The Star Dou Forest

As a village on the border of the Heaven Dou Empire, Shanyang Village was naturally not far from the Star Dou Forest. Moreover, with Ye Xuanji's cultivation at Rank 97 and Sword Flight, the two of them reached the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest in less than half a day.

"This is the Star Dou Forest?"

Before even stepping inside, the forest had already left Junting utterly stunned! Vast, primordial, and impossible to describe in words.

It seemed like a Secret Realm isolated from the outside world. Dense trees blocked out the sky and sun, allowing only dappled light to spill through the gaps between the leaves. The ground was covered in a thick layer of fallen leaves.

The trees were tall and straight, their branches crisscrossing in complex patterns to form natural barriers. These barriers blocked the view, making it impossible to see through the entire forest at a glance. The path behind the warning sign looked like the enormous maw of a giant beast, luring people into the Abyss.

"The Star Dou Forest sits at the center of the former Three Great Douluo Empires. As the largest wild Soul Beast habitat on the continent, it is divided into the Edge Zone, Outer Circle, Mixed Circle, Core Circle, and the most dangerous Great Fierce Land, where no one dares set foot. Our target is at the boundary between the Outer Zone and the Mixed Zone."

Ye Xuanji withdrew his Martial Soul and stood with his hands behind his back.

After stepping onto the path, he gestured for Junting to follow.

"The First Soul Ring of Sword Douluo ten thousand years ago came from a hundred-year-old Claw Bear, granting him the Soul Skill Long Sword Unsheathed. So our target is the same Soul Beast."

After walking for about fifteen minutes, the path had vanished completely. This meant they had left the Edge Zone of the Star Dou Forest and officially entered the Outer Zone. "Although we need a hundred-year-old Soul Beast, Claw Bears will never be found in the Outer Zone."

"Stay close to me from now on."

After explaining, Ye Xuanji began releasing his Momentum, lest some weak and foolish Soul Beasts provoke them.

"Master, I remember that Claw Bears are supposedly a subspecies of Dark Golden Claw Bears. Can't we choose a Dark Golden Claw Bear instead?" Junting held the Seven Kills Sword and followed closely beside Ye Xuanji, recalling everything he knew about Dark Golden Claw Bears.

"You know quite a lot."

Ye Xuanji was somewhat surprised that Junting knew this, but he was not particularly shocked. "Indeed, Dark Golden Claw Bears are a better choice than Claw Bears. However, their numbers are extremely low. If we rely on luck, we might search for several months—or even half a year—without finding one. So Claw Bears, which inherit the Dark Golden Claw Bear's offensive nature, are our backup option."

"Whoosh!"

Suddenly, the sound of something tearing through the air rang out.

Junting, who had not relaxed his vigilance since entering the Star Dou Forest, immediately swung the Seven Kills Sword in his hand toward the direction of the sound. A streak of white light flashed into view.

"A mere hundred-year Soul Beast dares attack us?"

At Junting's action, a smile appeared at the corner of Ye Xuanji's mouth, but it was quickly suppressed by the hundred-year Soul Beast's offense. With a wave of his hand, the white light instantly vanished.

"Is that a Wind Baboon?"

Junting looked in the direction the attack had come from. A baboon about a meter tall stood on a branch, waving its sharp claws. Its canine teeth were bared, and its eyes gleamed with viciousness.

Suddenly, a strange feeling welled up in his heart.

One had to know that, faced with Ye Xuanji's released Momentum, other hundred-year Soul Beasts had fled as fast as they could. That was why he had not seen a single Soul Beast along the way. But this Wind Baboon...

"Is the entire Wind Baboon species this bold?"

Just as the Wind Baboon transformed into a black blur and attempted to attack them again, Ye Xuanji joined two fingers into a Sword Finger. Sword Intent coiled around them, and he thrust forward at incredible speed.

"Buzz..."

Accompanied by a sword hum, Junting finally reacted.

Ahead of Ye Xuanji's Sword Finger, the Wind Baboon had already come to a complete stop. Although its body bore no injuries, Junting could see clearly that there was no light left in its eyes.

"Thud!"

The sound of its body hitting the ground rang out, and a yellow Soul Ring floated above it.

"Did you feel it?"

After killing the Wind Baboon, Ye Xuanji did not hurry onward. Instead, he slowly dispersed the Sword Intent around his finger and gestured for Junting to examine the Wind Baboon's completely unharmed head.

"I felt it."

Junting suppressed the heat in his heart and nodded repeatedly. "Master, is this the legendary Sword Intent from the storybooks?"

"Legendary? It cannot be called that yet."

Ye Xuanji did not waste words. He struck out again with his Sword Finger.

A streak of Sword Qi swept across the area, cutting through the bushes ahead and forming a path. After gesturing for Junting to follow, he explained:

"For other factions and Soul Masters with other Martial Souls, Intent is indeed something very few people can master. But our Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect is different. The method of cultivating Sword Intent has been passed down from generation to generation. Mastering Sword Intent not only greatly improves your own strength, but also allows you to create multiple Self-Created Soul Skills on that foundation. These are all things you will learn in the future."

As Ye Xuanji patiently explained, the two of them ventured deeper and deeper into the Star Dou Forest. Because the Momentum he released was limited, quite a few Soul Beasts had begun watching them from the shadows.

But none of them dared to attack like the Wind Baboon had.

Time passed, and half a day soon went by.

Although Claw Bears were not as rare as Dark Golden Claw Bears, the two of them still found nothing during that time. However, both Junting and Ye Xuanji remained extremely patient.

It was nearly evening. Junting and Ye Xuanji stopped going deeper and took a tent from the Storage Soul Tool. Given Ye Xuanji's immense strength, they even lit a campfire, unafraid that the light would attract powerful Soul Beasts.

Beside the campfire, Junting did not rest. Under Ye Xuanji's guidance, he began cultivating the top-tier Meditation Method inherited and refined by successive generations of sword Martial Soul Soul Masters within the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.

When the forest was no longer shrouded in darkness and faint white light gradually appeared beneath the dappled tree shadows, Junting finally stopped cultivating.

Afterward, the two of them continued onward.

Along the way, Ye Xuanji gradually retracted his Momentum, allowing Junting to see many Soul Beasts, including quite a few thousand-year Soul Beasts. Ye Xuanji explained them to him as well.

After several days, a vast amount of knowledge about Soul Beasts had been poured into Junting's mind. Survival of the fittest, the law of the jungle, and the conflicts between different Soul Beasts had also shown him the cruelty of the Star Dou Forest.

Their search for a Soul Beast continued.

"Buzz, buzz, buzz..."

A burst of noisy sound drew the attention of the two men.

Accompanying the noise was a faint, sweet fragrance.

"This scent is... We found it!"

Apparently recognizing the source of both the fragrance and the noise, Ye Xuanji grabbed Junting. With a flash of his body, he flew a hundred meters away. "Come! Your master has a way to draw out a Claw Bear."

Ye Xuanji brought Junting beneath a towering tree. The two of them looked up and saw a massive beehive hanging from its branches, with countless bees circling around it.

"Master, you want to lure out the bear with honey."

Junting immediately understood Ye Xuanji's plan. He could not help sniffing, and the waves of sweetness made his mouth water.

This honey was clearly no ordinary honey!