Chapter 23: Arriving at the Soul Hunting Forest, Su Yuntao's Choice
The Soul Hunting Forest that Tang Shan and his group were heading to this time was not the same one where the original protagonist obtained the Datura Snake.
That Soul Hunting Forest was still a bit small; while it might contain some millennium Spirit Beasts, the variety was not necessarily rich. If they failed to find a suitable one, they would likely have to make another trip.
As for finding just any one that was "good enough" to absorb and be done with it, Tang Shan might agree, but Su Haichao certainly wouldn't.
Over these years, Tang Shan's theories had made Su Haichao understand that every absorption of a spirit ring was the best possible reinforcement and evolution for a Spirit. He would rather fool around with his own absorption than let his two sons settle for anything less than the best.
"This is the Soul Hunting Forest next to Xingguang City; we should be able to find the Spirit Beasts we want."
Looking at the small town situated near the Soul Hunting Forest not far away, Su Yuan couldn't help but heave a long sigh of relief.
Even though he was a Spirit Ancestor, such a long-distance trek still made him feel a trace of exhaustion. Needless to say, Su Haichao, who had been carrying Tang Shan forward, already had a significant amount of sweat on his face.
Of course, the most miserable one was Su Yuntao. Throughout the process of keeping up with the three of them, his Spirit Ability had barely stopped in the early stages. Fortunately, Su Yuan and Su Haichao still had some humanity; they slowed down later on, which allowed Su Yuntao, whose spirit power was completely exhausted, to catch up by relying on his own excellent physical fitness.
At this moment, having just stopped, every pore on his body was wide open, and sweat poured out like a floodgate had been opened.
Nuoding City was situated at the border between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire. If the border between the two Empires hadn't been so densely populated, this city likely wouldn't have been able to remain so stable.
Setting off from Nuoding City and traveling dozens of miles towards the Star Luo Empire, one would find a Star Luo city similar in nature to Nuoding City: Xingguang City.
It meant the edge of the Star Luo glory, hence the name Xingguang.
The Soul Hunting Forest was located on the outskirts of the city, and there was a small town nearby. Supplies needed before entering the forest could be purchased in this town.
The evening sunlight draped the town in a golden-red coat, brilliant and charming. The pedestrians coming and going in and out of the town offset the killing intent and ferocity of the Soul Hunting Forest.
"It's getting late. Let's quickly enter the town to rest. Tomorrow, we'll see how our condition is, and we'll enter the Soul Hunting Forest only when we've recovered to our best state."
Faced with Su Haichao's arrangement, the three of them clearly had no objections and quickly walked into the town.
Unlike the hustle and bustle of the town bordering the Soul Hunting Forest in Nuoding City, this town was relatively quiet. The reason for this could probably be attributed to the well-disciplined soldiers who frequently patrolled the streets.
The Star Luo Empire was different from the Heaven Dou Empire; the vast majority of power in the Star Luo Empire was concentrated in the hands of the Emperor. Combined with that somewhat outrageous method of selecting the Crown Prince, the national strength had accumulated over time and remained very formidable.
They casually found a hotel to stay in and booked two rooms; Su Haichao and Su Yuan shared one, and the two brothers shared the other.
Returning to the room, Su Yuntao lay directly on the bed, his face full of exhaustion.
Tang Shan could understand; relying purely on his legs to run for dozens of kilometers, even with the support of spirit power, was truly a form of torture.
"Big Brother, what are your plans after obtaining your second spirit ring?"
Tang Shan sat on the edge of the bed, feeling a bit curious.
Pushing himself up from the bed with both hands, Su Yuntao's eyes flickered as he fell into a brief contemplation.
"Little Brother, I want to go to the Great Spirit Arena for a Spirit Fight. What do you think?"
Tang Shan was taken aback; he truly hadn't expected his elder brother's choice.
Su Yuntao raised his head, his eyes filled with burning intensity.
"Little Brother, I am only eighteen years old, still young. Before this, I basically only operated in the areas around Nuoding City and hadn't been to far-off places. If it weren't for you, perhaps I would have been like this for the rest of my life. At best, I could inherit Father's position; at worst, I would just become an ordinary deacon in the Spirit Hall. But now it's different. After you came into our home, I underwent a complete transformation: my strength has been skyrocketing, and the possibility of a millennium second spirit ring is something I never even dared to imagine."
Tang Shan was somewhat silent. Only now did he truly feel how massive the changes he had brought to this World were. The ordinary Spirit Awakener from the original trajectory was now about to reach a level he should have never been able to attain.
"I don't have your Comprehension Ability and talent, Little Brother. You have already shown me a glimpse of a vast future, so naturally, I cannot give up; I must climb to higher peaks. Besides, the World is so big, I want to go and see it."
A look of relief suddenly appeared on Tang Shan's face, as if he had let go of something.
When Su Yuntao had mentioned going to the Great Spirit Arena earlier, he had been vehemently opposed to it in his heart. After all, although there were normal Spirit Fights in addition to life-and-death Spirit Fights, it had never been said that normal Spirit Fights wouldn't result in death. Let alone Spirit Fights, look at the so-called "Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament"; the number of people severely injured was countless. By the peerless era, even with experts guarding, death had become a common occurrence.
How could he bear to let his elder brother take such risks?
In Tang Shan's view, as long as he followed his arrangements, his elder brother only needed to focus on hard cultivation. Reaching at least a Spirit Douluo should not be a big problem, and the probability of becoming a Titled Douluo was also not small. There was really no need to take risks.
However, his elder brother's words not only changed his mind but also moved him. His elder brother was a person, not a machine providing him with emotional resources. Naturally, he would have, and naturally, he should have, his own thoughts. He hoped his elder brother would always be by his side; on the surface, it was for his elder brother's safety, but in reality, wasn't it a form of selfishness? The selfishness of wanting to bind his Family by his side.
If his elder brother wanted to venture out, then let him venture. Besides, the real Douluo Continent was so huge. If he truly only focused his attention on the range planned in the original work, how pathetic that would be. In the future, why couldn't he also travel across this continent?
Once his mind was clear, the World suddenly felt boundless.
"Big Brother, you go first. When I reach a certain age, I will also travel the continent."
Unexpectedly receiving such support from his little brother, a trace of joy appeared on Su Yuntao's face. He was confident in handling his father's work, but his little brother's was hard to say. Usually, he seemed easy to talk to, but both father and son could feel the firm will that Tang Shan sometimes inadvertently displayed.
"All of this is easy to talk about. Wasn't there a group a few years ago called something like the 'Golden Triangle'? I, your elder brother, will also carve out a name for myself first."
Brother Tao patted his chest, but his confidence was quickly interrupted by Tang Shan.
"Big Brother, what about Sister Sisi?"
Su Yuntao suddenly fell silent; clearly, he hadn't considered this point at all before.
Tang Shan patted Su Yuntao's shoulder.
"Big Brother, I'm going to the roof to Cultivate for a while. Think about it properly yourself; it's best to tell her sooner and let her make her own choice."
With that, Tang Shan pushed the door open and left.
The next morning, the group, fully prepared, gathered at the entrance of the town.
Tang Shan looked at Su Yuntao's complexion; he was energetic and his face was rosy. He didn't know if he had thought it through or hadn't made a decision yet. But as long as there were no issues with his current state, that was enough. After all, they were entering the Soul Hunting Forest, and maintaining a good state was a necessary condition.
Passing by the other groups heading out to hunt, the three gradually approached the entrance.
Su Haichao took out his warrant from his chest, and after the soldiers guarding the entrance confirmed it was correct, they finally let them pass.
Just after entering the forest, Tang Shan subconsciously heightened his vigilance. This was not a civilized area; all that existed here were various crises lurking in the shadows.
At this time, the formation of the group had changed: Su Haichao was at the front clearing the path, Dean Su Yuan was at the back guarding the rear, and Tang Shan and Su Yuntao were in the center of the group.
"Whose spirit ring shall we hunt for first?"
Hearing Su Yuan's question from behind, subconsciously, Su Haichao and Su Yuntao fixed their gazes on Tang Shan, meaning they should go for Tang Shan's first.
However, Tang Shan clearly misunderstood the meaning, thinking they were asking him to make the decision.
He pondered for a moment and spoke up.
"Let's first go deep into the forest area and find the area where millennium Spirit Beasts are active before deciding. Big Brother's Spirit is a Lone Wolf, so it is definitely best to find a millennium wolf-type Spirit Beast. But wolves are gregarious Spirit Beasts, and it won't be easy to encounter them in the Soul Hunting Forest. As for me, as long as it is a millennium strength-type Spirit Beast, it will do. Body Martial Soul does not have the concept of Origin compatibility; as long as the attribute belongs to the strength type, it is enough."
Is this the strength of Grandmaster's disciple? The analysis is well-founded, the thinking is clear, truly extraordinary.
Su Yuan exclaimed in his heart from behind.
Su Haichao and Su Yuntao exchanged a glance, their eyes full of helplessness.
"Then we'll listen to Shan Zi."
Once decided, the group didn't continue to wander around the outer edge of the forest but headed towards the core area with a clear goal.
Packs of hunting dogs stuck out their tongues, their eyes wide with anxiety, filled with greed.
Facing the Spirit Beasts gradually closing in from all directions, Tang Shan took a step forward.
"Dad, Dean Su, I want to try."
"And me."
Su Yuntao was also somewhat excited. Although this was not his first battle, it was his first time facing Spirit Beasts head-on, and his heart was already itching for action.
Looking at the number of enemies, Su Haichao and Su Yuan exchanged glances for a moment and reached a consensus.
"Alright then, leave these little doggies to you two. Don't be careless."
"Rest assured, they are just a group of ten-year Spirit Beasts."
Tang Shan said, rushing towards the enemy first.
"Little Brother, let's have a contest to see who kills more."
Su Yuntao also showed excitement, his Spirit directly possessing him.
The Body Martial Soul fused with his own body, his physique rapidly expanded, and his muscle contours became prominent.
In the blink of an eye, Tang Shan, who had originally been a bit childish, turned into a lean and capable young man.
Woof! Woof!
Amidst the rising and falling barking, one hunting dog after another rushed towards Tang Shan first, one of which even deliberately ran behind him, attempting to attack his rear.
Active Qi and blood circulated within his body, and waves of power surged through his limbs and bones; the surging spirit power bolstered his arms, causing the power of a fist that was already heavy enough to increase once more.
Bang! Crack!
The air exploded, and a heavy fist struck the side of the face of a hunting dog that had opened its mouth to bite. Its neck and dog head could not withstand the massive power coming from it and were shattered cleanly and decisively.
Blood and white matter stained Tang Shan's fist, but he didn't care at all.
"Human Fist": The Coachman Pulling the Cart Style.
Tang Shan tried to utilize the martial arts he had realized from everyday life and work in battle. The enemies were so weak, and with two Spirit Ancestors guarding them, if there were any accidents, at most he would just suffer minor injuries. If he didn't try now and waited until he faced a powerful enemy to try, wouldn't that be courting death?
He naturally gripped the two front limbs of the hunting dog rushing from behind, just like a coachman pulling his cart handles.
With a simple lift and a shake, the power of the hunting dog behind him was dissipated.
Tang Shan's shoulder power erupted, and he leaned back.
Accompanied by a series of crisp bone-cracking sounds, the chest of the other hunting dog collapsed.
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