Chapter 25: The Hunt for Souls

Dugu Bo swiftly led the pair to the outskirts of the Sunset Forest, then with a flicker, vanished, leaving only a single sentence behind:

“Since Yan Yan is here too, consider this soul hunt as a trial for the both of you. Perform well; I won’t intervene unless your lives are in danger.”

Jiang Jie and Dugu Yan exchanged looks, both shrugging helplessly. 

That said, a team comprising Jiang Jie, at level 20, and Dugu Yan, at level 36, would almost certainly avoid any life-threatening situations in the Sunset Forest. If they couldn’t handle a thousand-year soul beast, they could always run away, and encountering a ten-thousand-year soul beast was rare.

If they did stumble upon one, as long as they didn’t provoke it, they wouldn’t be chased down.

“Yan Zi, I’ll need your help later,” Jiang Jie said with a smile. “I haven’t studied soul beasts much. You’re much better at identifying them, so I’ll take this chance to learn from you.”

Dugu Yan, now thirteen, had finished all the basic soul master academy courses. She was more than capable of identifying soul beast species and estimating their ages.

“No problem, little brother,” Dugu Yan responded with a playful smile, leaning close to Jiang Jie and placing a hand on his shoulder, her tone suggestive.

Jiang Jie stiffened, feeling her warm breath on his ear.

“What’s the catch?” Jiang Jie asked with a forced smile.

Without a word, Dugu Yan pointed to her cheek with a slender finger, raising her eyebrows.

Watching from afar, Dugu Bo’s face darkened. Had they already started slacking off the moment he left?

Disappointed, he lamented internally, “Girls grow up so fast!”

“Patience!” Jiang Jie gritted his teeth, forcing a smile. 

“Good, snake demon, you’ve got my attention. Just wait a few years and I’ll make you help me train!”

*Peck*

“Hehe,” Dugu Yan laughed at Jiang Jie’s annoyed expression, looking like a cat that just stole some cream, despite being the one at a disadvantage.

After some playful teasing, they got serious. 

Though the soul beasts in the Sunset Forest weren’t as powerful as those in the Star Dou Forest, even a ten-thousand-year beast could easily chase them down. Since this was a trial, they had to take it seriously.

The forest’s outskirts mostly housed ten-year and hundred-year soul beasts. Jiang Jie’s target was a beast under three thousand years, which meant they needed to venture deeper.

They moved cautiously, avoiding unnecessary fights to conserve energy and maintain their condition. When avoiding a fight wasn’t an option, Dugu Yan’s poison and Jiang Jie’s Flame Wave Blood Blade made quick work of their foes.

Dugu Yan constantly educated Jiang Jie about the various soul beasts they encountered, sharing insights about their weaknesses, habits, and age estimation.

Dugu Yan’s extensive knowledge impressed Jiang Jie. They encountered over fifty types of soul beasts, and she could identify each one, whether plant-based or animal-based.

After cutting off the head of a hundred-year Mandrake Snake, they quietly left the area. 

Just as they exited the underbrush, Dugu Yan pulled Jiang Jie back.

“That’s a Ground Splitting Bear, an earth and rock dual-attribute beast with immense strength and formidable defense. Its weakness is low mental power, making it vulnerable to mental attacks, and it lacks long-range attacks,” Dugu Yan whispered, pointing to a massive earth-colored bear snoring under a tree nearby.

“Based on its size, it’s at least six meters tall standing up, which makes it a ten-thousand-year soul beast, or at least eight thousand years old. We can’t handle that, so let’s not wake it.”

Jiang Jie nodded, whispering back, “Yan Zi, we’re deep enough now. Let’s start searching laterally.”

“Alright.” Dugu Yan agreed readily.

They had ventured nearly ten kilometers into the Sunset Forest. Though far from the forest’s core, it was odd to find a ten-thousand-year beast in the outskirts. This made them even more cautious.

Who knew when they might encounter another high-level soul beast? Soul beasts moved around for various reasons, such as hunting, searching for mates, or territory disputes.

“Jiang Jie, what kind of soul beast are you looking for?” Dugu Yan asked as they walked.

Despite encountering over fifty soul beasts, Jiang Jie hadn’t chosen one, piquing her curiosity.

Jiang Jie fell silent. He wasn’t sure what kind of soul beast to choose. His Flame Wave Blood Blade had strange attributes, initially possessing blood and spiritual attributes with a devouring aspect. After consuming two immortal herbs, it gained ice and fire attributes.

Choosing a soul skill was challenging. Maybe… a mobility skill?

Jiang Jie thought of the Soft Bone Rabbit and the Lightning Rabbit. Xiao Wu’s teleportation skill left a lasting impression on him. Whether for an agility-type or a power-type soul master, it was invaluable.

He had long-range and close-range attacks but lacked mobility. His current level didn’t allow him to leverage his spiritual and devouring attributes, and blood-attribute soul beasts were rare in the Sunset Forest.

It seemed he’d have to look for a Soft Bone Rabbit or a Lightning Rabbit.

For a moment, Jiang Jie even considered going to Notting Academy to make Xiao Wu his soul ring.

“I’m looking for a three-thousand-year Soft Bone Rabbit or Lightning Rabbit,” Jiang Jie told Dugu Yan.

“A Soft Bone Rabbit or Lightning Rabbit? Why those?” Dugu Yan asked, surprised.

In her experience, these two soul beasts were weak, at the bottom of the food chain, with almost no combat ability compared to other soul beasts of the same level.

A power-type soul master choosing rabbit soul rings? 

Dugu Yan wasn’t the only one confused; even Dugu Bo found it puzzling.