It was already ten o'clock in the morning when zu zong and Blanklin finished purchasing supplies.
The Soul-Splitting Forest was a full four hundred li away from Notting City.
Due to the long distance, Blanklin personally paid for a large horse-drawn carriage for the two of them.
In Notting City, the roads were relatively smooth, but outside of Notting City, the roads became much more difficult. A day of bumpy travel left zuzong, who was used to riding in cars in his previous life, feeling quite uncomfortable.
The long wait was incredibly boring, so the next day zu zong started a conversation.
"Dean of Students, could you tell me about your Martial Soul?"
Dean Blanklin chuckled, as if he had seen through zu zong's little scheme.
"Heh, you little rascal, I thought you could hold back a bit longer! Fine, then let me introduce my Martial Soul to you."
"Martial Soul Possession - Azure Ox, Moo!"
A powerful azure-purple light suddenly erupted from his body. Blanklin stretched his arms out to the sides, his chest puffed out, his bones cracking and his muscles bulging, straining against his clothes. Every muscle beneath his clothes became extremely prominent, and even the air around him seemed to become turbulent.
The carriage trembled a few times; if Blanklin hadn't intentionally controlled it, the entire carriage would probably have overturned on the spot.
His once black hair instantly turned a mix of azure and gray, with a few strands of gray standing out prominently. Two faint lines appeared on his forehead, and a pair of ox horns grew from them.
Blanklin slowly leaned forward, his brown pupils dilating and finally turning into a deep, dark blue, giving the impression of a locomotive about to charge at you.
Beneath his feet, three shimmering halos rose silently, one white and two yellow. As the halos swirled, surging soul power created a wave of pressure that crashed down, causing the carriage curtains to billow horizontally.
The zu zong remained unfazed; familiar with the original story, he had already imbued his feet with soul power and stood motionless.
The coachman, however, was in a much worse state, nearly blown away by Blakelin's wave of soul power. Even the horses were almost startled.
The coachman couldn't help but smile wryly, "Respected Soul Master, please keep your movements down, otherwise I won't be able to drive the carriage properly."
Blakelin, who had originally intended to demonstrate his strength to the zuzong, blushed upon seeing the zu zong remain calm while the coachman was affected. He quickly withdrew his martial soul, and the carriage returned to calm.
"Ahem, well, let me reintroduce myself. I'm Blanklin, a level 32 Power Attack-type Battle Soul Master, my Martial Soul is the Azure Ox."
"My first Soul Skill—Extreme Speed Charge—allows me to instantly unleash twice the speed to charge at enemies."
"My second Soul Skill—Iron Hooves—makes my limbs harder than pig iron, providing both offense and defense."
"My third Soul Skill—Super Horn Cannon—I was lucky enough to get the Dean's help in hunting down a rare Soul Beast, the Thunder Bird, which is about to advance to the Thousand-Year Realm. It can shoot a lightning ball from its giant horn after the Martial Soul is attached to it; the destructive power is immense. If it hits, even a Soul Master will be injured. However, it consumes a lot of Soul Power; with my current Soul Power, I can only use it three times."
After speaking, Blanklin proudly glanced at the zuzong, then closed his eyes slightly—How about that? You should be impressed by my powerful strength by now!
Come on! Quickly become my disciple! I, Blanklin, will accept you.
After a long while, still hearing no sign of the zu zong's apprenticeship, Blanklin opened his eyes and saw the zu zong's head sticking out of the carriage, looking out the window.
"Hey! Zu Zong, what are you looking at?"
Turning his gaze away, the zu zong replied, "Headmaster, we seem to be almost there. There are so many stalls outside."
In the zu zong's mind, forests should be full of natural beauty, secluded and tranquil, with fresh air and few people.
But this Soul Hunter Forest before him resembled a secondhand market, exuding a mercenary atmosphere.
Outside the forest, large clusters of houses, or rather shops, were built. Various shouts rose and fell, and simple man-made paths crisscrossed the area.
"We have a warrant. Form a group to hunt control-type soul beasts. We need three more people."
"Hunting agility-type soul beasts. Seven people are waiting for the warrant. Ten gold soul coins."
Similar shouts rose and fell. Most of the shops selling weapons, armor, and various food supplies were located in the market.
The prices marked on the shops made Zu Zong frown. If he hadn't gone to the market yesterday, he wouldn't have thought much of it, but today, comparing prices,
he thought, "Damn, this is even more expensive than what the 'mountain movers' sold in my previous life. A bottle of mineral water there would cost at most five yuan, but here it would cost ten.
" Zu Zong couldn't help but sigh, "It's really easy to make money from soul masters!"
Hearing Zu Zong's exclamation, Blanklin grinned and laughed heartily, abandoning his usual refined demeanor and appearing very generous.
"Haha, of course! Soul Masters are the noblest profession in Douluo Continent, and powerful Soul Masters are welcomed everywhere."
"Ahem, like me, a Soul Venerable, not only was I hired by Notting Academy as the Dean of Studies with a generous salary, but I also receive a monthly stipend of one hundred gold soul coins from the Spirit Hall."
How about that? Pretty impressive, huh? Then hurry up and become his disciple!
The zu zong rolled his eyes at Blanklin. Since leaving the academy, Blanklin seemed to have broken free of his shackles, completely letting loose, showing none of his previous refined manners.
Along the way, Blanklin kept boasting about his strength, even hinting to the zu zong to become his disciple.
Bah! I thought you were a decent person, but it turns out you're just another lustful young master.
Stopping in their tracks, the zu zong pointed ahead with his right hand and said to Blanklin, "Director, we're almost there!"
Seeing that they had reached the entrance to the Soul Hunting Forest, Blanklin's expression tightened, his gaze deepened, and he regained his usual seriousness.
Holding the zu zong's hand solemnly, he said, "zuzong, today I'm going to give you your first lesson as a Soul Master. From now on, I'm no longer your academy teacher, but your teammate with whom you entrust your life and death. You can trust me, but you still need to be wary, because the most terrifying thing in the Soul Beast Forest isn't the Soul Beasts, but the human heart. Wealth can corrupt people's hearts. If you encounter any treasure, it's very likely that the one you trust most will stab you in the back."
"I understand, teacher,"
the zu zong nodded in agreement.
The two reached the edge of the forest, where a huge steel fence came into view, with numerous sharp spikes protruding from one side of the forest. The fence was over ten meters high and looked extremely sturdy.
That wasn't all; outside the fence, a squad of a hundred soldiers was patrolling. These soldiers were all dressed in full-body armor of fine iron, carrying long spears, their military bearing impeccable. A hundred steel warriors standing together gave off a chilling aura.
Franklin took out a warrant from his pocket. The zu zong glanced at it; it only had a pattern on it, indicating it was a one-time use warrant.
The leading soldier checked the pass, handed it back to Blakelin, glanced briefly at the zuzong, understanding the situation, and said nothing more, his habitually stern and cold voice saying, "First-class pass, proceed."
"Click," the massive iron gate opened.
The zu zong and Blakelin, one tall and one short, walked in.
They sensed the fresh, natural atmosphere and the soul power in the air, which was even more concentrated than outside.
The zu zong clenched his fist and placed it on his chest, shouting in his mind, "The path of the strong officially begins here!"
(End of Chapter)