Join my Patreon to be 30 chapters ahead of the webnovel releases:
patreon.com/ZeroMoney
I would appreciate your help if you could join my Patreon and support me because it would keep me motivated.
******
"Have you decided on your third soul beast yet?"
As the team moved forward, Yan Shaozhe leaned in and asked softly.
"I'm leaning toward a control-type like the Ghost King Vine or a support-type like the Emerald Swan," Su Wen mused, "but if I encounter something better—say, a peerless ferocious beast like the Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear—I wouldn't refuse."
Logically, he preferred a team-oriented support soul beast. After all, Ice Sovereign could both tank and deal damage, and its defense wasn't low. With the attribute boosts from consuming flesh, it could rival typical defensive soul beasts.
But if he actually encountered a Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear, that would be a different story entirely.
Its defense and combat power were leagues beyond Ice Sovereign's. Though he couldn't imagine its exact stats, its battle strength in the original story was always in a class of its own. Ice Sovereign was a balanced fighter, but that was relative. With a Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear on the team, Ice Sovereign could fall back and focus on being a "mage" dealing damage from a safe distance.
Furthermore, adding a Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear to the team wouldn't just be a minor boost; his small squad's power would skyrocket exponentially.
A pure increase in combat power, or a synergistic support for the whole team?
Su Wen didn't have a strong preference. "I'll leave it to fate."
"The Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear? You have good taste, lad," Yan Shaozhe grinned. "One of the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest, the Bear Lord, belongs to that species. It has top-tier offensive power and a defense that rivals the strongest defensive beasts. It's hard to find a soul beast with a better value on the continent. Its growth potential is also top-notch."
The more monstrous Su Wen became, the more glory it would bring to the Martial Soul Department. He was naturally thrilled. Besides, in another year, Su Wen would officially enroll. His debut would surely shatter everyone's expectations—and maybe even serve as some good publicity for the academy.
The team marched on in an orderly fashion.
This was Su Wen's second time entering the Star Dou Great Forest. The despair and fear he had felt four years ago were gone, replaced by a relaxed, almost leisurely mood. The scenery was undeniably breathtaking, rivaling a 5A-rated primeval forest from his past life, and was even grander. The birds, beasts, snakes, and insects were all several times larger, as if it were a world undergoing a spiritual energy reawakening.
[Snow Silkworm—a rare type of Cordyceps, it replenishes qi and blood and enhances the physical body…]
Staring at the grayish-white, ring-patterned, eight-legged grub with a reddish-brown abdomen, Su Wen recoiled. In the original story, Tang San could swallow one whole, but the thought of eating a "fleshy bug" himself was horrifying, even with his eyes closed. He imagined the juices bursting, the soft texture spreading in his mouth, mixed with a faint, fishy smell.
Gag~
Su Wen turned away and went to look for something else.
As the team neared the forest's core, Yan Shaozhe stuck close, terrified that any accident might befall the precious future of the academy.
"A Ghost King Vine!" Ma Xiaotao suddenly exclaimed.
Surprised, Su Wen followed her finger. A pale-black vine, over a hundred meters long, clung to an ancient Dragon-Whisker Tree, swaying harmlessly in the breeze. But they all knew that if they got too close, the camouflaged vine would strike in an instant with a fatal blow.
[Ghost King Vine]
[Cultivation: 4,300 years]
[Attribute: Poison]
[Potential: 4]
[Evaluation: A Ghost King Vine with top-tier cultivation talent but no mutation bonuses…]
Mediocre?
Su Wen clicked his tongue. The potential was too low. If it had been just one or two points higher, a 5, he would have considered it. But a 4 was simply not good enough.
"Let's find the next one, Sister Tao. This isn't my type," Su Wen said, shaking his head. He mentally dismissed the purple Spirit Ball that had appeared in his spiritual sea.
Three Spirit Balls now floated there: two were half-yellow and half-purple, and one was pure purple. This meant he could capture any soul beast under ten thousand years old. If only I could synchronize my own power level to that of the captured beast, how strong would I be… Su Wen thought greedily, but quickly reminded himself to be content.
They pressed on. Soon, Ma Xiaotao also found a soul beast she desired—a thirty-thousand-year-old Flamingo. Its strength was formidable, and while its fire attribute was slightly weaker than her own, it was comparable to Wu Feng's Red Dragon. In the end, Yan Shaozhe had to personally intervene to subdue it.
"Sister Tao, what's your sixth soul skill?" Su Wen asked curiously as she finished absorbing the soul ring.
"Phoenix Meteor Shower," Ma Xiaotao replied with a smile.
"…"
Su Wen's mouth twitched, and he leaned back. The name was incredibly cliché. He knew that Dai Yaoheng, as well as Huo Wu from ten thousand years ago, had skills with "Meteor Shower" in the name. Still, as a wide-range AoE attack, its power was nothing to scoff at.
Ma Xiaotao, however, was clearly pleased, perhaps still basking in the joy of breaking through to the Soul Emperor rank. But soon, Su Wen overheard her muttering something like, "That damned little witch… now that I'm a Soul Emperor, I'll definitely give her a good beating when I get back…"
She was most likely talking about Ling Luochen.
Su Wen coughed awkwardly and edged a little farther away. He wanted no part in their feud.
A week passed in a flash, but Su Wen still hadn't found a suitable soul beast.
Besides the Ghost King Vine, he had found a few other fitting candidates, but their cultivation levels were far beyond what his third Spirit Ball could capture, most of them over ten thousand years old. He even found an Emerald Swan with a potential of 7 and a gentle personality, but its cultivation had just broken the ten-thousand-year mark, so he had to leave it behind with regret.
By now, the rest of the team had finished their hunts. In the core of the Star Dou Great Forest, the variety of top-tier soul beasts was dazzling. Only someone as picky as Su Wen, who could see their exact potential, would take so long.
Yan Shaozhe didn't rush him. He knew how crucial each soul beast was for Su Wen's future. If he hastily chose a mediocre beast just to be done with it, the elders back at the Sea God's Pavilion would have his hide, let alone his teacher. After all, within the Sea God's Pavilion, Su Wen was practically the designated Pavilion Master three generations down the line. If he grew fast enough, he might even have a chance to unseat Zhang Lexuan and be promoted to the next generation after Elder Xuan.
"These support and control-type soul beasts are really hard to find…" Su Wen said, looking troubled.
Ma Xiaotao pursed her red lips and comforted him, "That type of soul beast is inherently rare, and their power is extremely polarized. The strong ones, like the Emerald Swan, are exceptionally powerful, while the weak ones are truly weak."
"Yeah…" Su Wen sighed.
Support-control beasts were few and far between, unlike the Ice Jade Scorpions, whose clan was numerous and powerful, allowing them to deservedly reign as a dominant race in the Extreme North.
"ROAR!"
Just as the two were feeling helpless, a deafening roar echoed through the sky.
"Su Wen, you're in luck!" Yan Shaozhe's face lit up with joy.
(End of Chapter)