Entering the Star Dou Great Forest, Seeking Read-Throughs

Entering the Star Dou Great Forest

"Target discovered in Barak City, the capital of the Balak Kingdom. The target is flying toward Suotuo City!"

"The target is resupplying in Suotuo City. Based on his route, he appears to be headed for the Star Dou Great Forest. Should we intercept him? Please advise!"

Urgent reports were continuously rushed into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. This had been going on for several days, ever since Xu Changqing had left Notting City.

At the center of the main hall.

A middle-aged man sat upright, dressed in a spotless white robe. He held an ornate staff that he used as a cane. His features were refined and gentle, carrying the air of a scholarly man.

Looking at the message that had just arrived in his hand, he smiled and shook his head. "That little fellow Xu Changqing seems to be trying to use the Star Dou Great Forest to evade our pursuit. Sword Uncle, Bone Uncle, what do you think?"

"A very naive idea."

The man called Sword Uncle replied expressionlessly.

"Ah! Dad, Sword Grandpa, stop talking already! Hurry up and take me to find him! I'm so mad—I want to catch him myself!"

Beside them, an exquisitely adorable little girl hopped down from her chair with a limp. Just as she was about to run over and act spoiled, she suddenly cried out, "Ow!" Her little foot had twisted yet again, and the pain nearly brought tears shooting from her eyes.

This was already the third consecutive day she had sprained her ankle. No matter how carefully she walked these past few days, as long as she took nine steps, her next step would definitely twist her ankle. It was like an unbreakable curse.

Something like this was far from normal, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had investigated it.

Yet even the Sect's two Titled Douluo could not discover what exactly was causing trouble. In the end, with no other choice, someone had to carry the Little Princess everywhere. Even when she occasionally went out, servants would lift her high in a sedan chair.

For Ning Rongrong, the lively and energetic Little Princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, this was simply torture. Day after day, her pretty face looked as though she wore a mask of suffering, and she felt miserable all the time.

However, she had no way to tell her family about the System that had inexplicably bound itself to her. The moment she even considered exposing it, she would immediately be punished with electric shocks. That punishment had tormented her plenty.

A mission! A mission!

This System was serious!

She had to find Xu Changqing, the child her own age whom the System called the Child of Destiny!

Otherwise, she feared she would have to spend the rest of her life enduring this unbearable existence.

"How about this, Fengzhi? I'll take Rongrong to the Star Dou Great Forest and meet the child she keeps thinking about. Although Rongrong refuses to say why she keeps spraining her ankle, I suspect it has something to do with him."

Sword Douluo said thoughtfully.

"Why should you go? If anyone's taking Rongrong, it should be me!"

Bone Douluo was immediately displeased. Taking Rongrong out to play was such a wonderful chance to cultivate a grandfather-granddaughter bond—he could not let that old sword bastard take all the advantage.

The moment Bone Douluo spoke, Sword Douluo could no longer keep a straight face. He immediately retorted disdainfully, "You old bag of bones, you're always so rash and careless. Other than fighting, what else can you do? This concerns Rongrong, so there can be no mistakes. Who could rest easy if you went?"

"You old sword bastard, as if you're so reliable yourself! And you've got the nerve to criticize me? Why don't you piss and take a look at yourself first—"

"I'm still better than you, you old bag of bones!"

"Bullshit! Got the guts to take this outside and fight me one-on-one?"

"Do you think I'm afraid of you?"

The two traded barbs, and the atmosphere immediately turned tense. Ning Fengzhi sat in his seat, rubbing his head in pain with a bitter smile.

The outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

A green Divine Dragon swayed through the sky, roaring as it plunged headlong into the forest. It could not have been more high-profile.

It drew the attention of quite a few Soul Masters hunting Soul Beasts nearby.

Atop the Wood Dragon's head, Xu Changqing sat cross-legged, frowning in thought.

While resupplying and resting in Suotuo City earlier, he had spotted several furtive figures following him. They all wore the standard white robes of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, making their identities obvious.

"Why is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect clinging to me so tightly? What exactly do they want with me?"

"Forget it. Things will work themselves out when the time comes. Taking care of business is more important."

After considering it, Xu Changqing recalled that his goal this time was a water-attributed Soul Beast. As for its age, even he could not pin it down precisely and could only make a conservative estimate.

For ordinary Soul Masters, the optimal age for a Third Soul Ring was around two thousand years. But he clearly could not be judged by ordinary standards. After all, his second ring had already reached twenty-five hundred years, and he had absorbed it rather easily.

That was mainly because he had used physique enhancement fluid.

Over the past two years, after the basic physique enhancement fluid and intermediate physique enhancement fluid, he had synthesized another dose of advanced physique enhancement fluid. After absorbing it, his physique had been strengthened by roughly another twofold on top of its previous foundation.

The two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Bones he absorbed afterward had raised his physical strength another level.

At present, his physical strength was at least six times that of an ordinary level-thirty Soul Master. By that calculation, he should theoretically be able to absorb a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring without harm.

Of course, that was only a conclusion he had drawn himself. Whether it would actually work, he could not say for sure.

"Most water-attributed Soul Beasts should live near water. It looks like I need to look for low-lying terrain. That should make it easier to encounter this type of Soul Beast."

Sitting atop the Wood Dragon's head, Xu Changqing carefully identified the direction before guiding the Wood Dragon toward lower ground. He first needed to find a river.

The Star Dou Great Forest covered an enormous area, completely beyond comparison with the Soul Hunting Forest. If the two had to be compared, the difference was like that between an artificial park from his past life and the Amazon Rainforest.

Xu Changqing rode the Wood Dragon, flying and stopping along the way. Occasionally, he would land somewhere to restore his Soul Power. Around three hours later, he finally spotted a broad river in the distance.

There were far more Soul Beasts near the river than elsewhere. With a quick glance, Xu Changqing spotted more than ten different kinds of Soul Beasts—some hundred-year, some thousand-year, and even quite a few over ten thousand years old. Strangely, these Soul Beasts seemed to be following some kind of rule, peacefully coexisting without attacking one another.

Atop a weathered rock dozens of meters high beside the river, Xu Changqing jumped down from the Wood Dragon's head and sat cross-legged to wait quietly.

He did not see any water-attributed Soul Beasts on the shore. He did spot several Black-Backed Crocodiles, but he did not know whether these amphibious Soul Beasts met the requirements for water-attributed Soul Beasts. More importantly, those Black-Backed Crocodiles were slightly too young for his liking.

But he was naturally unwilling to take the initiative and search for water-attributed Soul Beasts in the river. In the water, his combat strength would be reduced, and it was too unsafe.

He could only wait here for an opportunity!

Hopefully, his luck would be better.

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(End of Chapter)