"Don't make a move, young man," the burly man said, waving his hands repeatedly.
"I didn't mean to disturb you. It's just that my brothers and I were resting in the Outer Area when an old man suddenly appeared. Without a word, he killed one of my brothers. Seeing things go south, I fled in a panic and ended up stumbling into the Mixed Area with nowhere else to go."
Lin Xiao remained silent, sizing up the burly man. Unfortunately, the man hadn't revealed his martial soul, and the fluctuations of his soul power were somewhat vague, making it impossible for Lin Xiao to gauge his exact cultivation level.
However, behind his back, Lin Xiao's left arm had already quietly activated a soul cannon.
Before Lin Xiao could act, another rustling sound of something brushing against leaves came from the forest. A figure darted out and collapsed onto the ground with a thud.
The person didn't even have time to cry out in pain before scrambling to get up and run again. But upon lifting his head, he saw the burly man standing nearby.
"Big Brother?"
"Old Third, how did you end up here?" the burly man asked.
The newcomer seemed to take a moment to process the situation. "I don't know. I was chased here by that old man."
"Where's that old man now?" The burly man's face showed clear traces of fear. Ignoring Lin Xiao, he hurriedly turned to look behind him.
"I don't know," Old Third replied.
Hearing this, the burly man's expression shifted. He quickly turned to Lin Xiao, his tone urgent. "Young man—no, Senior, you're out here in the dead of night, so your cultivation must be extraordinary. Please, help us brothers out."
"Yes, Senior," Old Third chimed in, catching on quickly. "You don't know, but that old man killed one of our brothers without a second thought. He's got no regard for human life—he must be an evil soul master, no doubt. Evil soul masters are everyone's enemy. Please, Senior, take action."
Lin Xiao gave the two a peculiar look, already guessing who the "old man" they were talking about might be.
Sure enough, the next moment, another sound rang out. Two figures emerged from the forest, one after the other, and Nightmare Douluo's form slowly appeared behind them.
"Ah!" Old Third let out a terrified scream. "Senior, save me—"
But before he could finish, he saw Lin Xiao slightly bow. "Teacher."
Old Third's voice cut off abruptly. He glanced at Nightmare Douluo, then at Lin Xiao, his mouth hanging open, unsure of what to say.
"Enough. That insolent brat earlier was merely taught a small lesson by this old man," Nightmare Douluo said slowly, causing the group to fall silent instantly.
Lin Xiao glanced at Nightmare Douluo. Judging by their reactions, it was clear that the "small lesson" was far more than that.
"I came here only to capture a few soul beasts to raise. For the next few days, you'll follow me. If you can take good care of the soul beasts, I'll naturally let you go when the time comes," Nightmare Douluo continued.
The burly man was the first to react. His eyes darted as if he'd thought of something, and his attitude quickly turned obsequious. "Yes, yes, we'll follow your orders, Senior."
"Hm." Nightmare Douluo nodded and walked over to Lin Xiao. "Keep an eye on them."
"Teacher, who are these people?" Lin Xiao asked.
"Just some soul beast hunters. For some reason, they haven't left the Star Dou Great Forest even at night. They're perfect for looking after the soul beasts. They should be quite skilled at it," Nightmare Douluo replied.
Soul beast hunters?
Lin Xiao glanced at the burly man again.
A soul master's breakthrough relied on soul beasts, as acquiring a soul ring was necessary to break through bottlenecks. However, not all soul masters had the ability to obtain soul rings on their own.
Those with strong attack or agility attack martial souls fared better, but those with support or food-type martial souls often had to rely on other soul masters to help them acquire soul rings.
These soul beast hunters made a living by helping clients obtain soul rings in exchange for gold soul coins, a unique profession in this world.
But which of these men needed a soul ring? When a soul master's cultivation reached a bottleneck, their soul power would give off a sense of complete fullness, a feeling that could be sensed even without them releasing their martial soul. Yet none of these men gave off such an aura, and they referred to each other as brothers, clearly indicating a long-standing acquaintance.
Moreover, that smell on the burly man…
"Young man, it's all a misunderstanding," the burly man said hurriedly, stepping closer with a forced smile. "What we said earlier was just careless talk. Please don't take offense."
The burly man assumed Lin Xiao's displeasure stemmed from their earlier words. Though he still suspected that the two before him were evil soul masters, now was clearly not the time to voice such thoughts. As he spoke, he gave a hard smack to the man beside him. "Old Third!"
"Yes, yes, it was my careless words," Old Third nodded repeatedly.
Glancing at Nightmare Douluo beside him, Lin Xiao said nothing more and sat back down.
The soul beast hunters let out a collective sigh of relief. The four of them huddled close together, occasionally glancing at Nightmare Douluo and exchanging looks with each other.
"Teacher…" Lin Xiao began in a low voice.
"No matter. They're just a bunch of insignificant clowns. They won't make it out of the Star Dou Great Forest," Nightmare Douluo said.
Their attempts at discreet communication naturally didn't escape Nightmare Douluo's perception. Lin Xiao sighed inwardly, avoiding looking at them, and entered meditation.
Bang!
As night gave way to dawn, a massive figure crashed to the ground in the Star Dou Great Forest. In Nightmare Douluo's hands, even a ten-thousand-year soul beast could be rendered powerless with a mere gesture.
The soul beast hunters from the previous night didn't wait for Nightmare Douluo's orders. They hurriedly moved to bind the beast. Clearly experienced in dealing with soul beasts, their teamwork was seamless, and they quickly secured and packed up the beast.
As Nightmare Douluo continued to act, the hunters, though unaware of his true strength, could tell his cultivation far surpassed theirs. Their demeanor grew increasingly respectful. With their help, Lin Xiao's burden was indeed lightened considerably.
Just as they were about to venture deeper, Nightmare Douluo suddenly stopped.
"Almost missed something good," he said, turning to look at a nearby tree.
Though Lin Xiao was familiar with some soul beasts, he wasn't an expert on every kind, especially in the Star Dou Great Forest, where towering trees were everywhere. At first glance, he hadn't noticed anything unusual.
It wasn't until Nightmare Douluo spoke that he realized the tree in front of them wasn't an ordinary plant but a plant-type soul beast.
"Teacher, a plant-type soul beast can't be taken away, can it?" Lin Xiao asked.
"Of course not, and I wasn't planning to take it," Nightmare Douluo replied, turning to him. "What do you think about using this soul beast for your sixth soul ring?"
Lin Xiao paused at his words, then carefully examined the soul beast.
Its dark gray bark wasn't particularly eye-catching, and even its trunk, which would require three people to encircle, didn't stand out in the forest. Only when a breeze rustled its leaves, producing a faint sound, did he sense something unusual.