Chapter 11 – Explosive Rhino
In the depths of the Bokno Forest.
Quan Yi wore light armor and had the Scorching Sun Gauntlets on his hands, moving forward with cautious steps.
His eyes constantly scanned the surroundings, staying vigilant for any attack by soul beasts.
After two weeks of tempering, Quan Yi's alertness had grown sharper, and his five senses had become even keener. The wilderness seemed to be awakening a dormant sensory talent within him.
Looking closely, his light armor bore several black scorch marks.
These were the traces of battles with soul beasts.
Bokno Forest was one among many soul beast forests on the continent.
Though not large in size, it contained an active volcano at its center, attracting a great number of fire-attribute soul beasts to dwell here.
Most of the soul beasts in the forest had lower cultivation years, but the variety of fire-attribute species was wide. Quan Yi had heard that Su Ling'er had obtained her first soul ring here.
It was already the second week since Quan Yi had come to the forest, and he was still searching for a suitable soul beast.
During this time, he'd encountered many fire-attribute beasts, but most were too young, and the few whose cultivation matched his target weren't strength-type beasts.
"I've already scouted the outskirts. Looks like I have to go deeper," Quan Yi murmured to himself.
A soul beast over five hundred years old already had power comparable to a Grand Soul Master. For a mere ten-level Soul Scholar to even think of personally hunting one sounded absurd.
But when Quan Yi had agreed to this trial, it meant he had confidence.
His greatest reliance was on the Scorching Sun Gauntlets' fire immunity. The greatest threat from fire-attribute beasts—their flames—couldn't harm him at all.
Thanks to the gauntlets and his physical strength comparable to a level twenty Tool Soul Master, Quan Yi could easily kill ordinary five-hundred-year soul beasts.
But Quan Yi wasn't satisfied with just any soul beast. To find something truly worthwhile, he needed to take some risks and move deeper into the forest.
Behind Quan Yi, in a hidden spot, Quan Yue and Su Ling'er silently watched him from afar.
"Husband, Xiao Yi is heading deeper inside. Shouldn't we move closer?" Su Ling'er grew anxious when she saw Quan Yi advance.
"It's fine. This distance is just right. Don't worry—the soul beasts here are generally low in age. With our strength, we can protect Xiao Yi easily. You're just worrying too much," Quan Yue gently comforted her, noticing her agitation.
For the past two weeks, they had been secretly following Quan Yi. He'd faced attacks from soul beasts during that time, but always managed to drive them off easily.
Through this, both parents had gained a clearer picture of his strength: Quan Yi's physical toughness was astonishing. He hadn't even used Hardness or Sharpness; he simply relied on his body to fend them off.
But what surprised them was how few soul beasts there were compared to expectations. To obtain his first ring, Quan Yi had no choice but to venture deeper—though this inevitably increased his danger.
When Su Ling'er was a child, soul beasts had been everywhere in the forest. Clearly, the consequences of overhunting were starting to show.
Quan Yi pressed his palms together at his chest. A white light flashed, and suddenly, he held a shield in his left hand and a spear in his right.
These were weapons he had deliberately brought from the basement. Moving deeper meant greater danger, so he dared not be careless. With weapons, he could conserve soul power and greatly increase his safety.
The shield and spear were slightly oversized for Quan Yi, but he lifted them easily without any sign of strain.
He had drawn them out from a necklace on his chest.
The necklace, called the Heart of the Scorching Sun, belonged to Su Ling'er. More importantly, it was an extremely rare storage-type soul tool. Shaped like a burning sun, it had earned its name.
For this trial, Su Ling'er had lent this precious soul tool to him. Thanks to it, Quan Yi didn't have to carry heavy luggage, yet could still bring enough supplies to last two months.
Aside from the weapons, the rest of the storage space was packed with dried soul beast meat and water skins.
With the shield in his left hand and the spear in his right, Quan Yi advanced steadily into the forest's depths.
The further he went, the more sparsely the trees grew—likely due to the volcano at the center.
A faint strange odor lingered in the air, but to Quan Yi, this place felt invigorating; his body instinctively sensed a pleasant surge of energy.
Truly a paradise for fire-attribute soul masters, he thought to himself.
Quan Yi followed a stream, heading uphill. Though inexperienced, he knew soul beasts needed water.
By staying near the creek, his chances of encountering soul beasts rose sharply.
After walking for an hour or two, Quan Yi finally spotted a massive silhouette roughly five hundred meters ahead.
He silently stepped behind a tree to hide himself and observed carefully. Even from a distance, the sheer size of the beast made it easy for him to identify.
Most importantly, on the horn of the Explosive Rhino were five clearly visible red ring patterns—used to gauge its age.
As the Explosive Rhino aged, its horn grew longer, and every hundred years, a new red ring appeared.
This was because the rhino's horn served as its soul power reservoir—and also its most powerful weapon.
The Explosive Rhino had poor eyesight and lumbering movements, but it possessed tremendous strength. If its horn struck an enemy, the fire-attribute soul power stored inside would rush into the target and explode from within.
A terrifying technique developed precisely to avoid hurting itself while destroying its foes. Though Explosive Rhinos looked gentle and slow-witted, they actually had such a cunning soul skill.
Quan Yi felt a surge of excitement—but forced himself to calm down.
The closer one was to the goal, the more critical it was to remain composed. Against such a formidable beast, caution was everything.
He ran countless plans through his mind—but then, he stopped.
Something seemed to click in his thoughts. Quan Yi stood up and walked straight toward the Explosive Rhino, making no attempt to hide.
At around two hundred meters away, the rhino—previously drinking from the stream—sensed his presence. It lifted its massive head and glared at him.
Fully armed, clad in light armor, shield in one hand and spear in the other, Quan Yi fixed his resolute gaze on the beast, like a hero from ancient myths, stepping forward to challenge a giant alone.
Their difference in size was striking. Realizing it had an intruder, the Explosive Rhino slowly turned to face Quan Yi directly.
Far behind them, his parents were struck with shock. Su Ling'er immediately activated her martial soul, ready to charge forward—but Quan Yue grabbed her arm to stop her.
"What are you doing?"
"Wait. Quan Yi walked out himself. Maybe he has a plan. If you rush in now, won't you ruin the entire trial?" Quan Yue's voice was strained.
"Are you serious? It's a Explosive Rhino!" Su Ling'er exclaimed, panic in her eyes.
Quan Yue, too, was drenched in cold sweat. He hadn't expected the usually calm and rational Quan Yi to do something so reckless.
Yet, with great effort, Quan Yue forced himself to calm down.
(End of chapter)