heavy, gleaming sword with the iron rings on the back clanging.

The scarred, burly man's eyes lit up with delight when he spotted the Mountain-Shaking Armadillo.

"Haha! Lucky me!" He grinned, revealing his yellowed teeth. "Men, surround it! Don't let it crawl back into its hole!"

The four henchmen immediately spread out, forming a semi-encirclement around Mountain-Shaking Armadillo. Their movements weren't exactly well-trained, but they carried the ferocity and skill of ruthless bandits.

Above the rock face, Lu Yuan and his four companions clung tightly to the stone, barely daring to breathe.

Mo Chen gritted his teeth and forced a breath through them. "This is troublesome... It's the ' Desolate Wolf ' gang. They're a notorious group of rogue cultivators in this area, specializing in robbing lone Soul Master and plundering Soul Beast resources. They're domineering and unruly."

His voice was even lower, tinged with coldness. "First come, first served, it's nothing to them."

The scarred, burly man had closed to within twenty paces of the Mountain-Shaking Armadillo. Sensing the threat, the young beast let out a low growl, its carapace patterns gleaming with a faint yellowish-brown light, and it crouched low, adopting a defensive stance.

The burly man sneered, raising his ghost-headed saber. "This beast's got some nerve! Guys, let's finish this quickly! This armor and Soul Ring can fetch a good amount of money for drinks!"

His subordinates responded with a resounding roar, their Soul Power surging forth in chaotic yet ruthless waves.

Above the rock face, all was deathly silent. Five pairs of eyes peered through the cracks in the rock, staring intently down below.

Su Yan clenched his fist tightly. The phantom image of the iron hammer flickered violently in his palm.