"The soul beast is approaching."
The Skydream Iceworm reminded once again.
Xu Zihuang instinctively looked in the direction indicated by the Skydream Iceworm.
Last night's Nether Ghost Tiger had been extremely fast, but the ghostly green light it emitted had made it easy for Xu Zihuang to track its figure by the glow.
But the soul beast before his eyes was different. It seemed to have merged its body with the surrounding environment.
Even with the Skydream Iceworm's guidance, Xu Zihuang had to put in effort to locate the beast, hiding behind a thick tree trunk a thousand meters away, spying on the group.
This soul beast looked somewhat like a dog, but with unusually thick limbs and a strange physique. Its body had no fur, only scales, and its eyes glowed with a ghastly white light.
Its face was especially hideous, long and unsightly, with tusks jutting outward.
Its appearance was truly difficult to compliment.
The scales on its body constantly reflected waves of soul power, concealing its aura.
As man and beast locked eyes, the soul beast decisively turned and fled.
Its speed wasn't as fast as the Nether Ghost Tiger from the night before, but it still turned into an afterimage in an instant.
"Silver Shadow Beast?"
Seeing the soul beast's appearance through Xu Zihuang's perspective, the Skydream Iceworm exclaimed excitedly.
"Zihuang, the Silver Shadow Beast is a soul beast with both spirit and agility attributes. Though it's not on the level of the very top soul beasts, its innate soul skill is extremely powerful, and it suits you perfectly. Don't let it escape! The Silver Shadow Beast has long been on the verge of extinction. Even in the Star Dou Forest, you might not find a second one!"
Even without the Skydream's explanation, Xu Zihuang had already recognized the beast.
When it fled, the Silver Shadow Beast still caused some disturbance.
Zhang Lexuan, a Contra-level powerhouse, immediately sensed the anomaly and locked eyes with Xu Zihuang.
Xu Zihuang quickly said to her, "Senior Sister, that soul beast that just fled would be very suitable as my fourth soul ring."
Wu Ming, Chu Qingtian, and Ye Liu also reacted, following their gaze.
But in that short time, the Silver Shadow Beast was already disappearing into the distant forest.
Zhang Lexuan made a decisive call.
"Everyone, chase it together. And Tianhuang, remember not to move more than five meters away from me."
"Yes, Senior Sister," the group answered, each releasing their martial souls.
Although their cultivation levels varied greatly—with Zhang Lexuan as a Contra at the top and Xu Zihuang only at the fortieth rank—they still worked together with practiced coordination.
Everyone except Xu Zihuang was an inner courtyard disciple. That much discipline they had.
Zhang Lexuan charged ahead, her level-80+ soul power and the oppressive aura of her hundred-thousand-year soul ring protecting Xu Zihuang behind her.
Wu Ming and Ye Liu, both with flying-type martial souls, followed in low flight.
As for Chu Qingtian, the only agility-attack type among them, he bore the greatest responsibility in the chase.
In direct combat, agility-attack types were at a disadvantage against power, defense, or control types. But in the vast and complex terrain of the Star Dou Forest, his speed gave him the greatest advantage.
In a soul beast hunting team, agility-attack types were indispensable. They scouted, warned, and at critical moments, pinned down fleeing beasts with speed.
Two yellow, two purple, and two black rings—the perfect six-ring configuration—surrounded Chu Qingtian as his figure flickered, rapidly closing the gap with the Silver Shadow Beast.
Though the beast was fast, its primary attribute was still spiritual.
And Chu Qingtian was hailed as the fastest soul master of the inner courtyard.
His third soul ring suddenly lit up, bursting with dazzling lightning. In an instant, his body vanished as if merged into the thunder itself.
For most lightning-attribute soul masters, lightning was a means of attack. But he was the exception. His Lightning Mad Leopard martial soul used lightning to enhance speed.
He could merge into lightning, reaching the ultimate speed in an instant.
Under his third soul skill, he narrowed the gap once more.
Normally, he would have been calm, but just after advancing to Soul Emperor, he wanted to test his improved strength—and out of gratitude, he especially wanted to help Xu Zihuang secure this beast.
In his speed burst, he failed to notice he was gradually outpacing the group.
Zhang Lexuan frowned, unable to hold back a warning: "Qingtian, don't chase too far alone!"
Xu Zihuang also realized something and shouted:
"Senior Chu, it's best not to use soul skills above the fourth ring!"
But unfortunately, before he finished speaking, Chu Qingtian's deep sixth soul ring already lit up.
The lightning around him turned ghostly green, giving him a spectral appearance. A ghostly green rift opened before him, and he dove in. Light vanished, and in the next instant, he appeared a hundred meters ahead.
With a few jumps, he closed the gap completely, blocking the Silver Shadow Beast.
His breath steady, Chu Qingtian couldn't hide his joy.
That Nether Ghost Tiger had indeed given him an extremely powerful soul skill.
Now, he only had to wait for Zhang Lexuan and the others. With their combined strength, the beast would be nothing more than prey.
But unlike him, Xu Zihuang showed no excitement. His eyes locked firmly on the Silver Shadow Beast.
Almost as if in answer, the beast gazed back at Chu Qingtian, a sly glint flashing in its eyes.
Soul power surged, a strange glow rose over its body, and a faint ghostly-green shadow flashed behind it.
A rift of ghostly green light appeared eerily before it as well.
The smile froze on Chu Qingtian's face, his eyes filled with horror.
"No way…"
But at that moment, a thick yellow light spread like liquid across the scene. A prison of earth rose up, locking the Silver Shadow Beast tightly.
A sloppy old man landed lazily beside the beast, flicking a leftover chicken bone from his hand.
The Silver Shadow Beast, with cultivation of over thirty-five thousand years, fainted instantly.
Knocked out by a chicken bone…
Who else could it be but Elder Xuan, who had been tailing them all along?
Chu Qingtian's face burned with shame. Zhang Lexuan arrived with the others, bowing respectfully.
"Elder Xuan."
"Mm." Elder Xuan waved dismissively, glancing at the Silver Shadow Beast.
"Didn't expect such a beast still existed in the Star Dou Forest."
Zhang Lexuan asked quietly, "Elder Xuan, what kind of soul beast is this Silver Shadow Beast? It doesn't seem to appear in academy teachings."
Elder Xuan nodded, pulling out another greasy chicken leg from who-knows-where. Between bites, he explained:
"That's right. In teaching, the academy sometimes mentions beasts from ancient times that are now extinct, but only the representative ones. The rest we skip. They're of little practical significance. Even in ancient records, the Silver Shadow Beast is rarely mentioned. Like the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear, it has extremely poor reproductive ability."
Taking the chance, Elder Xuan began explaining its abilities.
"The Silver Shadow Beast's innate soul skill is called Imprint. A terrifyingly powerful ability. The moment its opponent uses a soul skill, it can imprint that skill, storing it within its body. Later, it can release it as its own. And since the imprint is spiritual in nature, it isn't restricted by attributes. When it uses an imprinted skill, the power is unleashed at full force—only limited by its cultivation."
The group's faces grew grim.
The ability was too strong.
Thankfully, none of them had used powerful offensive skills earlier. Otherwise, they might have suffered greatly.
Chu Qingtian, still hanging his head in shame, felt a wave of dread. Xu Zihuang's earlier warning had been right.
Unexpectedly, Wu Ming turned to Xu Zihuang, asking, "You knew of this beast?"
"I once read about it in ancient records, but this is my first time seeing one." Xu Zihuang shook his head.
Elder Xuan swallowed his bite and nodded, glancing again at the beast.
"This Silver Shadow Beast would indeed suit you, kid. But its cultivation is too high—over thirty-five thousand years."
Xu Zihuang stepped forward, gaze steady.
"Elder Xuan, I'm confident I can absorb it."
Elder Xuan raised a brow, scolding: "Your physique is stronger than most, but absorbing a twenty-thousand-year beast is your limit. This one's over thirty-five thousand. You think you can?"
Even the usually gentle Zhang Lexuan grew serious.
"Tianhuang, don't push yourself. Your talent is exceptional; there's no need to chase ring years too hard. This beast is rare, yes, but we can bring it back to the academy and keep it. Once you reach Soul King, then you can absorb it."
"Junior Yu, Elder Xuan and Senior Sister are right."
Wu Ming, Chu Qingtian, and Ye Liu all voiced agreement. In their short time together, they had come to genuinely respect and care for Xu Zihuang.
Smiling calmly under their gazes, Xu Zihuang said:
"Elder Xuan, Senior Sister, Senior Wu, Senior Chu, Senior Ye—"
"You've all heard of second awakening of an original martial soul, haven't you?"
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PD:Sorry for the confusion, I hadn't noticed the mistake. It's already been corrected, and chapters 127–128 have been uploaded
40 early chapters available on Patreon: [email protected]/facficmax10