"It seems that elder isn't ordinary either!"
Hearing his granddaughter's sigh, Ye Cien smiled with amusement in his eyes.
"That elder's aura is plain and simple, but upon closer inspection, it carries a profound thickness and depth, having reached the realm of returning to simplicity. Even with my lifetime of experience, I've seen few such powerhouses."
Pausing for a moment, Ye Cien continued: "As for the little kid beside him, he's also extraordinary. Don't be fooled by his appearance being around your age; in my perception, he's definitely not much older, perhaps even just having awakened his martial soul."
Ye Lingling's face suddenly showed shock. Coming to the Star Dou Great Forest right after awakening a martial soul meant something obvious—that boy was likely a super genius with innate full soul power, or at the very least, innate soul power of level nine, a seed for Titled Douluo.
Such geniuses were rare on the continent; at least, Ye Lingling hadn't seen any in Heaven Dou City, known as a gathering place for elites.
Seeing the unconcealed surprise in his granddaughter's eyes, Ye Cien still wore a gentle smile, but his fingertips quietly tightened, a trace of heaviness flashing in the depths of his eyes.
"In recent years, the continent seems peaceful, but undercurrents are surging." He murmured softly in his heart, his tone carrying some worry.
"The previous Pope's unexpected fall has caused turmoil within the Spirit Hall; the Clear Sky Sect has sealed its mountains due to Tang Hao's incident, shaking the seven major sects' structure; and now, such a mysterious powerhouse who has returned to simplicity appears, bringing along a peerless talent..."
He sighed lightly, gazing at the distant mountain ranges as if seeing through the dense forests to the hidden crises across the continent: "It's like a seemingly calm sea, smooth on the surface, but hiding countless surging undercurrents and whirlpools beneath. This peace probably won't last long."
...
In the deep, dense forest, tall trees rose from the ground, their sturdy branches intertwining like a net, locking out the sky's light completely. Only a few beams struggled through the layered greenery, turning into slender golden glows that quietly flowed on the moss-covered ground, weaving with the surrounding deep green and adding a cool, eerie silence.
At this moment, two figures—one old, one young—were threading through the forest on fallen leaves, the surrounding bushes growing denser, the chill seeping from the branches heavier.
"Alright, it's getting late; let's rest here for the night and continue tomorrow." The Grand Elder said, setting Chen Yi down from his shoulder and scanning the rare open area ahead.
After landing, Chen Yi stretched his legs, the crisp joint cracks echoing clearly in the forest. He looked up at the intertwined branches overhead, the noisy insect chirps in his ears mixed with distant rustling of leaves, his heart surging with eagerness for a breakthrough.
"Fourth Grandpa, how far are we from the place Uncle Li mentioned?"
Before setting out this morning, Li Yu had informed them of the soul beasts Chen Yi needed and their past haunts. The Grand Elder, seeing the unconcealed longing in his eyes, couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle—this child's mentality was more mature than his peers, but being stuck at level 20 since martial soul awakening inevitably made him obsessed with breaking through.
"About noon tomorrow. The ones you're looking for are top soul beasts, mostly hidden deep in the mixed zone, some even bordering the core zone. Whether it's the Mad Thunder Vajra or the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear, they like that area. We're still on the edge of the mixed zone now; we'll search slowly over the next few days and are bound to find one. Don't rush."
Chen Yi naturally understood that on Douluo Continent, finding soul rings with suitable years was easy, but combining high quality was hard. Spending two or three months to find one that excelled in both was normal, but the drive in his heart was hard to suppress.
Just as he finished speaking, the Grand Elder suddenly raised an eyebrow, turned to Chen Yi, and hooked his lips in a familiar mischievous smile: "However, before finding the target, your homework can't be neglected."
"Huh?!" Seeing that ill-intentioned smile, Chen Yi's whole body stiffened, instinctively tensing up—these past few days, whenever Fourth Grandpa showed this expression, he was in for some torment.
"Look behind you." The Grand Elder nudged his chin toward Chen Yi's back, his laugh carrying a hint of cunning.
Chen Yi whirled around and saw a soul beast standing upright not far away, staring at them warily. The beast was over three meters tall, its brownish-yellow fur gleaming roughly in the dappled light, brown eyes full of ferocity, unusually long arms hanging at its sides with sharp claws glinting coldly, lips slightly parted to reveal pointed canines.
Recognizing the soul beast, Chen Yi's face twitched—this was a Wind Baboon, recorded in the Soul Beast Encyclopedia, and even in the Peerless era, he'd seen it; this was a soul beast that nearly slew a god in the future.
"Heh heh, a 1,500-year Wind Baboon, not bad, right?" The Grand Elder's mischievous laugh rang in his ear. "Next up is your practical combat lesson."
"Perform well."
Though Chen Yi had only obtained his first soul ring, he was already at the threshold of level 20, with a body tempered since childhood in the Body Sect and many self-created soul skills from predecessors. Even if he couldn't kill it in one hit, tangling with this Wind Baboon was more than feasible.
The Wind Baboon initially saw the two humans with greed in its eyes, treating them as delivered prey. But as it approached a few steps and glimpsed the Grand Elder, instinctive fear gripped it, causing it to retreat repeatedly and turn to flee into the dense forest.
But how could Chen Yi let it escape? Soul power suddenly flared under his feet, a purple soul ring rising from his soles, his figure shooting out like an arrow from a bow—that was a footwork self-created soul skill he'd practiced for years, light and swift, closing in on the Wind Baboon's back in an instant.
He flipped his palm, purple-gold soul power rapidly condensing in his hand, forming a sharp palm strike—another Body Sect self-created soul skill, carrying a whooshing sound straight toward the Wind Baboon's back!
The Wind Baboon keenly sensed the fierce force coming from behind, whirling around with ferocity exploding in its brown eyes, its long arms sweeping out with whistling claw winds, the sharp claws nearly grazing Chen Yi's cheek.
But Chen Yi didn't pause, "smack"—the palm strike landed solidly on the Wind Baboon's shoulder. At the same time, he bent his waist backward in an almost exaggerated arc, narrowly dodging the fatal claw, though his clothes were torn by the claw wind.
Before he could catch his breath, the Wind Baboon roared and pounced again, its foul breath assaulting his face. Chen Yi gritted his teeth, sank his stance, soul power surging through his meridians to his fists, fully fusing the Body Sect-tempered body strength with soul power, smashing a fist strike hard into the Wind Baboon's side.
With a "thud" muffled sound, the fist hit the thick fur, most of the force dissipated, the Wind Baboon merely swayed, its eyes reddening in rage instead.
It lunged forward fiercely, its arms locking around Chen Yi's waist, squeezing until his chest felt stuffy and his breathing hitched. The sharp canines aimed straight for his neck, the stench making Chen Yi frown tightly. Enduring the suffocation, he suddenly bent his knee and thrust it with all his might into the Wind Baboon's abdomen—where the fur was sparsest and the body softest!
"Awoo!" The Wind Baboon howled in pain, its gripping arms suddenly loosening. Chen Yi seized the chance, twisting his body to escape the hold, his toes tapping the Wind Baboon's shoulder to flip behind it. Soul power surged wildly in his hands, stacking the palm and fist forces into a denser purple-gold light orb than before, slamming it hard into the Wind Baboon's back of the head!
"Roar—"
The Wind Baboon roared in agony, its massive body swaying, but its ferocity was fully aroused, ignoring the head pain and turning to pounce again.
At that moment, the purple soul ring on Chen Yi suddenly lit up, a pale purple domain with crackling electric arcs spreading from him as the center—that was his first soul skill, "Thunder Attraction to the Heart"!
The Wind Baboon, mid-pounce, suddenly froze, fine electric arcs instantly wrapping its body, exploding amid its brownish-yellow fur and leaving dense tiny blood marks. The current drilled into the wounds, causing the Wind Baboon to convulse, its limbs going numb and weak.
Chen Yi seized this fleeting opportunity, closing in, his fists alternating strikes, each punch carrying dual force of soul power and body, smashing hard into the Wind Baboon's chest and abdomen.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
Seven punches in succession, each hitting flesh, the Wind Baboon wailing continuously, its huge body forced back repeatedly. With the final punch, Chen Yi lifted his foot and kicked viciously into its chest, sending it flying backward to crash heavily into a tree trunk.
"Boom!" The trunk shook, leaves rustling down. The Wind Baboon struggled to rise, blood pouring from its mouth and nose, the ferocity in its eyes replaced by fear. That barrage had nearly shattered its internal organs. It dared not linger, turning to stagger into the dense forest and vanishing in a blink.
Watching the Wind Baboon flee, Chen Yi's soul power slowly dissipated. He leaned on a nearby tree trunk, gasping heavily, pain assaulting from the shoulder grazed by claw wind and the waist squeezed, but his eyes shone brightly. He clenched his fist, knuckles whitening—this was his first real battle, and he had won!