Chen Xuan remained calm, waving his hand as he sent a silver kunai shooting into the forest.
He left without saying goodbye, not wanting to alarm anyone, so he chose to leave in this way.
In a flash, a golden light flickered, and Chen Xuan's figure was gone, as if he had vanished into thin air, leaving no trace behind.
By the time everyone noticed Chen Xuan's disappearance, he had already left the area, heading deep into the Star Dou Forest, a thousand meters away.
Chen Xuan didn't know that shortly after he left, something unexpected happened.
The team leader, Da Zhuang, appeared in everyone's sight, carrying a barely alive wild wolf, which he tossed in front of the bearded man like he was throwing a chicken.
Three other soul masters returned from afar, slightly behind.
"Hurry and absorb the spirit ring. Even in the outer regions, dangers lurk everywhere," urged the team leader, Da Zhuang.
He felt uneasy, a sense of dread creeping over him, worried that something might go wrong.
Earlier, during the hunt for the spirit beast, the blood wolf let out a chilling howl before it fell, unable to fight any longer.
He couldn't tell if it was the wolf's unwilling cry or if it had a deeper meaning.
The bearded man urged his child to quickly absorb the spirit ring, not wanting to stay in the spirit beast forest any longer.
The forest was quiet, with a gentle breeze rustling the trees, giving a sense of peace.
Until, three minutes later, the ground suddenly began to tremble.
Team leader Da Zhuang was the first to feel it. His body tensed, and his expression turned extremely grim.
"Something's wrong, something's coming."
As soon as he spoke, the ground shook violently, and the trees swayed as if something terrifying was approaching from the depths of the earth.
"Run! If we don't, we'll all die!" Da Zhuang's face changed drastically, his eyes filled with fear.
In fact, everyone wanted to run at that moment. The terrifying wave of soul power made it clear they stood no chance.
Two hundred meters away, dust clouds billowed as a horde of spirit beasts charged toward them.
"It's a beast tide! Run!" When the group saw what it was, they lost all composure, terror gripping them as they fled in panic.
Someone caught sight of the spirit beasts and was overwhelmed with fear—they were all blood wolves, at least fifty or sixty of them.
"No, you can't leave! My child is still absorbing the spirit ring!" the bearded man shouted, grabbing Da Zhuang's arm, trying to stop him from leaving.
When disaster strikes, everyone looks out for themselves—no one would stay behind to die.
Da Zhuang kicked the bearded man away, his eyes cold and unfeeling, not even sparing him a glance as he bolted away at top speed.
The ground shook even more violently, an overwhelming pressure filling the air. In the next moment, trees toppled, and the pack of blood wolves charged through, unstoppable.
"Ah!"
A blood-curdling scream filled with pain and anger echoed through the forest, but it quickly fell silent.
Da Zhuang and the others quickened their pace, running frantically towards the exit of the Star Dou Forest.
The group was terrified, recognizing the scream behind them—it was definitely the employer and his son. They likely met their end in the jaws of the blood wolves.
When faced with life-threatening danger, money and contracts lose all meaning. No one wanted to risk their lives for a few gold soul coins; they needed to survive to spend it.
Unlike the panicked escape of the others, Chen Xuan was calmly making his way through the forest, even taking time to admire the scenery.
He never imagined that the team leader's judgment of his strength would inadvertently save his life, allowing him to leave early and avoid a deadly chase.
Several kilometers away, after using the Flying Thunder God technique more than thirty times, Chen Xuan's breathing grew heavier. He had to stop, feeling a bit exhausted.
Although the soul power required for each teleportation was minimal, it was still draining after so many uses.
He had been using the Flying Thunder God technique to travel, moving at top speed. Covering five or six kilometers in such a short time, even a Soul Emperor would struggle to keep up.
In the forest, flashes of golden light appeared as Chen Xuan teleported every two or three hundred meters.
After flying another five or six kilometers, Chen Xuan stopped, refraining from taking another step because he had found his target.
Ahead of him was a river, about seven or eight meters wide, running through half of the forest. The water was crystal clear, with small fish swimming by from time to time.
Chen Xuan's eyes opened, revealing his Sharingan with three tomoe, as he focused on the large creature ahead.
In the river was a bizarre-looking spirit beast, ugly and green all over, resembling an anglerfish, but with evolved limbs—a rare sight indeed.
Chen Xuan pulled out a thick book, flipping through it while observing the ugly fish, searching for relevant information.
"Sure enough, it's one of the targets I was looking for." He stopped flipping through the pages after a few minutes, finally finding the information he needed. The pages recorded details about the anglerfish spirit beast and how to identify its age.
"Judging by the size of that lump, it's probably over 9,000 years old." Chen Xuan frowned—this was beyond his absorption limit.
He had only been cultivating for a short time, less than half a month, and his original body had been trained as an auxiliary type, making his physical fitness quite poor.
If it weren't for consuming that plant that was likely an immortal herb and having that one night with Xiao Wu, he wouldn't even be able to handle a 6,000-year-old spirit ring.
"Forget it, I'll recover my soul power first. If needed, I'll find another target." Chen Xuan muttered to himself. His requirements for a spirit beast were very low; as long as it had water attributes, it would do.
Besides, daytime wasn't suitable for action; night was better for making a move. When your strength is insufficient, ambushes are the way of the ninja.
Afterward, he retreated several dozen meters, jumped onto a large tree, sat down cross-legged, and began to recover his soul power.
As the sun set, night quickly fell, and a round white moon appeared, its pale light gently bathing the earth.
Chen Xuan stood up, fully recovered, but he chose to wait until now to act.
Stars dotted the sky, with the white moon hanging high, reflecting a beautiful night scene on the river's surface.
But the bizarre and ugly fish had long since disappeared.
Chen Xuan wasn't discouraged; as long as his soul power was restored, he had all night to search.
He concealed his presence and moved through the forest, following the river's path.
After half an hour of searching, Chen Xuan finally found another suitable spirit beast.
He held the book, comparing the information to a giant crocodile by the riverbank.
"No doubt about it, judging by the tail length, it's just over 9,000 years old. This is the one!" Chen Xuan smiled.
It was a giant crocodile, with a sharp snout two or three meters long, filled with sharp teeth. Its massive body was green all over, and if it stood upright, it would be taller than a giraffe.
Normally, crocodile spirit beasts are excellent choices for strong attack or defense types, but this was a mutated giant crocodile with the ability to control water, making it a perfect match.
"I'll reward you with a Fire Style technique first." Chen Xuan's eyes turned blood-red, the six tomoe spinning slowly. He stood on a tree trunk, staring at the sleeping spirit beast.
He slowly formed several hand seals, channeling his chakra rapidly towards his throat.
Swish!
Chen Xuan disappeared from his original spot, pushing his speed to the limit, appearing above the mutated giant crocodile in an instant.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
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A river ran through half of the Star Dou Forest, nourishing all living things.
On the riverbank, a mutated giant crocodile, about eight or nine meters long, lay quietly on the grass, sleeping. This was its territory, with no other spirit beasts nearby.
The mutated giant crocodile was resting quietly, unaware that danger was creeping closer. Suddenly, it snapped its eyes open, only to see a large fireball, eight or nine meters in diameter, descending upon it.
Flames shot up into the sky, and in an instant, the area was engulfed in fire, with the grass igniting in a roaring blaze.
The mutated giant crocodile, slow in movement and caught off guard, couldn't avoid the fireball and was hit squarely.
As the flames subsided, Chen Xuan saw the creature's figure and was taken aback. Such a large fireball only left some scorched marks on its surface—a minor injury at most.
This was despite the creature not defending itself, which highlighted the extraordinary toughness of its scales.
The mutated giant crocodile opened its massive jaws, baring its teeth in fury. The cold, menacing aura of a near ten-thousand-year-old spirit beast spread out, locking onto Chen Xuan in the air.
Sleeping peacefully, only to be intruded upon by a human who dared to attack it—this was a death wish.
Chen Xuan felt a chill run down his spine as if he were being stared down by a prehistoric beast. His body instinctively reacted with fear.
"Is this the feeling of facing a powerful spirit beast for the first time?" he murmured to himself, but his actions didn't slow down as he quickly formed a series of hand seals.
"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!"
Flames blossomed like flowers, quickly taking shape and transforming into a scorching sea of fire that descended upon the creature below.
This was a B-rank ninjutsu, more powerful than the Great Fireball Technique, and one of the Fire Style techniques Chen Xuan currently mastered.
Boom!
Flames erupted below, and the area was engulfed in a raging inferno. Trees and grass turned to ash, the heat so intense it seemed capable of burning everything, even causing the river water to steam.
The fire roared, and the heat waves blew Chen Xuan back a little.
However, the mutated giant crocodile crawled out of the fire unscathed, with its scales glowing with a protective aura that kept the flames at bay, preventing any contact.
This time, it didn't suffer any substantial damage, clearly having activated its abilities. Otherwise, the more powerful Great Fire Annihilation should have caused significant harm.
"So this is the gap between me and a near ten-thousand-year-old spirit beast?" Chen Xuan sighed softly.
The mutated giant crocodile roared in anger, leaping into the air with its massive jaws wide open, aiming to tear Chen Xuan in half.
With no foothold in mid-air, this human boy was like a bird with clipped wings, destined to die.
However, just as the crocodile's three-meter-long jaws were about to close, Chen Xuan turned into a streak of light, causing the creature's attack to miss.
The mutated giant crocodile's eyes widened in disbelief. How could the prey that was almost in its jaws suddenly vanish into thin air?
Fifty meters away, under the roots of a tree, Chen Xuan had already reappeared, silently and without a trace.
"But I haven't played all my cards yet," he muttered, pulling the kunai from the ground and gripping it in his hand as he walked away.
He didn't feel discouraged. Facing a near ten-thousand-year-old spirit beast with strength equivalent to a normal Soul King, he was essentially facing a Soul King.
Chen Xuan's fighting spirit burned even brighter, making him even more determined to hunt down the beast. Mutated spirit beasts were indeed stronger, with remarkable defense and attack power. If he could absorb its spirit ring, his strength would increase significantly.
"You beast, show me what you're capable of," he said, as his black pupils darkened and the six tomoe in his eyes rotated, awakening the purest form of the three-tomoe Sharingan.
The mutated giant crocodile hesitated for a moment, sensing a cold and ominous soul force that made it feel like it was being targeted by a ten-thousand-year-old spirit beast.
Chen Xuan didn't give it the chance to strike first. Opening his mouth, he unleashed another Great Fireball, sending a wave of heat crashing forward.
"Roar!"
Suddenly, a thunderous roar erupted from the grass, and the mutated giant crocodile's body glowed as the river water began to boil, sending a massive wave to clash with the incoming fireball.
The water boiled, evaporating instantly into steam, which in turn extinguished the fireball.
Swish!
Out of the rising steam shot a silver kunai, gleaming coldly as it sliced through the air.
The mutated giant crocodile was indifferent, its scales glowing as they activated their defensive power, with no thought of dodging the oncoming kunai.
If fire couldn't harm it, how could a mere metal weapon pose a threat?
However, in the next moment, something unexpected happened. Just as the kunai was about to strike, a flash of golden light appeared, and Chen Xuan materialized out of thin air, grabbing the kunai in midair.
His right hand glowed blue, and with a gust of wind, he suddenly pressed a large Rasengan against the giant crocodile's back.
"Flying Thunder God Second Stage, Rasengan!"
With a bang, the Rasengan exploded into a swirling blue light, releasing a powerful shredding force on the spirit beast's back.
"Roar!"
The mutated giant crocodile roared in pain as its scales cracked, exposing the tender flesh underneath. Its defense had been breached.
With a loud crash, the ground shattered, and its massive body was slammed into the earth, kicking up dust and leaving a crater behind.
Chen Xuan activated his martial soul, a set of runes appearing on his hand as he slapped them onto the crocodile's bloodied back, leaving behind five large characters—'I am the handsome one!'
No matter when or where, seeing these runes always made people feel a sense of embarrassment.
Swish!
Chen Xuan disappeared once again, leaving only a golden flash behind, using the kunai he had previously left as a marker.
The mutated giant crocodile howled in agony, its back mangled and bloodied. Its once impenetrable scales had been shattered by this human boy.
The Rasengan might not seem all that powerful, but it held hidden power. Chen Xuan had infused it with Wind Chakra, altering its nature. With more training, it could evolve into the Rasenshuriken.
In a direct confrontation, it would be nearly impossible to get close to the crocodile, but thanks to the Flying Thunder God technique, Chen Xuan managed to catch it off guard.
"Roar!" The mutated giant crocodile roared again, baring its sharp teeth in fury. Chen Xuan had successfully enraged it.
The crocodile, with its enormous body and overwhelming ferocity, charged forward, shaking the forest and crushing the plants beneath it.
Its entire body glowed, emitting a powerful force that caused the river to surge, sending a massive wave crashing forward as it attacked.
"Water, huh? Perfect counter." Chen Xuan formed several hand seals, his lightning attribute soul power surging, covering his body with arcs of electricity.
Zap!
A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the dark forest. Chen Xuan's arm crackled with electricity as he extended a finger, shooting out all the gathered lightning.
"Chidori Sharp Spear!"
The thunderbolt roared, like a spear of concentrated lightning, leaving a trail of sparks as it tore through the earth.
As the lightning touched the water, it blossomed like a flower, transforming into countless bolts of electricity, crackling and covering the entire river.
The mutated giant crocodile, immersed in the water, was instantly electrocuted, its body convulsing, its limbs paralyzed. The injured areas turned black and emitted the scent of cooked meat.
With a loud splash, the giant crocodile and the river water crashed back to the ground, sending up a spray of water. It lay on the ground, twitching, with arcs of electricity still dancing across its body.
This was the power of elemental countering. The mutated crocodile's ultimate attack had only served to amplify the damage of Chen Xuan's soul skill.
The Chidori Sharp Spear might have limited power on its own, but when combined with water, its effects were devastating, turning it into a lethal strike.
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