Going to the Hunting Soul Forest definitely couldn't be done on foot, as Nuoding City was a full four hundred li away from the Hunting Soul Forest.
Notting Academy had graduating classes every year, and every year they had to go to the Hunting Soul Forest to hunt Spirit Beasts, so they were naturally well-prepared for this.
Four luxurious carriages bearing the Notting Academy insignia left Notting Academy and headed out of the city.
Among the four carriages, one carried the Dean and Director, one carried six teachers, and the other two carriages carried thirteen students, including Wang Li.
On the bustling streets, amidst the coming and going crowds, those who saw the luxurious carriages with the Notting Academy insignia quickly made way, their eyes filled with reverence.
Even at the city gate, the soldiers guarding it were very understanding and allowed them to pass first.
On the carriage, these Spirit Scholars, whose spirit power had reached Level 10, were discussing with great anticipation what kind of Spirit Beast they would hunt, what kind of spirit ring they would obtain, and what kind of Spirit Master they would become.
Wang Li did not participate in the discussion; he was not very familiar with these older students, and the only person he knew was Wang Sheng, his roommate. At this moment, Wang Li closed his eyes and pondered to himself, thinking:
"What kind of Spirit Beast should I hunt? Tang San's path is something to look at, but I definitely can't follow it. After all, the teachers at the academy definitely won't help me capture a four-hundred-year-old Datura Snake."
"The Blue Silver Grass Spirit, its attack and defense are not outstanding. At this current stage, going with the control system is still suitable."
"To greatly enhance the Blue Silver Grass's inherent extensibility and toughness, I should hunt a vine Spirit Beast. As they are both plants, it would be easier to absorb, and the older the year, the better. However, this also depends on luck."
Thinking of this, Wang Li couldn't help but hope he would have good luck and encounter a vine Spirit Beast suitable for him to hunt.
The artificially raised Hunting Soul Forest certainly did not have as many types of Spirit Beasts as the wild, but under the guardianship of the army and the patrols of the enforcement team, extremely vicious Spirit Beasts or those over ten thousand years old generally would not appear.
Therefore, they would likely spend the next period of time in the Hunting Soul Forest until all students had obtained their spirit rings.
To allow all students to hunt a Spirit Beast as suitable as possible for themselves, the academy had specifically reserved two months.
Moreover, the Dean and Director personally came, showing that the academy placed great importance on these sixth-year graduates and could be considered diligent and responsible.
After all, these were a group of Spirit Scholars who didn't even have a spirit ring and couldn't even put up a decent resistance when encountering a powerful Spirit Beast.
After a day and a night of travel, they officially arrived at the location of the Hunting Soul Forest at noon the next day.
Outside the Hunting Soul Forest was a very lively market, with all kinds of shops and constant shouts.
Even Spirit Masters, who were rarely seen on normal days, were loudly calling out, asking to team up to hunt Spirit Beasts.
As regular visitors here, Notting Academy's carriages attracted many gazes as soon as they appeared.
Notting Academy, with the Spirit Ancestor expert Dean Zhang in charge, was undoubtedly an object everyone wanted to curry favor with. However, Notting Academy had its own team of teachers and would not allow unknown Spirit Masters from outside to join.
They found a hotel to stay, leaving the coachman and carriages there. After lunch and a short rest,
Dean Zhang and Su Mo led all the teachers and students to the entrance of the Hunting Soul Forest. The Hunting Soul Forest was a place where Spirit Beasts were raised, with a ten-meter-high fine iron fence around its periphery. The entrance had an open gate, but there were at least a hundred fully armed soldiers, making it not a place to trespass.
Their strength was secondary; the forces behind them were the Heaven Dou Empire and Spirit Hall. Although the true ownership of the Hunting Soul Forest was somewhat unclear, if a third party tried to seize it, they would certainly face double suppression.
However, as a Spirit Ancestor, Dean Zhang also earned the true respect of these soldiers. After checking their passes, they allowed the Notting Academy group to enter.
Less than a hundred meters after entering the Hunting Soul Forest, Dean Zhang turned to look at everyone, especially all the students, his expression solemn and awe-inspiring without anger:
"Listen closely, all of you. You have truly entered the Hunting Soul Forest now. It is full of dangers, and powerful Spirit Beasts can appear at any time. What you need to do is follow instructions."
"If you see or hear anything, do not panic, do not run around. For anything you do, you must report it. If you leave the team without permission, you will bear the consequences!"
Seeing the Dean so serious, all the students became nervous and responded loudly:
"Yes!"
Dean Zhang nodded, then looked at the other teachers and said:
"Take your positions according to our usual formation, prepare yourselves!"
All the teachers also responded:
"Yes!"
Then came the sounds of Spirit possession. Su Mo's body expanded, deer antlers grew on his head, and his fur grew wildly. Three spirit rings, yellow, yellow, and purple, gradually appeared. He stood at the back of the team.
A female teacher named Fiona had a staff appear in her hand, and two yellow spirit rings emerged. She was a support Spirit Master and stood in the middle of all the students.
A teacher named Gou An had his teeth sharpen, nails lengthen, and fur grow wildly, resembling a werewolf, but in reality, his Spirit was a dog. He had two spirit rings, one white and one yellow. He sniffed at something with his nose, then swiftly darted out.
The other four teachers had Spirits that were a broadsword, a dagger, a black panther, and an ape, respectively. All had the commoner's configuration of one white and one yellow, and they stood around all the students.
As for Dean Zhang, he did not summon his Spirit, but he stood at the very front of everyone, clearly very confident in his own strength.
Then, Dean Zhang waved his large hand and solemnly commanded:
"Depart!"
Following this, the Notting Academy group, led by Dean Zhang, began to explore the Hunting Soul Forest.
However, they did not go deep into the Hunting Soul Forest but rather circled its periphery. Spirit Scholars without a spirit ring were too fragile, so the teachers needed to be in Spirit possession and on alert at all times.
Once they entered the depths of the Hunting Soul Forest, they were very likely to encounter hundred-year Spirit Beasts, or even thousand-year Spirit Beasts. They were not afraid of hundred-year Spirit Beasts, and could even retreat safely if they encountered thousand-year Spirit Beasts.
But these students had a very high chance of casualties. Casualties among graduating students could occur every year, but large numbers of casualties were unacceptable.
This would be detrimental to the academy's reputation. Therefore, the academy had an unwritten rule: unless absolutely necessary, such as students paying extra money or having extremely powerful backgrounds, under normal circumstances, they would select Spirit Beasts for students from ten-year Spirit Beasts in the outer areas of the Hunting Soul Forest.
Although hundred-year Spirit Beasts occasionally appeared in the outer areas, their quantity and quality could not compare to the Spirit Beasts in the depths of the Hunting Soul Forest.
If they encountered such a Spirit Beast, the students would be blessed, as obtaining a hundred-year spirit ring was a privilege even Xiao Chenyu, the City Lord's son, did not have.