“Dogs, keep biting me!” Russell pulled out the arrowhead, blood splattering and staining the chest plate of his Blue Silver Bamboo-Scale Armor.
He charged toward the second Gale Magic Wolf, his youthful assault carrying a trace of newly condensed ferocity.
“Awooo!” The alpha wolf howled, and the Gale Magic Wolves changed tactics.
Two wolves skilled in wind blades provided long-range interference, while the rest pounced on Russell.
Ten-year Gale Magic Wolves were over two meters long and stood one and a half meters tall—as tall as Russell.
Their jaws gaped open, revealing ferocious fangs as they aimed for Russell’s limbs and neck.
Russell instinctively took a step back, then turned and ran.
“Damn it!
Without an attack Soul Skill, I actually have to flee from Soul Beasts even Luo Sanpao could defeat.
What a disgrace!” But his strength was limited—what else could he do?
If his limbs were bitten, even if the Gale Magic Wolves couldn’t break through his defense, he wouldn’t last long once his Soul Power was depleted.
The Gale Magic Wolves chased him frantically, their howls echoing incessantly from behind.
Russell fled through the forest, his mind highly focused under the crisis.
He manipulated the Blue Silver Grass to extend and swing him from tree to tree.
“Still chasing?
Seeking death!” Steadying himself on a tree branch, Russell took out his bow and arrow, drew the string, and suddenly halted.
He aimed and fired!
Explosive Arrow!
Whoosh—!
Boom!
The luck of the leading Gale Magic Wolf ran out—the arrow landed in its mouth.
The gunpowder detonated with a muffled blast inside, blood gushed out, and more than half of its yellow-white fangs were shattered and sent flying.
Carried by momentum, the Gale Magic Wolf continued forward for another five meters before collapsing, blood streaming from its mouth.
It was clearly beyond saving.
The remaining Gale Magic Wolves were startled, instinctively slowing their advance.
They bared their teeth, waiting for an opportunity.
Russell’s eyes, however, lit up.
He reached behind his back.
“Two more explosive arrows left.” He drew his bow and aimed.
The Gale Magic Wolves slowly retreated, hiding behind nearby rocks and slopes, sneakily peeking at Russell.
Quite clever.
Russell muttered to himself, then simply discarded his hunting bow and jumped down from the tree.
He reached behind his back with both hands, each gripping an explosive arrow.
The Gale Magic Wolves, after all, had limited intelligence.
Seeing their prey drop his bow, they immediately pounced together.
A smirk curled at Russell’s lips as Soul Power surged.
The Blue Scale King wove into a face guard, protecting his eyes.
With one arrow in each hand, he shoved them into the mouths of two Gale Magic Wolves.
Boom!
Boom!
Two rapid explosions followed in succession, and the two Gale Magic Wolves fell dead on the spot.
Shattered wolf fangs scraped against the Blue Silver Bamboo-Scale Armor before bouncing off.
Russell leaped high, landing on the back of another Gale Magic Wolf behind him.
He wrapped his left arm around its neck and forcefully struck at the wolf’s eyes.
One punch, two punches, three punches…
Soon, the Gale Magic Wolf’s skull caved in, leaving it barely alive.
Half of the entire Gale Magic Wolf pack was dead.
The remaining wolves stared at the ferocious Russell, drenched in blood—but it was all the blood of their own kin!
The wolf pack sniffed the air but couldn’t detect a single drop of Russell’s blood.
He hadn’t bled at all!
“Awooo!” The alpha wolf recalled the pack.
The losses were too great; if the fight continued, it would become a commander without troops.
Moreover, what if Russell could still kill the remaining four?
The Gale Magic Wolves felt as if granted a reprieve.
They slowly backed away, putting some distance between themselves and Russell before turning and sprinting off, terrified of being pursued.
“It’s over.” Russell let out a sigh of relief and slowly sat down leaning against the magic wolf’s corpse.
He wasn’t injured, but he had expended too much physical strength and Soul Power.
With the tension gone, exhaustion washed over him.
After resting for half a minute, he forced himself to stand up.
“I can’t rest yet.
The smell of blood will attract predators.” He waved his hand, retrieving the three Soul Rings, and activated the Synthesizer to combine them into a single yellow Soul Ring.
As expected, it worked… Russell had tried before—the Synthesizer could combine anything except living beings, and Soul Rings were no exception.
He released the Soul Ring and then synthesized the three Gale Magic Wolf corpses, obtaining a single hundred-year Gale Magic Wolf corpse.
“The synthesized corpse is intact.
The wolf pelt can be sold for a high price, and the meat can be preserved by salting and drying it into jerky for nutrition.” After allocating the spoils, Russell went to retrieve the first wolf he had killed before leaving, satisfied.
Russell didn’t dare continue searching for Soul Beasts to fight.
He returned to his cautious state from earlier, and the journey back was uneventful.
As he neared the entrance to the Soul Hunting Forest, he dismissed the Blue Silver Bamboo-Scale Armor.
There wasn’t a single bloodstain on his clothes, only a faint scent of blood that only someone with a keen sense of smell could detect.
He presented his token, and after the guards confirmed it, he exited the entrance.
Some people at the entrance still remembered Russell, but seeing his clean attire, they assumed he had likely returned empty-handed.
As for the subtle changes after fusing with a Soul Ring, they didn’t have the memory to recall every passerby’s appearance and height in such detail.
Thus, no one bothered Russell, saving him a lot of trouble.
He went to the carriage rental service, hired a carriage, and hurried back to Nuoding City.
Nuoding Academy.
Looking up at the tall gate plaque, Russell felt the tension that had gripped him since becoming a Soul Master finally ease a little.
Only he knew the despair he had felt upon awakening with only one level of Innate Soul Power and Blue Silver Grass.
Now, all of that was in the past.
The Innate Soul Power corresponding to the Blue Scale King was at least eight or nine levels, possibly even ten.
Fusing with the Soul Ring had allowed him to break through to level twelve.
After synthesizing his Martial Soul into Dragonscale Tortoise-back Bamboo and evolving it, he reached level fourteen Soul Power.
The extra levels were likely due to his Innate Soul Power.
“Tang San seems to be only at level sixteen now.
The gap is getting smaller.” Russell entered the academy, and anyone could see the joy and happiness radiating from him now.
Arriving at the administrative office, Russell returned the token to the dean, mostly brushing off his inquiries.
He wasn’t afraid of anyone doubting his talent anymore.
The Blue Silver Grass had evolved into the Blue Scale King, with a massive change in appearance.
A Martial Soul Mutation and evolution were the best responses to any skepticism.
Returning to the dormitory building, he pushed open the door to Dorm Seven.
There were no classes in the afternoon, so most people were cultivating in their dorms.
“Russell, you’re back!
Did you really break through to level ten?” A work-study student asked curiously.
“Yes.” Russell nodded and glanced around.
“Where are Tang San and the others?” “Brother Tang went to work, and Big Sis went shopping.” The work-study student answered truthfully.
Their routines were almost the same every day, though Xiao Wu occasionally changed her shopping spots.
As for Wang Sheng, he had already graduated this year.
With the academy’s help, he obtained a ten-year Soul Ring and enrolled in an intermediate academy.
Russell thanked him and left the academy.
He needed to sell the Gale Magic Wolf and redeem his house.
“Maybe I don’t need to redeem it after all.
It seems I don’t have to stay in Nuoding City anymore.
But here in Nuoding City, as long as I don’t provoke Tang San’s family, it’s absolutely safe.
Leaving Nuoding City means anything could happen.” After a moment of inner struggle, Russell shook his head.
“Life is only given once.
Whether it’s relying on talent to join an advanced academy or joining a Soul Hunting group to train oneself, both carry certain risks.” “What matters is that with only one soul ring and no offensive Soul Skill, going elsewhere would mean being swept along by the current, far less free than staying in Nuoding City.” He made his decision—to remain in Nuoding City, bide his time, grow stronger, and then shock everyone spectacularly.