Chapter 19: Hunting For A Spirit Beast

By noon the next day, Hu Jiu and the others finally arrived at the Spirit Hunting Forest.

"Finally here! The journey was so boring!" Xiao Wu jumped off the carriage and stretched her arms wide.

"Thanks for your hard work! Here, have a carrot first," Hu Jiu said with a smile, following her off the carriage.

It's hard to be tough! The whole reason for this action was to help him hunt for a Spirit Ring, while Xiao Wu and Tang San were just doing it out of goodwill.

"Xiao San, do you want a carrot too?" Hu Jiu said, pulling out another carrot and offering it to Tang San.

"Let me have one! I have to say, this carrot is crunchy and delicious, quenching my thirst and satisfying my hunger. Most importantly, I'll never have to worry about going hungry—it's great."

Tang San, who had grown up starving under Tang Hao's care, naturally felt this even more deeply.

"You two stop dawdling and hurry up, we need to find the Spirit Beast!" Up ahead, Xiao Wu was bouncing around, waving back at them.

The two exchanged smiles and hurried to catch up.

Arriving at the entrance of the Spirit Hunting Forest, Hu Jiu took out Grandmaster's Spirit Hall token, allowing Tang San and Xiao Wu to enter easily.

"Xiao Wu, slow down a bit and be careful of any dangers." Hearing the various sounds of Spirit Beasts around them, along with a faint sense of danger, Hu Jiu suddenly felt a bit worried.

Originally, he thought that with Tang San and Xiao Wu, two Fighting Spirit Masters, by his side, he wouldn't feel fear at all.

But it seemed he had overestimated himself a bit.

Walking in such a dangerous place, he hadn't experienced anything like this in this life or the last!

Especially after his five senses were enhanced, he could detect all sorts of dangerous auras in the forest.

It felt like a little sheep walking among a pack of wolves, full of trepidation.

"Hehe, Xiao Jiu, so you're scared! Don't worry, Sister Xiao Wu will protect you," Xiao Wu said, turning around and noticing the expression on Hu Jiu's face, as if she had discovered a new continent.

Tang San, however, understood a bit more. After all, Hu Jiu was only six years old, and feeling scared in such a dangerous place like the Spirit Hunting Forest was completely normal.

As for Xiao Wu, that girl was quite bold!

"I'll lead the way. Xiao Jiu, you stay in the middle, and Xiao Wu can take the rear. We'll protect you together." Tang San naturally took over the command of the group.

"Alright." As soon as it came to serious matters, Xiao Wu also became serious, obediently following Tang San's lead and closely staying behind Hu Jiu, afraid that he might encounter any accidents.

"Don't make the atmosphere so tense. Even though I'm an Auxiliary Spirit Master, I can still fight. At least I can ensure my own safety," Hu Jiu said, raising the iron hammer in his hand with a hint of dissatisfaction.

Compared to Xiao Wu, who was at level thirteen, and Tang San, who was at level fourteen, he might not be as strong, but he wasn't that weak either!

Let's talk about the level five Disorder Splitting Winds Hammer Technique!

At this level, the Disorder Splitting Winds Hammer Technique could unleash a continuous series of eighty-one strikes, with the final blow delivering an attack force of five hundred pounds. Even Tang San at this moment couldn't achieve that.

He wasn't exactly a weakling!

"It's just to be cautious," Tang San explained, likely concerned that Hu Jiu might feel upset.

"No need to explain, I understand." By now, Hu Jiu had already adapted to the atmosphere of the Spirit Hunting Forest, and his mood had calmed down.

"Let's go left; it seems there's a hundred-year-old Spirit Beast's presence on the right." As they walked, Hu Jiu suddenly reached out and tugged at Tang San, directing him to change direction.

"Alright." Tang San didn't question how Hu Jiu had made that discovery and headed left without hesitation.

Xiao Wu, however, was quite curious: "How do you know there's a hundred-year-old Spirit Beast on the right?"

"Simple! One is the presence, and the other is the scent; they both tell me that there's a troublesome character on the right."

It was also at this moment that Hu Jiu realized that in the Spirit Hunting Forest, his most useful sense was probably touch.

With it, he could practically ensure his survival!

It was like a premonition; as they got closer, his body would have a natural reaction, like an animal bristling, as if every part of him was signaling that there was danger in that direction.

Adding to that was a rancid smell he caught at the tip of his nose. If Hu Jiu had a bit more knowledge, he could directly identify what type of Spirit Beast it was.

"Your perception ability is so strong! You can even detect the presence of Spirit Beasts in advance. With this ability, it looks like our Spirit Hunting mission will be much simpler."

In the Spirit Hunting Forest, the most dangerous thing was encountering a Spirit Beast that was stronger than oneself, and Hu Jiu's ability allowed them to detect Spirit Beasts ahead of time. No wonder Xiao Wu looked so surprised.

"Ha ha, this is the effect of a Spirit Skill passed down from my ancestors. Unfortunately, this Spirit Skill cannot be taught to outsiders; otherwise, I would teach it to you," Hu Jiu said.

Cannot be shared, only passed down internally. He learned that from Tang San, who kept the Tang Sect's martial arts tightly guarded and wouldn't teach him. Hmph!

With Hu Jiu's sensing ability, the subsequent tasks became simple. Once they detected the presence of a hundred-year-old Spirit Beast, everyone could avoid it in advance.

This time, Hu Jiu's target was the Sky Swallowing Toad. This type of Spirit Beast belongs to the small Spirit Beast category and can only grow to over ninety years at most during its lifetime. Because they do not live long, living for several decades is already considered a long life for them.

Moreover, the Sky Swallowing Toad is not very strong and remains at the bottom of the food chain in the Spirit Hunting Forest.

Grandmaster mentioned that the Sky Swallowing Toad likes to live in dark and damp places.

For this reason, Hu Jiu began researching the Spirit Hunting Forest's information while at the Academy. He eventually discovered that only the southwestern edge of the forest met the living conditions of the Sky Swallowing Toad. That area has lower terrain with many small puddles, and due to the water sources, the trees grow densely, making it a perfect habitat for the Sky Swallowing Toad.

They were currently positioned in the northwest direction, and to reach their destination, they needed to take a big detour.

Fortunately, Hu Jiu was keenly perceptive and sensed the Spirit Beast's presence, allowing them to avoid danger. They didn't encounter a single Spirit Beast along the way, making it feel as though they were in a safe backyard rather than the perilous Spirit Hunting Forest.

"Xiao San, go to the left," Hu Jiu instructed Tang San, who was walking ahead, to change their route.

Behind them, Xiao Wu pouted in dissatisfaction, thinking that Hu Jiu was being overly cautious. After all, it was just the Spirit Hunting Forest; did they really need to be that careful?

"Wait, we've been discovered. Get ready to fight."

Suddenly, Hu Jiu frowned. He realized that they had not avoided this time; a Spirit Beast was charging quickly toward their direction.

As soon as Hu Jiu's words fell, Tang San and Xiao Wu immediately halted, taking a defensive stance in the direction Hu Jiu was watching.

"Xiao Jiu, can you sense the specific situation?" Tang San asked calmly.

"Um, the aura isn't very strong; it's not a hundred-year-old Spirit Beast, but there are quite a few—eight in total. They should be a pack of Spirit Beasts." With the help of the Five Senses Enhancement Technique, these were the only details Hu Jiu could perceive.

"Eight Spirit Beasts is a bit troublesome." Tang San frowned upon hearing this and turned to say, "I'll use my Martial Spirit to control them. Xiao Jiu, Xiao Wu, take the opportunity to attack."

"Okay." Hu Jiu and Xiao Wu nodded, indicating they understood.

Hu Jiu gripped the iron hammer tightly, continuously sensing the location of the pack of Spirit Beasts. As they got closer, he began to swing the hammer repeatedly, unleashing the Disorder Splitting Winds technique.

This time, he was going to unleash a powerful move.

Since the Disorder Splitting Winds technique was upgraded to level five, he hadn't used it to its full potential yet. Now was the perfect opportunity to test its effectiveness.

"Here they come." Just as Hu Jiu was accumulating more than seventy swings of the Disorder Splitting Winds technique, a hint of purple flashed in Tang San's eyes, and at the same time, the Blue Silver Grass within him was released.

"Blue Silver Grass, Bind."

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