Soto City.It had taken Lin Jie five full days, but he had finally made it from Heaven Dou City to Soto City—after enduring no small amount of hardship. Thanks to the convenience of Lightning Release Mode, he traveled in bursts: activating the mode to sprint forward, then slowing down to rest and recover soul power, before activating it again.
Not only did this allow him to cover ground quickly, it also helped improve his control and mastery over Lightning Release Mode. So why not? After five days, he finally reached Soto City.
After resupplying in the city, Lin Jie set off once again—this time toward the Star Dou Great Forest. Fortunately, the journey was uneventful.
As for why he came all the way from Heaven Dou City to hunt soul beasts in Star Dou Great Forest?
Simple. Lin Jie had decided to enroll in Shrek Academy—whose admissions would begin in just under a month.
Soto City wasn't far from Shrek. If he got his third spirit ring now, he could make it to the academy in time for the entrance exams. The timing was perfect.
As for Yu Xiaogang and Tang San... well, he'd deal with them when the time came. He wasn't the one who'd lose out.
Hunter Soul City, a small town not far from Star Dou Great Forest, was known for its population of soul hunters. Most of its residents made a living helping others hunt soul beasts and acquire spirit rings. Naturally, it was also home to many desperate individuals—people who would do anything for money.
Lin Jie was twelve years old now, tall and handsome—already approaching 1.8 meters in height. Add in his nice clothes and decent wealth, and he looked every bit the refined, noble young master.
Actually, no—he was a refined, noble young master.
His family now owned multiple shops, and their income was more than comfortable. They had even made a small fortune in recent years. Dressed in stylish attire, Lin Jie wore a soul tool storage ring on his hand—something incredibly rare and expensive in this era. He'd purchased it at great cost in an auction. Though it only had two cubic meters of space, it was better than having none at all.
Lin Jie mused to himself: Should I research soul tools once I get to Shrek? If I can reverse-engineer one and start selling them, the money would come rolling in. Cha-ching!
Even if he didn't sell them, he could use them himself—or gift them to people important to him for protection. Or maybe he could build a high-powered one as a trump card. Either way, it was worth looking into later.
In a big city like Heaven Dou, dressing well would usually get you treated like a person of status—someone not to be trifled with.
But in a remote town like this, full of desperate types, looking wealthy was practically asking for trouble.
As Lin Jie walked toward the outskirts of town, his Mind Net—his self-created radar-like soul skill—picked up three individuals tailing him.
He didn't panic. In fact, he was calm.
Thanks to Mind Net's sensory field, he could already tell that the strongest among them was only a Soul Elder.
If he went all out, Lin Jie could extend Mind Net's detection radius to five kilometers. Of course, this required full activation and primarily returned data on enemy presence and soul power levels—it wasn't quite on the same level as Enel's mantra in One Piece, but it was still extremely powerful. Great for escaping or scouting.
When he narrowed the scan range and focused on the trio behind him, the data became clearer: one Soul Elder, and two Soul Grandmasters.
Lin Jie snorted inwardly: A mere Soul Elder and two Soul Grandmasters dare to try and rob me? Know your place.
By now, he had already left the town perimeter, yet the three little rats were still sneaking around behind him, unwilling to reveal themselves. Cautious, huh? Typical of the locals—desperate types.
Lin Jie was growing bored.
"I say," he called out lazily, "you three have been tailing me for quite a while now. Still not coming out? Planning to follow me into Star Dou Great Forest to help me hunt soul beasts or something?"
A nervous voice answered.
"Big Bro, I think he noticed we're following him..."
"So what?" the Soul Elder snorted. "With me here, what's there to fear? He's just a measly Soul Grandmaster. Why would I, a Soul Elder, be afraid?"
"Right, right—Big Bro is right."
The three finally stepped out from behind the trees. One of them, a Soul Grandmaster with a long scar across his face, barked, "Kid, since you already know we're here, you must be smart. You should know what to do. Don't worry—we're not like the others. We just want your money, not your life."
They looked like they were confident they'd already won.
Lin Jie's voice remained calm and unimpressed. "So you think you've got me? Two Soul Grandmasters and one barely-broke-through Soul Elder—how impressive."
"Watch your mouth, brat—"
"Enough talk," the Soul Elder said coldly. "You two, go."
"Yes, Big Bro!"
The two Soul Grandmasters moved to attack.
With a smirk, Lin Jie said mockingly, "Oh? Finally making a move? Perfect. I could use a warm-up. Just don't be too weak, okay?"
Before he even finished speaking, the scar-faced Grandmaster activated his soul skill and charged forward.
"Soul Skill—Rhino Charge!"
Lin Jie raised his right leg slightly, leapt lightly into the air, and timed his strike precisely.
BOOM!A figure went flying.
Landing gracefully, Lin Jie dusted himself off. "Really? You think you're qualified to rob people with this kind of strength? That's just sad."
The skinny Grandmaster, seeing his comrade fly backward like a ragdoll, began to panic.
But instead of attacking, he rushed over to the fallen man.
"Second Bro! Are you okay?!"
Cough cough— The scar-faced Grandmaster spat out blood. His breathing was ragged as he muttered, "I'm fine… Be careful, this kid's strong. Really strong..."
Lin Jie stared, speechless.
Bruh. I didn't even use that much force. How are you spitting blood?
And this other guy? Weren't you supposed to be attacking me? Why are you suddenly playing medic?
Truly, every place has its own 'geniuses'...
"You useless idiots!" the tall Soul Elder growled. "Kid, you're not bad—beating up Guan Yu at such a young age."
Guan Yu? Lin Jie blinked. Wait a sec...
This guy's name is Guan Yu? Then is this guy Liu Bei? And the skinny one must be Zhang Fei?
Of course, Lin Jie kept that thought to himself.
The Soul Elder puffed up and declared, "Kid, don't say I didn't give you a chance. I, Liu Bei, will give you three free moves. Don't want people saying the Liu brothers gang up on little kids."
Oh hell no...
Lin Jie nearly choked. He really is called Liu Bei! And yeah, that skinny one's definitely Zhang Fei then. My god.
He'd had enough of these clowns.
Lightning flared across his body. No more jokes.
Left hook.Right cross.Game over.
KO.
All three of them hit the ground.
To their credit, the trio didn't beg for mercy.
Looking down at them, Lin Jie muttered, "With this kind of strength, you dare go around robbing people? You're lucky I'm in a good mood. I'll spare your lives this once. But if I ever see you again..."
He didn't wait for a reply. Turning around, he walked away.
After about half an hour, Lin Jie finally reached the outer edge of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Activating Mind Net, his personal radar cheat, he cautiously made his way inside. The outer region was home to mostly decade- and century-level soul beasts; thousand-year beasts were rare.
The journey was relatively safe. And even if danger appeared, Mind Net could help him avoid it.
This was not the time to be reckless. The early game was all about survival.
No point in dying before even growing up.
After another half hour of searching, Lin Jie finally found a soul beast suitable for his third ring.