Luo San Pao, after receiving Master's order, waddled towards the forest ahead, shaking its head. Although its body was somewhat plump and bulky, its four short legs were surprisingly agile as it trotted along, sniffing at the ground.
Pointing at Luo San Pao, who was leading the way, Master turned to Tang San and said, "Xiao San, you've always wanted to know what my martial soul is, haven't you?"
Tang San nodded.
"This is my martial soul, it's called Luo San Pao. Its specialty is its extremely sensitive sense of smell, capable of detecting the tracks of low-level Soul Beasts. It's a great help to us in finding the Soul Beasts we need to hunt."
With that, Master took out a short sword from his pocket and handed it to Tang San. Due to the characteristics of Soul Beast Soul Rings, only the Soul Master who personally kills the Soul Beast can absorb the Soul Ring.
Therefore, Master, for the sake of safety, gave this crystal-blue short sword to Tang San, so he could hunt the appropriate Soul Beast after they found one.
At the same time, he was also telling Cheng Xiao how right Tang San was to take him as his master.
However, Cheng Xiao's attention wasn't even on Master. After arriving in the Hunting Soul Forest, Cheng Xiao found that his martial soul, the Shadow Monarch, seemed a little different. The shadow power in his body was like it was about to break through a bottleneck, but he hadn't even obtained his first Soul Ring yet?
Regarding the strange feeling coming from his body, Cheng Xiao could only suppress it for the time being. It seemed he needed to hunt a Soul Beast suitable for him as soon as possible.
Seemingly noticing Cheng Xiao's unusual behavior, Dean Ma Nuo asked, "Cheng Xiao, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Dean." Cheng Xiao shook his head, not mentioning the strange sensations in his body. It wasn't that he didn't trust Ma Nuo, but he wasn't originally from the Douluo Continent, and his Martial Soul wasn't inherited from his parents. Even if he explained it, it would only cause him trouble.
"Alright then, let me know immediately if you have any problems." Ma Nuo frowned. "When we Soul Masters absorb Soul Rings, we must adjust our state. Otherwise, if something goes wrong during the absorption, your life could be ruined!"
"Thank you for the reminder, Dean. I understand." Cheng Xiao nodded with a smile, indicating that he understood.
Seeing this, Ma Nuo didn't ask further. He had said what needed to be said; how Cheng Xiao chose to act was up to him.
After walking for a while, Luo San Pao, who was scouting ahead, suddenly stopped, his large eyes fixed on a certain direction, and he made a "do-do" sound.
"Teacher, what's wrong with San Pao?" Seeing Luo San Pao stop, Tang San looked at Master with curiosity.
"Don't be nervous." Master smiled calmly, as if everything was under control. He pointed to a plant in front of them that was dark and indistinct, and explained, "Our luck is quite good. We've encountered a hundred-year Soul Beast, the Shadow Vine, as soon as we entered."
"Shadow Vine?" Tang San's gaze shifted, landing on Cheng Xiao. He asked, "Isn't this plant-type Soul Beast suitable for Cheng Xiao's Martial Soul? You said that, although the Shadow Vine is a plant-type Soul Beast, it possesses many traits that other plant types lack: sharpness."
"That's right. The Shadow Vine is a rather special existence among plant-type Soul Beasts. Cheng Xiao, I recall your Martial Soul is the Top-Tier Beast Martial Soul, Shadow Soldier, right?" Master looked at Cheng Xiao and said calmly, "How about we use this Shadow Vine as your first Soul Ring? In my opinion, after you absorb it, there's a high probability you'll gain a sharp skill."
"Master, it's better not to jump to conclusions so quickly." Ma Nuo patted Master's shoulder and said, "Cheng Xiao's child's Martial Soul is a Top-Tier Beast Martial Soul we've never seen before. Although it has the word 'shadow,' it also has the word 'soldier.' I think we should look for something else, preferably other types of Soul Beasts. What do you think?"
"No, although Cheng Xiao's Martial Soul is a Top-Tier Beast Martial Soul, this Shadow Vine can bring him a sharp Soul Skill. No matter how special his Martial Soul is, it won't deviate from the scope of a Beast Martial Soul's attachment. With the Shadow Vine's sharpness, his attack power will also greatly increase," Master said stubbornly.
As a generation's Martial Soul theory master, his vision would never be wrong. Although he had never seen Cheng Xiao's Martial Soul, as long as it was a Beast Martial Soul, obtaining a sharp Soul Skill from the first Soul Ring was not a problem.
"Ask Cheng Xiao's opinion. After all, it's him who will be hunting the Soul Ring." Being refuted by Master in front of everyone, Ma Nuo's face couldn't help but feel a bit awkward, but he still gave Cheng Xiao a choice.
"My vision has never been wrong." Master said calmly.
"Master, I still think the Dean is right. Let's look for something else," Cheng Xiao thought for a moment and still rejected Master's suggestion.
Although what Master said sounded very reasonable, it might not be applicable to him.
"You..." Master didn't expect Cheng Xiao to refuse. His expression immediately changed, and he said coldly, "Then you can figure it out yourself."
After saying that, Master stopped looking at Cheng Xiao. A six or seven-year-old child had actually rejected his guidance on martial soul theory, and he had specifically gone to explain it to him. Although his original intention was to take him as a disciple, the other party had repeatedly refused. Even a clay figure would have some anger by now, let alone a martial soul theory Master like him?
Seeing this scene, Tang San sighed inwardly, "Cheng Xiao is really foolish. Teacher has been studying martial soul theory for decades, how could he make a mistake in choosing Soul Rings?"
Cheng Xiao was naturally unaware of what Master and Tang San were thinking; he didn't have mind-reading abilities. Moreover, he really didn't want to absorb that Shadow Vine. Even if it was related to his martial soul attribute, it couldn't just have the word "shadow" in it, right?
At this moment, Luo San Pao's cries rang out again. Because of the characteristics of his martial soul, Master immediately became alert and looked towards another direction in the forest.
"There seems to be movement over there, everyone be careful," Master warned coldly.
"What's wrong?" Ma Nuo walked to Master's side and asked in confusion.
"It seems that a group of Soul Beasts are approaching us, and their cultivation isn't low!" Master was somewhat frightened, but he still pretended to be calm.
Hearing these words, Dean Ma Nuo immediately released his Rock Shield Martial Soul. Four Soul Rings, white, yellow, yellow, and purple, emerged from beneath his feet, revealing the aura of a Soul Ancestor at over forty levels.
Ma Nuo's Martial Soul was an earth-attribute tool Martial Soul, the Rock Shield. Just like its name, it was a defensive tool Martial Soul. It was a pity that his innate full Soul Power wasn't high, and he hadn't joined any particularly good factions when he was young, lacking resources for cultivation.
After half a lifetime, he had only barely reached the Soul Ancestor realm. However, in a small place like Notting City, he was still a rare talent.
At this moment, both Cheng Xiao and Tang San understood what was about to happen because, right in front of them, more than ten Nether Wolves were approaching in their direction.
And among those ten or so Nether Wolves, a huge figure, shrouded in black mist, was slowly following behind the wolf pack.
Seeing that huge figure wrapped in black mist, the four people present all held their breaths.
(End of this chapter)