Seeking Spirit Beasts

The next day.

Before dawn, Zhao Wuji used his broken-gong voice to wake everyone up.

"Get up, get up! Stop sleeping like pigs!"

Aside from Tang San, who was used to rising early, everyone else looked half-dead—especially those who loved sleeping in, such as Zhao Xuan, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar...

Still groggy, they were yanked out of bed by Zhao Wuji. The morning temperature was frighteningly low, making them shiver uncontrollably.

"You brat, you can't even be bothered to care about getting your own soul ring."

Like an old mother, Zhao Wuji launched into a lengthy scolding directed at Oscar.

"Ah, I don't want a soul ring anymore. I want to sleep!" Oscar clung to his blanket and mumbled.

"What nonsense are you talking about?!" Zhao Wuji's fan-sized palm smacked Oscar across the head, thoroughly knocking the sleepiness out of him.

"That hurts, Teacher Zhao." Oscar held his head with tears in his eyes, staring resentfully at Zhao Wuji.

"Cut the crap! And Ma Hongjun, Zhao Xuan, get up!"

After all that commotion, they finally set out for the Star Dou Great Forest. The sun had not yet risen, and the sky was a heavy ash gray. Far off in the east, a sliver of pale dawn was slowly emerging.

They had not even found a place to eat breakfast. After filling their stomachs with Oscar's big sausages, they began their journey.

The distance from the town to the Star Dou Great Forest was no short one—there were still roughly a hundred kilometers to go. Afraid that Spirit Beasts from the forest might emerge and wreak havoc, the merchants did not dare settle too close.

After all, these Spirit Beasts were not like those raised by the empires. Every single one of them was highly aggressive.

By the time they reached the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest, the sun had been up for quite some time. The moisture-rich forest had been steamed into a thin mist that drifted through the woods, blanketing everything in white and making the distant scenery fade in and out of view.

Looking at the endless sea of forest before him, Zhao Xuan could not help taking a deep breath. The fresh scent of grass and trees filled his nostrils, leaving him feeling refreshed.

As he gazed upon the boundless primeval forest, Zhao Xuan could not help but sigh. Before the majesty of creation, an individual truly seemed insignificant.

Ancient trees towered into the sky throughout the Star Dou Great Forest. Even on the outskirts, every giant tree was several meters thick and twenty to thirty meters tall. Their enormous canopies blocked out the sunlight, making the world beneath them seem gloomy.

Shadows overlapped throughout the dense forest. There was no such thing as a path here, because the forest was simply too vast and too dangerous for anyone to carve one out.

Zhao Wuji stopped and made arrangements. Ning Rongrong and Oscar, the two purely support-type soul masters, had to stay by his side, while no one else was allowed to stray farther than twenty meters from him.

This place was far too dangerous for him to let down his guard. A Soul Saint might be able to throw his weight around outside, but once inside the Star Dou Great Forest, he would have to behave himself.

Everyone proceeded carefully, and even Zhao Xuan did not dare be careless. This was the most dangerous place on the Douluo Continent; even Soul Douluo and Title Douluo did not dare act recklessly here.

"La la la~"

Xiao Wu hummed a little tune as she skipped along, seemingly not considering this a dangerous place at all. Instead, she appeared even happier than usual.

Tang San helplessly reached out and caught Xiao Wu several times. Each time, she agreed obediently, only to start misbehaving again the very next moment.

"You seem pretty happy too."

Zhao Xuan suddenly asked Hermione, who was standing nearby with excitement written all over her face. Xiao Wu did not surprise him—she had always seemed innocent and carefree to him. Well... calling her heartless and thoughtless would work too.

"Of course I'm happy! This is the Star Dou Great Forest! Even my grandfather only came here once, when he obtained his fourth soul ring." Hermione spoke excitedly, clearly having long yearned to visit the Star Dou Great Forest.

"You little brats, this isn't some scenic attraction. Can't you have a little sense of danger?"

Watching the group stroll along so leisurely, Zhao Wuji could not help rubbing his brow. The pressure was enormous. It had been fine when there were fewer people, but now he had to protect nine—well... eight little brats. Although Zhao Xuan was fairly strong and could help out somewhat, that kid clearly did not understand how terrifying the Star Dou Great Forest was either.

Along the way, they saw quite a few Spirit Beasts. Every one of them looked vicious and ferocious. Even a ten-year Striped Cat would dare roar at them, brimming with wildness.

Ancient trees blocked out the sky, their thick canopies completely obscuring it. Only a few thin beams of light filtered through, making the entire forest seem dark and sinister. Strange vines crept between the ancient trees, while dark-green moss covered the rocks and trunks below.

"Hermione, use your First Soul Skill on everyone. The miasma in here is no joke."

Zhao Wuji suddenly said to Hermione. Countless fallen plants and Spirit Beast corpses lay within the Star Dou Great Forest. Once they decayed, they formed miasma. Miasma was no good thing, and much of it was even toxic.

"Spring Water Gushes Forth!"

Hermione nodded and summoned her wand. The small wand tapped ten times in succession, sending streams of clear light down onto everyone. At once, a renewed feeling enveloped them.

"Looks like the miasma was affecting us without us even noticing." Tang San frowned slightly.

"Are you all right?" Zhao Xuan supported Hermione, whose face had turned somewhat pale.

"I'm fine. I just can't handle using so much Soul Power all at once." Hermione covered her forehead and spoke helplessly.

"It seems you still have a lot to learn." Zhao Wuji shook his head.

"Mubai!" Zhao Wuji called out to Dai Mubai, who was leading the way ahead.

"What?"

Dai Mubai was drenched in sweat. The moment they entered the forest, Zhao Wuji had treated him like manual labor. After Martial Soul Possession, he had used his sharp claws to deal with the troublesome thorns in the forest, and he now looked rather disheveled.

"Find a place to set up camp and rest for a while," Zhao Wuji instructed. They had been inside for some time, and everyone had expended a great deal of energy. Maintaining sufficient energy at all times was the key to survival in the Star Dou Great Forest.

Dai Mubai nodded, then continued clearing the way with his claws. After finding a relatively level area not far ahead, he cleared away the surrounding thorny bushes, revealing a flat patch of ground.

The group rested briefly in the clearing and took out their dried rations to replenish their strength.

"Ugh. Why haven't we run into an interesting Spirit Beast?" Zhao Xuan sat on the ground and sighed. They had only encountered ten-year and hundred-year Spirit Beasts along the way, not even a thousand-year one.

Zhao Wuji laughed and cursed, "Once a ten-thousand-year Spirit Beast really shows up, you probably won't even have time to run."

Zhao Xuan snorted. "If one really comes, I'll make sure it doesn't have time to run."

"Rustle, rustle."

Suddenly, a rapid sound began to rise, as though something were scraping against leaves. It was moving extremely fast.

Everyone's gaze abruptly turned toward Zhao Xuan. Was his mouth blessed or something?