True Star Dou Great Forest

At noon, two carriages stopped at the village entrance of Calabash Village.

"All right, we'll return to the academy together in a month. For now, everyone go home." The Senior Student dismissed the group.

"I'm back!" Wang Xiaofeng stood at the door and shouted. "Your emperor has returned!"

"All right, all right, you're saying things no one understands again." He Li looked at him in confusion. "Xiaofeng, why did you bring back so little? Where's the rest of your luggage?"

Wang Xiaofeng revealed a mysterious smile. "Can't say, can't say. We'll talk when Old Dad gets back."

That evening, Wang Danu returned home. "I could smell the food all the way from the village entrance." The moment he entered, he saw Wang Xiaofeng's irritatingly smug smile. "So it's you, brat. Did you skip class again?"

"It's vacation already. Don't you care about your son at all?" Seeing the two of them preparing to argue again, He Li hurriedly interrupted. "All right, all right. Come help carry the dishes and eat."

After satisfying his stomach, Wang Xiaofeng led his parents into his room. "Why are you being so mysterious? You even shut the windows."

Wang Xiaofeng ignored them. Words alone would not be convincing enough. Soul Power gathered in his right hand, and a green calabash slowly appeared in his palm.

"Open your eyes and watch carefully." Wang Xiaofeng made a grasping motion toward the mouth of the calabash with his left hand. Amid a fluctuation of Soul Power, two small Jade Bottles suddenly appeared in his hand.

Wang Danu and He Li stared at Wang Xiaofeng in astonishment. He kept overturning everything they thought they knew. "A Storage Soul Tool! No, your martial soul must have gained storage abilities." He Li was more knowledgeable and quickly realized the truth.

"This is the important part." Wang Xiaofeng handed them the Jade Bottles. "There are thirty drops of Moon Dew in each one... Oh, Moon Dew is a name I came up with myself."

"Ever since my martial soul gained its First Soul Ring, it has gained the ability to absorb moonlight and convert it into Moon Dew."

"Drinking one drop of Moon Dew doubles cultivation speed for eight hours. Of course, drinking too much at once has no effect."

"Son, you'll definitely become famous across the entire Douluo Continent someday." Wang Danu and He Li exchanged a glance, then broke into smiles. With such an outstanding son, they had to live a few more years to watch him reach the peak.

Four years later, in the Small Town outside the Star Dou Great Forest, three men and one woman walked down the street.

The youngest youth among the four looked around as though it were his first visit, excitement written all over his face. "It's so bustling! You'd never think this was a Small Town. I'd believe you if you said it was a city."

Stores lined both sides of the street, selling every imaginable kind of goods. Some specialized in weapons, others in armor, antidotes, recovery potions, and even clothing. The clothes being sold were special adventure outfits for Soul Masters, with more than a dozen pockets capable of holding all kinds of miscellaneous items.

These four were Wang Feng and Wang Xiaofeng's family.

"All right, you're not a child anymore, yet you still have no sense of decorum." Wang Danu knocked Wang Xiaofeng on the head. "Let's replenish our supplies first. We leave in one hour."

They had come to the Star Dou Great Forest this time to obtain Soul Rings for Wang Xiaofeng's family.

Ever since Wang Xiaofeng had given Wang Danu and He Li a cultivation cheat, their levels had shot upward. They had even reached their bottlenecks faster than Wang Xiaofeng. After the couple waited for a year, Wang Xiaofeng finally cultivated to level 20.

Wang Xiaofeng found this helplessly frustrating. For some unknown reason, even with Moon Dew aiding him, his Soul Power level rose very slowly. The one thing that gave him some comfort was that after drinking a lot of Moon Dew, the quality of his Soul Power seemed to have improved.

Once it was time to gather, the four left the Small Town and headed toward the Star Dou Great Forest, fifty li away.

At last, they arrived before the Star Dou Great Forest. The towering trees were at least twenty meters tall, and this was only the outermost region. The dense forest had no paths at all, and layer upon layer of shadows obscured its true depths.

As they reached the forest, the air became even more pleasant, as if the temperature had dropped by several degrees. The refreshing air, carrying the damp fragrance of earth, continuously stimulated their senses of smell.

"Stay alert from now on. Xiaofeng and your mother stand in the middle. Wang Danu takes the front, and I'll cover the rear." Wang Feng arranged their formation, then led them onward.

The terrain within the Star Dou Great Forest was extremely complex. There were no roads at all, so naturally, clearing a path fell to Wang Danu.

Wang Danu used his First Soul Skill, and layer upon layer of Blue Silver Grass spread out, opening a narrow path.

Every time Wang Xiaofeng saw this Soul Skill, he was left speechless. The Soul Skill provided by Blue Silver Grass could only control Blue Silver Grass. No wonder no Soul Master would choose Blue Silver Grass as a Soul Ring.

They occasionally encountered various Soul Beasts. Some were indeed suitable for Wang Danu and He Li, but their ages were unsuitable, so they avoided them all.

After driving away a Hundred-Year Striped Cat, Wang Feng noticed that everyone's stamina had declined noticeably. "Let's rest for a while first."

Wang Feng's words allowed everyone, whose nerves had been tightly wound, to relax. Wang Xiaofeng immediately sat down from exhaustion. As the team's only support-type Soul Master, he had to use his Soul Skills whenever they encountered Soul Beasts to guard against sneak attacks, leaving him with less than thirty percent of his Soul Power.

He Li directed Wang Danu to use his First Soul Skill to weave four large hammocks among the trees, providing resting places for the four of them. In the Star Dou Great Forest, the trees were far safer than the ground.

Just as everyone had rested for about half an hour—

"Moo!" A bovine cry startled them all.

An Iron Hoof Cattle had fallen into a pit beneath the tree. Wang Xiaofeng asked curiously, "There wasn't a pit here when we came through."

"It was probably a trap dug by an ant-type or spider-type Soul Beast." Wang Feng's years of work in the Soul Hunting Forest had not been for nothing. After advancing to Soul Elder, he had been promoted to manage one of its Soul Hunting Forests.

A patch of grass beside the pit bulged slightly, and then an ant crawled out. It was six inches long, its sharp sword-like mandibles gleaming coldly. It was a Thousand Jun Ant, a Soul Beast commonly found even in forests like this.

Thousand Jun Ants were extremely tenacious Soul Beasts, with outstanding defensive capabilities, incredible resistance to blows, and tremendous strength far beyond what their size suggested.

However, Thousand Jun Ants generally did not exceed a hundred years of age and appeared in groups, so although they were common, ordinary people did not dare provoke them.

Yet the Thousand Jun Ant before them seemed to be alone, and it appeared to be around six hundred years old.

"Xiaofeng, a Thousand Jun Ant suits you quite well. Whether it adds strength or defense, it would be good."

Wang Xiaofeng's eyes lit up. There had previously been no assault-type Soul Master in their group, so they had never considered Thousand Jun Ants. But now, it seemed he really was heaven's chosen son.

Wang Xiaofeng nodded, indicating that this Soul Beast was fated for him.

"Wait, something's happening."

Though the Thousand Jun Ant was small, it possessed immense strength. After easily biting the immobile Iron Hoof Cattle to death, it clamped onto one of the cow's legs, preparing to drag it away. At that moment, a cloud of green poisonous mist drifted over and enveloped it.

The four people sitting more than ten meters up in the tree had only one thought: the poison could not drift that high.

A moth appeared and disappeared within the poisonous mist. Wang Xiaofeng could only make out the frightening skull pattern on its wings.

"That's a Death's Head Hawkmoth." Wang Feng explained, "This type of Soul Beast only eats corpses. It was probably drawn here by the Iron Hoof Cattle's blood. Its poison affects the five senses, so it suits Sister Li quite well. We just don't know its age yet."

The Thousand Jun Ant shook its head. The Death's Head Hawkmoth's poison was beginning to affect it, making the world spin around it. Then its mandibles suddenly grew lighter. The entire Iron Hoof Cattle had been reduced to a single hind leg. Unable to distinguish directions in the poisonous mist, the Thousand Jun Ant could only rage helplessly where it stood.

From the tree, they watched a moth slowly fly out of the poisonous mist while carrying the Iron Hoof Cattle.

"It's one meter long, with two white spots on its back. It's a twelve-hundred-year Death's Head Hawkmoth. Its age is suitable."

"Then Xiaofeng and I will handle the Thousand Jun Ant. You two go catch the Death's Head Hawkmoth." He Li instantly assigned their tasks.

"Go!" The moment Wang Feng spoke, everyone released their martial souls.

"First Soul Skill, Green Vine Strangulation!"

"First Soul Skill, Entanglement!"

The First Soul Rings around Wang Feng and Wang Danu lit up simultaneously. Vast quantities of Blue Silver Grass and green vines shot toward the Death's Head Hawkmoth to bind it.

The Death's Head Hawkmoth reacted quickly, frantically swerving left and right in an attempt to evade them. However, it had clearly forgotten the Iron Hoof Cattle in its claws. Its wings beat wildly, but it could not build up speed. It was immediately wrapped like a dumpling by Blue Silver Grass and green vines, then fell from the air to the ground.

Wang Feng was the first to rush over. Seeing the bound Death's Head Hawkmoth beginning to struggle free, he let out a cold shout. "Second Soul Skill, Hardening!"

Wang Feng's Second Soul Ring lit up, and the green vines around the Death's Head Hawkmoth seemed to take on a black stain. Its claws could only produce a shower of sparks when they struck the vines.

Elsewhere...

He Li and Wang Xiaofeng found the Thousand Jun Ant, still spinning in circles within the poisonous mist, rather pitiful.

"Second Soul Skill, Hypnotic Powder!"

He Li's Second Soul Ring lit up. The Narcissus in her palm grew larger, releasing a pale yellow mist that slowly merged with the poisonous fog.

The Thousand Jun Ant was still raging uselessly when a wave of drowsiness swept through its body. It grew sleepier and sleepier. By the time it realized something was wrong, it no longer had any strength left, and soon fell asleep (-_-) zzz.

Wang Xiaofeng and He Li waited beside it for the poisonous mist to disperse, then saw Wang Danu and Wang Feng dragging the Death's Head Hawkmoth over.

After Wang Feng dispelled his Soul Skill, the nearly dead Death's Head Hawkmoth was revealed inside. Before this, Wang Danu and Wang Feng had already beaten it half to death.

"Mom, absorb the Soul Ring first. With the poisonous mist covering us, no Soul Beasts should come over for a while."

Wang Xiaofeng had He Li absorb the Soul Ring first. The Thousand Jun Ant would not be going anywhere anyway.

He Li nodded, pulled out a Short Blade from her belt, and mercilessly drove it into the Death's Head Hawkmoth's vital spot. The Death's Head Hawkmoth erupted with tremendous strength before death and struggled violently, but as its life force rapidly drained away, it soon stopped moving.

A pale purple glow then gathered above the Death's Head Hawkmoth's corpse, gradually taking shape.

He Li sat down directly beside the Death's Head Hawkmoth and raised her hand to summon her Narcissus. Beneath a pale yellow radiance, she guided the Death's Head Hawkmoth's Soul Ring into her body.

As He Li began absorbing the Soul Ring, Wang Danu scattered Snake Repellent Powder around the area, then sat down to wait quietly.

About half an hour passed. When the fluctuations of Soul Power around He Li gradually calmed and a pale purple Soul Ring began floating around her body, the three of them knew that her absorption was nearing its end.

The moment He Li opened her eyes, Wang Xiaofeng impatiently asked, "Mom, what's your Third Soul Skill?"

"It did inherit the Death's Head Hawkmoth's poison, though it isn't as potent. My Third Soul Skill releases a poisonous mist that suppresses the five senses of anyone inside by thirty percent."

The Narcissus in He Li's hand had changed considerably. Some patterns had appeared on its petals, resembling the skull pattern on the Death's Head Hawkmoth's wings.

"Since Li Li has finished absorbing her Soul Ring, let's take the Thousand Jun Ant and leave this place first. The poisonous mist has dispersed, and the smell of blood will probably attract quite a few Soul Beasts."

The group then found a relatively safe place. Wang Danu exposed the sleeping Thousand Jun Ant, and with a single slash, Wang Xiaofeng killed it painlessly and without it ever knowing. He watched as a yellow Soul Ring gradually took shape.

Wang Xiaofeng sat on the ground and raised his right hand. The green radiance brought by his Green Calabash martial soul slowly appeared in his palm. Taking a deep breath, Wang Xiaofeng called out to the Thousand Jun Ant's Soul Ring.