As the group ventured deeper into the Soul Hunting Forest, Xiao Lin noticed a visible change in the behavior of Wang Neng and the others—they had become much more serious.
Wang Neng and Xu Yi stuck closely together, both highly alert as they scanned their surroundings.
Su Yuntao stood alone beside Xiao Gui, never leaving her side, clearly acting as her bodyguard.
Not just them—Tang San and Xiao Wu were also scanning in all directions, their ears alert, muscles tense all over.
This was their instinctive reaction after hearing the cry of an unknown soul beast deeper within the forest.
Even with Shi Dan scouting ahead and Tang San's Blue Silver Grass for sensing danger, everyone was on high alert—except for Xiao Lin, who still appeared as relaxed as ever.
Ahead, Wang Neng wielded a machete, continuously cutting away the bushes that blocked their view.
This mission wasn't too difficult, considering soul beasts with healing abilities were rarely adept at combat.
But it wasn't exactly easy either.
Soul beasts with healing capabilities were already rare, and they might only encounter one deep within the Soul Hunting Forest.
Moreover, such soul beasts might work in tandem with other beasts, meaning Xiao Lin and his team could end up fighting multiple soul beasts at once.
"This aimless wandering won't work."
Xiao Lin thought to himself. Randomly searching for a soul beast was both risky and inefficient.
So, he approached Xiao Gui and asked what kind of soul skill she desired most.
"Sister Xiao Gui, do you have a preference for your first soul skill? Something healing? Buffing? Or maybe detoxification?"
Fearing she wouldn't understand, Xiao Lin even provided examples.
"Me?"
Xiao Gui fell silent at the question, thinking back to what she had learned in class.
After a moment, she frowned and softly replied, "If possible, I'd still prefer my first soul skill to be healing. I want to become a healer, a healing-type soul master—that's my dream. But if that's not an option, detoxification would be my second choice."
"Well, that makes things simple. I actually recommend your first skill be detoxification."
Xiao Lin responded almost instantly, suggesting what seemed like a less ideal option.
Xiao Gui frowned, puzzled by his reasoning.
"Sister Xiao Gui, you didn't choose a buff-type support skill, which likely means you don't enjoy combat. The two skills you picked lean toward support roles. That's the first point."
"Second, if you want to become a healer, being well-rounded is better than specializing too narrowly. In that case, whether you start with healing or detoxification doesn't matter much."
"Third, since healing is your top priority, wouldn't it be better to leave that for your second skill? That way, it'll be stronger than a first soul skill would be."
"What do you think?"
Xiao Lin smiled as he turned the question back to her.
"But if my first soul skill is detoxification, it might take me a long time to repay the money Captain Wang Neng invested in me."
Xiao Gui hesitated. Though Xiao Lin made sense, she had to think practically.
"I see."
Xiao Lin respected her reasoning. If money was the goal, then a healing skill did make more sense.
He fell into thought. With his knowledge, he could probably find a soul beast that granted both detoxification and healing, or even one with a skill that scales with soul power.
But such skills were incredibly rare. Finding a soul beast that offered both effects, or had scalable healing abilities, was unlikely—especially in the Soul Hunting Forest.
They'd probably have to search for a month or more.
Unless they went to the Sunset Forest or Star Dou Forest, where the soul beast ecosystems were richer, Xiao Lin didn't think they had a chance of finding one so soon.
They weren't out here to live like wild men—they were here for a training mission.They couldn't possibly stay out for a whole month and not return to Nuoding Academy.
If that happened, the academy might think they were missing—and if Tang Hao got the wrong idea, Nuoding City might get razed to the ground.
Less than a minute later, Xiao Lin's lips curled into a smile—he had come up with a good idea.
"Sister Xiao Gui, have you ever thought about becoming a food-type soul master? Your osmanthus flower martial soul is edible, after all."
"Food-type soul masters can make a lot of money! If that's the case, you could even consider a buff-type first soul skill."
Upon hearing Xiao Lin's familiar smile-filled tone, Tang San and Xiao Wu exchanged glances.
They said nothing, silently agreeing not to expose Xiao Lin's little "experiment" involving Sister Xiao Gui.
"Food-type? Could I really do that?"
Xiao Gui was confused. Her teacher had always told her that her future soul skills would involve healing with fragrance.
Her martial soul wasn't a whole osmanthus tree. She could only summon a small amount. The scent radius was limited, making her ill-suited for combat healing—she'd be better off in the rear doing support work.
But Xiao Lin's words opened a whole new world of possibilities. Could that actually work?
Still, she hesitated. Her osmanthus martial soul only summoned a handful of petals—could that really be enough?
Seeing her doubtful expression, Xiao Lin chuckled.
"Sister Xiao Gui, there's no need to worry at all."
"My idea—even if it doesn't make you a food-type soul master—will still get you a pretty good soul skill."
"Tell me, does your martial soul suffer any consequences if it breaks apart?"
Xiao Lin narrowed his eyes slightly, smiling like a cunning fox.
"You mean… if some of my martial soul disappears, will it affect me?"
Xiao Gui asked in confusion.
"Yes, exactly that."
"Hmm, I don't think so. When I summon my martial soul, it's just a handful of petals. If some fall off, it doesn't really affect me. Sometimes when I dismiss it, a few petals even get left behind."
She looked a bit uncertain as she reminisced.
"Perfect! That's it! You really do have the potential to become a food-type soul master!"
Xiao Lin got visibly excited. If Sister Xiao Gui succeeded, it could even serve as a reference for Tang San's Blue Silver Grass.
The only difference was that Xiao Gui's martial soul manifested as separate flower petals.
At this point, Su Yuntao, who had been getting increasingly suspicious, fixed his gaze on Xiao Lin.
He frowned and asked, "Can an osmanthus flower martial soul really become food-type?"
"Of course, it's actually quite simple."
Xiao Lin replied seriously and confidently.
"First, osmanthus flowers are edible. Second, Sister Xiao Gui's martial soul can fall apart without harming her. Third, food-type martial souls just require the right soul incantation."
"So it's quite simple. Sister Xiao Gui, why not try for a soul ring that increases vitality? It might give you a powerful healing skill."
"Considering your martial soul is osmanthus, it isn't particularly adaptive—so a plant-type soul beast would be ideal."
"And I just so happen to know a plant-type soul beast that would be a perfect match—and it's right here in the Soul Hunting Forest."
"Even if it doesn't work out, you'll still end up with a healing skill at the very least."
As Xiao Lin spoke, Xiao Gui's breathing grew rapid.
If what he said was true, then she might just hit the jackpot.
"I'll do it! I want to try!"
(End of Chapter)