After several days of tempering and with the combined strength of his two lifetimes' souls, although Lin Yongming's soul power level was restricted, the range of his mind's eye, which was initially about fifteen meters when his spirit awakened, had expanded to twenty meters in just a few days.

  With his mind's eye and sensing abilities, Lin Yongming detected a fluctuation of soul power within his range. It wasn't just a beast—it was a soul beast.

  "It's a leopard-type soul beast. Where did it come from?"

  "Could it be that the heavens are favoring me, sending a soul beast to my doorstep?" Lin Yongming was shocked.

  But then he thought about it. A leopard-type soul beast with a body length of about three meters was likely at least a hundred years old. For an ordinary vilge, a soul beast breaking in was not good news.

  "The soul power of this beast feels simir to mine," Lin Yongming noticed something unusual.

  With the Thunder Element from his Wave Imprint, Lin Yongming had an unparalleled affinity for lightning. He realized that the soul beast's soul power was also lightning-based.

  "A hundred-year, lightning-attribute soul beast... This is the perfect soul ring for me!" In that moment, Lin Yongming didn't want to miss this opportunity.

  He immediately got out of bed, still in his pajamas.

  However, the soul beast had already broken into a courtyard, causing chickens to squawk and dogs to bark, creating a commotion.

  Soon, all the dogs in the vilge started barking in response.

  The Thunder Leopard had been captured from the Star Dou Great Forest and had been on the road for several days without eating. Seeing the dogs and pigs in the vilge, the starving leopard entered hunting mode.

  The small path where the leopard had escaped was more than ten miles away from Thunderstorm Vilge. After breaking free from its cage, the Thunder Leopard had fled at top speed.

  Leopards were naturally fast, and with the addition of lightning-attribute soul power, known for its speed, and its instinct to survive, the Thunder Leopard quickly left its pursuers far behind.

  Howl...

  A dog was instantly pounced on by the Thunder Leopard, which bit its neck, killing it instantly.

  Other dogs in the vilge heard the commotion and came running, barking fiercely as they backed away from the leopard.

  The noise spread throughout the vilge, waking up the vilgers. Even if they hadn't seen the Thunder Leopard, they knew something had entered the vilge and got up to investigate.

  The owner of the house where the leopard had entered thought it was a thief stealing his livestock. But when he opened the door, he was terrified to see a leopard in his courtyard, biting down on his dog. The Thunder Leopard turned its fierce gaze toward the vilger.

  "A... a leopard! Someone, there's a leopard in the vilge!" The vilger stumbled backward, his face pale with fear.

  "What's going on?" Most of the vilgers rushed over, carrying torches or nterns.

  "It's a huge leopard! It's not an ordinary beast!" someone shouted, while the women screamed in panic.

  By now, the entire vilge was awake.

  "Ming'er, why are you out here? Go back inside. I'll go check," Lin Chong said as he stepped out and saw Lin Yongming in the courtyard. He immediately tried to stop him.

  At the same time, Lin Chong summoned his spirit—a simple firewood chopper.

  "Dad, wait. This is a soul beast, not an ordinary beast. I can sense the soul power within it. This might be my chance to get my first soul ring," Lin Yongming expined urgently.

  "A soul beast? No, I can't let you take that risk," Lin Chong immediately refused, even more unwilling to let his son face danger.

  "Dad, listen to me. This might be my only chance. I don't know how a soul beast ended up here, but I can sense that its soul power is fluctuating, which means it's injured. With my level 10 soul power, I can protect myself," Lin Yongming insisted.

  This was indeed a rare opportunity for Lin Yongming. If he missed it, he didn't know when he'd get another chance.

  "This..." Lin Chong hesitated, torn between letting his son take the risk and protecting him.

  "Husband, let Ming'er go. I believe in him," Yingn said, standing at the doorway.

  "Alright. But Ming'er, you stay behind me," Lin Chong finally agreed, seeing his wife's support.

  "Okay, Dad," Lin Yongming agreed readily.

  By the time the two arrived, the vilgers had almost surrounded the Thunder Leopard.

  However, the intelligence of soul beasts was not to be underestimated. The Thunder Leopard bared its teeth while observing the ordinary vilgers.

  It quickly realized that these people were different from the hunters who had captured it—they cked soul power.

  Even though it was injured and exhausted, the Thunder Leopard wasn't afraid of the vilgers. Instead, it stared at them, ready to pounce at any moment.

  The vilgers weren't unprepared. Those with farming tool spirits had summoned them—sickles, hoes, choppers, and more. None of them had ever seen such a rge leopard before, but they knew it wasn't something to be trifled with.

  "What's going on? Where did this huge leopard come from?" Vilge Chief Lei Ruoruo arrived and stood at the front of the crowd.

  "We don't know, Chief. We thought it might be thieves stealing from the vilge, but it turned out to be a leopard," someone answered.

  "Quick, capture it!" the vilge chief ordered the strongest men in the vilge.

  "Yes, Chief!" several men responded.

  "Wait! This is a soul beast. Don't act recklessly," Lin Chong said, stopping them as he and Lin Yongming approached the chief.

  "A soul beast? How did a soul beast end up here? Chong, how do you know it's a soul beast?" The vilge chief's question echoed the thoughts of many in the crowd.

  "Chief, it's like this. I have soul power, so I can sense the soul power within it. It's a pure soul beast, not an ordinary beast," Lin Yongming expined to the crowd.

  The difference between a soul beast and an ordinary beast was just one word, but soul beasts were not only stronger—they also possessed a certain level of intelligence. A hundred-year soul beast had the intelligence of a young child.

  It was said that a ten-thousand-year soul beast's intelligence rivaled that of an adult.

  "This..."

  The strong vilgers who had responded to the chief's order now hesitated. They all knew that soul beasts were best dealt with by soul masters.

  The Thunder Leopard watched the vilgers pointing and talking, especially focusing on Lin Yongming. It felt provoked, and the fur on its back bristled.

  Suddenly, blue light flowed around the Thunder Leopard's body, concentrating on its sharp cws. With a roar, it charged toward Lin Yongming, closing the distance in an instant.

  Lin Yongming's mind's eye and sensing abilities had been alerting him to the Thunder Leopard's unusual behavior. He hadn't expected it to attack so suddenly, but thanks to his quick reflexes, he reacted in time.

  "Dad! Be careful!"

  "Block!" In an instant, Lin Yongming summoned his Thunder Bde spirit and used a basic defensive skill, positioning himself a few steps in front of Lin Chong and the vilge chief.

  The Thunder Leopard didn't care if its target was a child. Seeing someone blocking its path, it sshed with its soul power-infused cws.

  Cng...

  Lin Yongming tilted his Thunder Bde downward, holding the hilt with his right hand and bracing the back of the bde with his left arm. A semi-transparent blue shield appeared in front of him.

  The Thunder Leopard was pushed back a few steps by the recoil, but Lin Yongming didn't fare much better. His small body was sent sliding back about a meter, his Thunder Bde leaving a mark on the ground.