That day, Xu Yang had just stepped out of the library when he ran into his teacher, Ning Fengzhi. Behind him followed a middle-aged man with a square, rugged face and a tall, burly figure. The muscles on his exposed arms looked like granite, radiating a faint but imposing aura. One glance was enough to tell he wasn't someone to mess with.
As soon as the man approached, Xu Yang felt a wave of heat rush toward him—clearly, this was a top-tier fire-type soul master.
"Yang'er, this is Ning Haiyan. His martial soul is the Blazing Flame Saber, and he's a level 76 assault-type battle soul saint. From now on, he'll be responsible for instructing you and assisting you in hunting soul beasts. If you need anything, you can ask him. If he can't manage it, come to me."
After giving Xu Yang a satisfied glance, Ning Fengzhi turned to introduce the man behind him.
"Ning Haiyan greets the young master!" Ning Haiyan stepped forward and spoke at the right moment.
"Uncle Ning, I'll be counting on you."
Xu Yang slightly bowed, his tone humble and respectful. After all, this was a soul saint. Even though his teacher was the head of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Xu Yang was still just a mere beginner, not even officially recognized as a soul master. Respect was a must.
He didn't expect the two titled Douluo of the sect, Sword and Bone Douluo, to help him hunt for souls. One of them was stationed at the sect, while the other was responsible for protecting Ning Fengzhi and his wife. They were also busy with their own cultivation and didn't have much free time.
As for Ning Fengzhi himself, he had the entire sect to manage, with an endless stream of daily affairs. Helping someone hunt soul beasts was simply out of the question.
Having a soul saint assist him was already more than Xu Yang could ask for.
"Haiyan, take Yang'er to Sunset Forest and help him obtain his first soul ring."
"Rest assured, Sect Master. I will not fail you!" Ning Haiyan cupped his fists and spoke seriously.
With that, Ning Haiyan, looking stern and focused, led Xu Yang away from the library, heading toward Sunset Forest.
Ning Fengzhi had complete confidence in Ning Haiyan. From his surname, it was clear he came from the main family and had both the loyalty and strength required. Ning Fengzhi had personally chosen him to assist Xu Yang.
The city of Seven Treasure was located near Heaven Dou City, not far from Sunset Forest.
Sunset Forest was one of the three major soul beast habitats on the entire Douluo Continent. Although the quality and quantity of soul beasts there couldn't compare with the other two habitats, it was more than enough for most soul masters. In fact, most of the sect's disciples obtained their soul rings there.
Not to mention, within the forest was a top-tier treasure ground—the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
As they walked through the forest, Ning Haiyan taught Xu Yang knowledge about soul beast hunting. This included methods to repel insects, avoid soul beasts, determine whether an area was dangerous, identify poisonous plants, and where to find antidotes.
In short, he covered everything thoroughly.
Xu Yang listened attentively, occasionally asking questions about potential issues they might encounter. Ning Haiyan answered each one in detail.
Truth be told, Ning Haiyan had an abundance of experience, much of it beyond what any book could offer. Xu Yang benefited greatly—these were survival skills crucial for living on the Douluo Continent and not to be taken lightly.
"By the way, Young Master, what's your choice for your first soul ring…?"
"A Golden-Edged Sunflower, between 700 and 800 years old."
Mentioning the Sunflower, Xu Yang couldn't help but admire the depth of knowledge a great sect possessed. The orphanage's library had only briefly described the Sunflower's traits and age range. But within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's library, every detail about the plant-type soul beast was meticulously documented.
Among the data was the classification of Sunflowers. They were divided into Golden-Edged, Silver-Edged, and those without any metallic patterns. The Golden-Edged Sunflower's bloodline was that of a high-grade soul beast, and the passive boosts and soul skill effects it provided were ten times more powerful than those of ordinary soul beasts.
With such a massive difference, Xu Yang's choice was clear—the Golden-Edged Sunflower.
Ning Haiyan didn't comment. Instead, he silently pulled out a map from his storage soul tool. Though he was a bit puzzled by Xu Yang's chosen age range for the soul beast, he remembered Ning Fengzhi's instructions and didn't press further. He trusted that when the time was right, the Sect Master would explain everything.
The map depicted the distribution of soul beasts across Sunset Forest. Due to the generally weaker soul beasts inhabiting the forest, major sects like the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had long since explored and charted it. The exact locations of various soul beasts were marked, unlike civilian soul masters, who had to blindly explore and guess.
As for plant-type soul beasts like the Sunflower, they were difficult to relocate. Once marked, their location was essentially fixed.
"This way."
Ning Haiyan called out, then changed direction, heading deeper into the forest to the left.
Xu Yang quickly followed.
With Ning Haiyan around, Xu Yang didn't worry about safety. Along the way, he observed various soul beasts with curiosity—these exotic creatures were entirely new to him, in both his lives.
He saw Wind Baboons, Soft Bone Rabbits, Striped Cats, Solitary Bamboo, Nether Wolves, Green Wolves… all kinds of beasts. These soul beasts, intimidated by Ning Haiyan's terrifying aura, ran off before even getting close.
"Uncle Ning, that Wind Baboon's fur looks about five centimeters long—shouldn't it have about 30 years of cultivation?"
"It's not 30 years—it's 50 years. While it's true that Wind Baboons' cultivation can be judged by fur length, you can't rely solely on the naked eye!"
As he spoke, Ning Haiyan turned his right hand into a blade and swung it forward. A slash of flaming energy cut through the Wind Baboon ahead, slicing it in half. No blood spilled from the wound—it had all been evaporated by the heat.
A white soul ring condensed and floated above the corpse.
Ning Haiyan had excellent control. The slash only severed the baboon cleanly, evaporated the blood, but left all other organs and tissues perfectly intact—even the long fur remained untouched.
He pulled Xu Yang closer and pointed to the corpse. "Take a look. Is the fur really just five centimeters?"
Xu Yang squatted down, parting the Wind Baboon's fur. He found a layer of fine undercoat beneath the visible fur—at least two centimeters thick. So, the total fur length was about seven centimeters.
This confirmed the baboon indeed had 50 years of cultivation.
"Some soul beasts have obvious features, fully exposed, so you can judge their age by those traits. But others, like this Wind Baboon, have dense fur that can be misleading, making visual estimation tricky."
Ning Haiyan shared his experience.
"Then what's the best way to judge? If we misjudge while soul hunting, it could be deadly!"
Xu Yang asked curiously. He also knew one method—judging by soul power color: white for ten years, yellow for a hundred, purple for a thousand, black for ten thousand, and red for a hundred thousand years.
(End of Chapter)