Xiao Yan guessed from the first time he met that guy that the dude was really unpleasant.
That's why he was forced to leave his own family and come to such a remote place as Noding City.
Now hearing him talk like that, Xiao Yan honestly didn't want to bother interacting—let him enjoy himself.
They were just teaming up to hunt soul beasts. If you didn't know, you'd think they were going to be stuck together for life.
A soul master—even a title Douluo—only needs nine soul rings.
Ordinary soul masters usually have two or three, maybe three or four, and temporary groups are the norm.
After leaving the bustling market, the surroundings suddenly quieted down.
Not far ahead was their destination: the Soul Hunting Forest.
As a government-contained soul beast forest, it was surrounded by a tall steel fence.
Besides that, a squad of a hundred soldiers stood guard.
These soldiers were well equipped; armor and spears forged from refined iron, looking like steel warriors, giving off a grim, deadly vibe.
Xiao Yan blinked, activated his Purple Extreme Demon Eye, and looked at the soldiers.
Like the two gatekeepers at the Noding City Martial Soul Hall, these soldiers were just ordinary people—not soul masters.
At this moment, Yu Xiaogang whispered very softly, "Xiao Yan, not just anyone can enter this Soul Hunting Forest. Only those with a Soul Hunting Pass approved by the Martial Soul Hall have the right to enter."
"Although some people try to sneak in recklessly, the forest has imperial soldiers guarding it, and inside there's a law enforcement team sent by the Martial Soul Hall, constantly checking for Soul Hunting Passes. They don't show mercy."
"Those poachers who risk it all to sneak in never end well."
Xiao Yan felt surprised: "Isn't the Soul Hunting Forest controlled by the empire? What does the Martial Soul Hall have to do with it?"
Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang's face immediately changed, and he quickly shut up: "You can't talk about this carelessly. The relationship between the Martial Soul Hall and the state is very complicated now; I'll explain it to you later."
Quickly changing the topic, Yu Xiaogang said, "Actually, getting a Soul Hunting Pass isn't that hard. As long as you pass the Martial Soul Hall's soul power level test, confirm you need soul rings for advancement, and then find three nobles to guarantee you, you can get the pass."
Xiao Yan turned his head, speechless.
Could it be any more contradictory?
Just now, they said poachers risk their lives sneaking into the Soul Hunting Forest, but now they say the pass is easy to get.
He remembered there were teams hunting soul beasts at the market—just pay some money.
And that money? For soul masters, it's just a few months' allowance.
Are poachers crazy?
Why not just take the easy way to hunt soul beasts instead of risking your life for thrills?
Haha.
Seeing Xiao Yan was disinterested, Yu Xiaogang took out a token.
"Xiao Yan, remember this symbol."
Xiao Yan casually glanced at it—he was somewhat familiar with the pattern on the token.
He'd seen a longsword on it at the Noding City Martial Soul Hall, and the hammer was similar to one of his own soul weapons.
Seeing Xiao Yan's interest, Yu Xiaogang smirked inwardly and began explaining the origin and rank of the token.
From what Xiao Yan understood, the token came from the Martial Soul Hall, and each symbol added represented a higher level of identity.
Finally, Yu Xiaogang proudly said, "This token is a third-tier Martial Soul Hall pass, lifelong possession. You can enter basically all of the Soul Hunting Forests of the Tiandou Empire."
"It's third-tier because besides the longsword and hammer, it has a dragon symbol—this is the Blue Electric Overlord Dragon, a top-tier beast soul weapon. Although this soul weapon's family is not part of the Martial Soul Hall, the family is highly respected by the Martial Soul Hall."
By now, Xiao Yan had guessed a little from Yu Xiaogang's words.
Turns out, he was born into the Blue Electric Overlord Dragon family.
But the guy was really dumb.
The Martial Soul Hall dared to meddle even in the empire's controlled Soul Hunting Forests, and now a soul master family was respected?
So basically, one soul master family is stronger than the entire Tiandou Empire?
Just wait for the day Martial Soul Hall frees up its hands and cleans up your family.
Like a weasel smiling while stealing chickens.
Xiao Yan didn't care much about the fate of the Blue Electric Overlord Dragon family but wanted to take the opportunity to find out what family he really came from.
Logically, to share a token with the Blue Electric Overlord Dragon, the hammer soul weapon should also be extraordinary.
"Hey, what family does the longsword on this token belong to?"
Yu Xiaogang smiled, "This soul weapon is called Seven Kill Sword, not bad quality, but few people have it, far weaker than the family represented by the Blue Electric Overlord Dragon."
"Then what about this hammer soul weapon's family?" Xiao Yan asked seriously—the question he really wanted answered.
At this, Yu Xiaogang's face showed admiration: "That's not just a hammer soul weapon; it's the Haotian Hammer, the inherited soul weapon of the Haotian Sect—one of the top three sects. It's said to be the number one weapon soul in the world. Their sect's Haotian Douluo is the person I admire most. The Blue Electric Overlord Dragon family represents the Blue Electric Overlord Sect, another of the top three sects."
Though Xiao Yan's face remained calm, inside his heart was a storm of shock—he hadn't expected he was born of the Haotian Sect.
While talking, the master and Xiao Yan had already arrived at the entrance of the Soul Hunting Forest.
Thanks to the pass, the two smoothly entered the forest.
Xiao Yan asked bored, "Master, what about the other top three sect's soul weapon?"
"It's the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda soul weapon! The strongest support soul weapon on the continent. Xiao Yan, if you ever face a soul master with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda soul weapon, you must deal with them first."
Seven treasures? Xiao Yan thought the number didn't sound good.
According to Douluo Continent's cultivation rules, a soul master at title Douluo can absorb nine soul rings—nine is a lucky number.
Seven treasures sounded like a downgrade, though Xiao Yan couldn't say why.
"Xiao Yan, we're about to enter the Soul Hunting Forest. From now on, don't leave my side for a single step."
Shaking off some superstitious thoughts, Xiao Yan activated his Purple Extreme Demon Eye, sharpening his senses to the max.
"Come out, Luo Sanpao!"
Yu Xiaogang shouted deeply, a faint purple light split from his palm.
Xiao Yan felt a strange soul power fluctuation around the guy, and with a puff, suddenly a creature appeared before him.
A pig?!
Xiao Yan secretly clicked his tongue, he always knew this guy was a loser, but didn't expect his soul weapon to be a pig!
Considering his Blue Electric Overlord Dragon family origins, it should've been a dragon.
Sadly, his soul weapon had mutated into this form.
Looking at the fat pig at his feet, Yu Xiaogang bitterly introduced his soul weapon named "Luo Sanpao."
Xiao Yan looked at Luo Sanpao and thought, this guy's soul weapon research still sucks.
If he went food soul master route—barbecue fat pig, raise an army—shouldn't be a problem.
Looking at the pig, once roasted with some seasoning, it must taste amazing!
After all, it mutated from the Blue Electric Overlord Dragon; maybe some dragon meat flavor?
If he developed as a food-type soul master, with his soul weapon's uniqueness, he might easily earn a "barbecue master" title on this continent.
Yu Xiaogang sighed, "When Sanpao awakened, my innate soul power was only half-level. Otherwise, I wouldn't be like this now. No matter how hard I try, my soul power will never break level 30, so I can only research soul weapons in theory."
Xiao Yan felt Yu Xiaogang had mastered the art of fake humility—he knew he was trash, yet said, "There's no useless soul weapons, only useless soul masters," with a straight face.
Even if his soul weapon released power, his strength was average, but Xiao Yan suspected Yu Xiaogang wanted to usurp him, so his alertness spiked, and he dared not be careless.
The two and the pig hadn't walked far when Luo Sanpao suddenly stopped.
Xiao Yan looked up at a tree branch—there was a small cat lying there.
Yu Xiaogang smiled faintly, "That's a ten-year-old mottled cat. Sanpao, don't disturb it. Move on."
(End of Chapter)