Chapter 37: Displaying Power, Searching for Spirit Beasts

"You want to leave?"

In the dense Spirit Hunting Forest, the Grandmaster turned toward Lin Ye, his brows furrowed upon hearing Lin Ye's words.

Beside him, Tang San also frowned, staring at Lin Ye in confusion and disbelief.

"Yes," Lin Ye confirmed with a nod.

"Lin Ye, I understand you want to choose your own spirit ring without interference, but hunting spirit beasts is no simple task. Even though you've beaten a Soul Master before, that means little here. This is the Spirit Hunting Forest, filled with dangerous spirit beasts. Even a Grandmaster who doesn't understand this place can easily lose their life in here. You mustn't act rashly!"

The Grandmaster clearly disapproved of Lin Ye's decision to leave, his voice turning stern.

"Grandmaster, this isn't a rash decision. I've thought about it since yesterday."

Lin Ye shook his head, standing firm.

"It's not about whether you've thought it through or not—it's extremely dangerous!"

The Grandmaster's tone was serious, trying to reason with Lin Ye.

"Don't worry, Grandmaster. I can protect myself."

But Lin Ye remained resolute.

"You think you can protect yourself? Lin Ye! I've told you before, defeating a Soul Master who had only just reached the rank doesn't mean much. His spirit wasn't even that remarkable. In the world of Soul Masters, he's nothing."

"This is the Spirit Hunting Forest, where even low-level ten-year spirit beasts roam in packs. Hundred-year spirit beasts are everywhere, and there are even thousand-year beasts lurking. Soul Masters have a hard time surviving here unless they're a powerful Soul Elder. Without that strength, staying alive here is almost impossible!"

The Grandmaster, now more frustrated, raised his voice, scolding Lin Ye.

"Soul Elder?"

Hearing the Grandmaster's words, a faint smile tugged at the corner of Lin Ye's lips.

If the Grandmaster had said only Soul Ancestors could survive in the Spirit Hunting Forest, Lin Ye might have been concerned.

But Soul Elders?

After three months of rigorous training back in Holy Spirit Village, Lin Ye's strength and speed were already on par with that of a Soul Elder.

And with his mastery of the Dugu Nine Swords technique using the Xuanyuan Sword, even an average Soul Elder wouldn't stand a chance against him. His abilities were more than enough for this place.

"Grandmaster, how much of my strength do you think I used in the cafeteria?"

Lin Ye looked calmly at the slightly angered Grandmaster, not showing the slightest hint of frustration.

He knew that the Grandmaster was only concerned about his safety. But Lin Ye's strength wasn't as weak as the Grandmaster imagined—perhaps it was even stronger than the Grandmaster's own!

"You mean you didn't use your full strength in the cafeteria?"

The Grandmaster's eyes widened slightly, uncertainty flickering across his face as he processed Lin Ye's words.

Lin Ye simply smiled and, without responding, walked toward a large tree with a trunk so thick it would take two people to wrap their arms around it. He stood before the tree.

"What's he doing?"

Seeing Lin Ye's movement, both the Grandmaster and Tang San furrowed their brows, utterly confused.

Whoosh—

Standing in front of the tree, Lin Ye took a deep breath, channeling all his Nine Yang True Qi into his right hand. At the same time, he adjusted his breathing, concentrating all his physical strength into that same hand.

"Ha!"

With a shout, Lin Ye swung his right fist at the massive tree in front of him.

His seemingly small fist radiated a faint golden light under the enhancement of the Nine Yang True Qi. With a sharp whoosh cutting through the air, Lin Ye's fist slammed into the thick tree.

Boom!

A dull thud echoed through the forest as the tree snapped in half from the force of Lin Ye's punch.

Amidst the sharp sound of cracking wood, the tree's trunk shattered, and the massive tree toppled backward, crashing to the ground with a heavy thud, sending up a cloud of dust.

"How... how is that possible?!"

Both the Grandmaster and Tang San were left utterly dumbfounded, staring at the scene in disbelief.

A tree so thick it would take two people to encircle it had been felled with a single punch!

Even with an axe, it would take hours to chop down a tree of that size. How could someone break it in half with just one punch?

The power behind that punch had to exceed two thousand pounds! Such strength wasn't something even a Soul Master with a top-tier Beast Spirit could achieve—it was the level of a Soul Elder!

"Soul Elder?!"

The Grandmaster's gaze snapped to Lin Ye, filled with astonishment.

The boy in front of him, who hadn't even officially become a Soul Master, already possessed the strength of a Soul Elder.

Just how powerful was this hidden second spirit?

"Grandmaster, do you still think I can't handle myself?"

Turning slowly to face the shocked Grandmaster, Lin Ye asked calmly.

"… You can."

The Grandmaster opened his mouth to say more, but in the end, he could only nod silently.

"Then, Grandmaster, Tang San, I'll be off now."

With the Grandmaster's approval, Lin Ye waved goodbye to him and Tang San. Without hesitation, he picked a direction and sprinted off into the forest, vanishing from sight in no time.

As they watched Lin Ye's figure disappear into the dense forest, both the Grandmaster and Tang San were left feeling a strange mix of emotions.

Despite both being twin spirit holders, comparing Lin Ye to Tang San was like comparing the heavens to the earth.

Is this what they call a true genius?!

…

Once Lin Ye was out of their sight, he took a deep breath, gazing at the vast forest before him. Activating his Phoenix Dance Six Illusions footwork, he leaped gracefully onto the canopy of a towering tree and began gliding from tree to tree.

Standing atop the treetops, Lin Ye could see for miles around.

Running his hand over the jade pendant at his waist, he summoned a replica of the Xuanyuan Sword, strapping it to his back. As he continued his journey, he scanned his surroundings, searching for the right spirit beast.

Based on the letter his father had left him, Lin Ye had already decided that his first spirit ring would be for his Nine Spirit Celestial Begonia spirit.

After studying both the spirit beast encyclopedia his father had left behind and the notes the Grandmaster had given him, Lin Ye had developed a clear plan.

As a support-type spirit, the Nine Spirit Celestial Begonia meant his development path was that of a support-type Soul Master.

Support-type Soul Masters generally fell into two categories: those who enhanced or buffed, and those who healed or restored.

Buffing Soul Masters could be divided further into two subtypes: those who applied debuffs to enemies, and those who provided stat boosts to allies. This was the universal choice for all support-type Soul Masters.

Since the Nine Spirit Celestial Begonia already possessed natural healing abilities, Lin Ye had ruled out any healing-related spirit rings.

This left him with only one option: buff-type spirit rings.

And when it came to buff-type spirit rings, there were plenty of options!

If he wanted to enhance strength, he could choose a spirit beast known for its power. If he wanted to increase speed, he could target a swift spirit beast. And if he wanted to boost attack power, he could hunt a beast renowned for its ferocity.

In short, whatever kind of buff he wanted, all he had to do was hunt the corresponding spirit beast and absorb its spirit ring.

Both his father's encyclopedia and the Grandmaster's notes had detailed lists of suitable spirit beasts.

All Lin Ye had to do now was follow the plan.

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