"Not a single coin more!"
Chen Feng refused without hesitation.
His first two soul rings had been obtained in the same way—without taking a share of the commission. That alone was already a major concession.
Now they expected him to make an effort and pay?
Not a chance.
"This…" The burly man's face briefly darkened with frustration, about to open his mouth and decline.
But in that very moment, a strange sense of danger crept into his heart.
It was an instinctive, primal fear, like being stared down by a venomous cobra, ready to strike at any moment.
He jumped back instantly, reacting on instinct and retreating several meters as a low growl escaped his throat. His soul rings flared to life:
White, Yellow, Purple.
While not the optimal soul ring combination, it was a common and practical choice among ordinary soul masters.
A black light flashed in his palm, and a spiked mace appeared, brimming with a dark, menacing aura. The man's presence surged, and he finally felt a bit more secure.
"Brother Bi, you…?"
The surrounding soul masters, already weaker than the man, staggered under the sudden release of pressure from his soul rings.
Within a three-meter radius, no one could withstand the force, and they all instinctively stepped back.
The brilliant display of rings drew stares from nearby passersby. After all, a Soul Elder wasn't something you saw every day in Soul Hunting Village.
"Who's there?!"
The burly man's hair stood on end, his eyes wide as he scanned his surroundings.
That sense of danger—it was overwhelming. It felt like he was standing deep in the Star Dou Great Forest, facing imminent death.
Among everyone present, only Chen Feng remained unfazed.
He had barely moved. With a single step forward, he calmly placed a hand on the man's shoulder.
"Uncle, relax. It's just me," Chen Feng said casually.
He had only used a minor spiritual technique—a brief probe of the man's mental defenses with a flicker of spirit power. Yet the man's overreaction made him want to laugh.
"C-Chen Feng?" the burly man stammered, eyes as wide as saucers, utterly stunned.
How could someone who hadn't even acquired a third soul ring radiate such a terrifying presence?
Wait a minute!
When he had activated his rings and released pressure, Chen Feng wasn't affected at all!
The man's worldview was rapidly collapsing.
Since when could a two-ring Grand Soul Master overpower a three-ring Soul Elder?
He wanted to cry.
Yes—it was clear now: this two-ringed soul master was stronger than he was.
Even though they hadn't fought for real, the outcome was already obvious.
"Uncle Bi, do I still need to pay extra?" Chen Feng asked with a faint smile.
The burly man dismissed his martial spirit and pulled a long face.
"Pay? More like I should be paying you! Is that fair enough?"
To his credit, he reacted quickly. As a man who often led hunting teams, he immediately realized:
Chen Feng needed to be tied securely to their operation. With him on the team, their chances of success would skyrocket.
"Brother Chen, how about this—I'll give you 500 gold soul coins upfront.
If the client refuses to help you obtain a third ring afterward, we brothers will help you hunt one instead.
But in that case, you forfeit the 500 gold coins. Sound good?"
That was already an incredibly generous offer.
Chen Feng shook his head with a small laugh.
"Uncle, all I want is my third soul ring. I don't care about soul coins."
Bi Yuntao thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.
Yes—someone like Chen Feng wouldn't be interested in a few hundred coins.
What truly mattered was the soul ring itself.
He sighed inwardly. Maybe he was just too used to scraping for every coin to survive.
He had subconsciously assumed others lived like him—licking blood off blades just to make a living.
"Enough talk!" he said with a grin.
"Since you're in, I won't ask anyone else to join.
With you, me, and the Soul Elder client, we'll have more than enough power to hunt a 3,000–4,000-year-old soul beast."
Bi Yuntao waved his hand enthusiastically.
"Let's go! We'll meet the client now—he's staying in town."
Chen Feng nodded and followed him toward the nearby town.
Bi Yuntao, in his early forties, was a Power Attack System Soul Elder, with a soul power of Rank 33.
Another man traveled with them—a plain-looking middle-aged soul master whose martial spirit was... a dog.
Though awkward in battle, his canine spirit gave him an exceptional smell and taste, making him an unparalleled tracker.
Within Soul Hunting Village, he was one of the best at finding soul beasts.
Bi Yuntao also had two other companions, both currently staying in town with the client.
Along the way, Bi Yuntao kept sneaking glances at Chen Feng, looking like he wanted to say something.
Finally, he couldn't hold it in.
"Brother Chen… How are you only a Grand Soul Master, yet stronger than me?"
"Maybe it's the quality of my martial spirit," Chen Feng replied vaguely, offering no further detail.
In truth, a soul master's strength depended on many things:
Spirit quality, ring age, spiritual power, and even the nature of their soul skills.
Chen Feng currently had only two soul rings, yet thanks to the Shura God's first trial, their combined age likely exceeded 2,000 years!
By comparison, Bi Yuntao's rings were:
1st: ~decades old (white)
2nd: ~300–400 years
3rd: ~1,000 years
Total: At most 1,500 years of ring age.
And that didn't account for the fact that Chen Feng wielded one of the top tool spirits in the world—the Seven Kill Sword. How could Bi Yuntao possibly compete?
If they fought, Chen Feng wouldn't even need to use soul skills.
He could win just with raw sword intent.
That was the foundation of a former Peerless Douluo, a treasure even rarer than a top-tier spirit.
"Spirit quality, huh…" Bi Yuntao scratched his head.
All he knew was that Chen Feng's martial spirit was a sword, better than his own.
But he never imagined it was the legendary Seven Kill Sword—the most aggressive tool spirit in the world.
According to legend, its wielder had once been the guardian deity of the second strongest sect on the continent.
How could such a thing appear in some backwater village?
Bi Yuntao shook his head, deciding not to think too hard about it.
Soul masters had excellent stamina. They didn't need to ride horses or carriages.
Soon, they arrived at Kelin Town.
Inside an inn at the town center, Chen Feng met the client.
But when the man saw that Bi Yuntao had brought along a teenager, his brows furrowed deeply.
"Bi Yuntao, let me remind you: I hired you to help me acquire a 3,000 to 5,000-year-old fourth soul ring."
"I've already paid you half the commission. The rest will be paid only after I obtain the ring.
If any of you are injured or killed in the process, I won't be paying extra!"
He emphasized this point clearly because, to him, a teenage boy didn't look like a qualified hunter at all.