Yan Huo

After returning home from Duke's Mansion, Wang Nan set off for Star Dou Great Forest without lingering.

Although the holiday lasted a full month, it was still better to leave sooner rather than later.

"Nan'er, let's rest here for a while. The Outer Zone is just ahead, and there will be more and more soul beasts."

"Got it, Dad." Although Wang Nan had not used much soul power, he still stopped to rest.

Wang Xing looked at Wang Nan, who was nearly as tall as himself now, and suddenly laughed. "Forget it. Let's just go in."

"You've grown far too quickly these past few years. Dad still thinks of you as you were when you were little. Maybe when you come back next year or the year after, you'll already be taller than me."

"Then it'll be my turn to help you obtain a soul ring." Wang Nan lifted his staff and flicked a Tree Snake aside.

"What are you thinking, brat? Your dad only had Level Four Innate Soul Power. I'm already satisfied with my current cultivation. How could I have another chance to obtain a soul ring?"

"Didn't you use the pills I sent back before?"

"Your dad's talent is limited. Even if I used them, they wouldn't do much."

"You won't know until you try. I can't use them anyway. If I somehow break through to Level Sixty, I might still need your help with my next soul ring."

"I'm afraid that before that day comes, I'll already have become a burden to you."

As Wang Xing and Wang Nan spoke, they drove away the low-level soul beasts that approached them and soon neared the Mixed Zone.

"The Mixed Zone ahead is much more dangerous. Be prepared."

Hearing Wang Xing's warning, Wang Nan reached out to check the items he wore. Several defensive Soul Tools were already equipped, medicine for treating injuries was placed where he could reach it most easily, and the Invincible Barrier Wang Xing had given him back then rested against his chest.

Although his current soul power could not fully bring out the might of a Level 5 Soul Tool, it could still offer some protection.

"I'm ready."

Wang Xing nodded and led Wang Nan into the Mixed Zone.

The facts proved that Wang Nan did not have good luck every time.

Other Soul Masters usually had to spend a long time obtaining soul rings. Not only did they need to encounter soul beasts with suitable attributes and cultivation ages, they also had to consider the Soul Skills they could gain.

But Wang Nan had never worried about such things since his First Soul Ring. His first and second soul rings had both been selected in advance by his father, Wang Xing, while his third had practically delivered itself to his doorstep.

Now, when it came time to obtain his fourth soul ring, things were finally no longer so smooth.

Wang Xing and Wang Nan searched the Mixed Zone for five days, yet they never found a suitable soul beast.

At dawn, outside the southern side of Star Dou Great Forest, Wang Nan woke from meditation.

"Nan'er, don't be anxious. It is common for Soul Masters to spend ten days or half a month obtaining a soul ring. This is only the sixth day. Look at all these people around us—they're just like us, aren't they?"

Wang Nan looked around and saw quite a few people like them packing up their tents, preparing to enter Star Dou Great Forest once more.

Not everyone had the strength to stay overnight in the great forest. Nearly all Soul Masters chose to leave the bounds of Star Dou Great Forest at night and reenter during the day.

"I know, Dad." Wang Nan was not actually anxious. In fact, he had come here immediately after returning home, without even having time to rest. He had already prepared himself to spend a whole month here.

After the two finished packing and were about to depart, a clear voice suddenly came from behind them.

"Please wait, you two."

Wang Nan turned around and saw a young woman standing not far behind them.

She wore light gold clothing, with a Tassel Belt around her waist, while her blonde hair was loosely tied back. A veil covered her face, obscuring her features, but the Golden Vertical Stripe between her brows was especially striking.

Wang Xing studied the young woman before him. Seeing that she had appeared alone outside Star Dou Great Forest, he immediately furrowed his brow and quietly stepped forward, shielding Wang Nan behind him.

"May I ask what you need, miss?"

"I've also come here to obtain a soul ring. I would like to travel with you."

"This..." Wang Xing considered it inwardly.

Star Dou Great Forest was fraught with danger, and it was common for Soul Masters who came here to travel in groups. Though it was strange for this young woman to come alone, she did not appear to harbor ill intent.

She had just appeared silently behind them. If she truly intended to harm them, she could simply attack after following them into Star Dou Great Forest. Why would she need to ask?

"Traveling together is fine. We can look out for one another. But what kind of soul ring do you need, miss?"

"Thank you, both of you." The young woman gave a slight bow, then looked at Wang Nan. "I'm seeking my fourth soul ring. Six thousand years would be ideal. What sort of soul ring are you looking for?"

Wang Xing exchanged a glance with Wang Nan. "What a coincidence. We're here for a fourth soul ring as well."

Though most of her face was concealed by the veil, they could still see her eyes narrow slightly as she smiled.

"May I ask your name, miss? Where do you live, and why did you come alone to such a dangerous place as Star Dou Great Forest?" Along the way, Wang Xing kept Wang Nan separated from the young woman. As they hurried onward, he asked in an apparently casual tone.

"My home... is near Star Dou Great Forest. There's a beautiful Lake nearby." After thinking for a moment, the young woman continued, "Actually, I'm not entirely alone. An elder from my family is nearby, watching over me from the shadows. If you encounter danger, he may even lend a hand."

Though the young woman's words sounded implausible, they were also quite reasonable. At Shrek Academy, it was common for elders to secretly protect Soul Masters while letting them obtain soul rings on their own. It was simply that no one else would admit it as honestly as she had.

"As for my name..." The young woman fell silent for a long time, and even her eyes dimmed. "Call me Yan Huo."

Yan Huo?

Wang Nan gave her a puzzled look. What decent person had a name like that? Names like Qubing or Qiji meant casting away bad things, unlike hers, which directly put misfortune into her name. It was probably just an alias.

Upon entering the Mixed Zone again, the three took a different direction from the previous few days. It seemed their luck had finally turned, for before they had gone far, they saw a towering figure.

It stood dozens of meters tall, its massive body covered entirely in thick gray-black scales, each one irregularly shaped. Its enormous head alone took up nearly a quarter of its entire body.

The soul beast before them was the Tyrant Dragon, the King of Wyrm Species, capable of rivaling Giant Dragons. Even an ordinary Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast might not be stronger than a Tyrant Dragon with ten thousand years of cultivation. And because Tyrant Dragons carried the bloodline of the Golden Dragon King, they were also known as the King of Earth Dragons.

Wang Nan had seen this type of soul beast before—in a history book.