Yu Tianheng had been suffering for the past three months.
The pride of the Blue Lightning Tyrant School prevented him from taking action against someone of a lower level, which meant he could only watch helplessly as Li Xun and Dugu Yan interacted.
He was powerless.
He had thought of many strategies, but none of them worked. Dugu Yan and Dugu Bo were still more affectionate toward Li Xun than they were toward him.
However, Li Xun was about to reach the same level as him. Once a conflict arose between them, he would have a legitimate reason to spar with Li Xun. At that time, he could seize the opportunity to kick Li Xun out of the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy.
Yu Tianheng thought to himself.
Heavenly Dou Empire's Soul Hunting Forest.
A large carriage slowly made its way along the official road.
"So this is the Soul Hunting Forest!" Ning Rongrong poked her head out of the carriage. "I heard that the Soul Beasts here are all raised by the empire. Is that true?"
"Yes, and ordinary people need a permit to enter," Qin Ming nodded.
"Do we need a permit too?"
"Not at all. Teachers and students of the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy can enter for free."
As they chatted, the carriage slowly came to a halt.
The entrance to the Soul Hunting Forest was crowded with low-level Soul Masters.
Some of these Soul Masters were there to help others obtain Spirit Rings for profit, while others, unwilling to spend money, slowly formed teams to hunt Soul Beasts.
When Li Xun stepped out of the carriage, he was greeted by a bustling scene.
"Let's go."
Qin Ming took the lead and walked toward the gate.
The others quickly followed.
The Soul Hunting Forest was of a low level, and along the way, Li Xun didn't see many high-year Soul Beasts.
However, he did see quite a few ten-year Solitary Bamboos.
Coincidentally, the Solitary Bamboo was Li Xun's target this time.
But it wasn't the ten-year Solitary Bamboo that the Grandmaster had found for Tang San. He was looking for a thousand-year Solitary Bamboo.
Bamboo had always been easily overlooked, leading to a lack of understanding about it.
In fact, it was one of the fastest-growing plants in the world.
Under natural conditions, its fastest recorded growth rate was over a meter per day.
Moreover, its reproductive ability was extremely strong. With just one bamboo plant, it could turn into a bamboo grove within a few years.
Through Li Xun's careful research, he found that the Solitary Bamboo shared these two characteristics and also possessed a resilient nature.
"Xiao Xun, isn't the Solitary Bamboo too ordinary? Should we consider another Soul Beast? Perhaps one with poison to add some characteristics to your Martial Soul?"
Qin Ming turned back and spoke to Li Xun.
Before coming, he hadn't known that Li Xun intended to hunt a Solitary Bamboo.
Qin Ming had seen Li Xun's first Soul Skill.
In his opinion, although Li Xun's first Soul Skill had a wide range, its control was weak, at best able to limit the opponent's movement.
If it happened to hit the opponent, the damage caused by the thorns on the sapling wouldn't be significant.
What use could a mere half-meter-tall sapling have in battle?
That's why he thought of adding some poison or other characteristics to the sapling.
"Thank you for your concern, Teacher Qin Ming, but I've been researching the Solitary Bamboo for a long time. Moreover, absorbing a Spirit Ring of the same attribute will help improve the quality of my Martial Soul."
Li Xun smiled and declined Qin Ming's suggestion. He had never been interested in short-term gains. The path of a Soul Master was long, and one needed to have a long-term vision.
Yu Tianheng's eyes lit up as he overheard their conversation, and a sneer appeared on his lips.
He had never heard of any noble Soul Master choosing a Solitary Bamboo as their Spirit Ring. Such a thing had no attack power, no special characteristics, and even if it grew there, it would just be a target.
Even an ordinary person with an axe could chop down a decade or century-old Solitary Bamboo.
However, he was quite pleased to see Li Xun choose this as his second Spirit Ring.
"Once you obtain your second Spirit Ring, we'll be Soul Masters of the same level. I hope you won't be too weak by then," Yu Tianheng said, looking at Li Xun's back.
"Brother Li Xun, are you really going to choose Solitary Bamboo as your Spirit Ring? The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School should be able to provide you with better options, right? If not, I can go find Grandpa and have him take you to the Sunset Forest to choose," Dugu Yan said with a slight frown, her voice tinged with concern.
"What do you all know? My brother has his reasons for choosing this. My father and Sword Grandpa don't oppose it," Ning Rongrong retorted, her hands on her hips, her face puffing up in anger.
These people thought the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School was deliberately mistreating her brother.
But they had no idea that Li Xun had Twin Spirits, so he didn't need to worry about lacking offensive methods. Her father had also mentioned that Li Xun's choice for the first two Spirit Rings might be the right direction.
Thinking of this, Ning Rongrong's eyes sparkled, and she suddenly felt happy. That's right! They didn't know Li Xun had Twin Spirits!
Li Xun felt exhausted by all this.
He regretted agreeing to come with them, as it meant he had to explain himself over and over again.
As they were discussing, a sudden roar came from the distance.
"A pack of level ten wolves dares to act up in front of me! Sanpao, get ready."
"Fart like thunder, earth-shattering Luo Sanpao."
Boom—
A loud explosion echoed from afar.
Li Xun was momentarily stunned. "Luo Sanpao? Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang?"
This incantation was too famous, and he was certain it was unique among Soul Masters.
Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan were startled by the sound and quickly moved closer to Li Xun.
In contrast to the others' reactions, Yu Tianheng was extremely excited.
"Teacher, can we head in that direction?" Yu Tianheng asked, trembling as he pointed toward the source of the sound.
"Is that someone you know? I don't mind, but we should ask Xiao Xun," Qin Ming said, glancing at Yu Tianheng in surprise.
Li Xun shrugged indifferently.
He knew exactly what Yu Tianheng was thinking. "I don't mind. Solitary Bamboo is everywhere. It's fine to check it out first."
Besides, he also wanted to meet the Grandmaster.
If he wasn't mistaken, Tang San should be there too.
"It seems Yu Xiaogang and the others are here to help Tang San obtain his second Spirit Ring," Li Xun thought to himself.
Two years ago, to keep up with Tang San, he had practiced Spiritual Energy during the day and meditated on Soul Power at night, nearly dying from exhaustion.
It wasn't until half a year ago, when he learned Distraction Control, that his situation improved.
Now that he knew Tang San was at the same level as him, he felt both relieved and slightly pressured.
Having decided to check it out, the group headed toward the source of the sound.
Before long.
Three figures came into view.
Two adults and a child.
One of the adults and the child were wearing masks, watching another person deal with a Ghost Vine. Around them were the corpses of three wolf-type Soul Beasts, apparently killed by having their throats slit.
"Uncle!"
Yu Tianheng shouted excitedly upon seeing the masked middle-aged man.
Li Xun followed Yu Tianheng's gaze.
The classic look of Yu Xiaogang—short hair and a beard—was easy to recognize.
"Then the one beside him must be Tang San, the Tang Shenwang."
Tang San had not yet undergone the transformation by the Blue Silver King, so his
appearance was not particularly striking.
"Who are you?"
Yu Xiaogang and the other two were somewhat surprised by the sudden arrival of the group.
Yu Tianheng stepped forward excitedly, "Uncle, it's me, Tianheng!"
(End of Chapter)