Where is the best place for Soul Hunting?
All Soul Masters on the continent know it is the Star Dou Great Forest.
The types of Soul Beasts are numerous, the age limits vary greatly, and rare and powerful Soul Beasts emerge endlessly, enough to satisfy the needs of all kinds of Soul Masters.
However, given Zhao Liuyun's current level and lack of a strong background, the Star Dou Great Forest is genuinely too dangerous.
The nearest Soul Hunting Forest, located four hundred li northeast of Nuoding City, the one Tang San had visited, is a more suitable choice.
As a place where the Empire rears Soul Beasts, the maximum age of the Soul Beasts there is no more than a thousand years, and the thousand-year-old ones are few in number.
As long as an experienced mercenary group is hired, the Soul Hunting process should generally proceed without any accidents.
Conveniently, his teacher's junior apprentice-brother is a Healing Soul Master who lives right in the Soul Hunting Town!
The journey was long, and even taking a carriage, Zhao Liuyun dared not go alone.
Bai Hong was also uneasy about him going by himself, so he specially invited a two-ring Great Soul Master he had once saved to serve as his bodyguard.
They set off in the morning and arrived by noon the next day.
Soul Hunting Town, though called a town, was in reality more like a slightly larger market.
"Hand order available, hunting a speed-type Soul Beast, lacking one defense-type Soul Master."
"Master Lin's newest insect repellant powder! Essential for Soul Hunting! Only one gold Soul Coin, only one gold Soul Coin!"
Various shouts and hawking sounds rose one after another. Small paths paved with stone slabs crisscrossed the area, bustling and exceptionally noisy.
Following the address his teacher had given him beforehand, Zhao Liuyun found a shop heavy with the smell of medicine.
Inside sat a robust middle-aged man with graying hair.
He looked around forty or fifty years old, at least twenty years younger than his teacher.
Considering that his teacher started studying medicine relatively late, the age difference did indeed seem right.
Zhao Liuyun entered the shop and saw the middle-aged man attending to a patient.
The patient was a mercenary with a huge laceration on his arm, presumably torn by something unknown, only wrapped with a strip of cloth to stop the bleeding.
When the cloth was unwrapped, blood immediately gushed out from the wound. The color of the blood was faintly pale, and one could vaguely see the bone deep inside.
The middle-aged man first determined the source of the bleeding, then tied a tourniquet tightly around the upper arm, and finally used medicinal water to wash the injury.
The originally blurred flesh and blood gradually revealed its texture under the rinsing of the medicinal liquid.
The heavy scent of medicine mixed with the pungent smell of blood made one feel nauseous, but Zhao Liuyun watched intently, utterly engrossed.
This was the difference between Soul Hunting Town and the city.
Most of the inhabitants in the city were ordinary people.
When they sought medical help, it was mostly for minor ailments like headaches, fever, colds, coughs, or body aches, and occasionally some bruises or sprains.
Soul Masters, however, rarely fell ill. Their injuries were more often sustained during combat—sword wounds, corrosive poisoning, fire burns, or frostbite, and so on.
After the gray-haired middle-aged man finished treating the wound, he immediately untied the tourniquet, sprinkled a layer of pale yellow medicinal powder, and then carefully bandaged it with clean gauze.
As the mercenary repeatedly thanked him, he slightly turned his head, his gaze falling upon the silently standing young man.
"What is it, kid? Where are you hurt?"
The middle-aged man habitually assumed he was a patient seeking treatment.
"I am not injured, Uncle Master Huang." Zhao Liuyun respectfully bowed. "This disciple is under Teacher Bai Hong, and he asked me to send his regards."
His Uncle Master's surname was Huang, first name Xin, and his Martial Soul was the Honeysuckle Flower. He was a level 23 Great Soul Master with a configuration of one yellow and one yellow Soul Ring, and he was especially skilled at detoxification.
He was looked after by Bai Hong in his childhood and received much care as he grew up; the two had a very close relationship.
By living in Soul Hunting Town for a long time, Huang Xin had accumulated a wide range of connections, which would be perfect to assist Zhao Liuyun in obtaining a Soul Ring.
"Ho ho, so it's Nephew Zhao who has arrived!"
Huang Xin clapped his hands and laughed heartily.
He stood up, and it was at this moment that he truly revealed his astonishing physique.
He was nearly two meters tall, broad-shouldered and wide-backed, with a bear-like frame, his solid muscles appearing as if cast from molten iron.
He didn't look like a Healing Soul Master at all, but rather a brown bear poised for action.
"You watched the treatment process just now. Did you notice any tricks of the trade?"
Uncle Master Huang Xin said, slapping Zhao Liuyun on the shoulder with a force so heavy that the young man's knees almost buckled, nearly sending him to the ground.
What a heavy hand!
"Uncle Master, please be gentle," Zhao Liuyun grimaced.
"Heh heh, you need to train your body, Nephew! " Huang Xin didn't mind, instead laughing and patting him twice more.
"You are a Soul Master; you must have a good body to withstand more powerful Soul Rings."
"Innate Level 5, reaching Level 10 in just one year. Since you are a genius, you must look the part of a genius!"
"Uncle Master's lesson is well taken," Zhao Liuyun endured, wincing. "You are so robust; do you have any methods you can teach me?"
"Have you ever heard of a Medicinal Bath?" Huang Xin raised his hand and pointed toward the direction of the Soul Hunting Forest.
"I know of it."
Of course, Zhao Liuyun knew.
As a Doctor and a Soul Master, how could he not know about Medicinal Baths?
It was just that Medicinal Baths were expensive, not something an ordinary person could afford, and lacking the corresponding formula, he could only think about it.
Huang Xin stretched his arms, making his muscle lines more defined. He said,
"Soul Hunting Town is close to the Soul Hunting Forest. Various medicinal ingredients and Soul Beast materials are cheaper here compared to the cities. When you graduate from Nuoding Academy, come and follow me."
"I don't need to go to an Intermediate Soul Master Academy?" Zhao Liuyun hesitated slightly.
He still held some expectation for the collection of books at the Intermediate Academy.
Huang Xin waved his hand: "Only mediocre people follow the routine of entering an Intermediate Academy. That place is just a transition and won't teach you much."
"You are a genius. The proper path is to go directly to Tiandou City once you become a Great Soul Master and join a powerful Advanced Soul Master Academy."
"Before that, why don't you stay here in Soul Hunting Town, follow me, practice medicine to earn money, and temper your body with Medicinal Baths?"
"Alright, I'll count on you then, Uncle Master!" Zhao Liuyun readily agreed.
Upon reflection, he could earn general experience after going to the Advanced Academy, and those precious books wouldn't run away.
Once his strength was sufficient, wouldn't the libraries of any power be open for him to browse?
Wouldn't general experience flow in like a continuous stream?
Uncle Master Huang Xin's words perfectly aligned with Zhao Liuyun's intentions.
The [Physician] Class provided the [Focus] trait, which was crucial for his future growth.
If he could achieve the second-tier Class advancement first, it might strengthen [Focus], which was a classic case of sharpening the axe before chopping wood.
Moreover, unlike in the city, here with his Uncle Master, where there was a specialization in the field, he could learn more knowledge related to the human body, which would be beneficial for researching how to apply [Massage] effectively on himself.
It was killing multiple birds with one stone!
"Just come." His Uncle Master patted Zhao Liuyun on the shoulder again, causing him to let out a muffled groan.
"Uncle Master, when are we going Soul Hunting?" Zhao Liuyun rubbed his shoulder, helplessly curling his lips.
The shoulder patting was probably his Uncle Master's habit, and he was too lazy to complain anymore.
What he cared about more now was obtaining his Soul Ring.
Huang Xin scrutinized him: "Aren't you tired after a day and a half in the carriage?"
"A little, but thinking about getting my first Soul Ring, I don't feel tired at all." Zhao Liuyun straightened his back, his words full of anticipation.
As an experienced physician, Huang Xin could naturally discern his nephew's true state.
He chuckled and shook his head: "Don't push yourself. You can't rest properly in the Soul Beast Forest, and absorbing a Soul Ring also requires sufficient rest. It must be done in the best possible state."
Zhao Liuyun smiled sheepishly: "I'll listen to you, Uncle Master."
"Just wait. The mercenary group I planned to find for you took on a mission and hasn't returned from the Soul Hunting Forest yet."
This wait lasted two days.