Chapter 58: Crossing

The small town should still have residents, but with this band of thieves here, there aren't many people left staying in the town.

Tie Li placed the thieves' corpses one by one outside the inn, then led the horned‑scaled horse inside the inn to rest for a night.

"Is that all, only thirty‑one Gold Soul Coins?"

Tie Li could only retrieve thirty‑one Gold Soul Coins from their bodies.

Murder, arson, gold belt.

They're bandits, yet they only have this little money on them—what an insult to the bandit trade.

At dawn the next day, Tie Li mounted the horned‑scaled horse and set out again.

After a full two days' journey, Tie Li finally reached the outer rim of the Star Dou Great Forest.

This time he entered the Star Dou Great Forest not to hunt Soul Beasts, but to use its geographic advantage to cross the border between two nations from the outskirts.

As long as he doesn't go deep, with his Three Ring Soul Honorable strength, self‑protection is no problem.

From the moment he entered the Star Dou Great Forest, Tie Li kept constant vigilance.

Occasionally ten‑year Soul Beasts would harass him, but they weren't a serious issue.

They make perfect fodder for the horned‑scaled horse!

Frequent ten‑year Soul Beasts mean he's staying at the very fringe, which is actually a sign of safety.

"Whoosh"

Another ten‑year Soul Beast tried to ambush Tie Li from the shadows.

It was a ten‑year iron‑armored mouse; beneath its black fur lay a thin shell, and with only ten years of cultivation its defense is low—once it reaches a hundred years, the shell will undergo a qualitative change.

Its attack, defense, and speed, however, are all excellent.

Tie Li dodged its ambush, then slammed his right palm onto its tiny body, striking a stone on the ground; dark‑red blood gushed from its mouth and shell.

It was on the verge of dying on the spot.

"You... can you give it to me?"

A boy darted out of the nearby grass, looking about nine years old, dressed in a rough patched cloth, his hands gripping a dagger.

Hunting ten‑year Soul Beasts at the outer edge of the Star Dou Great Forest is almost a rite of passage for every low‑born Soul Master, as it's their only way to obtain Soul Rings.

The empire's Hunting Soul Forest mainly serves the nobility; commoners rarely have a chance to enter.

"If you want it, take it."

"Thank you."

The boy's face lit up with excitement; this ten‑year Soul Ring would make him a Soul Master, and the monthly stipend could improve his family's life, giving them meat at every meal.

With trembling hands, he drove the dagger into the iron‑armored mouse's head, and a white Soul Ring appeared before him.

The boy quickly sat cross‑legged on the ground and began absorbing the Soul Ring.

Tie Li didn't rush to leave; he stayed put, watching the boy absorb the Soul Ring, seeing in him a reflection of his own past, or rather a reflection of all commoner Soul Masters.

The moment he successfully absorbed the Soul Ring, he became a true Soul Master.

"Thank you," the boy said respectfully again.

Tie Li nodded, mounted the horned‑scaled horse, and left, still having a long way to go.

After several more days traveling within the Star Dou Great Forest, a hint of fatigue appeared on Tie Li's face.

"Your Hunting Soul Group doesn't keep its promises; aren't you afraid of our lord's retaliation?"

Tie Li heard a familiar voice, and the image of Butler Liu, who had once saved him, instantly formed in his mind.

"Hahaha, your lord is just a local noble. We killed you, stole your money, went into hiding under a false name—can your lord even find us?"

"My uncle is a general of the Heavenly Battle Empire; he will avenge us."

The crisp, pleasant voice—Tie Li had always remembered it; perhaps it was at their request that Butler Liu agreed to save him.

Tie Li approached cautiously, trying to suppress his own aura.

A group of the Hunting Soul Group surrounded Butler Liu and the noble lady; the servants nearby had been killed, leaving only the two of them.

The Hunting Soul Group numbered nine; its leader had a fierce look but a short stature, wielded a curved blade, his gaze leering as he lingered around the noble lady.

All nine were Soul Masters; hired by the nobility as the Hunting Soul Group to obtain Soul Rings for the noble lady in the Star Dou Great Forest, likely motivated by money and planning a robbery.

Tie Li retrieved a tungsten‑gold bow from his storage ring, a gift from his master before departing.

A long arrow was nocked on the tungsten‑gold bow; its tip was forged from refined iron, and the shaft was plain wood.

As Tie Li drew the bowstring, soul power surged into the gauntlets on his arms, and strands of Lightning Light coalesced on the arrowhead.

"Whoosh"

The arrowhead sliced through the air with a rush, bearing extra electric damage; its speed was far beyond what an ordinary Second Ring Great Soul Master could react to.

The short man suddenly felt an inexplicable suffocation and immediately summoned his martial soul and Soul Ring.

One white and two yellow, he too was a Three Ring Soul Honorable; his exposed skin sprouted a layer of gray‑brown short hair, his already slight frame became even more squalid, and his mouth filled with sharp, ugly teeth.

Like a flash of lightning, an arrow feather streaked straight toward his brow.

His Second Soul Ring lit up, and he instantly dove into the ground, evading the arrow feather.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh"

Several more arrow feathers followed; he could dodge them—do the other Hunting Soul Group members lack this ability?

Tie Li shot nine arrows in succession, each aimed at a different member of the Hunting Soul Group.

Except for the short man, two Second Ring Great Soul Masters barely evaded; the remaining six were each struck in a vital spot—three died on the spot, three were gravely wounded.

"You sneaky little one, go die!"

The short man, having burrowed underground, followed the sound to locate Tie Li, burst up from beneath his feet, and his long claws tried to grievously wound Tie Li as the ground split.

Having sensed the underground movement beforehand, Tie Li was already prepared; the moment the ground broke, he leapt upward.

Two yellow and one purple, three Soul Rings materialized, and his right arm surged with raging Lightning Light.

"What?"

The short man was startled, and Tie Li suddenly plummeted from above him, the Forging Hammer brimming with Lightning Light aimed at his face and hammered down hard.

Sensing danger, he tried to dive back into the ground, but Tie Li would not give him that chance.

The Forge Hammer Martial Soul burst from his hand, its speed instantly exploding to be three times faster than an arrow feather.

The short man, feeling something was wrong, released the Third Soul Ring, a layer of gray‑brown light forming a protective shield that enveloped him.

"Bang"

Just a single clash, and the shield already sprouted countless cracks; the next second, it turned into a sky of debris, and the Forging Hammer, undiminished, slammed into his chest.

"Boom"

"Pssht"

The short man, knocked to the ground, spat out a mouthful of fresh blood mixed with shattered organs.

(End of chapter)