Soul Land: I am Uchiha Sasuke

Chapter 8

At night, Sasuke and his friends sat around the campfire, eating roast rabbit and answering questions.

"Mr. Sasuke, you're so young yet so powerful. Why are you wandering alone in a small place like ours?" Ye Ling'er asked. It was obvious that Sasuke's strength far surpassed that of her uncle, Ye Zhiqiu. And yet, he was only 17 years old!

Ye Zhiqiu was a Soul King. If Sasuke was stronger than him, wouldn't that mean Sasuke was at least a Soul Saint? A 17-year-old Soul Saint?

Hearing Ye Ling'er's question, Sasuke was momentarily lost in thought, recalling his battle with Naruto. He didn't hate Naruto—on the contrary, despite his reluctance to admit it, Naruto was the most important person to him after Itachi's passing.

However, the path he had chosen was the complete opposite of Naruto's. Their bond could only be severed by him.

Relying on ideals of love and justice to achieve peace? In Sasuke's eyes, Naruto's passion and pure-heartedness were nothing more than naive illusions.

To end the era of chaos, he believed he needed absolute power—an iron rule strong enough to unify the world. And he was willing to bear the hatred and pain that came with it.

"Teacher?" Ling Xue's concerned voice brought Sasuke back to reality.

He composed himself and replied calmly, "I offended the Spirit Hall, so I've been wandering ever since."

"I see. No wonder you're so strong but live like this," Ling Yun said, chewing on a rabbit's head. "These days, if you offend the Spirit Hall, you won't even have a place to settle down..."

Smack! Ye Ling'er hit Ling Yun again.

"Please! The journey of a strong man is supposed to be cool, okay?" Ye Ling'er huffed, hands on her hips.

"Brother Sasuke offended the Spirit Hall because he wanted to help me," Mu Qing added softly.

After listening to Mu Qing's story, Bai Cha sighed. "As the Spirit Hall grows, its members' conduct has become more and more inconsistent."

"The problem is that the branch halls lack proper oversight," Ling Yun added. "The people from the Spirit Hall in my hometown act like local warlords."

"That may be true for smaller towns, but in larger cities, the Spirit Hall's behavior is much more regulated—almost like a second royal family," Ye Ling'er noted.

"If you've offended the Spirit Hall, Teacher, wouldn't it be better to seek protection from the Heaven Dou Empire? With the royal family's backing, even the Spirit Hall wouldn't dare to touch you," Ling Xue suggested.

"In life-or-death situations, others may offer help, but never depend on them," Sasuke replied. "Rather than seeking refuge, it's better to strengthen yourself. Now, stop wasting time and get back to training."

The next morning, Ling Yun's loud exclamation echoed through the forest.

Ling Yun, Ling Xue, Bai Cha, and Mu Qing all gathered around Ye Ling'er, their faces filled with envy.

"Ha!" Ye Ling'er grinned smugly. "I've reached level 30! That's an entire realm ahead of you, Ling Yun!"

Ling Yun's face turned red. "I'm at level 22! You're only eight levels higher than me, so how is that an entire realm?!"

"Oh, come on," Ye Ling'er teased. "If you round it up, eight levels become ten! Hahaha!"

"Damn it!" Ling Yun muttered, kicking a nearby tree in frustration. He had worked just as hard—maybe even harder—but Ye Ling'er's talent was overwhelming. They were both 15, yet her soul power was an entire eight levels higher than his.

"Honestly, I should thank Teacher Sasuke for his guidance," Ye Ling'er said, turning serious. "I was stuck at level 29 for a long time, but after learning to condense chakra these past few days, I could clearly feel the bottleneck break!"

She turned and bowed deeply to Sasuke.

"Take half a day off," Sasuke instructed. "In the afternoon, we'll hunt for your soul ring."

Ye Ling'er's words confirmed Sasuke's suspicions—condensing chakra wasn't just about controlling energy. The process itself was a form of cultivation. Internal and external energy worked in harmony, enhancing the body's ability to grow stronger.

"Brother Sasuke, I want a soul ring too," Mu Qing said.

"I know." Sasuke nodded. Mu Qing had only started training seriously at the age of 13, and she still didn't have a single soul ring.

Half a day passed quickly, and Sasuke led the five of them deeper into the Star Dou Forest. He had his own theories about obtaining soul rings, and today was the perfect chance to test them.

Ye Ling'er, 15 years old, was a level 30 agility-type battle soul master. Her martial soul was a Twin-Tailed Lightning Marten.

According to Ye Zhiqiu, a soul master's third soul ring should ideally be from a thousand-year-old soul beast. That meant Ye Ling'er could only handle a thousand-year soul ring at most. But if she wanted true power, she couldn't follow the standard path.

Suddenly, Sasuke's Sharingan picked up movement. "Something's approaching."

A spirit beast was rushing toward them at high speed. Sasuke quickly analyzed it—not a thousand-year soul beast. Not the target. With his Sharingan, he could clearly see the soul rings of spirit beasts, using their color and intensity to determine quality.

"It's the Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb!" Ye Ling'er exclaimed as she spotted the low-flying creature. "Teacher! I want it!"

"It's too weak," Sasuke replied flatly, continuing deeper into the forest.

Ye Ling'er pouted but followed him without complaint.

"Ye Ling'er, your Twin-Tailed Lightning Marten grants you an additional skill each time you absorb a soul ring, correct?" Sasuke asked.

Ye Ling'er brightened up. "Yes! As far as I know, I'm the only one on the entire continent with this ability!"

"But each skill's power is reduced by 50%, making it practically useless," Ling Yun muttered.

"Exactly," Sasuke said. "Right now, gaining an extra skill per ring seems impressive, but that 50% reduction will only become more apparent as you grow stronger. For a battle soul master, weak attacks are meaningless."

Ye Ling'er's expression darkened. "Then... what should I do, Teacher?"

Sasuke ignored her question and walked up to a massive tree, nearly five meters thick.

"Chidori Sharp Spear."

A piercing beam of lightning shot from his hand, slicing through the tree like a hot knife through butter. The tree crashed to the ground, revealing a hidden beast beneath it—a massive tiger with enormous saber-like fangs.

Ye Ling'er and the others instinctively stepped back, their hearts pounding from the sheer pressure the beast exuded.

They had seen thousand-year soul beasts before, but this one felt several times more oppressive.

Ling Yun swallowed hard. "T-This… This isn't a ten-thousand-year soul beast, is it?"

Before them stood the legendary Saber-Toothed Thunder Tiger.