Haote's enthusiasm grew as he spoke.
He even forgot Dongfang Jing's age, and the topic gradually took on a more adult tone.
This was understandable, as Dongfang Jing's true mind was not that of a child.
"Let me tell you, little mirror, in this Water Ripples City, there's an academy called Tianshui. All the students there have water and ice attribute martial souls. And, the girls at Tianshui Academy are all stunningly beautiful!"
Although the content sounded somewhat frivolous, Haote's face showed no lewdness.
Instead, he was quite frank,as if he were simply stating a perfectly ordinary fact—a genuine expression of his feelings.
Truly an honest man.
Upon hearing this, Dongfang Jing replied, "I've heard of Tianshui Academy, it seems to be one of the Five Elemental Academies?"
"Oh, you're right! The Five Elemental Academies—Divine Wind, Thunder, Blazing Fire, Elephant Armor, and our Tianshui Academy in Shuilan City—are all advanced Soul Master academies. Soul Masters who graduate from them have limitless potential! It's a pity, although my Martial Soul quality isn't bad, I still can't get into Tianshui Academy."
"Hmm? Why?" Dongfang Jing was somewhat puzzled.
He had only heard of these academies and hadn't studied them in depth.
"Because the Five Elemental Academies only accept Soul Masters with Martial Souls of the same attribute. As for Tianshui Academy, although it's the only one open to commoners, it only admits female students, and they all have to be beautiful, hahaha!"
A girls' school?
Hearing this, Dongfang Jing understood.
Being open to commoners was good.
But why only beautiful women?
He had originally thought that if his younger sister awakened a water-type Martial Soul in the future, he might recommend her to Tianshui Academy.
But this bizarre rule of only admitting beautiful women immediately dispelled that idea.
Dongfang Jing couldn't help but wonder if the dean of this academy was actually a man.
Was building an all-girls school just a way to create a harem for himself?
Shaking his head, he shook off these random thoughts and continued to listen attentively as Haote recounted various aspects of the Soul Master world.
He had to admit, this experiential advice was incredibly beneficial.
After a long while,the group finally reached the boundary between the outer edge and the depths of the forest.
Everyone proceeded cautiously, preferring to avoid venturing deeper.
Although Haote was a Soul King, encountering several Soul Beasts with cultivation levels exceeding ten thousand years would only lead to certain death.
Dongfang Jing also began his work,summoning his Martial Soul and using his Mirror Image ability to search for traces of the target.
It wasn't until sunset that
Dongfang Jing, his Soul Power and Mental Energy largely depleted, gasped for breath and leaned against a tree to rest.
As expected of a Soul Beast that hadn't been captured for two months, he had searched for a long time without finding a single trace.
Haote came over, patted his shoulder, and comforted him, "It's alright, we can stay in the forest for a few more days. You rest tonight, I'll keep watch."
Dongfang Jing nodded, not wanting to push himself.
The group chose a relatively safe location to set up camp.
Inside the tent.
Dongfang Jing wasted no time. He used his Shattered Mirror Martial Soul to piece together a complete mirror and entered it to cultivate his soul power.
His soul power was now over halfway to level nineteen, and he should be able to break through to level twenty in a few days.
He had already discussed with Haote that he wouldn't accept the soul coins as a reward for this mission.
However, if he successfully hunted the Mirror Shadow Beast, he hoped to absorb its soul ring.
Haote already knew that the young man's first soul ring was at the thousand-year level, so he readily agreed without hesitation.
Dongfang Jing, however, would never again recklessly absorb a soul ring exceeding its age limit, as he had done in the Sunset Forest.
Even if the Mirror Shadow Beast was rare, he would first determine its age before making a decision.
The next day.
Dongfang Jing continued his search for his target.
The others in the team also knew that finding the Mirror Shadow Beast was extremely difficult and didn't want to make a wasted trip, so they joined the search.
However, most of them were offensive or defensive soul masters, relying only on visual observation and lacking sensory soul skills that could expand their mental energy, making their efficiency very low.
Another day passed, and they still hadn't found any trace of the Mirror Beast.
However, they did discover some other soul beasts, whose materials could also fetch a good price.
Not far away,gazing at the numerous corpses of soul beasts, some ten, a hundred, even a thousand years old, lying strewn about in gruesome deaths, and the various soul rings floating above them,
Dongfang Jing closed his eyes, unwilling to look.
Evening.
Dongfang Jing, who was meditating and cultivating, felt his soul power progressing unusually slowly, and his mind inexplicably agitated.
He stepped out of his tent; the air still carried a faint, lingering stench of blood. He lightly leaped onto the branch of a nearby tree.
Leaning against the trunk, he looked up at the stars and moon in the night sky.
In the frozen forest, perhaps only the night sky at this moment could be considered peaceful and beautiful.
Another wave of bloody stench wafted on the wind, entering his nostrils.
He couldn't help but recall the gruesome deaths of the soul beasts he had witnessed during the day, his heart filled with complex emotions.
He didn't consider himself a saint;he could be quite ruthless in his attacks. For example, the fallen soul master Wang Kun, whom he had dealt with without hesitation.
If the situation hadn't been urgent, he would have surely torn him to pieces to vent his hatred.
In this world, Soul Masters must hunt Soul Beasts and absorb Soul Rings to break through their limits.
This cannot be changed.
Yet, Soul Beasts are also living beings.
Some might say, "The cattle and sheep we eat are also living beings; isn't eating them cruel?"
"No, it's different," Dongfang Jing murmured softly.
Soul Beasts are not ignorant, domesticated animals; they are beings that have cultivated for hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of years, developing intelligence, emotions, and even civilizations comparable to humans.
They are wild, free, and exist alongside humans on this continent.
We eat livestock for survival.
Hunting Soul Beasts to obtain Soul Rings is a 'necessary evil' for Soul Master advancement.
We have no choice, but we should at least feel reverence and remorse.
But if it's not for Soul Rings, but simply for fur, flesh, or even just for amusement, what's the difference between that and killing an intelligent species?
This has already transcended the realm of 'survival,' becoming a cruel arrogance.
There are many ways to make money; why choose killing?
Unprovoked killing is never something to be celebrated.
"Can I change all of this in the future?"he asked himself softly, then gave a self-deprecating laugh.
Thinking too much was useless; to change the status quo, he first needed the power to change everything!
He jumped down from the branch and returned to his tent.
After clearing his mind of these chaotic thoughts, he immersed himself in cultivation again.
This time, his soul power seemed to flow more smoothly than before.
It was a new day, sunlight barely filtering through the chill of the forest, casting shadows on the ground.
It had been six days; if he couldn't find the Mirror Beast today, he would have to return the way he came.
Boom!
A tent was suddenly blasted several meters away by a surge of air from within!
Sensing the commotion, Haote was the first to arrive, his face showing surprise. "Little Mirror, you?"
Dongfang Jing slowly opened his eyes, smiling slightly. "Yes, I luckily broke through level 20."
Since his mind cleared last night, he clearly felt his cultivation speed had increased considerably.
Like a flooded passage, after being washed by clean water, it became much smoother.
Haote was utterly shocked, almost incoherent: "Little Mirror, how old are you again?"
"Um, six and a half...almost seven."
Hiss!
Haote gasped. What?!
A Great Soul Master under seven years old!
Even with innate full soul power, this was outrageous!
At this moment, Haote's gaze towards Dongfang Jing completely changed.
He suddenly had a premonition.
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(End of Chapter)