While speaking, Master had already brought Tang San to the entrance of the Soul-Hunting Forest.
The captain of the soldiers in charge of inspecting Tokens glanced at the three marks on the Token and immediately, his face showed a look of respect. He quickly ordered the soldiers to clear a path and invited Master to lead Tang San in. He didn't even ask why such a young child like Tang San needed to enter the Soul-Hunting Forest.
Passing through the iron fence and into the forest, all the hustle and bustle seemed to disappear, and the air finally became as fresh as Tang San had imagined. It gave a sense of mental refreshment.
After entering the forest, Master didn't hurry forward but silently observed their surroundings.
Tang San seemed to suddenly remember something, "Teacher, the six people you mentioned earlier who are respected by the Martial Soul Hall and have Tokens marked for them, what are their Soul Master titles? Soul Sage? Douluo? Or Titled Douluo?"
Master looked deeply into Tang San's eyes, "They are Titled Douluo, and they are the six most powerful Titled Douluo."
"The most powerful?" A hint of excitement flashed in Tang San's eyes.
Master let out a light sigh, "At the same level, with different Soul Rings, different Martial Souls, the strength is completely different. These six Titled Douluo are undoubtedly the strongest among the strong. Even if there are other Soul Masters who also practice above level 90, they cannot shake their status. This is all too far away for you right now. All right, we must prepare to venture deeper into the forest. From now on, don't leave my side for even a step."
"Yes, Teacher."
The somewhat despondent look in Master's eyes suddenly brightened, and he clasped his hands in front of his chest, then quickly separated them downwards, "Come out, Luo San Pao."
With a puff sound, a pale purple Soul Power split from Master's palms, and Tang San felt a wave of Soul Power fluctuation from Master's body. In front of him, there was now a creature.
Yes, it was a creature. At first glance, it looked like a dog, but its size was more on par with a pig's. With a body length over one and a half meters, its waist circumference was probably about the same.
Covered in pale purple fur, its two small ears drooped down, and a pair of deep blue eyes blinked gently, the gaze very tender. Its obese body wiggled slightly, causing its plump buttocks to sway to the left and right. Its four short and stubby legs made it hard to imagine how sluggish its movements were.
There was a bump on the top of its head, round in shape, and it was unclear what it was. As soon as it appeared, it ran toward Master and rubbed its large head against his legs.
Two rings of light rose at Master's feet, traveling up and down along his body. The rings were yellow, evidently Centennial Soul Rings.
"Xiaosan, you wanted to know what my Martial Soul is, right? This is my Martial Soul. You can call it Luo San Pao or simply San Pao."
Luo San Pao seemed to understand Master's words, as its big eyes looked at Tang San with a somewhat ingratiating look.
"Teacher, this is your Martial Soul?" Tang San asked in surprise, "But, shouldn't the manifestation of a Beast Soul be an embodiment? Why does it... "
Setting aside what kind of creature Luo San Pao was, Master's Martial Soul clearly exceeded the limitations of a normal Beast Soul.
Luo San Pao seemed somewhat displeased, barking at Tang San in a nagging manner.
A bitter smile appeared on Master's face, "Because my Martial Soul is a mutant Martial Soul. Remember when I told you about the mutation of a Martial Soul? San Pao is one. However, its mutation obviously took a turn for the worse. When it first awakened, my Soul Power was only at the half-level standard. Otherwise, why would it be like this now? No matter how hard I try, I will never be able to break through level 30 in this life, and can only study Martial Souls theoretically."
As early as when Tang San had heard rumors about Master, he knew Master was a persistent person, his obsession with Martial Souls similar to Tang San's own with hidden weapons. This was why Tang San never regretted apprenticing under Master. Perhaps, this was what it meant to have mutual respect.
"I'm sorry, Teacher, for bringing up a sad subject."
Master shook his head self-deprecatingly, "It's nothing, I've long since gotten used to it. Now, let me introduce you to San Pao. It's called that because its barking sounds like nagging, and it can only launch its attack three times. That's why it's called San Pao."
"San Pao, lead the way."
"Lolo."
The portly Luo San Pao waddled forward with its head shaking; despite its chubbiness, its movements were quite nimble. It moved while sniffing around.
Master's Soul Ring Light flickered as he followed behind Luo San Pao with Tang San in tow, heading into the depths of the forest.
"San Pao has a very keen sense of smell and can detect the traces and strength of soul beasts. Although it has become weak due to the mutation, it consumes very little Soul Power. So I can keep it released for a long time. Take this. You need to deal the final blow when killing a soul beast."
Master took out a graceful dagger from his bosom and handed it to Tang San.
The dagger's scabbard was clear blue, inlaid with seven sapphires. There was a piece of milky-white jade on the handle, and the sharp blade was one foot and two inches long. Even though it was sheathed, holding it in hand, one could still feel a chilling coldness.
They hadn't gone far when Luo San Pao suddenly stopped, its big eyes looking in one direction, and it made two nagging barks.
An animal resembling a cat appeared in the direction it was looking, lying in a tree, vigilantly observing Master and Tang San.
Master smiled indifferently, "That's a ten-year-old Spotted Cat. San Pao, don't disturb it. Let's keep going."
Master never forgot to teach Tang San at any moment. As they continued forward, he said to him, "That Spotted Cat just now is a feline soul beast. It has a strong aggressiveness, but as long as you don't attack it first, it usually won't launch an attack. If a Soul Master with a feline beast soul chose it as their first Soul Ring, it's a good choice. Don't look at the size of that Spotted Cat, if it'd been a millennium-old one, not just us, but even ten times our number wouldn't be enough for it to slaughter."