Journey to the Soul Beast Hunting Forest

By the time Zuzong and Franklin finished purchasing supplies, it was already 10 in the morning. The Soul Beast Hunting Forest was about 400 li (approx. 200 kilometers) away from Notting City.

Since the journey was long, Franklin hired a large horse-drawn carriage at his own expense for the two of them.

The roads were relatively smooth in Notting City, but once outside, the path became rough. After a whole day of bumping along, Zuzong, who was used to traveling in small cars in his past life, found it quite uncomfortable.

Long waits are the most boring. On the second day, Zuzong started a conversation.

"Vice-Dean, can you tell me about your martial spirit?"

Vice-Dean Franklin chuckled, as if he had seen through Zuzong's little scheme.

"Heh, you kid. I thought you could hold back longer! Very well, I'll introduce my martial spirit to you."

"Martial Spirit Possession - Blue Bull"

A strong azure light burst forth from Franklin. He stretched his arms to the sides, puffed out his chest, and his bones crackled as his muscles swelled up, straining against his clothes. Every muscle on his body became prominent under his clothes, and the air around him seemed to grow restless.

The carriage trembled slightly, and if Franklin hadn't controlled his power intentionally, the entire carriage might have been overturned.

His head of black hair turned blue-gray, with blue dominating and a few strands of gray standing out. Two rings appeared on his forehead, and a pair of horns grew from within.

Franklin's upper body bent forward slightly, his pupils enlarged and turned into a deep blue, giving him the appearance of a charging locomotive.

Three dazzling rings of light rose up around him, one white and two yellow. His spirit power surged like a wave, and the curtains on the carriage's windows were blown horizontal.

Zuzong remained unaffected, standing firm with his spirit power anchored to his feet as he was familiar with the original work.

However, the driver was not so lucky. He was almost blown away by Franklin's spirit power shockwave, and even the horses were nearly frightened.

The driver forced a smile and said, "Honorable Spirit Master, please keep it down a bit. Otherwise, I won't be able to drive the carriage safely."

Franklin, who initially wanted to show off his power in front of Zuzong, saw that Zuzong remained calm while the driver was caught up in the shockwave. He felt a bit embarrassed and quickly retracted his martial spirit. The carriage returned to normal.

"Ahem, well then, let me reintroduce myself. I am Franklin, a Level 32 Battle Spirit Elder of the Power Attack type. My martial spirit is the Blue Bull."

"My first spirit ability—Rapid Charge, allows me to double my speed and crash into enemies."

"My second spirit ability—Iron Hoof, turns my limbs harder than wrought iron, providing both attack and defense."

"My third spirit ability—Mega Horn Cannon. I was lucky enough to have the dean help me hunt down a rare soul beast, the Thunder Bird, that was about to reach a thousand years old. I can shoot a lightning ball from the giant horn in my martial spirit's possessed form, causing significant damage. If hit, even a Spirit Ancestor would be injured. However, it consumes a lot of spirit power; I can only use it three times with my current power."

After speaking, Franklin looked at Zuzong with pride and then closed his eyes—How about that? You should be in awe of my power by now!

Come on! Hurry up and become my disciple! I, Franklin, will accept you.

For a long while, he didn't hear any words of acknowledgment. Franklin opened his eyes and saw Zuzong with his head out of the carriage window, looking outside.

"Huh? Zuzong, what are you looking at?"

Pulling his head back, Zuzong replied, "Vice-Dean, it looks like we're almost there. There are a lot of stalls outside."

In Zuzong's impression, a forest should be filled with the aura of nature, serene and quiet, fresh air, sparsely populated.

But this Soul Beast Hunting Forest before him looked more like a bustling second-hand market, full of mercenary vibes.

Outside the forest, there were large buildings or rather shops. Various shouts sounded one after another, and simple paths crisscrossed among them.

"Looking for a group to hunt a control-type spirit beast, need three more people with a permit."

"Hunting an agility-type spirit beast, seven people already have a permit. Ten gold spirit coins."

Similar cries could be heard everywhere, and most of the shops sold weapons, armor, and various supplies.

Seeing the prices listed above, Zuzong couldn't help but frown. If he hadn't browsed the market yesterday, he wouldn't think much of it. But now in comparison...

Goodness, this is even more expensive than those "mountain movers" from his previous life. A bottle of mineral water costs at most five coins there, but here they sell it for ten.

Zuzong couldn't help but sigh, "It's really easy to make money off spirit masters!"

Hearing Zuzong's exclamation, Franklin laughed heartily, not maintaining his usual refined demeanor but showing a very hearty side.

"Haha, of course! Spirit Masters are the most noble profession on the Douluo Continent. A powerful spirit master will be welcomed wherever they go."

"Ahem, just like me, a Spirit Elder. Not only am I hired by Notting Academy as the Vice-Dean of studies with a generous salary, but I also receive a monthly subsidy of 100 gold spirit coins from the Spirit Hall."

How about that? Pretty impressive, right? Now hurry up and become my disciple!

Zuzong rolled his eyes at Franklin. Ever since they left the academy, Franklin seemed to have broken free, showing a completely different side from his previous cultured demeanor.

Along the way, Franklin kept boasting about his strength, even hinting at Zuzong to become his disciple.

Pfft! I thought you were a decent person, but it turns out you're just another one eyeing me.

Zuzong stopped walking and pointed ahead, saying, "Vice-Dean, we are almost there!"

Seeing the entrance to the Soul Beast Hunting Forest ahead, Franklin's expression turned serious, and he regained his usual solemn demeanor.

He took Zuzong's hand and said solemnly, "Zuzong, today I will give you your first lesson as a spirit master. From now on, I am no longer your teacher at the academy but your teammate who shares life and death with you. You can trust me, but you must still be vigilant because the most dangerous thing in the spirit beast forest is not the spirit beasts, but human nature. Greed can lead people to stab you in the back for the sake of treasures."

"I understand, Teacher."

Zuzong nodded in agreement.

The two arrived at the forest's perimeter. Before them was a massive iron fence with large spikes protruding outward towards the forest. The fence was over ten meters tall, appearing very sturdy.

This wasn't all. Outside the fence, a hundred soldiers patrolled. They were all clad in refined iron armor, holding long spears, forming a chilling presence. A hundred iron-clad soldiers stood together, exuding a murderous aura.

Franklin took out a permit from his pocket. Zuzong glanced at it, noticing it only had a simple design, indicating it was a one-time pass.

The lead soldier checked the permit and handed it back to Franklin. He glanced at Zuzong, seemingly understanding, and said with a solemn and indifferent voice, "First-class permit, let them pass."

"Click," the massive iron gate opened.

Zuzong and Franklin, one big and one small, walked in together.

Feeling the fresh natural air and the spirit power in the air, which was a bit richer than outside, Zuzong clenched his fist and placed it on his chest, shouting in his mind, "The road to becoming stronger officially starts here!"