Chapter 4: Encounter

Lu Baichuan's martial soul is a silkworm, and the Black‑patterned Snake Soul Ring indeed suits him well.

The silkworm attacks by spitting silk; after absorbing the Black‑patterned Snake Soul Ring, the silk it spits will be tougher and may even carry the snake's toxin.

A white Soul Ring materialized beneath him, and from that moment he became a true Soul Master.

Lu Baichuan, eyes opened, saw the envious Tie Li and He Da Dan, and a hint of pride rose in his heart.

"Thank you, teacher," Lu Baichuan said.

Bai Qing merely waved his hand and said lightly, "Alright, let's keep going!"

Soon after, they kept encountering a few Soul Beasts, but none met the two's standards.

He Da Dan's martial soul is a mutated Earth‑dog martial soul, while Tie Li's martial soul is a Forging Hammer; the required Soul Ring attributes are similar.

The Hunting Soul Forest at night is even more dangerous; with Bai Qing's War Soul Elder physique, he can go on for several days without rest.

As a teacher, he took the night‑watch duty upon himself.

Moreover, he didn't feel comfortable letting a few students guard the night.

"Da Li, guess what my soul skill is?"

When night fell, the restless Lu Baichuan couldn't help flaunting his Soul Ring.

"This isn't a ten‑year Soul Ring; it's a thirty‑year Soul Ring!"

"Look around the academy; how many can have my luck?"

"I now feel I could run a few kilometers with no problem."

Tie Li chose to ignore it, and Bai Qing, who could no longer endure, said.

"Stop nagging, and go back on your own."

Sure enough, Lu Baichuan immediately settled down.

The night in the Hunting Soul Forest was cold, and without a fire for warmth, the three huddled together, feeling each other's warmth in the frigid night.

"Get up!"

Bai Qing suddenly shouted, and the three were instantly startled; something must have happened to make a Three Ring Soul Honorable this nervous.

Black wolf hairs sprouted from his body, making his figure even more robust and slender.

One white, one yellow, one purple!

Three Soul Rings materialized beneath him, and he remained a Soul Elder possessing a Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

The white Soul Ring lit up, and Bai Qing appeared beside the three, scooping them under his arms and sprinting toward the distance.

Tie Li felt the oncoming cold trying to pry open his mouth.

"Brother, there's a Soul Master ahead; let's lure the Soul Beast toward them."

"It's a Three Ring War Soul Elder, but he's with three youths, so his speed can't pick up."

"You two are fast; go intercept them first."

Behind them was a Hunting Soul Group that had taken a deposit, intending to help a noble obtain a Soul Ring.

Hunting a Hundred-Year Fire Python, they were originally proceeding smoothly thanks to abundant experience and coordination, and seemed about to severely wound the Hundred-Year Fire Python.

Unexpectedly, its mate returned to the nest at that moment.

The Thunder Python, with nearly four hundred years of cultivation, exceeded this Hunting Soul Group's control.

They unhesitatingly abandoned the noble and his steward, intending to use them to buy themselves time to escape.

The noble's steward was a Second Ring Great Soul Master, but against the four‑hundred‑year Thunder Python he was helpless and couldn't delay much.

The Hunting Soul Group's leader was a Three Ring Soul Honorable with a Soul Ring Configuration of one white and two yellow; the other seven were Second Ring Great Soul Masters with a one white, one yellow Soul Ring.

Facing a Thunder Python of that caliber, they were no match at all; not even a hundred‑year Thunder Python could easily kill them, let alone a four‑hundred‑year one.

Two Soul Masters in the Hunting Soul Group had Hundred-Year Soul Rings beneath them that glowed yellow, and their speed suddenly surged, three points faster than Bai Qing releasing the First Soul Technique.

Seeing them about to catch up, Bai Qing's Second Soul Ring lit up.

He opened a gaping maw, white light coalescing inside, and two streams of light shot out, each blasting toward the two Soul Masters.

The two couldn't dodge, were hit by the streams, and large areas of their bodies were scorched.

"Damn."

The two muttered under their breath; being wounded now was dangerous, not only because of the Thunder Python behind them but also their own leader.

"Sizzle"

At that moment, the Thunder Python's horn gathered a terrifying blue‑white light.

Several bolts of Lightning Light surged forward, including toward the foremost Bai Qing.

"Boom"

Fortunately they evaded it; the Lightning Light knocked a sturdy tree down.

"You three run east; I'll see if I can buy some time."

Taking the three of them, all four could not leave; only I stayed behind to stall a while, letting the three depart on their own.

Tie Li and the other two, knowing the situation was dire, sprinted east as the teacher had instructed.

In contrast, the Hunting Soul Group, hit by that Thunder Python strike, each suffered serious injuries.

Escaping was almost impossible.

"Give it a try, or everyone will die," Bai Qing appeared beside the Hunting Soul Group's leader.

He hadn't seen the scene where Bai Qing let the students flee, and thought the teacher would fight for his students.

Come to think of it, would an academy teacher let students who aren't yet Soul Masters run wild in the Hunting Soul Forest?

"Then let's try," a different glint flashed in the Hunting Soul Group leader's eyes; surviving countless hunts relied on more than just experience.

…

Tie Li's face turned ashen, yet he kept sprinting east as Bai Qing instructed.

When he finally reacted, he found his companions gone, leaving only himself.

Lost?

Looking at the pitch‑black forest around him, Tie Li felt helpless for the first time.

"Ssshh."

A faint rustling came from the grass, and Tie Li immediately summoned his martial soul, feeling the weight of the hammer's handle, which steadied him a bit.

A pale light shimmered in the grass, and a one‑eyed old wolf leapt out.

Tie Li smelled the foul stench from the old wolf's mouth; at the most dangerous moment, his senses sharpened, and fear vanished.

He gripped the Forging Hammer in his hand and smashed it out hard.

"Forging is a craft; besides arm strength, you also need the power of the waist."

"When the iron hammer collides with the iron block, do you feel the force they generate? The greater the force, the larger the recoil, and your hammer will emit an excited 'tremor.'"

"Remember this feeling, and you can become a qualified blacksmith."

"Buzz."

When the hammer face of the Forge Hammer Martial Soul touched the old wolf's skull, the hammer body emitted a vibrating frequency; with that single strike, it shattered all the organs in the old wolf's head.

A white Soul Ring floated above the old wolf's corpse; this was an old wolf driven out by the pack, and from its appearance it was a Nether Wolf.

"A Soul Ring with a fifty‑year limit."

In the eyes of most students at the academy, this Soul Ring is a high‑quality Soul Ring.

As long as one absorbs this Soul Ring, one can become a Soul Master, gaining self‑protection power and a greater chance to leave the Soul‑Hunting Forest.

But Tie Li just stood in front of the white Soul Ring, lingering for dozens of breaths; now he's fleeing for his life, and time is very precious.

"Still not satisfied?"

At that moment, a violent roar echoed, and even Tie Li, who was several miles away, felt the ground tremor.

That direction was where he had just escaped from… did something happen?

Go take a look? That's very dangerous; it might leave him stranded there.

At this moment, Tie Li thought of another outcome, as if he had opened his Pandora's box, and even his breathing became heavy.

The terrifying aura emitted by that Thunder Python was at least over a hundred years old.

A hundred‑year‑level Soul Ring would be a tremendous boost for a Soul Master like himself, who comes from a common background.

The bloodline of the Thunder Python is top‑tier among Soul Beasts; his martial soul is only ordinary, but absorbing the Thunder Python's Soul Ring will greatly improve his martial soul's quality.

(End of Chapter)