After several hundred li of travel—not too far, not too close—Yang Yunhai finally reached the outskirts of the Soul Hunting Forest by the following afternoon.
Stretching along both sides of the path were rows of wooden shops, built tall and dense.
"permits available—team up to hunt strength-type soul beasts! Team for agility-types, seven members already holding permits!"
Calls and shouts rose one after another, a chaotic marketplace of voices.
"There are quite a lot of people." Yang Yunhai muttered, pressing down the brim of his bamboo hat.
He swung down from his little yellow horse and led it toward a nearby post station.
Traveling alone past guards at the entrance would draw too much attention. Now that dusk was approaching, his plan was to eat first, then enter the forest under cover of darkness.
He stepped into the post station and ordered a few buns and a pot of tea.
Everything outside the Soul Hunting Forest was expensive, even in an official post. But the advantage was that few people lingered here. Buying a small meal meant he could stay quietly for a while, far better than standing outside among the crowded and prying eyes of soul masters.
A boy traveling alone had to think carefully about safety.
The road here had been quiet enough, but this place was different—many more people, most of them soul masters. He couldn't afford to be careless.
Time passed. Half an hour later, night finally fell.
Yang Yunhai stood, went to the counter, and paid several silver soul coins to board his horse. Then he stepped out of the post station and walked directly toward the forest's gate.
Showing his permit, he entered smoothly under the surprised gaze of the guards.
Following the direction the village chief had told him, he headed toward the patrol corps' station. At this hour, they should be at rest.
Soon, he saw the glow of bonfires not far ahead.
"Who goes there!?" A patrolling guard spotted him instantly and barked a challenge.
"I'm here to find Changgong Ao—Uncle Ao." Yang Yunhai quickly called back.
Hearing it was someone familiar, the guard gave him a closer look. The youth's voice was still tender, his figure small. Likely, this was indeed one of Lone Grass Village's soul master children, come to ask their captain for help with a soul ring.
The guard turned back toward a nearby tent and shouted, "Captain, someone's here for you!"
Thud, thud, thud. A broad-shouldered man stepped out.
"Uncle Ao!" Yang Yunhai had already taken off his bamboo hat and waved in greeting.
"Xiao Hai?" Changgong Ao froze, his eyes flashing with surprise. He strode forward quickly. "Xiao Hai, you've reached rank 10?"
"Yes." Yang Yunhai nodded.
"Even Blue Silver Grass can grow this fast?" Changgong Ao was shocked. But years of experience in the Soul Hunting Forest had made him steady and decisive. He recovered quickly and smiled. "I was just about to eat. Come, Xiao Hai, join me."
He had always liked this clever and sensible child. It was a pity his martial soul was Blue Silver Grass. The thought brought him a pang of regret.
Yang Yunhai nodded and let himself be pulled inside the fence and into the tent.
In the warm glow of lamplight, he saw the interior was plain—just a wooden bed, a few chairs, and a table with two dishes of vegetables. Nothing more.
"Sit." Changgong Ao gestured, moving to take out an extra set of bowls and chopsticks.
"Uncle Ao, don't trouble yourself. I already ate on the way." Yang Yunhai quickly said.
He drew out the folded letter from the village chief and offered it. "This is from Grandpa Tai."
"Oh?" Changgong Ao sat down, reaching for it, ready to tear it open.
"Uncle, no need to read right away. You should finish while the food's still hot." Yang Yunhai smiled gently.
"Fair enough." Changgong Ao set the letter aside and picked up his bowl again.
As he ate, he asked, "Tell me, Xiao Hai, how have you managed this? How did you cultivate to rank 10 so quickly?"
Yang Yunhai didn't hide anything. He described his relentless training at the academy, and his method of drawing down lightning.
"Xiao Hai, you've suffered greatly." In the end, Changgong Ao's voice was thick with pride. "But Uncle Ao is proud of you."
"It's nothing. I'm used to it now." Yang Yunhai laughed lightly.
"No matter what, safety comes first." Changgong Ao's voice grew firm. "The power of thunder is not something to be taken lightly. Never push too far."
With that, he picked up the letter and carefully broke the seal.
"I know." Yang Yunhai nodded.
As Changgong Ao's eyes scanned the page, his expression changed instantly—from shock, to deep solemnity.
At last, he laid the letter down, drew a heavy breath, and looked Yang Yunhai in the eye. His voice was grave.
"Xiao Hai, have you truly thought this through?"
"Yes." Yang Yunhai nodded again, voice steady.
Changgong Ao fell silent. Finally, he sighed deeply. "Xiao Hai, give me your hand. Let Uncle check once more."
"Alright." Yang Yunhai held out his right hand.
Changgong Ao took it, probing bone and muscle carefully. After a moment, he muttered under his breath, "The strength is indeed remarkable."
Releasing it, he placed a broad hand on the boy's shoulder and said in a tone heavy with respect, "You're a true man. Uncle Ao is proud of you. And I believe—you will succeed."
If Yang Yunhai truly managed to absorb a soul ring beyond the supposed limit, the entire soul master world would be shaken.
Spirit Hall might cover it up, but families like theirs would surely benefit. His own ceiling might be Soul Elder at rank 39, but with this path, his sons and grandsons could go further.
For that reason alone, Yang Yunhai's courage deserved reverence.
"The matter of your soul ring—leave it to me." Changgong Ao withdrew his hand, then added, "But… Xiao Hai, the Sky Azure Vine you want, it's one of the best among plant-types. This forest is small, and such beasts are rare."
He stood, went to his bed, and drew a heavy tome from beneath the pillow. Flipping through its pages, he returned to the table and slid it forward.
"Here, look. These are the plant-type soul beasts of a hundred years and above that we've recorded. You should also see if there's one that might work as your second soul ring later."
If Yang Yunhai succeeded in surpassing limits, then at the very least he would surely reach rank 20. Beyond that, Changgong Ao wasn't certain.
"Thank you, Uncle Ao." Yang Yunhai carefully accepted the book and lowered his head to study.
"So few…" He couldn't help but mutter.
Then he thought again—Nuoding City was remote, surrounded by small towns. It made sense.
The Soul Hunting Forest was state-run, stocked as a resource pool. That meant beasts were allocated. A small region like this wouldn't get many of the rare ones, especially not something like the Sky Azure Vine.
In the whole forest, only a dozen plant beasts above a hundred years had been cataloged. Not a single thousand-year one.
No wonder Tang San's second soul ring had only come from a six-hundred-year-old Ghost Vine. Suddenly, that seemed very reasonable.
It wasn't that people didn't want optimal-age soul rings—it was that there simply weren't any available.
With that thought, his tense heart calmed slightly. He continued flipping pages.
At last, his finger paused.
(End of Chapter)
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