For safety reasons, Hu Liena was arranged to stay in the Pope's Palace, with Yan keeping an eye on her.
In the Pope's Palace, there was also Elder Ghost secretly guarding, so no one should dare to take extreme actions against Hu Liena.
The three of them got into the carriage and slowly left Wuhun City!
Inside the carriage.
Xie Yue was quietly looking out of the window, Jiang Xiaofeng sat cross-legged, cultivating, while Yue Guan curiously observed the two.
Before Jiang Xiaofeng showed up, Xie Yue and Hu Liena were hailed as the future golden generation of Wuhun Hall. But since Jiang Xiaofeng appeared, the attention on Xie Yue had gradually diminished. Yet, Xie Yue was only 11 years old! Becoming a Great Soul Master at 11 was already quite remarkable.
Of course, Jiang Xiaofeng joined Wuhun Hall at 8 years old and, now just over 9, had already broken through to become a Great Soul Master, overshadowing Xie Yue's achievements. But this did not mean Xie Yue was weak.
Talented individuals typically break through to Great Soul Master around 13 years old, but Xie Yue had done so at 11, which was already impressive.
"Xie Yue, what kind of soul beast are you looking for?" Yue Guan asked.
Xie Yue replied, "The stronger, the better!"
Yue Guan shook his head and said, "The limit for the second soul beast is around 764 years. I remember your first soul beast was a 400-year one, which is already close to the limit."
Xie Yue nodded and said, "Then, 800 years! If possible, 900 years too!"
Yue Guan glanced at Jiang Xiaofeng.
This guy's martial soul was special; his first soul ring was a 700-year Sabertooth Tiger, which, by normal standards, should have killed him. But he survived.
However, Xie Yue was not like him. Xie Yue's cultivation speed was slower, and 800 years was already the limit. Jiang Xiaofeng was different, though.
"Xiao Feng, what about you? How many years are you looking for?" Yue Guan asked.
Jiang Xiaofeng calmly replied, "A thousand years."
Xie Yue couldn't help but glance at Jiang Xiaofeng, the guy who was two years younger than him. Not only was his cultivation speed faster, but now he wanted a thousand-year soul ring for his second one. Wasn't he afraid of dying?
Yue Guan sighed, "The optimal configuration for soul rings is two yellow ones. Your second one being purple could be too reckless. The Pope specifically instructed not to let you be too reckless!"
Jiang Xiaofeng said, "My first soul ring is 700 years, so my second soul ring can't be lower than a thousand years. Sorry for the trouble, Elder Yue Guan."
Yue Guan shook his head and sighed, "If things go wrong, I will forcibly interrupt your soul ring absorption. Xie Yue, the same goes for you. Don't push yourselves!"
Xie Yue looked at Jiang Xiaofeng, feeling conflicted. If he could do it, why couldn't he? Although his talent wasn't as high, he could still push beyond his limits. For his family, for his parents, he had to grow stronger!
Xie Yue clenched his fists. He had to grow stronger! His little sister needed his protection.
On the east side of Wuhun City, there was a soul beast forest. While not as high-level as the Star Dou Forest, the soul beasts here weren't too shabby either. It was more than enough to capture a soul beast for a second soul ring.
Before the soul beast forest, the Wuhun Hall soldiers were in charge of security. To hunt soul beasts here, soul masters needed a pass, and they must go in teams.
The method to obtain a pass was simple: the team needed five members, and the leader must have at least the soul power of a Soul King. Moreover, they had to get permission from Wuhun Hall, and they could only enter twice a year.
Of course, Yue Guan, being a Title Douluo, had no such restrictions. Even large families didn't have these limits; only ordinary soul masters from the mainland did, as they relied on hunting soul beasts for survival. If they killed too many, the soul beast population would decline, which could lead to a future with no soul rings at all.
Yue Guan led Jiang Xiaofeng and Xie Yue off the carriage.
A guard immediately jogged over.
"Subordinate greets the Holy Son, Elder Yue Guan, and Master Xie Yue."
Yue Guan nodded and said, "Yes, the Holy Son and Xie Yue need to hunt soul beasts. Open the gate!"
"Yes, sir!"
The heavy iron gate slowly creaked open with a dull sound.
Before them lay a dense forest. Even though this was the outer edge, the forest was still thick. However, there were no soul beasts nearby. After all, any soul beasts attempting to cross the city walls were usually slain. Over time, the soul beasts rarely came close to the iron gates.
"Let's go!"
Under Yue Guan's lead, Jiang Xiaofeng and Xie Yue entered the soul beast forest. An ancient atmosphere hit them, and the air was filled with various smells, including a familiar one—blood.
Yue Guan said, "Stay close to me. While the outer perimeter doesn't have many strong soul beasts, that doesn't mean some of the more reckless ones won't be around. Be careful!"
"Yes, Elder Yue Guan!" Jiang Xiaofeng and Xie Yue replied.
The outer perimeter of the soul beast forest was filled with soul beasts under a hundred years old, which didn't pose much of a threat to Jiang Xiaofeng and Xie Yue.
As they moved deeper, soul beasts over a hundred years old began appearing, but these were not their targets.
However, from this point on, the soul beasts began to roar at them.
But under Yue Guan's imposing presence, these low-level soul beasts quickly scattered.
After about an hour's walk, the soul beasts they encountered were growing stronger, with several nearing the thousand-year mark.
Yue Guan stopped.
"Xie Yue, what kind of type are you looking for?"
Xie Yue's martial soul was the Double-Handed Crescent Blade, a weapon-type martial soul. Normally, he would need a soul beast with strong attack power, but because his martial soul was special and required double the strength, he needed a soul beast with additional power.
"The Windstorm Demon Wolf. I need a soul ring that boosts both speed and strength!" Xie Yue said.
Yue Guan nodded. "Alright, stay close to me. Don't get lost!"
Jiang Xiaofeng and Xie Yue nodded and followed him.
Finding the right soul beast wasn't easy. Either the years were too low, or too high, or even if the years were right, the beast wasn't suitable. It usually took soul masters a lot of time in the soul beast forest to find the perfect one.
The Windstorm Demon Wolf was fast and known for its speed. Xie Yue wanted to increase his speed, influenced by Jiang Xiaofeng, who used his nimble speed to defeat several Great Soul Masters in battle. Xie Yue felt that he also needed more speed—if not for offense, then for escaping or chasing.
It took them three days.
Though the soul beast forest wasn't as vast as the Star Dou Forest, its size was still considerable.
After three days, they found an 850-year-old Windstorm Demon Wolf!
Yue Guan said, "Be careful. I'll be right back!"
With a Title Douluo like Yue Guan, even an 850-year-old soul beast was easy to deal with. However, the incident didn't occur on Yue Guan's side but rather with Jiang Xiaofeng.
A 1200-year-old Thousand-Faced Magic Butterfly suddenly appeared and grabbed Jiang Xiaofeng, pulling him away.
Yue Guan roared, "Put him down! Fifth soul skill, Cold Blossom Gathering!"
Hundreds of petals turned into blades to attack the Thousand-Faced Magic Butterfly, but to avoid hurting Jiang Xiaofeng, the soul skill's power was reduced, and it couldn't stop the butterfly.