Sunset Forest

Bi Zihan considered her words carefully, but in the end, he still shook his head. "Tigers are solitary creatures, so I don't need companions. I alone can rival the finest team."

That was true in my previous life, and it's the same now. As long as I'm strong enough, that's all that matters. Bi Zihan did not say those words aloud, merely thinking them to himself.

"No matter how strong a tiger is, it cannot withstand a pack of wolves. Your personal strength is certainly important, but teamwork is equally indispensable. Zihan, with your talent, you are a rarity even across the entire continent. And precisely because of that, my expectations for you exceed anything you can imagine. You lack neither opportunity nor talent. As long as you cultivate diligently and earnestly, you will certainly reach the heights I expect of you." Bibi Dong's voice lost its previous gentleness and took on a measure of sternness.

"I understand, Mom." Hearing Bibi Dong's words, Bi Zihan agreed without much hesitation. As for whether he had truly taken them to heart, only he himself knew.

Several days later, in the heart of the Heaven Dou Empire, a carriage slowly came to a stop before a vast, rolling primordial forest. Bibi Dong, Bi Zihan, Hu Liena, Yue Guan, Ghostly Charm, and the others stepped down from the carriage.

"This is Sunset Forest. There are many kinds of soul beasts within it, though their cultivation levels are generally not very high. Most are around a thousand to ten thousand years old. However, if all you need is a hundred-year spirit ring, Sunset Forest can still provide one."

"Compared to the Star Dou Great Forest, though, the soul beasts in Sunset Forest are somewhat lacking. So when you need to add spirit rings in the future, I recommend going to the Star Dou Great Forest rather than Sunset Forest." As Bibi Dong walked through Sunset Forest, she explained things to Bi Zihan and Hu Liena beside her.

Looking at the two of them, Bibi Dong asked, "Zihan, Nana, do you both know the optimal spirit ring configuration?"

"Two hundred-year spirit rings, two thousand-year spirit rings, four ten-thousand-year spirit rings, and one hundred-thousand-year spirit ring." Hu Liena thought for a moment before stating the optimal configuration she knew.

"First spirit ring: four hundred and twenty-three years. Second spirit ring: seven hundred and sixty-four years. Third spirit ring: one thousand seven hundred and sixty years. Fourth spirit ring: five thousand years. Fifth spirit ring: twelve thousand years. Sixth Spirit Ring: twenty thousand years. Seventh spirit ring: fifty thousand years. Eighth spirit ring: ninety thousand years. Ninth spirit ring: over one hundred thousand years." Bi Zihan clasped his hands behind his head. He knew such precise figures because he had read the Ten Great Competencies of Martial Souls published by Grandmaster, which gave detailed annotations for the age of every spirit ring.

Of course, after reading the entire Ten Great Competencies of Martial Souls, Bi Zihan felt that the spirit ring age limits were the only useful part. The rest sounded very good, but they were all unproven theories and therefore had no practical use.

He ultimately came to one conclusion: Grandmaster had published that thing solely to make it easier to find guinea pigs to verify his theories. So after finishing it, Bi Zihan casually tossed the book aside. Other than the spirit ring age limits, he had not remembered a single thing.

Bibi Dong glanced at Bi Zihan in surprise, then smiled faintly and shook her head. "The age limits you gave are basically correct, but they are not absolute. Take the first spirit ring, for example. If one has trained their physique since childhood, they can exceed the limit of four hundred and twenty-three years. The final upper limit depends on one's physical constitution."

"If someone's physique is sufficiently strong, it is possible to absorb spirit rings beyond their level before reaching ten-thousand-year spirit rings. However, once a soul beast reaches ten thousand years, absorbing a ten-thousand-year spirit ring will cause spiritual shock. Therefore, if you wish to absorb a spirit ring beyond your level, your spiritual power must also be strong enough."

"However, according to the theories I have researched, unless one possesses Twin Martial Souls, the optimal configurations are either two yellow, two purple, and five black, or two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red."

"Of course, there may be an extremely small number of people who, through some opportunity or fortuitous encounter, can break this optimal configuration. But so far, I have only seen one such person."

As the first person to solve the problem of Twin Martial Souls having too many spirit ring attributes exceed the body's limit of endurance, Bibi Dong could be said to have more authority on spirit rings than anyone else. After all, the spirit rings attached to her second martial soul all started at fifty thousand years. No one understood the limits of each spirit ring better than she did.

But there was always an exception—for example, Bi Zihan. The Divine Blood throughout his body made not only his physique absurdly powerful, but even the spirit rings he produced himself equally unreasonable.

Bi Zihan merely nodded lightly. He was now certain that Grandmaster's theories were of no use whatsoever to disciples of sects and great clans. At most, they were somewhat useful to soul masters born among commoners.

But if a soul master born among commoners had good talent, they would be taken in by the major sects and great clans. If their talent was poor, they would be fortunate enough just to obtain a spirit ring. How could they possibly be picky about whether its configuration was optimal?

The group walked through Sunset Forest, searching for a spirit ring suitable for Hu Liena. From time to time, Bibi Dong also explained all manner of martial soul theories and knowledge to Bi Zihan and Hu Liena.

Bi Zihan and Hu Liena both listened closely and attentively, doing their best to remember the key points Bibi Dong taught, as well as the things most useful to themselves.

During this time, they encountered many soul beasts. However, because they did not suit Hu Liena's martial soul or her intended path of development, they did not hunt them, merely driving them away.

As time passed, the sky gradually darkened. Bibi Dong, Bi Zihan, Hu Liena, Yue Guan, Ghostly Charm, and the others lit a bonfire in Sunset Forest and sat quietly beside it.

"Lighting a bonfire in the forest is actually very dangerous. While the firelight can drive away some weaker soul beasts, it may also attract powerful ones. So remember this: if you are in a forest without anyone accompanying you, try not to light a bonfire, especially when you need to rest." Looking at the flames before her, Bibi Dong explained this to Bi Zihan and Hu Liena beside her.

Bi Zihan and Hu Liena nodded earnestly, both indicating that they understood.

Yet Bibi Dong, Yue Guan, and Ghostly Charm's gazes inadvertently turned toward a certain direction. Yue Guan and Ghostly Charm had just been about to rise, but Bibi Dong stopped them with a wave of her hand.