Chapter 45: I, Xiao Hongchen, Will Give You a Chance to Catch Up—Until I'm Far Beyond Your Reach
"Let's do this!"
After consuming the Whale Rubber, both Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen had successfully elevated their fifth soul ring absorption limit to over fifteen thousand years. However, it wouldn't surpass that threshold by too much.
The Golden Wolf King in the distance—judging by its fangs and the length of its golden-brown fur—was at least sixteen thousand years old. Attempting it was still a bit risky.
"Brother is really working hard now."
Meng Hongchen covered her mouth with a chuckle. She knew full well it was Huo Yuhao's presence that pushed her elder brother into this gamble.
Otherwise, given her brother's cautious personality, there was no way he would risk absorbing a soul ring so far beyond the typical limit of a fifth ring.
"Alright, then here's the plan." Huo Yuhao's eyes sharpened. "I'll attract the Golden Wolf King's attention. You two set up soul bombs ahead of time. Once it's lured in, Meng will weaken it with her poison, then I'll use Ultimate Ice to disperse its bloody aura. Xiao, you'll seize the chance to drag it toward the outskirts."
Dealing with a single ten-thousand-year Golden Wolf King wasn't a problem for the three of them. But Golden Wolf Kings were pack creatures. Others—and perhaps even an Elemental Silver Wolf—were likely nearby. If they alerted the entire pack, things would turn disastrous.
"Got it. Yuhao, be careful."
Huo Yuhao nodded. Thanks to the Starlight Ring, the Level 9 soul guidance device given to him by his teacher, he could completely conceal his aura. That made him the most suitable one to initiate the assault.
At that moment, the Golden Wolf King had just finished gorging on metal ores and was about to return to its pack. Suddenly, a human soul master appeared before it—one whose presence it hadn't even noticed until now.
The Golden Wolf King, naturally violent and bloodthirsty, gave a low roar and lunged without hesitation.
Huo Yuhao instantly unleashed the Ice Soul Martial Soul Rhino Chain, binding the wolf's movements for a split second. At the same time, Meng Hongchen struck, her venomous ice erupting in full force.
And Xiao Hongchen? By then, he had already deployed over a hundred soul cannons—unleashing a storm of artillery fire upon the beast.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The explosions echoed through the forest. Before the Golden Wolf King could even properly engage in battle, it was blasted into a severely wounded, dying state.
"Move!"
Huo Yuhao's expression tightened. He could already sense the auras of the wolf pack approaching rapidly. Staying here was a courting disaster.
Xiao Hongchen didn't hesitate. He restrained the gravely injured Golden Wolf King, stored it, and the three immediately retreated toward the periphery of the forest.
By the time the Elemental Silver Wolf and the other two Golden Wolf Kings rushed over, they found nothing but wreckage—and no trace of the trio's aura, completely erased by Yuhao's Ultimate Ice.
Awooooo!
Furious howls shook the forest, but the pack was left like headless flies, unable to find any clues.
—Jingyang Forest Outskirts—
After half an hour of non-stop running, the three finally reached safe ground. Xiao Hongchen steadied his breathing, then decisively ended the dying Golden Wolf King's life.
A deep black soul ring rose. Without hesitation, Xiao Hongchen began absorbing it.
Huo Yuhao, on the other hand, began to search the body, but he didn't find any Soul Bone on this Golden Wolf King.
Alas, indeed, he couldn't always be enveloped by Strong Luck.
Shaking his head, he turned to cooking. With Meng Hongchen's help, they began roasting the Golden Wolf King's flesh. Meat from a ten-thousand-year soul beast was so rare that even the Academy's premium canteen had little of it.
Xiao Hongchen's absorption went smoothly. When he finally opened his eyes, Huo Yuhao was already finishing up the meal.
"Hahaha! As expected of me, the great genius Xiao Hongchen! The moment I advanced to Soul King, my soul power shot straight to rank fifty-two!"
"Judging from your smug face, your fifth soul skill must be quite impressive," Huo Yuhao said lightly, tearing off a piece of roasted wolf leg.
Xiao Hongchen's stomach growled, but he held back from eating immediately. After all—food was food, but showing off came first.
"You're absolutely right. My fifth soul skill is called Golden Affinity. It drastically increases my affinity with metals, and when my soul power surges, it enhances both my control and precision and the destructive power of soul guidance devices.
On top of that, I can expend large amounts of soul power to liquefy my body into a metallic state—making me immune to eighty percent of physical attacks. In that form, I can even pass freely through solid obstacles!"
He was practically bursting with the urge to demonstrate.
"Not bad," Yuhao said casually. "Eat first. Afterward, we'll head deeper into Jingyang to find a suitable dual-attribute soul beast for Meng. As for me… the Three-legged Golden Toad will be tricky to come across, so I'll keep searching on the side."
"Eh?"
Though Yuhao's praise was genuine, Xiao Hongchen still felt dissatisfied. Chewing on roasted meat, he smirked mischievously.
"Admit it—you're jealous. Admit it, I was so handsome just now. Don't worry, I'll give you a chance to catch up… though by then, I'll be far beyond your reach."
Good grief. This guy's arrogance was endless. Yuhao simply ignored him. Kids without enough scolding always reverted back to their natural selves.
After a brief rest, laughter, and food, the trio set off once more, heading deeper into the forest.
With maps marking several soul beast congregation areas, finding targets wouldn't be too difficult.
—Seven Days Later—
Inside a mountain valley, the three combined forces again. This time, Meng Hongchen successfully obtained her fifth soul ring—slightly higher in age than Xiao Hongchen's by a few hundred years.
The soul beast sacrificed was a Scarlet Flame Ice Python, nearing seventeen thousand years in cultivation. Not only did it wield ice, but it also carried traces of fire, making it extremely rare.
Her new fifth soul skill was called Vermilion Ice Eyes—a technique fusing her ice, fire, and spiritual power. It allowed her to invade an enemy's spiritual sea, stripping away their perception for a time dependent on her cultivation, while residual spirit power continued damaging their senses even afterward.
With both siblings having advanced, the trio finally dared to press into the deeper regions of Jingyang forest.
By now, however, they no longer focused on the ordinary hunting zones marked on the maps. Instead, they targeted areas with the highest concentration of rare metallic ore veins.
Because only in such places could they possibly find the Three-legged Golden Toad—the rare soul beast Yuhao desired for his third ring.
—Half a Month Later—
The earth beneath them was black, yet in the moonlight it shimmered faintly with an eerie metallic luster. Concealed in the shadows, Huo Yuhao and the Hongchen siblings stared ahead at the Heavy Gold Marsh, faint smiles tugging at their lips.
"Finally… as expected of the soul beast worthy of becoming my martial soul's foundation. Rare indeed. We really had to work for this one."
Xiao Hongchen exhaled, relieved. Over the past half month, the three had scoured more than a dozen rare metal-rich regions, but found nothing suitable.
Either the beasts weren't strong enough, or they didn't meet Yuhao's requirements.
Now, watching the enormous Three-legged Golden Toad snoozing leisurely by the marsh's edge, all their effort felt worthwhile.
Its very presence also proved this swamp concealed a massive, rare-metal vein beneath it.
"This one has twenty-four and a half dark-gold stripes on its back. Its cultivation has nearly reached twenty-five thousand years. Yuhao, are you sure about this?"
After all, twenty-five thousand years was already at the very limit of what Yuhao could endure. Absorbing it might bring unforeseen risks.
"Just this one."
With the Strong Luck accumulated over the past six months, he could ensure that he would obtain the Metal Control Soul Skill, which would perfectly align with his desires, and perhaps even Strong Luck wouldn't be consumed that much.
—
End of Chapter