Douluo 2: Way of Fake God With Soul Tools

Ten kilometers outside Maple Leaf City, there is a Soul Beast Forest.

Barring any unexpected circumstances, Su Luoheng's first soul ring would be hunted here.

Ten thousand years ago, during the era of the Spirit Hall, many soul-hunting forests were planned across the continent in cooperation with the empire to facilitate low-level Soul Masters in hunting soul beasts. Some of these forests even contained powerful ten-thousand-year soul beasts.

Maple Leaf Forest was one of them.

After the Spirit Hall was overthrown, the soul-hunting forests came under direct imperial control.

However, the empire did not have enough Soul Masters to maintain them, and soon, due to negligence, the number of soul beasts in these forests sharply declined.

Today, these forests are almost abandoned.

Nowadays, not to mention ten-thousand-year soul beasts, even thousand-year soul beasts have become rare.

However, this had little impact on Su Luoheng, who only needed a hundred-year first soul ring. Moreover, because the overall strength of the soul beasts in this forest was low, apart from soul ring hunting, this was also an assessment of his training over the past year.

Once inside the forest, Su Luoheng would be on his own.

Unless he encountered a soul beast he could not handle, Su Junran would not assist him.

...

...

Two days later, in Maple Leaf Forest.

The forest before them was lush and dense, with thick foliage that blocked out the sun, making the world beneath appear dark and damp, giving off a sense of oppression.

A gentle breeze blew through, causing the leaves to rustle.

"Luoheng, do you remember everything I told you on the way?"

"Yes."

After giving a few final instructions, Su Junran's figure flickered and disappeared.

Seeing this, a hint of envy flashed in little Luoheng's eyes. He wondered when he would be able to move like his father.

However, he quickly collected himself, and a light flashed at his fingertips. In the next moment, a short sword, about half a meter long and a faint red color, a close-combat soul device, appeared in his hand.

To deal with soul beasts, of course, he needed a good weapon.

The use of weapons during this training was also part of the assessment.

This Level 2 soul device was something he frequently used during training, and like Su Luoheng, this was also its first actual battle.

It was more than sufficient for dealing with hundred-year soul beasts.

"Phew..."

Su Luoheng gripped the short sword and stepped slowly into the dense forest.

The dense Soul Beast Forest appeared calm on the surface, but a keen sense could detect the dangerous aura lurking behind. This forest was far from as peaceful as it seemed.

As he ventured deeper, the air became fresher.

After all, it was his first time entering a Soul Beast Forest, and after a brief moment of tension, Su Luoheng's emotions turned to excitement.

After a year of systematic training and waiting, the time had finally come to test the results of his training and to hunt for his soul ring.

Thinking of this, Su Luoheng felt his blood boil, and his eyes were filled with eagerness and anticipation.

In his excitement, he couldn't help but quicken his pace, gripping the short sword tightly in his hand, eager to confront a soul beast and hunt for his first soul ring to become a true Soul Master.

Soon, Su Luoheng encountered his first soul beast: a Wind Bell Bird with a cultivation of about thirty years.

However, before the eager Su Luoheng could make a move, the alert Wind Bell Bird had already flown off into the distance.

Thus, his first attempt at an attack ended in failure.

But the Soul Beast Forest was never short of soul beasts.

Learning from the failure with the Wind Bell Bird, he began to restrain his presence.

Soon, Su Luoheng encountered other soul beasts.

However, the soul beasts in the outer areas were too weak; most of them were defeated with a single strike, which did not provide a proper test of his strength.

As he ventured deeper into the forest, the surroundings became increasingly quiet. It was so silent that almost no sounds could be heard, not even the chirping of insects or the calls of birds.

Su Luoheng's expression grew increasingly serious. In the forest, silence signaled danger.

If there were any sounds, it would certainly be from a powerful soul beast.

Although Su Luoheng was looking for a suitable opponent, he needed to ensure his safety before identifying the soul beast.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.

Narrowing his eyes, he spotted the soul beast a hundred meters ahead!

It had a well-proportioned body, about a meter long, and was glowing with a faint purple light. The leopard, which was foraging, noticed him at the same time he noticed it. A hint of bloodthirsty killing intent flashed in its dark purple eyes.

"Shadow Leopard."

Su Luoheng was no longer the naive boy who had just awakened his martial soul.

Over the past year, he had gained a lot of experience from his father, the most important of which was identifying soul beasts.

The Shadow Leopard was a very tricky type of soul beast in the Soul Beast Forest, known for its extreme speed.

Its cultivation level could be judged by its length and the depth of its shadow patterns. The Shadow Leopard before Su Luoheng was about a meter long and had a faint purple glow on its body, indicating it had a cultivation level of about sixty years.

As an opponent, it was just right for him.

Su Luoheng tightened his grip on his short sword, his eyes filled with intense determination.

He was determined to kill this leopard!

While the Shadow Leopard saw him as prey, he saw it as a whetstone for his skills.

Su Luoheng did not rush forward to engage in battle; instead, he stood still and waited.

Although the Shadow Leopard did not have high attack power, it was extremely fast. To kill it, he needed to seize the right moment. Blindly attacking would only waste energy and fall into its rhythm.

"Roar!"

The Shadow Leopard, lacking the intelligence of a hundred-year soul beast, could no longer suppress its bloodthirsty instincts when it saw the human opposite not making a move for a long time.

With a low growl, the Shadow Leopard pushed off with all four paws, turning into a purple blur that pounced toward Su Luoheng in the blink of an eye.

Su Luoheng quickly reacted.

His muscles tensed, and he gripped the sword with both hands, holding it horizontally in front of him to block the leopard's claws. However, the powerful impact still forced him back several steps before he regained his footing.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Shadow Leopard pounced again.

This time, its speed suddenly increased. Soul power was channeled into its dark claws, which glinted with a cold light as they aimed straight for Su Luoheng's face.

Although he knew about the Shadow Leopard's capabilities, its actual speed still surprised him.

However, Su Luoheng's movements were even quicker.

He shifted his steps, easily dodging the sharp claws of the Shadow Leopard. Then, he bent his knee and extended his leg in a side kick that struck the leopard's abdomen hard, sending it crashing into a tree trunk with a thud.

"Roar—"

The Shadow Leopard let out a furious roar of pain.

But before it could attack again, Su Luoheng, who was nearby, was already poised and ready.

As soul power surged into the dark red blade, its glow intensified, and he swung it downward, releasing a crescent-shaped light blade aimed precisely at the target.

With a muffled thud, the roaring abruptly stopped. The soul power infused into the light blade exploded, and the Shadow Leopard's body turned into a shower of blood, mixing with its flesh as it fell.

A pristine white soul ring rose above the scattered remains.

The light on the short sword gradually receded, marking the successful conclusion of Su Luoheng's first formal battle.

Although the Shadow Leopard was not particularly strong, this battle taught Su Luoheng a lot, making him deeply aware of the differences between training and real combat, and how to effectively utilize his own strength.

During the fight, much of his soul power had been wasted.

If he were to fight again, he estimated he could reduce his soul power consumption by at least ten percent.