A Smooth Spirit Hunt
Early the next morning, on a road far from Sea God Lake, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong walked side by side.
Since Wang Dong said nothing, Huo Yuhao naturally remained silent as well, and the two quietly finished the journey.
Their destination was the front gate of Shrek Academy , Wang Dong was heading back to his sect, while Huo Yuhao was going to take part in a spirit hunt.
"See you next month." Huo Yuhao waved at Wang Dong, not lingering any longer, and walked straight toward the teacher leading the spirit hunting team.
This hunt was led by a Spirit Saint of the Assault Department, a Rank 73 expert whose martial soul was a variant Fire Lion King called the Molten Flame Lion. Other than Huo Yuhao, there were three more students participating in the hunt.
Normally, only the top three teams in the freshman assessment could request a Shrek Academy teacher to assist them in a hunt for free.
However, other students could also join a spirit hunt team by paying a certain amount of gold spirit coins. This was the usual way for most students to obtain their spirit rings, since hunting spirit beasts always carried both risks and rewards.
Compared to random hunting groups in the wild, Shrek Academy's official hunts were far more reliable, so naturally, their fees were much higher.
Within the Inner Court, if one wanted a teacher or elder to help in a hunt, they usually had to earn contribution points through regular missions , unless they were a prodigy specially favored by the Academy.
As Huo Yuhao looked at Wang Dong, the latter seemed as though he wanted to say something, but in the end, only waved his hand and softly said, "Goodbye," before turning away and leaving in haste.
The Spirit Saint leading them said nothing; as an Inner Court teacher, he had long grown used to such scenes of students parting ways.
After glancing around the group, the Spirit Saint began, "My name is Lie Yong, but you can call me Teacher Lie. I assume Director Du has already given you my information, so I won't bother with introductions."
"Spirit hunting has always carried risks. Even though our destination this time is only the outer area of the Star Dou Forest, you must not lower your guard."
"In the complex environment of the forest, even I, a Spirit Saint, cannot guarantee absolute safety."
He paused, then continued, "If anyone feels unsure, you may still withdraw now. Once we enter the Star Dou Forest, it'll be too late for regrets."
"I will not intervene against ordinary ten-year or just over hundred-year spirit beasts , those are for you four to handle. Only when a spirit beast over five hundred years appears will I take action."
"Any questions?"
The three students shook their heads, indicating they had none. Huo Yuhao also remained silent. After all, if something did happen, he was confident he wouldn't be the most unlucky one , or at least he hoped so.
"Alright, you three are all rank-twenty Spirit Masters, hunting for your second spirit ring. Exchange details about your martial souls and spirit abilities to prevent accidents during battle."
The three briefly introduced their martial souls.
Two had tool-type martial souls , one a shield and the other a bow , representing the Defense and Agility Attack branches. The shield user's first ability was a deflection-type defense skill, while the archer's was a fast wind-attribute arrow attack.
The last student had an auxiliary-type beast martial soul, the Frenzy Sound Bee Queen, with a first spirit ability that provided a group speed boost.
With her current spirit power, she could enhance up to five Spirit Masters for a maximum of ten minutes. The boost wasn't especially strong and varied depending on the target's physique.
"Hmm, Defense, Agility Attack, Support, and Control , that combination is well-balanced enough for ordinary spirit beasts. Alright, since there are no problems, let's head out."
Lie Yong then led the four twelve-year-old students toward the Star Dou Forest.
Because of differing stamina and pace, it took them several days to reach the forest's outskirts.
Upon seeing the familiar signpost, Huo Yuhao's expression turned serious , deeper in the forest was the place where he had first arrived in this world.
Although he had survived that ordeal, the panic of his first moments after crossing over was still vivid in his memory. Now, however, he had fully adapted to this world and would no longer be so easily shaken.
Before entering the Star Dou Forest, Huo Yuhao activated his Spiritual Detection , the most basic form of his Spirit Eyes' True Vision.
Through it, he observed traces and signs within the forest, helping the team avoid spirit beasts that were not their targets but too troublesome to deal with.
Lie Yong took the middle position, his senses spread in all directions, perceiving the presence of nearby spirit beasts.
Though they were only in the forest's outer area, even thousand-year spirit beasts could appear here , far beyond what first-ring Spirit Masters could handle.
Noticing Huo Yuhao's calm and precise directions at the back of the team, Lie Yong nodded silently.
Although officially a spirit hunt, the leading teacher also had to evaluate each participant's performance, identifying those who might excel not in the arena but in real field situations.
"The other three are average, but this Huo Yuhao has impressive observation skills. To see this much without even activating a spirit skill , no wonder he's considered one of the first-year core students. Calm and steady even in the wild , not bad at all."
Before long, they encountered their first target spirit beast.
A tiny bird the size of a palm darted through a patch of flowers , the blooms of a five-hundred-year-old Wind Bell Grass, a plant-type spirit beast.
Hovering above it, feeding on nectar, was a small wind-attribute spirit beast known as the Sonic Hummingbird.
Judging from its aura, it had just passed five hundred years , a perfect match for the team's agility-type spirit master, who grew visibly excited.
Seeing this, Lie Yong motioned for them to stay calm. Without a word, he entered his Martial Soul Possession state, carefully restraining his energy.
Only his right arm transformed into a crimson lion's paw. Then, with precise control, he struck , a red imprint hit the hummingbird, knocking it out instantly with just the right amount of force.
Next, he clenched his hand slightly, and the energy imprint circled back, carrying the unconscious bird to him.
Though not dead, the Sonic Hummingbird was badly burned and clearly dying , a sign of Lie Yong's masterful control.
Neither his soul power control nor his combat technique was something the students could yet match.
Huo Yuhao carefully observed how the Spirit Saint's soul power flowed through his body when releasing that energy palm, memorizing the movement and meridian paths.
The student with the bow martial soul stepped up quickly to deliver the finishing blow and began absorbing the spirit ring.
Under Lie Yong's protection, the process went smoothly. The hummingbird's age was just right for that student's martial soul.
"Good. Let's continue," Lie Yong said faintly, clasping his hands behind his back as he led the way deeper into the forest.
Fortune favored them that day , before dusk, another suitable target appeared.
It was a massive turtle covered in rocky plates, bearing a heavy shell , a Rock Turtle.
The creature moved slowly and didn't react much to their presence, simply withdrawing its limbs and head into its shell.
"Rock Turtle. Can any of you tell its approximate age?" Lie Yong asked, wanting to test the students.
While the others hesitated, Huo Yuhao immediately replied, "The way to determine a Rock Turtle's age is by examining its shell."
"For those under a thousand years, the shell is earthy yellow. It starts with ten separate plates, and every ten years, the plates gradually fuse. Each hundred years, one plate completely merges until it becomes a single piece at the thousand-year mark."
"This one has six large plates, each with seven grooves , meaning it's roughly six hundred seventy years old, with a margin of error of about thirty years."
"Hmm, very good. No other spirit beasts nearby, so this turtle is yours. I'll stand guard," Lie Yong said with approval.
The Rock Turtle was timid by nature and relied on defense even against predators. Its innate ability, Shell Shatter, allowed it to absorb enemy attacks by breaking one of the grooves on its shell.
Because of its powerful defense and lack of offense, few spirit beasts bothered to hunt it. Its biggest predators were defense-type spirit masters who desired its defensive abilities.
Clanging noises echoed as the students attacked. Despite their efforts, they only cracked the surface layer of the shell, leaving the remaining patterns intact.
Lie Yong had planned this as practice for the archer's newly obtained second spirit skill, since the Rock Turtle was a perfect, harmless target.
When he saw the students' exhaustion , Huo Yuhao alone having stayed back , he waved his hand, entered Martial Soul Possession again, and smashed the remaining shell pieces with sheer power, exposing the wounded creature beneath.
"Alright, finish it off. The rest of you, find a place nearby to camp for the night," Lie Yong ordered.
The defense-type spirit master eagerly ran up to finish the turtle using a simple melee soul tool.
The night passed quietly. The four students took turns keeping watch, and thanks to Huo Yuhao's careful choice of campsite, nothing unusual happened.
Over the next few days, they also found a suitable spirit ring for the auxiliary-type student , coincidentally, from a six-hundred-year-old Frenzy Sound Bee Queen, the same species as her martial soul. It was a perfect match.
"The outer region of the Star Dou Forest is almost fully explored. Going any deeper means entering the mixed zone , troublesome for spiritual-type spirit masters," said Lie Yong.
"After all, spirit beasts with mental attributes are rare and often solitary, making them hard to find."
He looked at Huo Yuhao and continued, "But since the Academy promised to help you get the most suitable ring, we'll keep our word. Let's return to the city to rest first. After that, I'll take you alone into the mixed zone."
The other three students agreed readily , they already had their spirit rings and had no desire to take further risks.
Huo Yuhao nodded as well. In fact, he already knew from the Skydream Iceworm about a suitable spirit beast , the Great-headed Spirit Ape.
Their tribe lived at the edge between the forest's outer and mixed areas, which also happened to be along one of the routes back to Shrek City.
This was why Huo Yuhao had subtly adjusted their path over the past few days.
"Alright then, let's return. Who knows , maybe we'll encounter something suitable on the way back," Huo Yuhao said as he led the group toward the Great-headed Spirit Apes' territory.
In the outer region of the Star Dou Forest, this species was one of the stronger ones. With their spiritual power and group coordination, they were far more dangerous than solitary beasts.
The information had come from the Skydream Iceworm, whose immense spiritual power had once surveyed the forest's outskirts during his fusion with Huo Yuhao. It had been less than a year since then , the tribe shouldn't have vanished so soon.
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