THUD—!
A thousand-year-old giant bear crashed to the ground, its shallow breaths signaling the end was near.
Yang Fan leapt down from a ten-meter cliff, landing squarely on the bear's soft belly.
"Done!"
Training in the soul beast forest was far more liberating than arena duels.
Arena fights were mostly safe—but that safety shackled him.
Soul beasts were different.
Their ferocity, their life-or-death intensity—that was true tempering.
Yang Fan planted the Heavy Xuan Ruler into the earth and pulled out a sharp blade.
He hopped off the bear, expertly slicing open its head, torso, and limbs.
Nothing.
The longer he stayed in the forest, the more he grasped how rare soul bones truly were.
Though this 1,500-year bear lacked a soul bone, Yang Fan wouldn't waste it.
His blade slit the carcass from snout to tail, then peeled back the hide.
Bear-type soul beasts were treasure troves!
Today's haul: bear paws and gallbladder for alchemy, hide for storage backpacks and winter gear at the outer-town markets.
After cleaning up, Yang Fan sat on a boulder, gulping water from his cup.
From his storage soul tool, he pulled out a pill formula:
[Qi-Recovery Pill]
Effect: Rapidly restores consumed Dou Qi after use.
Ingredients: Thousand-year bear gallbladder, 500+ year Ghost Vine, 30-year Clear-Heart Fruit.
This pill was useless to him—but Yao Lao insisted.
As a Tier-3 pill requiring no soul bone, it was perfect practice to solidify his foundation for Tier-4 alchemy.
Truthfully, the ingredients weren't simple.
The thousand-year bear gallbladder alone took him two weeks to find. The Ghost Vine? Still missing. Only the 30-year Clear-Heart Fruit was easily bought in town.
Now Yang Fan understood why Yao Lao said becoming an alchemist was harder than mastering Dou Qi.
Just sourcing these herbs could stump most pill-refiners.
He didn't linger. After a brief rest, he left immediately.
Soul beast forests were deathtraps!
The bear's blood scent had already turned this area into a battleground.
"Master, what age-limit can I absorb for my third soul ring now?"
Blood Incineration had pushed his physique to new heights.
He felt ready to test an 8,000-year soul ring.
"If you can't solve soul shock, you'll never absorb a 10,000-year third ring," Yao Lao warned.
He'd only grasped "soul shock" recently—after seeing the 30,000-year Woolly Mammoth's soul ring.
Simply put: 10,000-year rings carried soul energy. Weak souls would be shattered—turning victims into vegetables or corpses.
"You've already found a solution, haven't you?" Yang Fan grinned sheepishly.
"I'm solving it right now," Yao Lao replied.
Yang Fan froze—then understood.
Master had planned everything.
Just then, his expression shifted sharply. "Master—!"
"Hmm?"
He heard combat beyond the ridge—but Yao Lao hadn't warned him.
Meaning the fighters were weak!
"Let's check it out."
After months alone, meeting even one soul master would be a relief.
(Even if it's a guy!)
Yang Fan moved cautiously. Revealing himself before assessing the situation was foolish.
In these woods, making enemies was suicide.
Cowards avoid trouble—but fools create problems they can't solve.
Peering over the ridge, Yang Fan's eyes widened.
Well, look who it is…
A middle-aged man with four soul rings unleashed his strongest fourth skill.
Nearby, an unremarkable blue-clad boy with short hair controlled Blue Silver Grass from the sidelines.
And another scruffy middle-aged man roared:
"Fart like thunder! Heaven-shattering Luo Sanpao!"
"Brilliant, Headmaster!"
It was Yu Xiaogang, Tang San, and Noding Academy's Headmaster—battling a 600-year plant-type soul beast.
Together, they subdued it.
"Tang San, rest first," Yu Xiaogang said. "After absorbing the soul ring, we leave immediately."
Soul beast forests were perilous—especially for a team without a Soul King.
The Headmaster had wanted Tang San to grab any soul ring from a tamed forest. But Yu Xiaogang insisted—Tang San must get a 700-year Ghost Vine, a plant-type beast.
After half a month of searching tame forests, they'd come to Sunset Forest's outskirts.
Even here, the danger dwarfed domesticated zones.
"Xiao San, don't rush," Yu Xiaogang patted Tang San's shoulder. "With your last soul ring experience, this'll be easy."
This was Tang San's second soul ring—but Yu Xiaogang was thrilled.
According to his Ten Great Martial Soul Core Theories, this Ghost Vine would grant Tang San a control-type skill.
Tang San, still two months shy of eight, had already broken through to Soul Grandmaster.
Such speed was rare in Soul Land.
Once Tang San reached Soul Saint and revealed the Hao Tian Hammer…
Yu Xiaogang's heart raced. With soul rings on the hammer, his disciple would enter the elite—and finally validate his theories!
He silently congratulated himself for accepting the innate full soul power Tang San.
Only Tang San could prove his Ten Great Theories!
He'd sharpen his mind until the world was stunned.
Just then—
Tang San, composed, approached the Ghost Vine. His dagger flashed, piercing its core.
The 600-year vine thrashed in agony, vines whipping wildly—until a yellow soul ring slowly rose from its corpse…
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