"Soul Guidance Devices... According to Feng Hong, auction houses occasionally obtain these artifacts when Soul Masters discover them in ancient ruins, on corpses, or within sealed containers over the years."
In the four years since awakening his Martial Soul, aside from cultivating Soul Power to enhance his strength, Tang San had devoted most of his time to researching Soul Guidance Devices. Due to his status, he could access some ancient texts about them, though these books were so archaic they were nearly illegible.
Tang San picked up a fragment resembling a circuit chip. As he slowly channeled Soul Power into it, he could clearly feel the energy flowing along specific pathways—the very reason these artifacts were named as such.
Soon, he shook his head. The device was too damaged; even with Soul Power infusion, it showed no reaction.
Muttering to himself, Tang San said, "If I could combine Hidden Weapons with Soul Guidance Devices, I might forge something far more powerful. And the Soul Power circuits in this fragment strangely align with the mechanism of the Tang Sect's Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles... But there shouldn't be any connection between Tang Sect's Hidden Weapons and Soul Guidance Devices."
After prolonged contemplation yielded no answers, Tang San set the matter aside. Perhaps one day, he would encounter the key to unravel this mystery.
Sunset Forest was regarded by many sects, empires, and kingdoms as a treasure trove—abundant with precious ores, rare medicinal herbs, and teeming with Spirit Beasts.
Though it paled in comparison to Star Dou Great Forest, Sunset Forest remained a rare hunting ground for Soul Masters.
Three days passed in a blink. Without further delay, Tang San set out for Sunset Forest at dawn. Besides himself, several sect experts with Soul Emperor-level strength followed at a distance.
Sunset Forest had multiple entrances, each leading to entirely different Spirit Beast territories. Tang San chose to enter through a location where a massive ridge lay like a slumbering dragon across the land. From this vantage point, the sprawling forest below was Sunset Forest.
Of course, this was merely the entrance. The true expanse of Sunset Forest was unimaginably vast.
No towns existed around Sunset Forest, as no one dared establish sects or factions nearby—not even Spirit Hall maintained a branch here. After all, all who had attempted to claim the forest had ultimately become fertilizer for Spirit Beasts.
The ancestors of Clear Sky Sect had been among the few who successfully wrested territory from the beasts, thus founding their sect.
While no sects resided here, this didn't mean any Soul Master could freely hunt Spirit Beasts in Sunset Forest.
"Halt!" A sharp command rang out as a team of Soul Masters adorned with Spirit Hall insignias blocked the path. Their leader, radiating arrogance, unleashed his Great Soul Master aura without restraint, the oppressive energy rolling toward them. "This path is closed!"
"Every road leads somewhere, how can they be blocked?" The stopped Soul Masters were momentarily stunned, then glared angrily at the Great Soul Master from Spirit Hall.
The Spirit Hall's Great Soul Master sneered, pulling out an official document stamped with the Spirit Hall's seal. "According to the Martial Soul Covenant, to protect the population of Spirit Beasts and prevent excessive hunting by Soul Masters, entry into Sunset Forest each month is restricted by quota. Soul Masters must present their quota permits to enter."
"What, are you planning to oppose Spirit Hall?"
Tang San had just arrived when he heard the stern shout from afar.
Seeing this scene, Tang San stopped in his tracks. Of course, he knew about this so-called Martial Soul Covenant—it was essentially just Spirit Hall's means of extorting wealth. The so-called protection quotas were merely excuses to restrict commoner Soul Masters from entering and squeeze money out of them.
These quotas didn't apply to the seven great sects, as Spirit Hall provided their disciples with so-called Soul Hunting Quotas every month.
For commoner Soul Masters, entering Sunset Forest to hunt Spirit Beasts wasn't impossible—they just had to purchase these Soul Hunting Quotas from their local Spirit Hall branch. Otherwise, entry was denied.
It was the same logic as "everyone is responsible for protecting the environment"—except the benefits weren't shared, only the burdens.
Unsurprisingly, Spirit Hall, which had the most Soul Masters, hunted the most Spirit Beasts. Yet, they were the ones preaching about protecting them.
Hearing this so-called protection theory, Tang San couldn't help but laugh. The idea of protecting Spirit Beasts was frankly ridiculous. Those so-called ten-year or hundred-year Spirit Beasts weren't named for their actual age, but for their cultivation level.
Like humans, Spirit Beasts could rapidly increase their cultivation through rare treasures or even by consuming the flesh and blood of Soul Masters. Some highly talented hundred-year Spirit Beasts might not even be ten years old in reality. More importantly, Spirit Beasts reproduced prolifically—especially plant-type and insect-type Spirit Beasts, which often existed in entire tribes.
At the mention of Spirit Hall's authority, the others could only seethe in silence. Even though there were some powerful Great Soul Masters present, none dared to openly defy Spirit Hall.
Even though this was the lowest-level entrance to Sunset Forest—reserved for those below Great Soul Master level—and guarded only by Great Soul Masters from Spirit Hall, no one dared to provoke them.
"Damn it, all the money I worked so hard to earn went into buying this quota."
"Forget it. You owe your awakened Martial Soul to Spirit Hall, and don't you get some gold coins from them every month too? Once you hunt a hundred-year Spirit Beast and become a two-ringed Great Soul Master, you'll earn this money back quickly."
For Tang San, the so-called Soul Hunting Quota had naturally been prepared long ago, so he entered Sunset Forest without issue.
Glancing at the crowd, Tang San headed toward a less populated area. This time, he wanted to train alone—he had his own objectives.
"ROAR!!" Less than three miles into Sunset Forest, Tang San encountered a Spirit Beast.
"Saber-Toothed Hound, fangs about twenty centimeters, body length under one meter, cultivation under a hundred years." Tang San calmly assessed the canine Spirit Beast before him, quickly deducing its details.
As the foremost sect, the Clear Sky Sect spared no effort in educating its disciples.
"You're not my intended prey, but if you stand in my way—" Before Tang San could finish his sentence, the ten-year Saber-Toothed Hound before him had already turned its eyes red, drool dripping from its mouth as it scraped the ground with its hind legs, retreating a few steps before charging forward.
Roar!! After gaining distance, the Saber-Toothed Hound lunged wildly, claws and fangs bared, its speed and momentum terrifying. There was no doubt—if it managed to pounce and bite, flesh would be torn and devoured.
A cold smirk curled at the corner of Tang San's lips as a surge of soul light erupted from the back of his hand. This time, the Martial Soul that manifested wasn't the Clear Sky Hammer, but his second, still incompletely awakened Martial Soul!
"Second Martial Soul, summon." With a thought, red light exploded from Tang San's left hand. The crimson patterns spread like vines across his skin, accompanied by a gurgling sound as the veins in his arm bulged violently. A surge of scorching Soul Power instantly surged through his body.
"You've already chosen the path to death."
(End of Chapter)