Star Dou Great Forest

The next day.

All the Shrek Academy students got up early. Today, the group was heading to the Star Dou Great Forest, and Flender had specifically instructed them to wake up early, so no one dared to delay.

Last night, Oscar had briefed Tang San and Zhao Xuan on the Star Dou Great Forest.

The Star Dou Great Forest was a primeval forest and one of the three famous Soul Beast gathering places on the Douluo Continent. Its environment was complex, with swamps, wetlands, secret realms, and mountains. It was easy to get lost deep inside.

It was vast, spanning across the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires. Compared to the Soul Beast forests managed by the empires, the Star Dou Great Forest was much larger, almost equivalent to the area of the Balak Kingdom.

Most importantly, it was rich in Soul Beast varieties. Apart from some Soul Beasts with special living environments, the Star Dou Forest contained almost all types of Soul Beasts on the Douluo Continent, allowing any Soul Master to find the Soul Ring they desired!

However, rewards often came with danger. The Star Dou Great Forest was home not only to ten-year and hundred-year Soul Beasts but also to a large number of thousand-year and ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts. Legend had it that even Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts existed in the deepest parts of the Star Dou Great Forest, which was why a considerable number of Soul Masters died there every year!

Upon arriving at the training ground, Zhao Wuji was already waiting. Seeing everyone assembled, he waved his hand and said, "Mubai, lead the way!"

Since the Balak Kingdom bordered the Star Dou Great Forest, Shrek Academy was not too far from it, only about five hundred kilometers at most.

As there were no carriages around the village, everyone advanced by running.

With the help of Oscar's sausages, everyone was able to maintain their energy, which made them feel the wondrous effect of Oscar's Martial Soul.

Zhao Xuan couldn't help but sigh inwardly at the role of Food System Soul Masters. If one were to rate them, Weapon Souls and Food System Soul Masters each had their own characteristics. Weapon Soul support systems could produce effects quickly, while Food Systems could sustain more people to the greatest extent.

Common sense suggested that Food System abilities generally took longer to take effect, but Oscar had clearly broken this rule; his sausages worked very quickly.

After a non-stop sprint, the group arrived at a small town not far from the forest by evening.

The town was bustling with people, and its prosperity was no less than that of Suotuo City, though it was much smaller in area.

"Are these all Soul Masters?"

Xiao Wu stared blankly at the streams of people passing by in the town, momentarily frozen in place.

Zhao Wuji crossed his arms and said, "Most of them are! If they're not Soul Masters, then they're ordinary people doing business here."

Xiao Wu nodded thoughtfully. Her previously cheerful demeanor had vanished without a trace, and she suddenly became quiet, her head bowed as if lost in thought.

Shops lined the town, and most of the goods sold were related to Soul Masters. The group found a small inn to settle down, preparing to head to the Star Dou Great Forest, a hundred kilometers away, the next morning.

After booking rooms at the counter, Zhao Wuji went upstairs alone.

"Let's eat quickly. I'm about to puke after eating sausages all day," Ma Hongjun grumbled, finding a seat in the lobby of the inn's simple restaurant.

The others exchanged glances and nodded. Zhao Xuan, with his abundant energy, had eaten fewer sausages and didn't feel much, but the others had eaten sausages all day. Even Oscar didn't want to smell his own sausages anymore today.

The group sat down in a corner, including Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, sitting in silence.

Ma Hongjun called over a waiter to order food and, along with Oscar, excitedly looked through the menu. After ordering a few dishes, he handed the menu to the girls.

While waiting, Tang San asked Dai Mubai, "Brother Dai, should we ask Teacher Zhao to join us for dinner?"

Dai Mubai shook his head. "No need. Teacher Zhao won't be paying for us on this trip, nor will he accept any benefits from us. That's the academy's rule."

"That's a good rule," Zhao Xuan raised an eyebrow.

Although most academy teachers were poor, those still in the subsidy phase had plenty of money. Not to mention Ning Rongrong and Hermione among them. One was a Soul Master from the renowned Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and the other came from a family that ran a Soul Master Academy. After all, not every Soul Master Academy was as poor as Shrek!

In fact, Soul Master Academies were generally incredibly wealthy. Not to mention the negligible tuition fees, the subsidies from the empire and sponsorships from various parties were astronomical sums. Only the teachers of Shrek Academy, who couldn't stand being constrained, lived modestly.

If they were to serve some powerful factions, even just as figureheads, they could earn at least tens of thousands of Gold Soul Coins annually.

The group ordered a large table of dishes and began to feast. Surprisingly, the chef of this unassuming little inn had good cooking skills, and everyone ate to their heart's content.

Towards the end of the meal, a group of people walked into the inn entrance. They wore moon-white Soul Master robes with silver thread embroidery.

A middle-aged man led the group, followed by seven youths – six men and one woman. They carried themselves with arrogance, their robes shimmering as they walked, as if afraid no one knew they were Soul Masters.

Dai Mubai glanced at the insignia on their shoulders: a cyan circle embroidered with the words "Canghui."

Dai Mubai suddenly turned to look at Oscar and Ma Hongjun behind him. Sensing his gaze, they followed his line of sight and nodded with a chuckle.

A smirk played on Dai Mubai's lips, complementing his handsome face and double pupils, making him look particularly devilish. He whispered to Tang San and Zhao Xuan, "Tang San, Zhao Xuan. I'll tell you about a tradition of our academy."

Zhao Xuan put down his cutlery, exchanged a look with Tang San, and looked at Dai Mubai with great interest. Judging by their subtle actions just now, he suspected trouble was brewing.

As expected, Dai Mubai smiled faintly and said, "The Dean once said that a Soul Master who dares not cause trouble is a mediocre talent!"

Zhao Xuan's eyes lit up. That was a good saying. If one wanted to stir up trouble, they needed a good excuse. He hadn't expected the Dean, who seemed a bit sleazy, to have so many classic quotes, and they were quite to his taste.

Subconsciously, Zhao Xuan's gaze shifted to the Canghui Academy group that had just entered. The others had been looking at them.

After Dai Mubai finished speaking, he gave Ma Hongjun a look. Ma Hongjun understood and chuckled a few times before clearing his throat.

"Well then..."