“Wang Teng, didn’t you say your martial soul can absorb horse-type soul beasts?”
“So I thought, we could go to the Heaven Dou Horse Ranch and pick a horse-type soul beast that meets your year requirements.”
“Given the scale and reserves of the ranch, finding one that suits your conditions shouldn’t be difficult.”
Wang Teng’s eyes lit up at this, but then a trace of doubt crept in.
“A place specifically for breeding warhorses…
that sounds like an important imperial institution.”
“Can we really just go there and pick any soul beast we want?
Besides, the relationship between the Spirit Hall and the Heaven Dou royal family…”
Wang Teng’s concerns weren’t unfounded.
Putting aside the delicate relationship between the two major powers, the mere idea of a commoner boy obtaining a stud soul beast from an official institution sounded like a fantasy.
“Hehe, you can rest easy about that.”
Sisi chuckled, taking over the explanation.
“I’m very familiar with the Heaven Dou Horse Ranch.”
“Oh?”
Wang Teng and Wang Sheng both looked at her.
“You probably don’t know this yet,” Su Yuntao said with a smile, helping to explain, “Your Sister Sisi is the second child in her family—she has an older brother.”
“And that brother of hers works at the Heaven Dou Horse Ranch, as a fairly important manager.”
“So with that connection, it’s not difficult for us to pick out a horse-type soul beast of a few hundred years.”
Sisi nodded and added, “Besides, those stud soul beasts at the ranch are mostly ill-tempered.
Injuries and even deaths during breeding are not uncommon.”
“With proper handling, we can easily report the horse you need as ‘normal wastage’—no one will pay it any attention.”
So that was the connection!
The weight lifted from Wang Teng’s heart, replaced by a surge of gratitude.
“Thank you so much, Sister Sisi!”
“Alright, enough with the formalities.” Sisi waved her hand, returning to her efficient demeanor.
“It’s getting late.
Let’s all get some rest.”
“Tonight, we’ll split into two groups for watch duty—Sisi and Wang Sheng, and Yuntao and Wang Teng.”
With that settled, no one said more.
The valley fell silent again, broken only by the occasional crackle of the campfire and the distant chirping of insects.
The next morning, light was just breaking.
The four woke one after another, washed up briefly, and carefully buried the remnants of the previous night’s fire, ensuring no obvious signs of camping remained.
After everything was packed, they set off without delay toward the Heaven Dou Horse Ranch.
The Heaven Dou Horse Ranch was located in a border region where the Fasino Province, the Barak Kingdom, and the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest converged.
The terrain there was open and flat, with abundant water sources.
Not far away flowed the wide river known as the “Barak River.”
This river ran between the Barak Kingdom and the Fasino Province, with plentiful water and countless tributaries.
In fact, the villages around Wang Teng’s hometown had tributaries of this very river.
Thanks to its得天独厚的 geographical conditions, the land was rich in water and grass, sparsely populated, and an ideal location for a horse ranch.
Moreover, the Heaven Dou Horse Ranch was not far from the Soul Hunting Forest—one could even say the two were adjacent.
After all, many of the stud soul beasts used at the ranch were captured from the Soul Hunting Forest.
So after leaving the Soul Hunting Forest, Wang Teng and his group didn’t spend much time before arriving at the Heaven Dou Horse Ranch.
Standing at the edge of the ranch and looking out, endless grasslands and herds of warhorses came into view.
A breeze swept through, the grass undulating, and a sense of ease settled over them.
Wang Teng couldn’t help but exclaim, “The sky is vast, the fields are boundless, the wind blows the grass low and reveals the cattle and sheep…
what a beautiful view.”
Wang Sheng’s eyes also sparkled as he took in the pleasant scenery around him.
“Breathe in—”
Wang Teng took a deep breath, the freshness of grass and earth filling his nostrils.
“Ugh—”
The next second, a powerful stench of horse manure hit him straight in the face, making him gag repeatedly.
“Haha, everything here is great except for the smell.
Come on, let’s head in.”
Seeing this, Sisi burst out laughing.
“Looking at you two now, I’m reminded of my own first time here—exactly the same reaction.”
Su Yuntao patted the brothers’ shoulders with a smile and led the way forward.
Before long, they arrived at the main gate of the Heaven Dou Horse Ranch.
On either side stretched continuous wooden fences.
At the entrance stood two tall watchtowers, with several soldiers armed with bows on alert.
Below the towers, flanking the gate, stood several knights in iron armor.
Seeing visitors approaching, one of the knights stepped forward.
His armor was more elaborate, suggesting he was a squad leader.
He walked up to Sisi, lifted his visor, revealing a middle-aged face with a full beard.
“Is that you, Sisi?
Here to see your big brother with your boyfriend again?”
The middle-aged knight captain joked warmly.
“Uncle Fang, don’t tease me.
I really am here to see my brother.”
Sisi was clearly acquainted with him and responded with a smile.
“Alright, go register at the gate and you can head in.”
It seemed Sisi was well-liked at the Heaven Dou Horse Ranch.
After a simple registration at the gatehouse—recording names, visit time, who they were looking for, and the reason—the four entered the ranch smoothly.
Inside, Sisi led the way with familiar ease.
Before long, they arrived at a spacious tent-like structure resembling a yurt.
The tent flap was open, with people coming and going frequently.
Clearly, this was an important administrative office within the ranch.
“Wait here for a moment.
I’ll go in first.”
With that, Sisi left the three behind and entered the tent alone.
“Big Brother—”
“Sisi?”
A hearty laugh came from inside.
Soon, Sisi emerged, pulling along a tall, stocky middle-aged man.
“This is my big brother.”
“Brother, these are the two brothers I mentioned—Wang Teng and Wang Sheng.”
Sisi introduced them to each other.
“Big Brother, hello.
We meet again.
I didn’t bring any gifts this time since it was so sudden.”
Before Wang Teng could speak, Su Yuntao had already stepped up to greet him warmly.
“So it’s you, kid!”
Sisi’s brother rolled his eyes at the sight of Su Yuntao.
Sisi grabbed her brother’s arm and shook it in protest.
“Alright, alright, girls really do grow up and turn outward.”
“You’re not even married yet, and you’re already taking the side of outsiders…
Su Yuntao, right?
Welcome.”
Her brother, helpless against her pestering, finally gave in.
Then he turned to Wang Teng and continued, “Sisi told me about you.”
“You want a three-hundred-year horse-type soul beast, right?
No problem.
Follow me.”
With that, he led the group deeper into the ranch.
“This is the most important horse breeding base in the entire Heaven Dou Empire, housing various types of horse-type soul beasts.”
“Of course, all of them are under a thousand years.”
Sisi’s brother explained as they walked.
“Oh, and Wang Teng, besides the age, do you have any specific requirements for the soul beast’s bloodline or attribute?”
“Like wind, fire, thunder, that sort of thing.”
Wang Teng listened and thought carefully.
“Horse-type soul beast…
after absorbing one, my spinning top should correspond to the ‘Gale Divine Steed Spinning Top’ from my past life’s memories.”
“In that case, the attribute requirement is clear.”
He quickly weighed the possibilities.
After a moment, Wang Teng looked up and answered, “I need a wind-attribute horse-type soul beast.”
“Wind attribute?
That’s easy.”
Sisi’s brother immediately laughed.
“Among horse-type soul beasts, I can’t say much about other attributes, but wind-types are plentiful.”
“Things like Wind Spirit Horses, Windwalker Horses, White-Feathered Spirit Horses, Wind Wing Horses…
all wind-attribute, each with its own characteristics…”
Then he launched into a detailed introduction of various wind-attribute horses’ habits, strengths, and weaknesses.
“My brother has this habit—he talks too much.”
Sisi said apologetically to Wang Teng and Wang Sheng in a low voice.
“It’s fine.”
Wang Teng shook his head with a smile.
Just as Sisi’s brother was enumerating the various breeds, a commotion suddenly broke out in the horse paddock ahead.
“Neeeeigh—!”
“Crack—crash!”
“Clop, clop, clop—”
The piercing whinny of a horse, the snapping of fence rails, the thundering of hooves, and the startled shouts of people all came from the enclosure ahead.
Everyone quickly looked over—a tall, powerful horse had broken through the fence and was galloping toward the outskirts of the ranch.
People scattered in alarm, the scene somewhat chaotic.
“What a magnificent horse!”
Wang Teng immediately noticed the streak of crimson mane on its back, streaming like a banner as it ran.
“What’s going on?”
Sisi’s brother called out sharply.
“Supervisor!
It’s that mutated Gale Steed—it went into heat and accidentally broke loose!”
Someone in the crowd responded.
“Then get it back in immediately!”
Her brother’s tone carried a hint of anger.
“Yes, Supervisor!”
Several soul masters dashed out from the crowd, trying to intercept the runaway horse.
A blue-red glow shimmered around it, and its speed suddenly increased even further.
With a single agile leap, it broke through the encirclement of the soul masters and bolted toward the more open area.
“These idiots!”
On the sidelines, Sisi’s brother felt his face redden with embarrassment and muttered a curse.
“How many years is this horse?”
Wang Teng suddenly asked.
“What, little Teng, you’ve taken a liking to it?”
Sisi sounded surprised.
“Yes.”
Wang Teng nodded.
“This horse is a mutated Gale Steed recently captured from the Soul Beast Forest.”
“We were planning to try breeding it with our stock, since these soul beasts are second to none in speed, despite their bad tempers.”
“But precisely because Gale Steeds are usually so wild, we specifically picked this mutated one.”
“When we found it, it was solitary and isolated—we thought it might have a milder temperament…”
“Who knew…
it would turn out like this.”
Sisi’s brother sighed with resignation.
“Looks like the Gale Steed breeding experiment is going to fail.”
“Big Brother…”
Hearing her brother ramble on without getting to the point, Sisi tugged at his sleeve and reminded him.
“Ahem, sorry, got carried away.”
Her brother snapped back to attention and looked at Wang Teng.
“You want to absorb it as your first soul ring?
This horse’s age…
I recall it’s about four hundred and ten years—a bit on the high side.”
“Maybe you should reconsider?
I can find you one around three hundred and eighty years—that would be safer for you.”
“Absorbing a four-hundred-and-ten-year soul beast carries some risk, little Teng.”
Su Yuntao also warned.
“Gale Steed…”
Wang Teng softly repeated the name, his gaze fixed on the distant horse still charging through the crowd.
“Just hearing the name, I feel it’s perfect for me.”
“Brother Tao, Sister Sisi, Big Brother—don’t try to talk me out of it.
I want to give it a try.”
Wang Teng looked at the three of them and said solemnly.
“You…
fine, I can’t talk you out of it.”
“But let’s be clear first: if we think you’re in danger during the absorption, we’ll interrupt it immediately.”
“You’ll definitely get hurt then—don’t blame us.”
Sisi ultimately relented, but still gave a serious warning.
“Don’t worry, Sister Sisi.”
Wang Teng agreed firmly.
“Alright then, Sisi, let’s join in too and subdue this soul beast as quickly as possible.”
Su Yuntao said, and his figure shot forward.
“Lone Wolf: Possess!”
“First Soul Skill: Wild Strength!”
Su Yuntao activated his amplification skill at the same time as his possession.
A grey-white flash passed over him, and he transformed into a half-wolf form nearly two meters tall, claws gleaming, body covered in hard grey-white fur, his aura surging dramatically.
“Awooo—!”
With a wolf’s howl, Su Yuntao pushed off with his legs and leaped into the air.
“Second Soul Skill: Claw Assault!”
He dove down from above, his claws glinting coldly, straight at the Gale Steed.
The Gale Steed looked up at Su Yuntao in midair, a hint of human-like contempt flashing in its eyes.
With its speed, a simple turn would easily evade this attack.
Just as the Gale Steed was about to accelerate and change direction—
“Second Soul Skill: Golden Silk Net!”
Two voices—one male, one female—sounded almost simultaneously.
Wang Teng looked over and saw Sisi and her brother attacking together.
Both pushed their hands forward—four golden points of light shot out, quickly expanding into four golden nets that descended over the Gale Steed.
These four nets covered a wide range.
Even if the Gale Steed dodged Su Yuntao’s pounce, it couldn’t escape being caught in the nets.
The Gale Steed let out a long, terrified whinny.
It realized it had fallen into a trap.
Sure enough, on the other side, Su Yuntao, whose attack had missed, landed and immediately turned, charging back toward the Gale Steed.
Two streaks of white light burst from his claws, striking the Gale Steed’s left front leg.
“Crack—”
The leg broke, blood spraying.
“Neeeigh…”
With a mournful cry, the four-hundred-and-ten-year Gale Steed finally collapsed, unable to struggle further.
“Thank you, everyone.”
Wang Teng stepped forward quickly, looking at the fallen soul beast, and said sincerely.