MM Racing Chapter 13: Back to the Soul Hunter
Chapter 13: Back to the Soul Hunter
The next morning.
After recovering, Xiao Xun'er, carrying the white rabbit, knocked on Xiao Yan's door again, but after a long while, the room remained silent, and she received no response.
But this is not the first time this has happened.
And the likely final outcome is...
"Did you go to the market again to look for wood-attribute cultivation techniques?"
Xiao Xun'er said softly, then turned and left thoughtfully, holding the white rabbit.
But at this moment, Xiao Yan is no longer on the Dou Qi Continent.
……
Douluo Continent, Notting City.
"I discovered a huge business opportunity, but I couldn't seize it."
Xiao Yan walked down the street with a sigh. Selling requires influence, background, and strength. Otherwise, if you only take out one item at a time, or even just occasionally, is it as if you're afraid others won't know you have a secret behind it?
We won't sell them; we'll cultivate them ourselves.
But they don't even have a place to live yet, let alone anything else, unless they're easy to raise.
He had many beasts in mind.
"And it wasn't without gains. At least, when some unknown Dou Huang noticed something amiss, the first person he thought of was notifying me. This means that he had a good impression of me?"
"I really hope that one day I'll be walking down the street and meet a starving old man who will sell me a Heaven-rank cultivation technique for ten gold coins. No, even an Earth-rank one would be great."
"No, we need to give them more subtle hints when we get back."
As he pondered this, Xiao Yan arrived once again at the outer edge of the Soul Hunter Forest.
Near the forest entrance, there are many stalls, or more accurately, temporary camps formed around it, where many Soul Hunter mercenary groups are active.
Entering the Soul Hunter Forest is not free; you need to apply to the Spirit Hall and obtain a warrant.
The price of a single hunting pass is nearly a hundred gold coins.
Based on the cost of living for ordinary people in Douluo Continent, one gold coin is enough for a family of three to live on for three months, and four gold coins can last a year.
It is evident that even after awakening a martial soul and possessing soul power, ordinary soul masters still live a very frugal life before officially receiving soul master subsidies.
The warrant is a huge expense, hiring experienced mercenary groups for escorts costs money, and after finally hunting the soul beast, additional rewards are often paid to the mercenary group depending on its age and quality.
The combined cost of these three factors means that unless one is born into wealth or has a powerful background, the vast majority of commoner Soul Masters can only obtain a white Soul Ring that is less than a hundred years old as their first Soul Ring.
Obtaining a yellow spirit ring that is over a hundred years old is extremely difficult.
Xiao Yan naturally didn't have that much money, and he wasn't extravagant enough to spend hundreds of gold coins to buy a one-time token. So, by repeatedly selling herbs that only had healing properties, he only earned about a hundred gold coins.
Therefore, I chose the group-buying service; otherwise, I wouldn't have the energy to travel to Douluo Continent next time.
He had only recently discovered that Amen could absorb life energy and store it for future use.
If it weren't for his lack of combat skills and experience, he would have come long ago.
"Young man, we've been waiting for you!"
A loud voice rang out in front of Xiao Yan. He looked up and saw a young man with muscles that almost stretched his coarse cloth shirt open, grinning broadly.
This is Luo Ding, the leader of the Greatsword Mercenary Group, a level 21 Great Soul Master whose Martial Soul is "Greatsword".
Among the Soul Hunter mercenary groups around Nottingham City, it is considered to have a good reputation and high cost-effectiveness.
Xiao Yan glanced around and saw two team members, a boy and a girl, standing next to Luo Ding, as well as three other teenagers who looked young and whose expressions were both nervous and expectant.
"Sorry I'm late."
Xiao Yan quickly joined the group.
Upon seeing Xiao Yan arrive, Luo Ding, head held high, led his team into the Soul Hunter Forest.
"Set off!"
……
Soul Hunter's Forest.
An hour had passed since they entered.
Since the required species are all soul beasts under 100 years old, the hunting process itself is not difficult, but finding them is more troublesome.
During this time, two of the children traveling with them have successfully hunted down spirit rings that suit them.
"Next, it's your turn, little brother."
Luo Ding wiped the few drops of soul beast blood from the blade, looked at Xiao Yan, and grinned, "Same old rules as before. We're only responsible for driving them away and subduing them. You have to deliver the final blow yourself. That way, the soul ring will belong to you. Have you decided what kind you want?"
Xiao Yan nodded. "I need a plant-type soul beast, preferably a vine or herb, and it should be at least a hundred years old."
Plants are much easier to care for than living things.
"Nearly a century?"
A thin man next to him raised an eyebrow. It wasn't because plant-type soul beasts were difficult to hunt; in fact, plant-type soul beasts under a hundred years old were relatively easy to deal with.
Most of them have specific distribution areas and are almost impossible to move, making them one of the cheapest and easiest soul ring options to obtain.
But "nearly a century"—if it really has been a century, they will still hunt it. But can this boy really afford the money?
"Plant type, nearly a hundred years old. Second brother, you have a good nose, lead the way!" Luo Ding, however, didn't have much time for such thoughts and simply gave the order.
The thin man, referred to as the second oldest, sniffed the air, closed his eyes to sense for a moment, and pointed northeast. "Over there, the air is damp; there might be something there."
The group set off again, with only Xiao Yan and another pockmarked boy who had not yet obtained a spirit ring remaining in the team.
The pockmarked boy nervously approached Xiao Yan and whispered, "You...you also want a hundred-year spirit ring? You're going all out for your first spirit ring?"
Xiao Yan glanced at him, but instead of answering directly, asked, "What is your martial spirit? What kind are you looking for?"
"My martial spirit is leather armor, a defensive type." The boy scratched his head a little embarrassedly. "Luoding said to find a thick-skinned beast with strong defense, a dozen years old would be enough. I don't dare to think about a hundred years old. It wasn't easy for the village to raise the money this time."
Xiao Yan hummed in agreement and then fell silent.
The village, the hope of the whole village.
But they only dare to aspire to a path of less than a hundred years, as cultivation in this world almost never offers ordinary people a way to advance to higher levels.
When he becomes strong enough, he might be able to change the world.
About half an hour later.
The second brother, who was walking in front, suddenly raised his hand to signal them to stop. He pushed aside a thicket of bushes and said in a low voice, "Look ahead."
Looking through the gap, everyone could see a large patch of dark green vines covering a small clearing in the woods, almost covering dozens of square meters of ground.
The main stem of the vine is as thick as a wrist, its surface covered with thorns, and at the top bloom several brightly colored, sweet-smelling purplish-red flowers.
Most strikingly, several shriveled skeletons of small animals were entwined in the center of the vines.
"It's a vampire vine. Judging from its size and color, it's definitely over eighty years old, and very likely close to ninety."
Loding explained skillfully, "This thing is a bit tricky. The vines are tough, have strong regenerative abilities, and also contain poison and a deceptive floral scent. Young man, do you want this?"
Xiao Yan stared intently at the vampire vine; it sounded easy to raise!
"This is it."
"Alright! Proceed according to plan! You retreat, we're in!"
Without further ado, Luo Ding pulled the crowd back, took a deep breath, and gripped a greatsword in his hand. The next moment, a white spirit ring lit up, "First Spirit Skill, Heavy Sword Slash!"
He suddenly leaped into the air and slashed down fiercely in mid-air!
The massive sword light slashed fiercely towards the densest area of vines, instantly tearing apart several thick vines!
Dark green liquid splattered!
"hiss--!"
With a silent shriek, the entire bloodsucking vine suddenly came to life, and a large number of vines lashed out at Loding like venomous snakes, while the pollen concentration increased several times over!
"Keep your guard down, the fragrance is poisonous! Third brother, use the wind to disperse them! Second brother, harass them from the side, don't let them surround us!"
As Loding gave the order, he swung his greatsword with incredible speed, severing one attacking vine after another.
Another team member's martial soul is the Gale Sparrow, which releases wind blades to cut the vines and creates a gust of wind that keeps pollen away.
The second brother, wielding a short blade, specifically targeted the small vines that tried to emerge from the ground or attack from the side, searching for the main vine.