"Come out, Luo Sanpao!"
"Rumble rumble!"
Presenting his order and entering the Soul Beast Hunting Forest, Yu Xiaogang summoned his unique martial soul—Luo Sanpao!
With light purple fur, droopy ears, deep blue eyes, a fat body, and four short, thick legs, it looked just like a dog—a dog even fatter than a pig.
"Pfft," Lan Si couldn't hold back and burst into laughter instantly.
"Is there a problem?" Yu Xiaogang frowned. He felt that Lan Si was mocking him but had no evidence.
"No, no problem at all. I just think your martial soul is adorable." Lan Si squatted down slightly and petted Luo Sanpao as one would pet a dog in a previous life.
Lan Si's closeness greatly increased Luo Sanpao's favour toward him. Its large head gently rubbed against Lan Si's leg, then flipped over, exposing its belly as a gesture of friendliness.
Seeing Luo Sanpao getting close to Lan Si, Yu Xiaogang's mouth twitched. He decided to ignore Lan Si and turned his attention to Tang San, giving a brief introduction before they continued on their way.
Luo Sanpao led the way, with the three of them following behind.
Before long, Luo Sanpao stopped in front of an ancient tree about nine meters tall.
"It seems we are in luck," Yu Xiaogang pointed and said to Lan Si, "Lan Si, this soul power sacred tree is over ninety years old. Although it hasn't reached a hundred years, it's very close. You should choose it. You should be able to gain a decent healing soul skill or one that boosts soul power."
Lan Si glanced disdainfully at Yu Xiaogang and shook his head.
"What, are you not satisfied? Young people should not aim too high. A saint wood tree of over ninety years is already extremely rare." Yu Xiaogang's face darkened. Since taking Tang San as his disciple, he once again felt the sting of ridicule, and his heart was filled with rage.
Tang San also sensed the tension and tried to mediate, saying, "Lan Si, you should choose this soul power sacred tree. The teacher's theory is not wrong."
"Sorry, master, but I have my own choice. Thank you for bringing me to the Soul Beast Hunting Forest. I'll take my leave now." Lan Si smirked inwardly, lightly tapping the ground with his toes. He jumped onto a nearby large tree and disappeared after a few flickers of his body.
"Teacher, he..." Tang San stared in shock at where Lan Si had vanished, disbelief flashing in his eyes. He never expected Lan Si to have such an agile physique. As someone who had practiced the Mysterious Heaven Skill and Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track since childhood, he believed he could do this too.
But Lan Si was just a native with a support-type martial soul.
The master had said that support types had no offensive capabilities, and Tang San believed this without question.
Yet Lan Si managed to do it. Not only did he easily defeat Xiao Wu, who had a rabbit martial soul and innate full soul power, in the working students' dormitory, but he also had such agile movements.
One really can't underestimate soul masters in this world, Tang San couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"Ignore him. If you don't listen to the words of the experienced, you'll suffer. Let him be. This soul beast forest is full of dangers. We should be cautious," Yu Xiaogang said, though shocked by Lan Si's agility, his heart was already filled with anger.
So what if he's agile?
A mere level five innate soul power support-type soul master who doesn't even know how to respect his teacher and elders, no matter how quickly he advances in the early stages, he could never compare to Tang San, who possesses twin martial souls.
When Tang San gains his first soul ring under my guidance, you'll regret it.
"Hmm." Tang San was also displeased with Lan Si. Since the other party didn't appreciate their goodwill, they would let him fend for himself.
Along the way, Lan Si encountered many soul beasts.
There were spotted cats, solitary bamboos, short-tailed leopards... Various ten-year soul beasts were countless, but none over a hundred years old.
"Luckily, the soul guide artifact my parents left behind includes books on soul beasts. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to identify their ages."
Standing on a large tree in the Soul Beast Hunting Forest, Lan Si closed the thick book in his hand, feeling a sense of relief.
He glanced up at the gradually darkening sky, looked around, found a hidden spot, pitched his tent, and sprinkled snake-repelling powder he'd prepared beforehand around the area.
"Screech!"
In the latter half of the night, an eagle's cry awakened Lan Si.
He quickly emerged from his tent. In the dim moonlight, he vaguely saw two shadows chasing each other several hundred meters away.
As they got closer, Lan Si could make out their forms.
One was a soul beast eagle with a wingspan exceeding four meters. Its feathers were a reddish-green, thin as cicada wings, and extremely sharp, reflecting a metallic sheen under the moonlight. It sliced through branches wherever it flew.
The other was a snake, with a dark green body exceeding three meters, nearly four meters long, covered in strange patterns.
An eagle and a snake, one chasing, the other fleeing. Although the snake wasn't injured, it was exhausted.
"It's the Scarlet Feather Eagle and the Mandala Snake," Lan Si was both shocked and delighted.
He found that he had encountered two hundred-year soul beasts simultaneously.
According to the books, the mandala snake's body length increases by one centimeter for every year of age. This mandala snake is over three meters, nearly four meters long, meaning it's close to four hundred years old.
The Scarlet Feather Eagle's age is determined by its wingspan, increasing by one centimeter for every year of age. This eagle's wingspan is over four meters, indicating it has surpassed four hundred years.
"The mandala snake is in trouble. Although it isn't injured yet, the Scarlet Feather Eagle has a higher cultivation level and strong defense and resistance to poison. Additionally, snakes are naturally restrained by eagles. It's likely doomed... Wait, this eagle and snake came from the depths of the Soul Beast Hunting Forest. Could this be the mandala snake from the original story that Tang San encountered?"
Lan Si looked around. Sure enough, the mandala snake's path was leading to the outer area of the Soul Beast Hunting Forest.
Following its route, he saw a massive rock, as big as a small hill, with a narrow crack in the middle, just enough for the mandala snake to hide.
If the snake got inside, the Scarlet Feather Eagle would be powerless.
After all, no matter how strong it is, it's still a hundred-year soul beast and can't do much against a massive rock.
"Let me give you a hand." Lan Si chuckled. Using the cover of night, he jumped into the crack in the rock ahead of the mandala snake.
Inside the crevice, it was surprisingly spacious. Being small in stature, Lan Si had ample room to move.
He held his breath and waited at the entrance.
Soon, the sound of snake scales rubbing against grass reached him.
As the sound approached, lightning crackled in Lan Si's left hand, and the Clear Sky Bamboo Mallet was released. With its tip aimed downward, he hammered it toward the triangular head of the mandala snake.