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Chapter 20 - Chapter 20: Hunt For Soul Ring

Chapter 20: Hunt For Soul Ring

...

Tang Ya let out a satisfied sigh, leaning back against the grass. "Little brother Yuhao, I don't know how I lived without your cooking." She stretched lazily, arms above her head, the motion making her curves all the more obvious.

Bei Bei, sitting close by, flushed at the sight and quickly looked away, scratching his cheek.

"Hey," Tang Ya added with a grin, "how about I hire you as a chef? What do you think?"

Bei Bei shot her an incredulous look. "If you're going to hire him, you'll need to pay him. Do you have money, Teacher Xiao Ya?" He shot her a smug look.

Tang Ya paused. "Err... I will have some in the future." She said, flustered. She sat up and sent a glare at her violet-haired friend.

While Tang Ya and Bei Bei were bickering like an old married couple, Percy was quietly packing up, slipping his things back into his bag. His short sword was fastened at his waist. "As tempting as that offer is, I should get going now. Goodbye."

Though he didn't mind their company too much, he didn't want to linger any more than necessary. Those two were strong, and he didn't want them asking questions. That was a disaster waiting to happen.

Seeing the direction where he was heading, Bei Bei frowned. "Little brother Huo, this place is very desolate, and we are not far away from Xingduo Forest, where Soul Beasts roam. Where are you heading to?" He asked.

Percy didn't answer. He simply raised two fingers in a lazy salute without turning back and kept walking.

"Bye, thanks for the food!" Tang Ya waved goodbye, getting a snort from her violet-haired friend.

Tang Ya and Bei Bei watched his retreating back. The ebony-haired girl leaned closer to her companion, her brows furrowing. "You don't think he's going in there alone, do you?"

Bei Bei exhaled slowly, shaking his head. "Hard to tell. I can vaguely sense that he has Soul Power, but it's very weak. Definitely no match for you or me. Still…" His voice trailed, thoughtful.

He remembered Percy's posture, the way his hand rested on that strange sword when they first met. They way he looked at them with his sharp eyes as if waiting for conflict to arise. "There's certainly something about him. I can't get it out of my head that he's capable of holding his own."

'It was like looking at a Soul Beast.' He hummed inwardly. 'He almost made me release my martial soul the second I saw him.' Bei Bei chuckled inwardly. If all it took was a junior he hadn't met until today to rile him up, then he was going to need more training.

Tang Ya stuck out her tongue playfully. "He has soul power, right? How about we recruit him into the Tang Sect?"

Bei Bei turned, giving her a flat stare. "You don't plan on inviting him into the sect because he's good at cooking, do you?"

Tang Yas's face reddened as he got it right on the money. She puffed out her cheeks and looked away.

Snorting, Bei Bei leaned back on his hands. "This little brother Huo must have been through a lot. You can tell by the way he carries himself. Those instincts don't come from nowhere. Whatever he went through, he's fought hard, and not just once or twice."

A look of surprise appeared on Tang Ya's face before it turned to quiet delight. "So you agree?" She asked, leaning closer.

Bei Bei gave a coy smile before coughing in his hand. "Great Tang Sect Master Tang Ya, before you took me as your disciple, the Tang Sect had only you as its sole leader. Your dream to rebuild the Tang Sect back into what it was is worthy of admiration. Naturally we need people like him. This little brother, Huo, is a very bright kid, and if his talent is passable, he could be a good choice. Judging from his clothing and how he's here by himself, it's clear that his family background is not good. Right now, our Tang Sect can only recruit people like him." He finished.

Looking at Bei Bei curiously, Tang Ya retorted, "I didn't realize you were so cunning."

Bei Bei rose to his feet, brushing the dirt from his clothes. "It's just called being smart, or you can call it wisdom. I'm fine with either. Let's follow him. Whether or not we recruit him into the sect, we should keep a close eye on him just in case he runs into any trouble."

If Huo Yuhao could be persuaded to join, he had no doubt that he'd be a decent asset. He seemed resourceful enough, but even more, he had the demeanor of someone of focus, commitment, and sheer fucking will, all three of which Bei Bei respected a lot.

Tang Ya nodded eagerly. "That's pretty smart of you, Bei Bei. I guess my leadership is rubbing off on you." She giggled and hopped to her feet. "Alright, I'll clean up, and then we can go." She effortlessly leaped across the stream.

Bei Bei smiled fondly at her antic and walked away, but just as he stepped forward, Tang Ya's voice rang out. "Hey, Bei Bei, look at this!"

Turning around, he was met with the sight of Tang Ya pointing at a tree with a clean hole through it as if it had been punched with terrifying force.

Curious, Bei Bei asked, "Was that always there?" But Tang Ya was equally baffled.

...

Percy pushed deeper into the woods. Even before entering, his mind was already alert for what he might run into. He passed by a weathered wooden sign, its black ink faded roughly from having been there for a couple decades, but its writing was still legible.

Notice: Xingdou Forests ahead within fifty li. Soul Beasts may appear. Beware!

But he already knew the risks and was not afraid. In fact, he was looking forward to this. He's dealt with monsters in his past life and wanted to see what these Soul Beasts were made of. Were they stronger or weaker? And how did he compare to them in respective ability? It was a dangerous thought, but the curiosity got the better of him.

Going alone without an adult was suicide. It didn't matter to him. He had his goals, and he had the tools to see them through, and getting more Soul Rings was the only way he could see to sharpen said tools, so to speak.

He's done his preparation. Right now, he was in his best possible shape. He had his Spirit Eyes, silver water, physical specs above the norm, and his battle tactics. Not to mention his White Tiger Dagger. With all of these at his disposal, he can win almost any fight for survival. 

He was not leaving this forest without a Soul Ring.

The deeper he went, the more he noticed the shift in the atmosphere become heavier. The trees stood taller and the shadows thicker. Xingdou Forest was home to a variety of Soul Beasts, and in a way, it was one itself, waiting for any unsuspecting prey to walk in just before devouring them when they were at their weakest. It was the Labyrinth all over again!

Huo Yuhao stood unfazed. His years of combat and training had forged him into a warrior of both savagery and cold intelligence. Whatever came at him, he just needed to do what he usually does. Break it down slowly until it can't fight any longer or simply crush it outright. In the case neither worked, then he'll improvise.

"..." His eyes slid from side to side.

As his Spirit Eyes were a mutated version of his father's and his mother's Martial Soul, it belonged to the extremely rare spiritual attribute. It gave him a strong premonitory ability. Nothing could hope to get past his vision.

And speak of the devil, because his senses picked up on something coming his way, jumping from tree to tree without stopping.

Feeling danger fast approaching, his body quickly reacted and moved to the left as a heavy figure slammed down from above, cracking the ground where he had just been.

The Silver Demigod's head snapped up to meet face-to-face with his first-ever Soul Beast encounter, but he didn't panic, instead his hand was already moving. White Tiger Dagger in his left hand. Silver water morphing into a matching blade in his right.

He hadn't even entered that far into the forest, and he was already being attacked by a Soul Beast. 'So, this is a Soul Beast.'

The Soul Beast towered over him, nearly two and a half meters tall. A hulking, twisted brute of muscle. Brown fur shot through with gold vein-like markings rippled across its long arms and massive chest. Nails like knives gleamed at the ends of its clawed hands. Its face was that of a snarling baboon painted in bright colors of blue and white. Oddly enough, it had curved golden horns jutting from its skull. Its sharp canine snarled as its blue eyes locked on him with killing intent. It let out a roar, furious at missing its prey.

He was suddenly hit with a case of déjà vu. This Soul Beast reminded him an awful lot of the Minotaur. Its physical specs were identical, and its aura was very reminiscent of it too. "No way..." He muttered but quickly shook it off. He couldn't afford any distractions at the moment.

"Word of advice," He said coldly, eyes narrowing. "If you're gonna kill me, I'd suggest keeping your bloodlust in check." He casually tossed his travel bag away and brought his daggers into an X. "I could sense yours from a mile away, you mother nature reject."

And the insult did the trick. 

"GRROOOHHH!" The big baboon Soul Beast let out an unnatural deep roar, and pushing its thick hind legs off the ground, it lunged at him again and threw the second hit with a massive right hook. Such a hit would no doubt kill the average man in a single hit.

Although he didn't possess a Soul Ring yet, his Spirit Eyes' basic function was still quite impressive. The big monkey's movements were so slow it might as well have been an action figure.

'Like candy from a baby.' And like an expert, he sidestepped and stabbed his silver water dagger into its arm before attacking its right eye and then backflipping away, leaving the silver water weapon lodged in its muscle tissue.

The Soul Beast shrieked as it staggered back, clutching its arm. Mere moments into the fight, its right eye was shredded, leaving it partially blind, and a knife was through its arm. It tried to remove the weapon, but no matter how much it tried, it just wouldn't budge.

It stared back at Huo Yuhao's impassive expression, and it was even more enraged. It roared once more and opened its mouth wide toward his direction. A ball of white light shot out, flying straight to him like a cannon.

He glared at the white light bolting his way and ducked low. It missed and shot through the wood line, causing a small explosion, but it turns out the big monkey brains wasn't just all muscle because it landed right on him, slamming both hands down.

Pivoting away, he countered by stabbing the white tiger dagger into its palm. At the same time silver water surged back into his left, elongating into the same short sword he had when first meeting Tang Ya and Bei Bei.

He spun into its blind spot on its right, where he knew it wouldn't be able to see, and pierced the blade through its shoulder, and just to add more salt to the wound, he maneuvered further and slashed its right arm clean off.

The baboon howled in agony, collapsing to a knee, but its torment wasn't over yet. Ruthlessly he pressed the advantage. Silver water hardened into knuckle dusters, and wasting no moment, he drove his fists into its defenseless ribs. Combined with his abnormal strength, it packed a punch. Pun not intended.

*PUNCH!*

*PUNCH!*

*PUNCH!*

*PUNCH!*

It recoiled from the hit and, in retaliation, jabbed its clawed hand in his direction, right for his head, but unfortunately for it, his opponent wasn't foolish enough to overcommit when it wouldn't help in the long run.

'Not so fast!' He shifted his head and just barely avoided the hit. A small line of blood seeped out from the side of his cheek mixed with sweat.

He slipped past its guard, circling to its back. The knuckle dusters morphed into daggers, which he then proceeded to bury deep in its lower spine. It didn't stop there because inside the blades writhed wildly, tearing it apart from within.

The giant monkey convulsed, choking on pain, before feeling clawed fingers digging into its back.

"HAAAAGH!" Huo Yuhao strained as he used all his strength to toss it on its ass. He then sprinted forward until he was right on the side of its head, and with his silver water covering his right foot, he kicked it in the jaw. Hard.

*CRACK!*

Blood and teeth sprayed across the dirt.

Huo Yuhao crouched on his knees on its remaining arm and grabbed his White Tiger Dagger that rested on its hand. He then stabbed its cubital fossa. The horned baboon let out a roar, thrashing, but Percy was keeping it pinned down even further, accentuated when he twisted the blade and severed its arm tendon.

With its arms now limp and the Soul Beast still reeling from the assault, Huo Yuhao stood over it, breathing heavily. His silver water short sword in one hand and the White Tiger Dagger in the other.

From start to finish, this wasn't a fight. It was a one-sided slaughter. Huo Yuhao broke the soul beast piece by piece until it wouldn't be able to do anything to fight back. Since the moment he analyzed it, he purposely calculated everything it would do and memorized its simple attack patterns to use against it. His Spirit Eyes made it a cinch. This was his perfect victory.

The silver demigod jumped above it, ready to end this.

But it seemed the overgrown monkey still had some fight left in it because it opened its mouth as a familiar white light appeared on its mouth.

'No!' He blocked with both weapons and braced himself.

*BOOM!*

An explosion was heard in the forest.

...

Away from the battle, Tang Ya, who heard the explosion, instantly turned to face Bei Bei. "Did you hear that?"

Bei Bei nodded. "Yeah, it came from the direction where he went. He could be in danger. We need to move."

Tang Ya nodded back, and the two ran further into the forest, hoping they'd make it in time before it was too late.

...

Back in the fight, a smoking crater split the ground where Huo Yuhao and the Soul Beast had just been. Instead of bringing each other down, the two had survived. The explosion had sent them blowing back but not unscathed.

The baboon staggered upright, its massive frame dripping blood. It breathed through its nostrils exhaustively, looking enraged at the Silver Demigod.

Across from it, Huo Yuhao forced himself up, chest heaving. "Hah… hah…" His clothes were torn, bloodied, and singed, leaving him shirtless, but he was still standing.

In his grip was the White Tiger Dagger, but it was different. It elongated into a bright, glowing white two-handed sword of energy.

Just like he suspected, the white tiger dagger was no normal weapon at all. In that moment when it made contact with the soul beast's blast, it activated and shielded him from most of the attack. If it weren't for it, he wouldn't be doing too well.

"Alright," He exhaled, his silver eyes hardening. "Now I'm pissed."

Huo Yuhao felt himself losing strength and knew he couldn't hold on much longer. He was running low on Soul Power and stamina. He needed to finish this here and now, and he knew just what he needed to do to win this.

Commanding his silver water, he used it to cover both feet. This would serve to reinforce his speed and footing.

The Soul Beast crouched, horns aimed forward, using its one arm to balance itself, its breaths slowing as its murderous gaze locked onto him. Its golden horn gleamed in his direction.

The silver demigod didn't waver. He raised the glowing blade high.

A moment of silence followed before it was broken by Huo Yuhao. "C'mon, Curious George, I'm waiting."

The muscles on the horned baboon bulged as it let out a roar and charged right at him like a stampeding bull. Huo Yuhao did the same and ran to meet it head-on with a downward strike, while the Soul Beast did the opposite and went below.

"GRROOOOHHHHH!!!" The horned baboon howled with all its might.

"AAAAAAAGHHH!!!" The silver demigod yelled and fought hard with just as much will.

*CLASH!*

Horn met blade, the shockwave rattling the trees from the minor shockwave. 

As they clashed, a brief memory from his past life flashed through his mind of him in his youth fighting against a similar horned creature. Why...just why did this Soul Beast remind him so much of his fight against the Minotaur?

He felt his shoulder about to give, and the energy coming out of the white tiger dagger was beginning to fade. If this continued, he would surely die.

*CRACK!*

The energy coming out of the White Tiger Dagger broke apart, and now that there was no more blockage, the Soul Beast was left to charge to its delight with no opposition. Instead of letting it do what it wanted, the silver demigod thought outside the box and literally took the bull by the horns and kept it down with the remainder of his strength even as his heels dug into the dirt.

"GRROOOHHH!!!" The baboon bellowed and charged at him, forcing him further.

But the silver demigod wouldn't budge, clenching his teeth. Soon it stopped. It had exhausted its stamina, but it only needed a few moments to regain it. The moment it did, it would proceed to tear him apart. The soul beast saw just how exhausted he was. It had him right where it wanted.

However, what the spirit beast didn't know was that while it was busy crushing him outright, it failed to notice the silver water in circular form surrounding its body, from the head to the heart, legs, lungs, shoulders, torso, and heels.

'Thanks for focusing all your attention on me, you stupid monkey.' Huo Yuhao's cold gaze met its eyes, and then...

*SHINK!*

*SHINK!*

*SHINK!*

*SHINK!*

The baboon felt paralyzed, feeling the silver water strands stab into every weak part of its body in rapid succession, before collapsing its head down on the ground. It was dead. The Silver Demigod had won.

Getting up, Huo Yuhao stood up and slumped against a tree, taking deep breaths. This fight was way more difficult than he had first anticipated.

He took into account their difference in physical strength and made sure to wear down its defenses as fast and as accurately as possible. He went into this fight with the plan to prevent it from fully utilizing its full might against him, but he never expected it would shoot a blast right in front of both of them.

"Disgraceful." He spat. How could he let his guard down in that moment? He was better than this. "I'll make sure it won't happen again."

At the same time, there was something else he couldn't get out of his head. "Why did it behave just like Asterion?" He wondered as he stared at the corpse.

Did Soul Beasts in this world also drop spoils of war too? It made the most sense. It was a monster, and once a person killed it, they could take whatever parts it dropped behind after turning to dust or had on itself. But why did it have the same features as the minotaur? The long arms, the horns, the brutish howl. It just had to be a coincidence!

He looked like he'd seen better days. He had a sprained shoulder, his shirt was torn to shreds, and there were cuts around his arms. However, he willed himself to stay conscious for his own safety and because he didn't want to miss it.

His eyes landed on the motionless baboon, where a faint white glow appeared on it, and gradually, the white light condensed into a white circle of light that floated above its body. The white circle was not very clear, and the light was faint, but it still intrigued the silver demigod.

This was a Soul Ring he'd heard so much about. It was the first time he laid his eyes on one. He limped toward the baboon. A soul ring signified that a soul beast was dead, and with his senses he could tell it no longer posed a threat.

Soul rings were vital for a Soul Master to advance in strength onto the next stages. But it's not like one size fit all. It didn't work like that. Soul Rings from Soul Beasts varied, and some may be compatible with a person, while others not so much. Only Soul Rings that are suitable for a Soul Master would be better absorbed.

A suitable Soul Ring would grant a soul skill while increasing the Soul Master's inherent abilities. Depending on how old the Soul Beast before it was slain would determine how strong a soul skill it would give.

It went from weakest to strongest, signified by age and color: 10-year Soul rings were White, 100-year were Yellow, 1,000-year were Purple, and 10,000-year were Black, and then there was the legendary and extremely rare 100,000-year red Soul Ring.

The Soul Ring from the horned baboon was, of course, the weakest type, which confused him a lot because it definitely felt stronger when he fought it, but that was a question for another day. He needed to absorb it before it disappeared. Once they appeared, they would vanish unless absorbed in time by the Soul Master who took down the Soul Ring that emerged from the Soul Beast.

If he absorbed it, he could regain more of his power, and the sooner he did that, the better.

Sitting down in front of it in a meditation stance, he prepared to absorb it. This type of soul ring was very unsuitable for him, but it's not like he knew. The only thing he was ever taught was the basic of the basics. Nobody told him that his spirit eyes were of the spiritual attribute and that they wouldn't mesh well with any Soul Beast that did not belong to the same attribute.

As he was about to absorb the soul, the surrounding temperatures grew extremely colder, and the leaves on the ground and the trees became covered in ice. The ground ahead of him began trembling until a fissure appeared and a bright blue light appeared from underneath.

Huo Yuhao's eyes widened in shock. "Another one!" He stood back up, clutching his shoulder. He needed to run away, but he didn't have any strength in him to go very far.

Just then a playful voice echoed in his mind. 'Finally, I have encountered a human with a spiritual attribute. Too bad I can't cry, or I would be in tears.'

"What the hell is going on?!" He tried to keep himself awake, but the exhaustion was beginning to take hold of him.

A thread of cold chills emanated from the fissure, and the temperature lowered even further. The fissure kept growing by the second until finally stopping. The blinding white light disappeared, and out from it popped a giant head. It wriggled and climbed out, revealing its full body.

"A dragon!" The Silver Demigod exclaimed.

...

..

.

(Deeze nuts lol. I've been holding that one in all month. Worth it.)

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