This was Tang San's first time riding in a carriage. Though it was a bit bumpy, the novelty had him thoroughly fascinated, and he kept pulling the curtain aside to peer outside. Watching the bustling crowds and all manner of shops lining the streets, he felt a stirring of longing for the world beyond. In this life, he was destined not to live as simply as he had in his previous one. He wondered what it would be like once he eventually stepped into society.
"Xiao San, this is for you." The Great Master's calm voice pulled Tang San from his thoughts. When he turned to look, he realized that at some point the Great Master was holding a belt in his hand—a rather beautiful belt.
The belt was entirely black, with dark stripes running along it that were nearly invisible unless you looked closely. Set evenly along its length were twenty-four pieces of milky-white jade, each one roughly the size of an adult's thumbnail, round in shape. Their luster was warm and gentle—clearly a rare and precious jade.
"Thank you, Teacher." Tang San didn't stand on ceremony. He reached out and accepted it. As the saying went, a gift from an elder should not be refused. Back in the Tang Sect, he had seen how inner sect elders would always present a gift when taking on a new disciple. The Great Master giving him this belt surely carried the same meaning.
The Great Master said, "This belt has been with me for many years, and has been buried in obscurity for just as long. I hope that one day it will shine as it deserves in your hands."
The moment the belt touched his hand, Tang San sensed that it was anything but ordinary. There seemed to be many faint currents of energy circulating along it, using the belt itself as a bridge and the jade stones as storage vessels.
"Thirty years ago, when I first obtained it, I had no idea what it was called. But based on my years of research, I can tell you that it is a top-tier Soul Guide. Its function is storage. All you need to do is infuse it with your own Soul Power, and each jade stone can provide one cubic meter of storage space. It's very convenient for keeping all sorts of items."
Soul Guide—yet another entirely new term for Tang San. Though he didn't yet fully understand what a Soul Guide was, the Great Master's explanation had left him deeply shaken.
Twenty-four jade stones, which meant twenty-four cubic meters of storage space. For him, that meant twenty-four places where he could store Hidden Weapons. Tang San's eyes grew fervent, and his desire to advance his Mysterious Heaven Skill reached an almost unbearable level. He longed to have enough internal energy right now to practice the use of all his various Hidden Weapons. With this belt, he would never have to worry about storing them again.
Without even needing Tang San to ask, the Great Master offered an explanation: "A Soul Guide is, as the name implies, a device that operates through Martial Soul Power. Very few Soul Guides have survived to the present day, and most have no offensive function. Soul Masters themselves have no need for weapons. Soul Guides can all be described as artifacts. As for how they were created or how they were crafted—the knowledge has long been lost. I obtained this belt during an expedition with a few friends. It was allocated to me as my share. For me, it doesn't serve much purpose, but I think you'll find it useful. Go ahead and give it a name."
Gazing at those twenty-four warm, lustrous jade stones, Tang San recalled a famous line from his previous world almost without thinking: "'Twenty-Four Bridges in the Moonlit Night.' I'll call it Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlit Night."
The Great Master paused for a moment. His rigid face betrayed no expression, but he nodded. "A beautiful name—though a bit long."
Tang San sighed inwardly. Perhaps this could serve as one small memento of his former life.
The Great Master said, "Using it is simple. Infuse your Soul Power into one of the jade stones, and you'll be able to sense the space within. If your reaction is fast enough, the items inside can appear as if out of thin air. However, to truly master its properties, you'll need plenty of practice. This will be one of your assignments going forward."
Even without the Great Master saying so, Tang San understood how important it was to practice retrieving items from Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlit Night, and he nodded quickly in agreement.
Previously, Tang San had been wondering how the Great Master intended to carry all the supplies he'd purchased once they entered the Hunting Soul Forest. But now, with Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlit Night, that was no longer a problem. With nothing else to do on the journey, he began practicing the storage and retrieval of items under the Great Master's guidance. And the items he used for practice were those white radishes…
Four hundred li was neither particularly long nor especially short. It wasn't until noon the next day that they arrived at their destination—the Hunting Soul Forest.
When Tang San stepped down from the carriage, he found that the Hunting Soul Forest was nothing like he had imagined.
A forest, in Tang San's mind, should have been filled with the breath of nature—serene and quiet, the air fresh and clean, with few people around.
But this Hunting Soul Forest—at least the area outside it—felt more like a massive marketplace.
Outside the forest stood large clusters of buildings, or rather, shops. All manner of hawkers' cries rang out one after another. Simple paths paved by hand crisscrossed between them, and the noisy atmosphere made Tang San frown repeatedly.
"I've got a Permit. Forming a team to hunt power-type Soul Beasts. Need two more."
"Hunting agility-type Soul Beasts. Seven people, waiting on a Permit. Ten Gold Soul Coins."
Calls like these rose and fell without end. Most of the densely packed shops sold weapons, armor, and all kinds of food and supplies.
The Great Master led Tang San into what could fairly be called a small town-sized market. "Do you know why I bought everything back in Nuoding City instead of waiting?"
Tang San shook his head.
The Great Master pointed at the prices displayed in the shop windows. "Because once you get here, prices are at least double. You're probably wondering why a place outside a forest would be so lively. It's quite simple. Where there are Soul Beasts, there is profit. And that's especially true for forests like this one, where the state specifically raises Soul Beasts. Soul Masters are a wealthy group, and there's no shortage of people eager to make money off them."
"Teacher, what did those people calling out about forming teams mean?"