Chapter 24: The Hunting Spree!

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After resting, Xu Yuan directly sought out a group of soul beasts.

Wind Wolves.

These were one of the most common pack-dwelling soul beasts in the Spirit Ascension Platform. Each Wind Wolf had about thirty to forty years of cultivation, but their strength lay in numbers. A typical pack consisted of at least ten wolves, and larger groups weren't uncommon.

Xu Yuan had deliberately targeted such a pack of Wind Wolves.

At first, Xu Shengqun thought that Xu Yuan had accidentally stumbled upon this group of Wind Wolves. However, as Xu Yuan charged straight into the pack, Xu Shengqun's heart leapt into his throat. He realized that this wasn't an accident—Xu Yuan had specifically sought them out!

Holding the Tianyuan Spear, Xu Yuan plunged into the pack of Wind Wolves.

The thrill of battle sent his blood surging. This feeling was intoxicating.

Over the past year, under Xu Shengqun's guidance, Xu Yuan had mastered various spear techniques, which he now employed effortlessly. With the aid of the Five-Element Spear Spirit and the Tianyuan Spear, Xu Yuan even hurled his spear at times for long-range attacks, making full use of every possible tactic.

This battle was nothing short of all-out warfare.

In just ten minutes.

A group of seventeen Wind Wolves was completely wiped out by Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan had sustained three minor injuries from the Wind Wolves' wind blades and claws.

Water and wood elemental forces flowed over the wounds, nourishing the surrounding cells and rapidly healing the three cuts.

This pack of Wind Wolves provided Xu Yuan with approximately fifty years of cultivation.

Though he used water and wood elements to heal his wounds, Xu Yuan didn't stop. Instead, he continued wielding his spear, searching for more prey.

Outside, Xu Shengqun's heart remained lodged in his throat.

Xu Yuan's previous battle had been intense. Though the Wind Wolves were far inferior to him individually, they made up for it in numbers. While Xu Yuan could easily cripple a single wolf with a sweep of his spear or kill it with a thrust followed by the five-element spear aura, finding opportunities to strike amidst seventeen wolves was no easy feat.

Yet, Xu Yuan had managed to seize every available opportunity during the fight, killing all the wolves while sustaining only three non-lethal wounds—none of which could even be considered serious injuries.

"Has Xiao Yuan started to enjoy this kind of battle?" Xu Shengqun watched the screen, where Xu Yuan was already searching for his next target. Observing the expression on Xu Yuan's face, Xu Shengqun's own expression grew complex.

"The consumption and damage could have been even less."

Xu Yuan reflected on every detail of the previous battle, analyzing his soul power expenditure and the unavoidable injuries he had sustained. He mentally simulated tactics to reduce soul power consumption further and anticipated situations where he might have to trade injuries to land a decisive blow.

Inside the Spirit Ascension Platform, Xu Yuan entered his hunting spree.

On average, he engaged in a major battle every hour, recovering himself while simultaneously seeking out the next prey.

Each major battle yielded between thirty to seventy years of spiritual energy, averaging around fifty years per fight.

After ten hours, including the initial encounter with the three Flame Lions that granted him 130 years, he had accumulated roughly six hundred years of cultivation.

Six hundred years!

In just ten hours.

This was something most soul masters couldn't even dream of.

After all, acquiring spiritual energy in the Spirit Ascension Platform required hunting soul beasts. Ordinary soul masters simply couldn't match Xu Yuan's efficiency, even when hunting in teams. Dividing the final blows among teammates often resulted in minimal spiritual energy for each participant.

Only large factions grooming their juniors could possibly match Xu Yuan's efficiency—by having an invincible expert personally escort younger soul masters to hunt soul beasts, leaving all the finishing blows to the juniors.

Xu Yuan's Five-Element Spear Spirit originally had a relatively low cultivation period—not reaching the upper limit for a soul master's first soul ring, but only about three hundred years.

Now, after this massive boost, it had reached nine hundred years.

Xu Yuan could clearly feel the improvement in his Five-Element Spear Spirit. It was a distinct sensation.

As the spirit soul improved, so did the soul ring and the effects of his soul skills.

Whether it was due to the battles themselves or the enhancement of his soul skills, Xu Yuan's understanding of spear techniques also rapidly advanced during this process.

"I wonder if I can take on a thousand-year soul beast in a one-on-one fight now," Xu Yuan mused. He only needed another hundred years to reach his goal and wanted to finish things quickly.

However, after some thought, he abandoned the idea.

He was still only a one-ring soul master, and his abilities were heavily constrained. The gap between him and a thousand-year soul beast was glaringly obvious.

A thousand-year soul beast wasn't like those three hundred-year Flame Lions. While the spiritual energy provided might be similar, the threat level was worlds apart.

It was a complete qualitative leap in every aspect—attack, defense, speed—all were leaps beyond comparison. To even break through its defenses, Xu Yuan would need to unleash a fully powered peak attack, and even then, he might not find a fatal weak point.

Such a battle would inevitably end in defeat.

Hundred-year soul beasts were still on the same level as Xu Yuan in terms of raw power, though they gave him trouble in combat. But thousand-year soul beasts were two whole levels above him.

Not in terms of cultivation stages, but in sheer power.

As a one-ring soul master, Xu Yuan wouldn't be able to match a hundred-year soul beast in raw strength. It was only his exceptional talent that allowed him to perform at the level of a hundred-year soul beast.

"There's usually a buffer zone in the deeper parts of the beginner-level Spirit Ascension Platform, often guarded by a powerful soul beast. In Eastsea City's Spirit Pagoda platform, the guardian is a Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear. Killing it yields a Dark Golden Terror Claw external soul bone. I wonder what kind of soul beast guards this area in Tianhai City..."

Thinking about challenging a thousand-year soul beast naturally led Xu Yuan to consider the guardians.

Though he knew the power gap and wisely refrained from seeking out the guardian immediately, his curiosity got the better of him.

Xu Yuan was quite envious.

If the guardian here was anything like the one in Eastsea City—if it also dropped an external soul bone—it would be immensely valuable.

"That little temptress of a soul beast... I'll find you sooner or later and kill you!"

In the final two hours, Xu Yuan returned to hunting regular soul beasts, raising his soul ring's cultivation period to around eleven hundred years.

After half a day of relentless fighting, his mind was thoroughly exhausted, and he voluntarily exited the Spirit Ascension Platform.

Watching his nephew slowly sit up inside the chamber, Xu Shengqun's expression was complex.

"Xiao Yuan, I never expected you to complete your mission in just one day."

Before Xu Yuan could speak, the massive influx of spiritual energy caused his body to undergo changes. His Five-Element Spear Spirit entered a transformation phase, nearly causing him to faint.

Fortunately, his strong spiritual power kept him conscious. Xu Yuan quickly crossed his legs and began meditating, assisting the spear spirit's evolution.

Around his body, the yellow soul ring rapidly transformed. The pale yellow brightened, and a hint of purple appeared, quickly spreading across the entire ring.

A thousand-year soul ring!

As Xu Yuan's spirit soul evolved, Xu Shengqun watched curiously, wondering what changes would occur after the evolution.

After all, Xu Yuan's spirit soul was a weapon-type spear spirit. There had never been a precedent of a weapon-type spirit soul being upgraded to a thousand-year level by a soul master.

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