chapter 8 Sunset Soul Hunting Squad

As Ethan glanced at the group not far away, his grip on the Refined Steel Sword tightened involuntarily. He knew that at this moment, leaving was no longer an option. His other hand remained hidden in his sleeve, continuously absorbing the soul power from the Soul Crystal.
"Black-armored Giant Python?" Several individuals in the distance exclaimed upon seeing the massive body of the Black-armored Giant Python.
The leader, a man clad in black armor, however, instantly fixed his gaze on Ethan and remarked with astonishment, "The former number one failure in town, no, Mr. Sigeweard?"
Although once considered a failure, Ethan Sigeweard's name was known throughout Sigeweard City. Many had even glimpsed his true appearance, including this man in black armor.
It's no wonder he was so taken aback. Wasn't the person before him the supposed top failure in Sigeweard City, Ethan Sigeweard of the Sigeweard Family who had failed to awaken his Battle Soul nine times in a row?
A person capable of slaying even a Third-ranked Soul Beast had been dubbed a failure for nine years?
If such individuals were deemed failures, then weren't the inhabitants of Sigeweard City failures too?
Clearly, he was a peerless genius. At just sixteen, he could vanquish a Third-ranked Soul Beast equivalent to the realm of a Battle Master. Given time, what wouldn't he achieve?
The man in black armor didn't dwell on it further, his gaze filled with reverence as he looked at Ethan. "Mr. Sigeweard, I am Joseph Watson, the leader of the Sunset Soul Hunting Squad. Did you slay this Black-armored Giant Python?"
"Soul Hunting Squad?" Ethan was slightly surprised to hear these words. He had been pondering how to handle the Black-armored Giant Python's body when unexpectedly encountering the Soul Hunting Squad.
The Soul Hunting Squad was one of the three special professions in the Battle Soul Continent. They specialized in hunting soul beasts, seizing Soul Crystals and soul beast corpses for a living. They would also collect soul beasts hunted by others for profit.
Hence, they roamed the mountains and forests year-round, dancing with soul beasts. While not considered a noble profession in the Battle Soul Continent, it was a livelihood for those at the bottom.
"Can you deal with this Black-armored Giant Python?" Ethan asked directly. The others assumed he had single-handedly slain the beast, naturally wary of his strength and not daring to deceive him.
"Yes, yes!" Joseph nodded vigorously. Despite being only an early-stage Battle Master, he could only flee in front of the Black-armored Giant Python.
Since its establishment, the Sunset Soul Hunting Squad had never captured a Third-ranked Soul Beast. How could they miss such an opportunity?
"What's your price?" Ethan asked calmly.
Joseph pondered for a moment, then took a deep breath. "This Black-armored Giant Python's corpse is likely in the late third rank. It's worth a thousand low-grade soul stones on the market. However, if we help deal with it..."
"Then five thousand low-grade soul stones," Ethan interrupted, waving his hand. Joseph's straightforwardness suited Ethan's taste.
"Thank you, Young Master," Joseph exclaimed with joy.
"I said five thousand, but that's double," Ethan added with a smile.
At this, Joseph's expression froze, and a lanky man beside him wore a grim look. "Mr. Sigeweard, are you saying the Black-armored Giant Python requires ten thousand low-grade soul stones? Don't think just because you're from the Sigeweard family, we're easy to bully!"
"Michael Watson, silence!" Joseph Watson barked, shooting the lanky man a cold glare, then turned back to Ethan. "Mr. Sigeweard..."
However, Ethan paid him no heed. He walked over to the belly of the Black-armored Giant Python and began cutting with his Refined Steel Sword. After a while, he pulled out a crimson body.
"A Third-level Bloodmark Wolf?" Joseph's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the Bloodmark Wolf's body. Michael, the lanky man, remained silent, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"Since five thousand isn't satisfactory, let's make it four thousand, totaling a thousand." Ethan said casually.
"A total of a thousand?" Joseph looked at Ethan with surprise. Despite the Bloodmark Wolf's corpse being somewhat decayed, it was still easily worth four to five thousand low-grade soul stones.
Ethan was essentially giving them both Third-ranked Soul Beast corpses for only a thousand, practically a giveaway.
"How about we just become friends?" Ethan smiled. "And regarding my affairs, keep it a secret."
"Don't worry, Mr. Sigeweard!" Michael interjected before Joseph could respond. "If anyone dares to breathe a word about today's events to anyone else, I, Michael Watson, will make sure they regret it! Got it?"
"Yes, deputy captain!" the others chimed in quickly.
"Mr. Sigeweard, when should we deliver the soul stones to you?" Joseph asked again. They didn't have that many soul stones on hand at the moment, as they were here primarily for hunting soul beasts.
"No rush," Ethan replied, waving his hand. "Just bring them to my mansion when the time comes. Also, let's see if we can craft a fine weapon from the two soul beasts. The cost of the soul stones can be deducted from there, and any shortfall, I'll make up later."
"Sounds good, Mr. Sigeweard," Joseph said with a smile, clearly excited. They had come here originally hoping to hunt a few ordinary second-level soul beasts, but now they were leaving with the corpses of two Third-ranked Soul Beasts. The net profit of four to five thousand soul stones was equivalent to the corpses of five or six Peak-stage Second-ranked Soul Beasts.
After bidding farewell to Joseph Watson, Ethan ventured deeper into the Sunset Mountain Range. With two Third-grade Soul Crystals in hand, he was eager to break through as soon as possible, especially with the family's annual meeting just around the corner, in about twenty days.
"What about us, brother?" Michael Watson asked, watching Ethan depart and then turning to Joseph Watson with a questioning look.
"Forget about it," Joseph replied firmly, shooting Michael a stern glance. "A person who can endure silently for so many years—do you really think he's simple? Nine years ago, he was just seven years old!"
Hearing this, the members of the Sunset Soul Hunting Squad looked solemn, their gaze following Ethan's departure filled with reverence.
Of course, Ethan was unaware of their thoughts. He had handed over the soul beast corpses to them knowing it was essentially a favor, so he had nothing to worry about.
An hour later, Ethan found a secluded and tranquil spot, set up a few traps, and began his cultivation. Learning from past experiences, he proceeded cautiously this time, employing the family's Thunderous Technique and Ghost Blossom Release to refine the Soul Crystals into pure soul power, which he absorbed into his body.
Ethan also noticed something interesting. When using the Ghost Battle Soul, the condensed soul power seemed purer, as if it could purify the impurities within the Soul Crystals. However, there was a drawback: most of the soul power within the Soul Crystals was consumed by the Ghost Battle Soul.
Nevertheless, Ethan preferred quality over quantity. Pure soul power offered greater benefits for his cultivation. As someone skilled in medical arts in his previous life, he understood the principle that medicine, like soul crystals, had to be purified of impurities to be truly beneficial.
Cultivating with the Ghost Battle Soul allowed him to extract the impurities, leaving behind only pure soul power for his own use.
"Although Soul Crystals come at a high cost, a strong foundation will take you further," Ethan mused to himself as he slipped into a meditative state.