Duoluo Dalu: Path to Godhood

Two days later, at the break of dawn.

In front of the academy gates.

Three horse-drawn carriages bearing the emblem of Nuoding Academy were parked there.

Fourteen students who needed to hunt for soul rings, accompanied by three teachers and the academy dean, a Soul Ancestor, made a total of eighteen people.

"Everyone, remember to report your martial spirit and the type of soul ring you need to the teachers while on the carriage. You were told to prepare for this beforehand, so I won't go over it again."

The rule was simple: for powerful offensive soul beasts, only ten-year soul beasts would be hunted. For weaker ones, century-old soul beasts could be considered.

"Board the carriages!" The dean waved his hand with commanding presence.

Everyone followed the order and boarded the carriages in an orderly manner.

None of the fourteen students came from wealthy backgrounds, so none chose to hire someone to hunt a soul beast for them.

Although Fang Ling had secretly saved twenty gold soul coins, enough to cover the cost of obtaining a first soul ring, he knew the market well. That amount would only be enough for a ten-year soul ring.

A hundred-year soul ring would cost at least a hundred gold coins and carried a much higher risk. Unless one was a strong Soul Master, few dared to take on such a task.

Without money or a reliable team, it was better to follow the academy's group, which included a Soul Ancestor.

The carriages sped along the road.

Each of the three carriages had one teacher assigned to it.

The dean sat in the front carriage.

Fang Ling was also in this carriage, and he carried a shovel on his back.

Since the dean was present, he personally began the inquiries.

He took out a pen and clipped a sheet of paper to a wooden board, preparing to record information.

"Come on, tell me what your martial spirits are and what type of enhancement you need."

"Lu Wen, Tool Martial Spirit: Scissors. Needs attack enhancement."

"Ming Hui, Beast Martial Spirit: Burrowing Rat. Also needs attack enhancement."

"Fang Liangyue, Food-Type Tool Martial Spirit: Carrot. Also wants something to boost attack."

"Fang Ling, Tool Martial Spirit: Scythe. I need a century-old Star-Nosed Mole."

The previous responses were all about attack enhancements, and the dean quickly noted them down.

When it was Fang Ling's turn, the dean suddenly paused, then asked while writing:

"Such a specific soul beast? You have a scythe as your martial spirit, are you sure you don't want something to enhance attack?"

"Star-Nosed Moles are extremely weak. Their claws are practically useless, and the reflex boost isn't that great either."

Fang Ling replied firmly, "No need for attack enhancement. I'm certain, I want the Star-Nosed Mole."

"Dean, since it's a weak soul beast, I can pick a century-old one, right?"

His tone carried a hint of nervousness.

The dean noticed the shovel Fang Ling was holding and smiled slightly, nodding:

"Yes, Soul Hunting Forest has them. They're not rare or hard to find."

He then put away his pen and notebook.

"That's all recorded. Everyone get some rest. It's four hundred li away, we won't arrive until noon tomorrow."

"Rest well and prepare to receive your first soul ring!"

Everyone responded enthusiastically, and Fang Ling's eyes were full of anticipation.

He was finally about to officially begin his journey as a soul master.

Three years of accumulation and hard training had finally brought him to the level Tang San was at when he first arrived at the academy.

He hoped this first soul ring would truly bring him a suitable specialization.

After a short rest along the way, by noon the next day, the three carriages arrived at their destination: the Soul Hunting Forest.

The carriages stopped slowly outside a noisy and bustling marketplace.

Shouts rang out in the air, and the winding paths were full of activity, filling people with excitement.

It was a sight none of the students had witnessed before.

Even Fang Ling poked his head out, curiously taking it all in.

Unlike the lively markets of his past life, the people here had fiercer expressions.

Each one exuded an indescribable murderous aura.

After getting everyone off the carriages, they parked them in a secure, guarded area.

The dean collected the soul beast request forms from the other two teachers.

After a glance, finding no unreasonable requests, he led the group directly toward the entrance of the Soul Hunting Forest.

He also gave instructions to the students about safety in the area.

"These people are all desperados. Everything sold in those shops is expensive."

"This is why I told you to bring everything you need."

"And it's not just the Soul Hunting Forest. Other large soul beast habitats like the Sunset Forest and Star Dou Great Forest are the same."

The talk brought back a few unpleasant memories. He chuckled and shook his head, then continued:

"See those soul hunting groups?"

"Yes!" everyone answered.

The dean's tone turned stern: "Ten gold coins for a ten-year soul ring. A hundred-year ring costs at least a hundred."

"It also depends on the soul beast species, travel expenses, and possible casualties."

"If you run into a crooked group, they might charge you a thousand gold coins, and could even rob or kill you in the end."

"If you go soul hunting in the future, make sure to find a reputable group, best to be led by family or academy teachers. Understood?"

"Understood!" The students shivered slightly.

After walking for a while, they arrived at a massive steel gate over ten meters tall.

The dean led them to the entrance of the Soul Hunting Forest and presented an official token to the soldiers stationed there.

It was an exclusive token for academy-led hunts. Seeing such a large group of young, inexperienced soul master students made it clear who they were.

The captain immediately ordered the soldiers to open a path.

The group entered directly.

Inside the forest, things were much quieter than outside.

The air was fresh, making everyone feel as though their soul power had become more active and their bodies more relaxed.

"The Soul Beast Forest is a dangerous place. Do not step beyond the teachers' protection, understood?"

The three accompanying teachers were all strong Soul Masters in their prime.

Two men and one woman, all of them had the potential to break through to the Soul Elder level. They were not to be compared to that windbag Yu Xiaogang.

Their combat strength was just as formidable.

Still, with so many students, it was hard to protect everyone equally.

So any slightly stronger soul beasts could only be considered for ten-year rings.

The group moved forward slowly.

Perhaps because he was seen as a weak cripple, the smaller, third-year student Fang Ling was placed in the center.

Fang Ling felt a bit puzzled but smiled and thanked everyone, indicating that he agreed with their assessment.

He had no need to prove anything.

He had come only to obtain a soul ring and did not want to cause unnecessary trouble.

Being protected was, of course, ideal.

If a soul beast were to kill a weaker outer student, he would assess the situation first.

If he could defeat the beast, he would avenge them and collect merit points. If not, he would run.

But in this forest, where the strongest soul beasts were only at the thousand-year level and most were ten- or hundred-year-old captive breeds, the likelihood of that happening was very low, especially with a Soul Ancestor leading the team.

After walking some distance, the dean narrowed his eyes and scanned the surroundings before suddenly signaling everyone to stop.

He stared at a tree trunk and whispered, "Seventy-year Wind Lynx, specializes in agility and attack. Who wants it?"

The Burrowing Rat martial spirit user, true to the rat's nature, clever and quick, stepped forward ahead of the others and raised his hand high:

"I do!"

"Good!"

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