Setting Out to Hunt Soul Beasts

Before dawn the next day, Lin Qingchen and Tang San were waiting at the academy gates.

Before long, Lei Nuo arrived as well.

Looking at the two standing before him, he smiled amiably. "Since you're ready, let's set off."

After leaving the academy, Lei Nuo rented a carriage and took them toward the Soul Hunting Forest.

Along the way, he didn't forget to teach them about Soul Beasts.

"Generally speaking, Soul Beasts live in larger Soul Beast habitats. Today, though, we're going to the Soul Hunting Forest, four hundred li northeast of Nuoding City. It's a place where the empire keeps Soul Beasts in captivity. Generally, the strongest Soul Beasts you'll find there are Hundred-Year Soul Beasts, making it ideal for low-level Soul Masters like you."

Tang San nodded to show he understood.

"Oh, right. Speaking of which, have you chosen the Soul Beasts you want?"

He looked at Tang San first. After all, he figured Lin Qingchen had read so many books about Soul Beasts that he must have made his choice already.

Tang San shook his head, indicating that he didn't know.

"You don't know? Well, you have the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, a plant-type Martial Soul. Unless there's something unusual about it, you can't go wrong choosing a Soul Beast with strong vitality for your First Soul Ring. We'll see what we find. What about you, Lin Qingchen?"

Lin Qingchen pondered briefly, then pretended to be somewhat troubled. "Dean, my situation might be a little unusual."

"Oh? How so? Tell me about it." Lei Nuo's interest was piqued.

"To tell you the truth, my Martial Soul underwent a mutation for some reason. That's also why I've been able to cultivate so quickly, so I'm not sure what kind of Soul Ring I need."

"Hm? Even if it mutated, you should at least have a general direction in mind. How can you be unsure what attribute your Soul Ring needs?" Lei Nuo frowned and asked in puzzlement.

Lin Qingchen spread his hands. "Actually, my Martial Soul Mutation gave it the five elemental attributes, but I don't know which attribute of Soul Beast I need. I keep feeling there might be some rejection, so I can only take it one step at a time."

Lei Nuo frowned. He had never encountered such a situation before, but from what Lin Qingchen said, was it actually possible for Soul Ring absorption to fail?

On further thought, though, at worst they would only need to find four more Soul Beasts. He didn't mind spending a little more time, so he said no more.

Four hundred li was neither a long nor a short journey. It wasn't until the following morning that they reached the outskirts of the Soul Hunting Forest.

Most people pictured a forest as a place full of nature's breath, secluded and tranquil, with fresh air and few people.

The Soul Hunting Forest was different. It looked more like a bustling market, with all sorts of stalls lining the road. Most sold weapons, equipment, food and supplies, while people continually called out for others to form teams with them.

Lei Nuo patiently explained, "Since Soul Rings are essential to every Soul Master, markets like this have sprung up around Soul Hunting itself, outside all the major Soul Beast habitats. But Soul Hunting is dangerous, so most people prefer to form teams and help each other. Otherwise, they hire a specialized Soul Hunting team."

Tang San frowned. "Do teams put together on the spot like that really have any basis for mutual trust?"

"Hahaha, you're right. When you're away from home, you always have to keep your wits about you. These people are no different. If anything unusual happened, I'm afraid they'd scatter in an instant."

Lei Nuo smiled and said nothing more. After buying some supplies with the two of them by the roadside, he led them straight into the Soul Hunting Forest.

As the dean of Nuoding Academy, he naturally had a permit.

Once they entered the forest, its quiet swallowed the clamor of the market in an instant.

Lin Qingchen and Tang San both grew a little tense as well.

Not long after entering, they encountered a group of Ten-Year Soul Beasts, Dappled Cats, hissing at them.

Lei Nuo shook his head. "These are only ten-year Dappled Cats. They might look aggressive, but they don't actually attack easily. If you had a feline Martial Soul, they could be a backup option. We don't need them, though, so let's drive them off for now."

As he spoke, he released some Soul Power pressure. The Dappled Cats immediately took on a Spiny-Backed Dragon form, then turned and fled.

"At a Soul Master Academy, identifying Soul Beast species and ages is one of the most basic and important courses. Generally speaking, a Soul Beast's age is linked to its size. Within the same age bracket, the larger the Soul Beast, the older it is."

As he spoke, Lei Nuo patted a stalk of Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo by the roadside. "This is a stalk of Lone Bamboo, about fifty years old. It's quite tough. If we really can't find a suitable target, it wouldn't be a bad backup."

He was speaking to Tang San.

Tang San nodded to show he understood.

The three continued onward. Before long, a dark shape whooshed out of the bushes and pounced straight at Tang San, who was at the back of the group.

Tang San reacted immediately, rolling aside to dodge its pounce and bite.

Lei Nuo reacted just as quickly. He reached out and clenched his hand, and a spear appeared in his grasp, accompanied by four Soul Rings: two yellow and two purple.

It was his Martial Soul, the Thunderous Spear.

Spear in hand, Lei Nuo immediately unleashed his first Soul Skill, Thunderous Thrust.

Lightning flickered as Lei Nuo became a bolt of electricity, reaching the unknown Soul Beast in an instant. With a single thrust, he sent it flying.

Only then did the three finally get a clear look at the Soul Beast that had attacked them.

"It's a Flame Tiger! Lin Qingchen, how about trying a fire-attribute Soul Ring first?" Lei Nuo's eyes lit up.

Lin Qingchen could tell that the Flame Tiger was a little over two hundred years old. Though that wasn't very high, considering that he would still have to try fusing and absorbing them afterward, there was no harm in choosing one with a lower age.

He immediately said, "This is the one, Dean."

"All right." Lei Nuo nodded and swung the Thunderous Spear again. In just a few exchanges, he left several wounds on the Flame Tiger deep enough to expose bone.

Against a Soul Ancestor like him, how could a Soul Beast less than three hundred years old possibly have the strength to resist?

Finally, Lei Nuo drove his spear straight through its shoulder blade, pinning it to the ground, and stepped on both of its front paws.

"Lin Qingchen, quickly, now's your chance."

Lin Qingchen rushed forward and slit the Flame Tiger's throat with the short sword in his hand.

The Flame Tiger immediately began struggling violently, but with Lei Nuo holding it down, it couldn't resist at all.

Before long, it breathed its last and stopped moving.

A yellow Soul Ring slowly rose.

"So this is a Soul Ring?" Tang San murmured.

Lei Nuo patted him on the shoulder. "Only the Soul Master who killed the Soul Beast can absorb its Soul Ring. There's no need to rush. Once Lin Qingchen has absorbed this one, we'll go find the next."

"Mm." Tang San nodded.

Meanwhile, Lin Qingchen used Martial Soul Possession with his Five Elements Qilin. He hadn't changed much yet—he hadn't grown qilin horns or anything like that. Only a few multicolored scales had appeared on his body, and they weren't easy to notice at all.

He sat cross-legged on the ground. On the surface, he used Soul Power to draw the Soul Ring toward himself and absorb it, but the moment the Soul Ring settled around him, he used the Book of Partial Understanding to put it away for storage.

Lin Qingchen then sat there for several more minutes before rising with a disappointed look and shaking his head at Lei Nuo.

"Dean, it doesn't seem to work. There was a rejection..."

"Ah." Lei Nuo sighed.

"It's all right. We'll keep going. There's no rush."