Douluo Continent: My Martial Soul is the Mysterious Heavy Ruler

Chapter 9 Trials and Tribulations (Part 1)

It was already afternoon when he left the forest. He planned to rest in the town, buy some things, and then go back into the forest.

Upon entering the hotel, he casually ordered some food and a room at the front desk and then found a seat at random.

As it turns out, wherever there are people, there is gossip.

The restaurant was noisy at the time, and Xiao Yi could hear the conversation at the next table after he sat down.

At the next table sat a group of middle-aged men who appeared to be members of the Soul Hunter Gang, though it was unclear which gang they belonged to. They were chatting about some strange and interesting stories from their time in the forest.

"Have you heard? A while ago, there were powerful fluctuations of soul energy coming from inside the forest. It seems like there was a battle between a powerful expert and a 100,000-year-old soul beast."

"Yes, yes, it seems that the Pope of the Spirit Hall came to hunt down spirit beasts. At that time, the spirit beasts in the forest fled in all directions, and many people lost their lives because of this."

"This time seems to be around the time when Xiao Wu's mother sacrificed herself to Bibi Dong."

As Xiao Yi listened to their conversation, he thought to himself.

Not long after, Xiao Yi's meal was served. He quickly finished the food and went upstairs.

"Should I join a Soul Hunter group or train alone?"

As Xiao Yi lay in bed, he thought to himself.

In the Star Forest, the most dangerous thing isn't the spirit beasts, but the human heart. Hastily assembled hunting teams are always unreliable; they'll kill and rob for spirit bones or if their employers are wealthy. However, joining a hunting team you regularly work with will guarantee your safety.

If someone is alone in the Star Dou Great Forest, they will be targeted by groups that specialize in murder and robbery, and could easily lose their life.

"Let's find a reliable Soul Hunting Team."

Xiao Yi came here to train, not to die. Admittedly, it would be much more convenient to act alone, but who knows where another soul beast might suddenly appear while he's fighting one? It would be better to join a reliable soul hunting group. Besides, his wallet isn't full. Joining a soul hunting group would allow him to train and also fill his pockets. Why not?

Lost in thought, Xiao Yi fell asleep. The past few days in the Star Dou Great Forest had required him to concentrate intensely, leaving him exhausted.

The next morning, he headed towards the area where the Soul Hunters were concentrated.

"The Fierce Tiger Soul Hunting Team is missing a powerful offensive Soul Master of level 40 or above!"

"The Giant Bear Soul Hunting Team is missing a support-type Soul Master!"

……

Upon arriving at the Soul Hunter Group's base, Xiao Yi heard many Soul Hunter Groups complaining of being short of members, but these were all temporary positions, and he had no intention of joining any of them.

The most unreliable Soul Hunting Teams are those hastily assembled; they might betray you when you least expect it.

By afternoon, the other Soul Hunting teams had already formed groups and headed into the forest. Just as Xiao Yi was at his wit's end, several familiar figures arrived. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was the Soul Hunting team that had sat next to him yesterday.

The group consisted of four men and one woman, all with soul power above level 50. Upon seeing Xiao Yi alone there, the woman among them spoke up.

"Hello, are you looking to acquire a spirit ring?"

The woman had willow-leaf eyebrows, large eyes, and captivating red lips, exuding a charming aura.

The woman smiled kindly and asked Xiao Yi.

"I'm not here to find a Soul Hunting Group to hunt soul beasts. I want to join a Soul Hunting Group, but I've been looking for almost a day now, and either they're not suitable or they're just hastily put together," Xiao Yi replied.

"Oh, I see. We happen to be short of a strong offensive Soul Master. Would you like to consider joining our Soul Hunting Team?" The woman asked Xiao Yi when she heard that he wanted to join a Soul Hunting Team.

"So, what are your requirements?"

"We need a Soul Master of level 40 or above. By the way, what's your name? Soul Hunting is very dangerous. You don't look very old. Aren't your family worried if they find out you're out doing Soul Hunting?" The woman asked Xiao Yi, who didn't seem very old.

"My name is Yi Xiao, I'm fifteen years old, and I just acquired my soul ring a few days ago. I'm currently a level 32 Soul Master, and my combat strength is comparable to that of a Soul Grandmaster. As for my family, I'm an orphan, so you don't need to worry about them." Xiao Yi made up a false name and lied about his age before explaining his situation.

The woman was taken aback when she heard about Xiao Yi's situation, and then thought to herself, "This child is also a person with a tragic fate."

He then said, "I need to ask them something. Wait for me a moment."

The woman then walked over to the men and began to whisper among themselves.

After a while, they seemed to have finished their conversation. One of the men stepped forward and said to Xiao Yi, "My name is Mu Yun, and my soul power is level 58. You said you have the strength of a Soul Master, so I'll suppress my soul power to the Soul Master level. You just need to withstand a hundred moves from me." After introducing himself, the man made his request to Xiao Yi.

In Douluo Continent, the inherent concepts of Soul Masters are very strong, most notably regarding Soul Rings. This is because each time a Soul Ring is absorbed, the physical attributes and Soul Power strength will greatly improve. Even if the realm is suppressed and the full strength is not used, the combat experience and physical strength will be stronger than those who are one realm lower. Of course, there are geniuses who can defeat those who are one or two major levels lower.

Mu Yun first suppressed his cultivation level, and then revealed his martial spirit.

Mu Yun's martial soul is a halberd, which is a high-level martial soul.

Seeing this, Xiao Yi also drew his martial spirit and prepared for battle.

Mu Yun was also surprised to see Xiao Yi draw his martial soul from his back, but he didn't ask, since everyone has secrets.

After exchanging blows, Xiao Yi felt a tremendous force coming from his hands.

"It seems I was right after all. I can now defeat the Soul Sect, but the Soul King still needs to be dealt with," Xiao Yi thought to himself.

Soon, a hundred moves had passed, and Mu Yun became increasingly alarmed as the fight progressed. At the beginning, he used level 40 soul power, but now he was using level 48 soul power.

"He's truly a prodigy, we'll take this kid!"

Thinking of this, Mu Yun used his level 50 soul power to swing his halberd and cleave Xiao Yi in two.

Caught off guard by the sudden slash, Xiao Yi immediately used the force to stabilize himself and landed steadily.

"Alright, you've passed. Let me introduce them to you," Mu Yun said to Xiao Yi.

Then Mu Yun led Xiao Yi to introduce him to his future teammates one by one.

The first middle-aged man with a scar on his face is named Wang Liang. His martial soul is the Earth Bear, he is a defensive soul master, his soul power is level 56, and his soul rings are white, yellow, purple, purple, and black. Because he was a commoner in the early days, he could only use ten-year soul rings.

The second man with a cold expression was named Li Kai. He had a soul power level of 57, his martial soul was a silver wolf, and he was an agility-type soul master.

The third thin man was named Wu Xuan, a support-type Soul Master with a Soul Power level of 49.

The last one is that woman, Mu Yun's lover, named Yingluo. Her martial soul is a peach, she is a food-type soul master, and her soul power is level 52.

After learning about the situation, Xiao Yi became acquainted with them.

……

(End of this chapter)