5. The Reason for Missing Soul Beasts

Early the following morning, the shelter was illuminated by the sun's gentle rays seeping through the branches and leaves, casting specks of light upon Uran's face and awakening him from sleep.

To his surprise, he had anticipated a night fraught with tension and anxiety. After all, this lay on the outskirts of the dangerous Star Dou Forest. However, contrary to his expectations, he had slept soundly, without any sense of unease or fear, almost as if this place were as secure as home, no difference from it.

A quarter-hour later, Uran packed his belongings, tightened his belt, and prepared himself for the ongoing journey. Although this place was good and had a clean water source close to him, with such a large forest lake, a large groundwater reservoir likely gathered in this region, making it impossible to find another extensive water source within a certain range.

Yet, this location was too exposed, it was too wide. While it would be fitting for constructing a good lodge, his capabilities weren't adequate for habitation here. The water source served as a gathering point for soul beasts, and he couldn't be certain of dealing with numerous such creatures. Traps were possible, but the soul beasts didn't approach as a group. In the end, his abilities fell short.

Uran supported himself against a broken tree and he began scanning the surroundings. He wanted to find a densely wooded terrain, something like a shelter cave, accompanied by a water source nearby, preferably housing some docile herbivorous soul beasts. Should he fail to find one, he would have no choice but to turn back and construct a shelter near the water source. With his mind set on this, he envisioned gathering strong wood and making a structure suspended amid the trees.

As Uran contemplated the shelter's prospective arrangement, he withdrew his hand from the tree he had leaned against. Suddenly, his palm detected an odd sensation.

Withered and like a desiccated bark, it clung to his hand.

"Hmm? What's this?"

Uran promptly clapped his hands, removing the withered bark, then turned his gaze toward the somewhat abnormal tree, his demeanor gradually growing grave. Now he discerned more peculiarities—the crown's leaves had all altered in hue. Although some branches and leaves lacked luster the previous day, they still possessed a verdant shade. Yet now, they appeared entirely gray.

He pinched a leaf, and before he could exert much pressure, it crumbled. The same happened to the next tree. Its vitality from yesterday was absent. It lingered like an elder on the brink of death. The contrast between the previous day and today was stark, time seeming to have rushed by.

Uran stood stunned. He remained clueless about the turn of events—how had the tree changed in this manner, suddenly dying? After a long pause, he sighed.

"...I get it. I finally understand. No wonder I haven't seen any soul beasts. They have a keen sense to emotions. They ran aeay when they detected the scent of nuclear radiation coming from my body."

"All the soul beasts capable of running away have gone, but the plants can't escape. The radiation on my body is dangerous to animals and plants. Damn it, I believed that by running to Star Dou Great Forest, I can live out the rest of my days peacefully. Unexpectedly, I'm still a nature destroyer, wherever I go things die."

"Damn!"

Gently lowering his bag, Uran relieved himself of the burden, retrieved the machete still smudged with mud and sap, and began searching for sturdier trees in the area. He had figured it out. He would build his house here, not go anywhere else.

The radiation enveloping his form could indeed deter soul beasts, substantially ensuring his safety. It was nearly absolute that only those with deficient perception wouldn't discern the unceasing radioactive presence on his person. The beasts wouldn't even require sight of him—once they entered a specific range, they'd turn away.

And he also recollected the memory of nuclear radiation, discovering that it could pollute not only animals and plants but also water sources. In other words, he hadn't touched the water source earlier, but after the entire night of the previous day, this forest lake had already taken on his Uran-like form.

Even if he were to depart, the radiation would persist. If other spirit beasts were to directly come into contact with the water from this lake, they would perish more swiftly with each sip. And for those soul beasts that consumed the water here, the radiation would continue to spread, potentially leading to mutations within their bodies or triggering a countdown towards their demise.

This realization was terrifying—Uran was essentially a walking destroyer of nature. Consequently, he chose not to leave; he would stay here. After all, no soul beast would venture to disturb him. He would gradually construct his own shelter, delve into the knowledge within books, and practice in solitude. 

Once he reached the twentieth level of spirit power, he could contemplate strategies for combating spirit beasts. In his current state, he would merely seek out a spirit beast without vying for dominance or striving to be the strongest across the continent.

At that moment, Uran was struck by an amusing notion. What if he became a king and one day convened a meeting attended by all his ministers, only for them to succumb to radiation infection midway through? That scenario would be utterly ludicrous.

Chuckling at the thought, Uran sighed. The most significant threat posed by soul beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest was no longer a concern for him. He could take things at his own pace. He'd heard that practicing to become a Titled Douluo extended one's lifespan significantly—possibly up to three or five hundred years.

Lost in contemplation, Uran found this prospect rather appealing. Although he was only six years old, the idea of experiencing an extended life in this environment was oddly agreeable.

An hour later, Uran discarded the slightly warped machete. A mere three trees had fallen under his efforts. He couldn't help but feel foolish for not bringing an axe along. He had intended to venture into the forest, so why hadn't he equipped himself with one?

Feeling helpless, he was left with only his small machete. Could he possibly succeed in chopping down trees with just his diminutive dagger?

After mulling it over, Uran decided to outsmart the situation. Given his spirit ability, could he disassemble the three felled trees by capitalizing on the explosion effect his spirit ability could induce? As for the method, the logical approach was to set up a trap next to the tree, then topple the tree onto the trap, thus triggering the explosion.

With his idea in place, he sprang into action. Creating a spirit ability trap wasn't too challenging. It resembled a game mechanism—after mentally configuring it, the article manifested in his hand, and finally, he found a suitable location for it.

Thanks to his soul power, he could construct three to four traps per day without overtaxing his energy reserves. Fortunately, this trap wielded considerable power; a single thrust was enough to succeed in exploding the tree. Although the surface bore several marks, the aftermath of scattered debris, his objective of separating the tree's crown from its trunk had been achieved.

The trunk could serve as a foundation for his house, but what could he use the crown for?

Thankfully, this world operated on spirit power. If he were merely a six-year-old child in the modern world, not only would he struggle to maneuver a tree trunk to a designated spot, he sould likely lack the ability to fell trees in the first place. However, fate had granted him the dual blessings of Sharingan and spirit rings. Even at his tender age, he would be invincible.