In the morning, the sunlight gradually warmed up, but most of it was absorbed by the forest, making the atmosphere feel somewhat chilly.
Chen Xuan had joined a team of ten people, led by a robust man at the Soul King level, as they ventured into the Star Dou Forest.
For half an hour, they moved cautiously in the outer area, searching for suitable prey, with no one daring to venture deeper into the forest. The core of the forest was filled with ten-thousand-year soul beasts, and even hundred-thousand-year soul beasts existed there. The forest overlords, the Titan Giant Ape and the Azure Bull Python, resided in the central region.
The leader of the team was a burly man with bulging muscles and a high level of cultivation. He had entered the Soul King realm two or three years ago, but even he paled at the thought of encountering a ten-thousand-year soul beast.
Despite his strength, he didn't dare to go deeper and chose to stay on the outskirts, which spoke volumes about the dangers of this forest.
"The soul beasts here are extremely ferocious. Even in the outskirts, there's a chance of encountering a ten-thousand-year soul beast, unlike the tamed soul beasts within the Empire," the burly leader said with a grave expression, staying vigilant at all times.
"From now on, no one is allowed to stray more than 20 meters from me, especially those at the Grandmaster level. If you die here, I won't be responsible." His name was Da Zhuang, a straightforward and coarse man who always spoke bluntly.
The five Grandmasters in the group tensed up, their expressions filled with fear, and they immediately moved a few steps closer to him.
Da Zhuang then pointed to four members of the team and said, "You two, take the lead up front. And you, you're from the agility attack system, right? You'll be responsible for scouting from the air."
"Understood," the three responded without objection and moved to the front to clear the way.
When Da Zhuang pointed to Chen Xuan, he hesitated, his expression turning a bit strange.
"He's too young," Da Zhuang thought, doubting whether this person truly had the strength of a Soul Elder. Was the old man who recruited him reliable?
At most, Chen Xuan seemed like someone who had just stepped into the Soul Elder realm, far from reaching the Soul Ancestor level. After all, for an ordinary person, breaking through the 30th level at the age of sixteen was already quite rare.
Many people only barely reach the 40th level Soul Ancestor stage in their thirties, and some even spend their entire lives unable to break through to the Soul King level.
Da Zhuang himself was one of the fortunate ones, reaching the Soul King realm in his forties or fifties.
"Forget it, you stay at the back of the group," Da Zhuang said, shaking his head in disappointment, waving Chen Xuan away as if he was of little use.
Chen Xuan felt a bit annoyed—how little did they think of him?
However, he still moved to the rear of the group, not rejecting the arrangement.
"That's fine, it'll save me some energy," Chen Xuan thought, not minding the position. It suited him perfectly to remain unnoticed.
Unlike the others, his goal was different. His soul ring's limit for absorption was around nine thousand years, so he needed to venture deeper into the Star Dou Forest.
"I wonder how long a Mangekyo-level illusion can control a soul beast," Chen Xuan muttered. This time, he couldn't hide his strength and would have to use those terrifying eyes.
The reason he hadn't used them before the tournament was twofold: first, he didn't want to draw unnecessary attention; second, he didn't want to waste the ability unless absolutely necessary.
Mainly, he didn't have any close relatives with blood ties. Once Mangekyo's power was exhausted, he wouldn't have another Sharingan to replace it, leaving him to live the rest of his life in darkness.
Chen Xuan was uncertain since he wasn't skilled in illusions and hadn't trained in them. He didn't have time to do so. Additionally, he possessed the straight-tomoe Mangekyo Sharingan, which leaned toward speed and power rather than the curving-tomoe Sharingan, which specialized in illusions. In some ways, it wasn't much stronger than a three-tomoe illusion.
Chen Xuan knew that going deeper into the forest would inevitably lead to encounters with ten-thousand-year soul beasts, but there was no other choice. The outskirts were mostly populated by thousand-year soul beasts, and those nearing nine thousand years were extremely rare. Even if they did exist, they might not be suitable.
He had awakened a spatial martial soul, and after consuming a plant that seemed to be an immortal herb, the quality of his martial soul had been elevated, resembling an attribute-less martial soul that most soul beasts wouldn't reject.
This time, he had chosen a water-attribute martial soul as his target, intending to test whether his idea was feasible.
Chen Xuan thought that if he could possess water-attribute soul power, he might be able to practice water-attribute ninjutsu, solving the issue of lacking water-attribute chakra.
If things went as he imagined, the next soul ring would be earth-attribute, followed by a soul ring with intense yang energy.
With earth as the foundation, water as nourishment, and yang soul power as the seed, he could potentially develop the ultimate bloodline limit—Wood Release!
The idea was beautiful, but if it failed, it would waste a soul ring.
"Well, let's take it one step at a time," Chen Xuan concluded, ending his thoughts and catching up with the group.
Thus, the ten-person team continued to advance, gradually moving deeper into the forest's outer edge in search of suitable prey.
Da Zhuang's arrangement pleased their employer, the bearded man, immensely. This formation placed him and his precious son at the center, giving them a strong sense of security.
The bearded man's son, Xiao Shuai, possessed a beast martial soul, and their goal was to find a strong attack-type soul beast, ideally around thirteen hundred years old.
Chen Xuan was slightly impressed. Most of the Seven Monsters' third soul rings were only around seventeen or eighteen hundred years old. This grassroots-born peer could be considered a genius.
Suddenly, a rustling sound came from a distance, and the grass in that area moved significantly, as if a large beast was present.
Da Zhuang immediately tensed up, his expression turning serious as he shouted, "Don't stray far from me! You three, go check out what's happening!"
The three men, who were in their thirties, were also fearful. They only dared to jump up into the trees, cautiously approaching the source of the noise.
When they finally saw what was in the grass, they breathed a sigh of relief. "It looks like a wild wolf, and its tail is red."
"How long is it? Are its claws also red?" Da Zhuang asked, narrowing his eyes.
The three men nodded from a distance, confirming that the claws were indeed red and that the wolf was about three meters long.
"Three meters, just right for thirteen hundred years," Da Zhuang said with a pleased expression, deciding that this soul beast would be their target.
The wolf, known as a Blood Wolf, was extremely ferocious and perfectly suited for a strong attack-type soul master.
However, it was strange that this kind of soul beast usually lived in packs and rarely ventured out alone.
Of course, there were exceptions.
The bearded man was overjoyed and urgently said, "What are you waiting for? Go capture it!"
Da Zhuang didn't hesitate. Five soul rings appeared under his feet—two yellow, two purple, and one black. At the same time, a gigantic brown bear's shadow emerged behind him.
Chen Xuan was about to step forward but was stopped by Da Zhuang, who waved him off dismissively, indicating that his help wasn't needed and that he should stay put.
"You three, come with me to hunt the soul beast. The rest of you stay here and wait for my return," Da Zhuang instructed, taking the three Soul Elders with him to capture the Blood Wolf.
The bearded man let out a long sigh of relief. He had initially thought there was something unusual on the outskirts, but now it seemed they were just overthinking things; everything was normal.
He regretted hiring so many people. The Grandmasters and that young man were practically useless. Thinking about how he would have to pay them all those gold soul coins for nothing when they returned, the middle-aged man felt a pang of heartache—it wasn't worth it at all.
"With a Soul King and three Soul Elders, dealing with a thousand-year soul beast shouldn't be a problem. I should probably make my move," Chen Xuan muttered, planning to quietly slip away from the group.
As for the promised three hundred gold soul coins, he hadn't accepted them and had no intention of doing so, so he felt no guilt about leaving.
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