Many teachers had their martial souls manifested. The soul rings, glowing in various colors, made these fledgling soul practitioners both envious and reassured.
Such a scene was impossible to see inside the academy; it only appeared in the perilous Soul-Hunting Forest.
Wang Li mingled among the students, but his mind had already flown ahead. He wished he could leave the group and hunt soul beasts on his own.
However, the process of hunting a soul beast and absorbing its soul ring was fraught with danger and uncertainty. He could only exercise patience and move forward with the main force.
After all, all these students had some degree of soul power. Even without a soul ring, their physical fitness was not bad. They moved through the forest without complaining, so their exploration speed was not slow.
At this moment, Gou An, at the very front, stopped. Zhang Wei waved his hand, signaling the people behind him to halt.
Gou An activated the first soul skill of his white soul ring, taking a deep breath. Within several hundred meters, he identified all scents and the owners of those scents.
Then, in a deep, rapid voice, he said,
"Dean, there's a bloody smell. It's from a Soft-Bone Rabbit, and the hunter is a Forest Mantis. The age cannot be determined yet. Its location is roughly 300 meters ahead."
Zhang Wei pondered for a moment, then quickly said,
"Su Mo, protect the students. I'll go control the Forest Mantis first!"
At the back of the group, Director Su Mo immediately responded,
"Yes, Dean!"
Zhang Wei nodded and shouted in a low voice,
"Martial soul, manifest!"
In an instant, yellow energy surged through his body, gathering in his hands and forming a large, ancient-looking bow. Four soul rings,two yellow and two purple,floated above and below it. As someone who had reached the Soul Sect level and could run a soul master academy, Zhang Wei naturally had the optimal soul ring configuration.
With these four soul rings enhancing his presence, even though Zhang Wei was middle-aged and slightly stout, he still appeared imposing and heroic.
He pushed off with his right foot, dashing forward with incredible speed, and was already dozens of meters away in an instant.
When the dean moves, the director takes charge.
Su Mo called to the others,
"Continue moving forward. Do not try to chase the dean. Keep a steady pace and stay alert to your surroundings."
Both teachers and students responded immediately,
"Yes!"
They resumed moving. After some time, they caught up to Zhang Wei. By then, he had already subdued a green Forest Mantis about half a meter long. Its sharp blades had been removed and discarded. Its green, patterned body was battered, and its blood-red eyes were full of resentment.
Seeing the group arrive, Zhang Wei wasted no words. He said,
"This is a Forest Mantis between fifty and eighty years old. Its blades are extremely sharp, notorious among low-level soul beasts. Sheng Kai, your martial soul is a blade. This soul beast is perfect for you. Come, kill it, and absorb its soul ring."
Hearing this, the student Sheng Kai looked at the Forest Mantis, its eyes full of resentment, and swallowed nervously. He was afraid, but he had come this far and would not back down.
He summoned his martial soul, a blade, and charged at the Forest Mantis with repeated, powerful strikes. He struck blindly at first, missing the vital points several times before finally killing it.
Zhang Wei remained calm throughout. These students were still inexperienced. To absorb a soul beast's soul ring, they had to personally kill it,a form of training in itself. He instructed,
"Watch closely. The soul ring will appear soon. Once it does, sit cross-legged, use your martial soul to summon the soul ring, and circulate the Meditation Method to fully absorb its power."
"And all of you, you will experience this process. Hunting soul beasts and absorbing soul rings will accompany you throughout your journey as a soul master."
As he spoke, white energy began rising from the dead Forest Mantis, eventually forming a white soul ring above its body.
Sheng Kai rejoiced, ignoring any nausea. He sat cross-legged beside the Forest Mantis, extended his right hand holding his martial soul, and the white soul ring responded, floating onto the blade and merging into it.
This marked the formal start of absorbing the soul ring. All the students watched, some envious, some longing. Wang Li, however, grew impatient.
The teacher team led by Zhang Wei and Su Mo was undeniably powerful and well-organized. Yet the soul beast assigned for the students was only a ten-year-old Forest Mantis, with a white soul ring,barely a challenge.
This wouldn't do.
Wang Li planned that even if he could not absorb a soul ring at his limit, he would at least absorb a hundred-year soul ring.
Troublesome. Very troublesome. Wang Li furrowed his brow.
While he was thinking, just over ten minutes passed, and Sheng Kai had already absorbed the soul ring. Being only a ten-year soul ring, it posed almost no danger.
Zhang Wei looked at Sheng Kai, who leapt up in excitement, and said sternly,
"Do not be arrogant. Even with a soul ring and the ability to release soul skills, you must still follow instructions. A one-ring soul master in the Soul-Hunting Forest is still at the lowest level. By the way, how does it feel? What soul skill did you acquire?"
Sheng Kai obediently replied, as meek as the Soft-Bone Rabbit hunted by the Forest Mantis,
"It feels great. My whole body is full of strength. I acquired the Cross Slash skill, which increases attack and speed by ten percent."
Zhang Wei nodded.
"A powerful soul skill. Return to the team. We are about to continue our journey."
At this moment, Gou An hurried back, looking tense, and said,
"Dean, I detected a very strong stench nearby. It must be the Wild Boar King. Its age is likely high, probably a hundred-year soul beast, located northwest about 800 meters away!"
Zhang Wei's expression turned serious. Any hundred-year soul beast could not be underestimated. He was not afraid himself, but with so many students present, extreme caution was required.
"I'll go check it out first. You all follow carefully and keep a safe distance to avoid being caught in the attack."
Saying this, Zhang Wei dashed forward. Soon, he saw the Wild Boar King that Gou An had reported.
Almost four meters long, nearly two meters tall, its body covered in armor made of mud and rocks, with sharp tusks and a ferocious aura.
Zhang Wei's eyes widened in disbelief. Shocked, he said,
"How is this possible? How could such a soul beast appear at the forest's edge? Judging by its size, it's at least seven or eight hundred years old. Even a thousand-year soul beast would not dare to confront it head-on!"
At that moment, the Wild Boar King was entwined in vines. But its raging strength was so immense that the vines could not hold it. With each tear and stomp, broken branches fell everywhere, creating a scene of utter devastation.
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