"That's great! Grandpa Markel, when are we setting off?"
Hearing that their target soul beast happened to be in the Soul Hunting Forest and that its age was just right, Gu Han couldn't help but feel delighted. He made a show of excitement on the surface to match.
Sure enough, seeing Gu Han's youthful eagerness, Bishop Markel felt a surge of satisfaction. Still just a kid, he thought. There's a certain joy in raising someone with potential.
"Haha, no need to delay. I can arrange everything right now and take you to the Soul Hunting Forest. No—this time, I'll personally take you."
"Thank you, Grandpa Markel." Gu Han bowed slightly.
"Come now, there's no need to be so formal between us."
Markel waved his hand dismissively, signaling that no more needed to be said.
After a brief round of preparations, Markel called for a carriage and summoned two Soul Grandmaster-level attendants to accompany them. Together, they left the city and headed for the Soul Hunting Forest.
Naturally, one of them was Lu Rentao. The other was a defense-type Soul Grandmaster with a spirit of the Ice Turtle.
A team consisting of a Soul Elder and two Soul Grandmasters was quite a luxurious lineup for a remote town like this.
After passing through the guards stationed at the forest entrance, Bishop Markel spoke, "Xiao Han, stay in the middle of the group and stay alert."
"Understood."
Gu Han nodded. Though this was only a small Soul Hunting Forest, with soul beasts rarely exceeding 700 years of age, one could never be too cautious. As the saying goes—better safe than sorry.
This forest was different from those inland. Even though it was spring, it remained blanketed in snow, and the air was bitterly cold.
Thanks to the support of Spirit Hall, they were already familiar with the layout of soul beast habitats here and quickly made their way to the edge of a frozen lake.
"This is where those two Ice Crystal Porcupines live. Stay alert."
As Bishop Markel's voice fell, the group gave a soft acknowledgment and summoned their spirits.
Lu Rentao's spirit was a Lone Wolf. Gu Han had seen it during his awakening ceremony—especially those bloodthirsty green eyes that had made a few kids cry on the spot.
The other Soul Grandmaster's appearance made Gu Han involuntarily twitch the corner of his mouth. He quickly turned his head to stifle a laugh.
The man looked like he was wearing a giant turtle shell—he genuinely resembled a spirit beast that had cultivated for centuries.
Gu Han summoned his own spirit—the Frostblade Sword. Since it was a Tool Spirit, his physical appearance didn't change much.
Lu Rentao and the turtle spirit user stood slightly behind Gu Han on either side, while Markel walked ahead, keeping Gu Han safely in the center.
Eventually, the group discovered a burrow on the other side of the ice lake.
"This is probably the Ice Crystal Porcupine's den."
Feeling a powerful soul force emanating from the burrow, Markel's voice turned grave. "All of you, step back!"
As he spoke, his second soul ring lit up. Behind him, a polar bear roared toward the sky.
"Second Soul Skill—Bearquake!!"
With a mighty roar, Markel slammed his fist into the ground, sending tremors rippling through the earth. A small porcupine—about thirty centimeters long—was launched out of the burrow.
It was a juvenile Ice Crystal Porcupine, less than a hundred years old. Seeing that the larger one hadn't emerged yet, Markel reached out to strike the smaller beast.
ROAR!!
An enraged howl echoed from the cave as over a dozen icy sword auras burst outward.
The cave mouth shattered as a massive white porcupine, three meters tall, emerged. Four sword-like spines protruded from its back, clearly indicating it had reached four hundred years in age.
The real target had finally appeared.
"Prepare for battle!"
The four immediately entered a combat stance, ready to face off against the four-hundred-year-old Ice Crystal Porcupine.
The smaller one had already vanished into the depths of the forest without looking back.
"Go!"
With a shout from Markel, the three others unleashed their strongest soul skills, launching their assault on the porcupine.
ROARRR!!!
The Ice Crystal Porcupine roared furiously, the spikes on its back firing out in all directions. Lu Rentao and the turtle user were forced to retreat.
Markel raised his enormous paws and slammed them down, shattering every shard of icy sword energy aimed at him.
But the porcupine's area-of-effect attack also covered Gu Han's position.
"Not good!"
The others quickly noticed Gu Han's peril. While the boy was undeniably talented, he was still only a level 10 Soul Scholar without a soul ring. There was no way he could withstand the assault of a four-hundred-year-old soul beast.
"Xiao Han, get out of there!"
Markel was the first to react. As he charged toward Gu Han, he shouted loudly.
Gu Han's gaze sharpened. Activating a unique footwork technique, he nimbly dodged the bulk of the icy projectiles. The few he couldn't avoid, he cut down using the Frostblade Sword, pouring all his soul power into the strikes.
Fortunately, this was only a four-hundred-year-old soul beast. Thanks to the soul power granted by the Nameless Technique, Gu Han was able to defend himself.
Seeing this, the three others were visibly surprised. None of them had expected the boy to withstand that attack on his own.
After all, this was a powerful four-hundred-year-old beast. For a mere Soul Scholar—still unqualified to be a Soul Master—to endure such an onslaught? That was unheard of.
Was this the difference between a true prodigy and an ordinary person?
While Ice Crystal Porcupines weren't the most formidable among ice-type beasts, they were still far stronger than your average soul beast.
After deflecting multiple sword auras, Gu Han's arm began to go numb.
Just then, Markel arrived in time. His massive figure shielded Gu Han, and with a sweep of his bear paw, he smashed away the incoming blades.
"Second Soul Skill—Wolf Charge!!"
Lu Rentao roared, his twin claws slashing out with ferocity. The intersecting claw marks tore toward the porcupine, forcing it to halt its attack.
Despite its strength, the porcupine couldn't hold out long under the combined assault of a Soul Elder and two Soul Grandmasters.
ROAR...
With a mournful cry, the massive Ice Crystal Porcupine collapsed to the ground. Its breathing was shallow, but it could no longer move.
"Xiao Han, finish it off!"
Markel immediately urged him. The beast had been too difficult to subdue—even he had needed to go all out. If they delayed, and the porcupine died on its own, all their efforts would've been wasted.
Gu Han understood the urgency. He stepped forward, took a deep breath, and drove his sword into the porcupine's skull.
A yellow soul ring soon began to form above the creature's body.
"Xiao Han, sit cross-legged. Calm your mind and use your soul power to establish a connection with the ring."
"Got it."
Gu Han nodded and sat down beside the ring, closing his eyes to begin the absorption.
The others stood nearby, guarding him.
The soul ring absorption went smoothly, with no signs of pain or resistance. Yet Gu Han's brow furrowed slightly.
He could feel it—the Nameless Technique in his mind had begun to glow. This had never happened before.
The soul ring's energy was quickly absorbed into his dantian. At the same time, a mysterious new ability appeared in his mind—likely a soul skill.
But he also noticed something very strange.
The soul ring wasn't attached to him like a normal ring—it had appeared inside the book within his mind.
At the same time, a strange piece of knowledge surfaced: he could simulate the soul ring through this method, and using the Nameless Technique, he could even slowly increase the ring's age over time.