The Great Master said, "Soul Beasts aren't so easy to hunt. Some are innately powerful—even without many years of cultivation, they still possess formidable offensive strength. This so-called group hunting of Soul Beasts involves multiple people cooperating with one another, each hunting the Soul Beast they need and obtaining their Soul Ring. With the help of others, you only need to deal the final blow yourself. It's the most common and safest method of hunting Soul Beasts on the continent. But forming a group—is that really so easy?"
As he spoke, the Great Master glanced at those Soul Masters shouting out offers, a hint of disdain flickering in his eyes.
"A truly excellent Hunting Soul Group must consist of at least five components: a Food Type Tool Soul Master handling supplies, a Recovery Type Tool Soul Master managing condition and Soul Power restoration, an Agility Type Battle Soul Master handling reconnaissance, a Strength Type Battle Soul Master holding the line, and an Attack Type Battle Soul Master finishing off the enemy. Only a group with all five components can be considered a complete team. And the coordination between members isn't something that forms in a day or two. The process of developing that synergy naturally through shared experience requires at least several years of working together. More importantly, every member of the group must trust one another. Absolute trust. Without it, when danger strikes, the group can collapse in an instant."
The Great Master shook his head and said calmly, "In the future, you may have the chance to join a group like this. When choosing a group, you don't even need to consider how strong the other members are—but there is one thing you must keep in mind: the group you join must be one where you can show your back to any other person without hesitation."
Tang San still didn't quite understand what the Great Master meant, but the Great Master didn't elaborate further. He led Tang San deeper into the market.
Though the market was noisy and chaotic, the moment they stepped beyond it and the great forest came into view, Tang San couldn't help but feel a surge of awe.
The towering height of the trees spoke to their age. Around the perimeter of the forest stood a massive iron fence, its inner side bristling with large, sharp spikes. The fence stood over ten meters tall and looked incredibly solid.
That wasn't all. Beyond the fence, a squad of a hundred soldiers patrolled the area. Every soldier wore full-body armor of refined iron and carried a long spear, their military bearing immaculate. The sight of a hundred steel-clad warriors standing together gave off an oppressive, chilling air.
The Great Master said in a low voice, "Not just anyone can enter a designated Hunting Soul Forest. Only Soul Masters who have obtained a Permit issued by Spirit Hall are allowed to enter the Hunting Soul Forest and hunt Soul Beasts. There are those who sneak in, but they rarely meet a good end. These soldiers are only the outer defense. Inside the Hunting Soul Forest, Spirit Hall also has its own Law Enforcement Team, checking Permits at any time. Those people show no mercy."
Tang San asked, "Teacher, does this Hunting Soul Forest belong to Spirit Hall or to the nation?"
The Great Master's expression shifted slightly, and he made a silencing gesture to Tang San. "Don't ask questions like that outside. I'll tell you about the relationship between Spirit Hall and the nations later. Obtaining a Permit isn't difficult. First, you need Spirit Hall's recognition—confirmation that you've truly reached the peak of one cultivation stage and require a Soul Ring to advance. Second, you need at least three nobles to vouch for you."
As he spoke, a token had already appeared in the Great Master's hand. It was dark and made of some unknown material, its surface bearing a design composed of three combined shapes: at the center, a sharp sword pointing downward; flanking it on either side, a hammer and a beast Tang San had never seen before.
The Great Master noticed the curiosity in Tang San's eyes and placed the token in his hand. "Remember this emblem—it's the unique mark of Spirit Hall. Within Spirit Hall, there are six types of tokens. The way to distinguish them is simple: look at the symbols on them. The lowest-tier token bears only a single sword, which represents the Martial Soul of a former Supreme Chief Administrator of Spirit Hall. The next tier up has a hammer added beside the sword, representing an extraordinarily powerful Elder Spirit Hall once had."
Tang San had a good ability to apply what he'd learned. "Teacher, these two must have held extremely important positions in Spirit Hall. But I've heard before that Beast Martial Souls are stronger than Tool Martial Souls. Both of these Soul Masters should have had Tool Martial Souls, right?"
The Great Master patted Tang San's head and smiled. "Anyone who says Tool Martial Souls are stronger than Beast Martial Souls clearly doesn't understand Martial Souls well enough. The strength of any Martial Soul comes down to two key factors: how much Soul Power is attached at the moment of awakening, and the cultivation methods and process afterward. Perhaps before the thirty-level threshold, Beast Martial Souls have an advantage because they can be applied to the body directly, making them somewhat stronger than Tool Soul Masters. But once you reach higher levels, there's no real difference between the two. Strength comes down entirely to individual cultivation."
"This Permit of mine is Spirit Hall's third-tier Permit. With it, I can enter most of the Hunting Soul Forests within the Tian Dou Empire. The standard is that no ten-thousand-year Soul Beast has appeared in those forests. And unlike the first two tiers of tokens, which must be returned to Spirit Hall after completing a hunt, this one can be held for life. What's added to this token is a Blue Lightning
For some reason, when the Great Master spoke of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, a trace of indescribable melancholy showed in his eyes.
Tang San said, "Then the three higher-tier tokens each have one additional Martial Soul symbol added to them?"
The Great Master nodded. "Exactly. These six Martial Soul symbols represent six powerful Soul Masters, and also six powerful families. Three of them are in our Tian Dou Empire, and the other three are in the Xing Luo Empire."
(End of Chapter)