Preparations for the Second Soul Ring

Eight months later!

Three young boys and girls sat in a speeding carriage, their laughter drifting outside.

"Xiao San, Luo-ge, what fun things do you have at home?"

Xiao Wu chattered away inside the carriage, her large eyes sparkling as though she were curious about everything.

Tang San shook his head helplessly. "Xiao Wu, can't you settle down for a while? Aren't you tired?"

"Hmph! You tricked me into coming here, so you have to be my guide."

"Who was the one shamelessly following us?"

Xiao Wu immediately stood up, but before she could speak, her head struck the carriage roof. She rubbed the sore spot nonstop.

"Luo-ge, don't you think Xiao San tricked me into coming here?"

Xiao Wu stared threateningly at Yuan Luo, still rubbing the top of her head.

"Mm-hm, mm-hm. Xiao San tricked you into coming here to be his wife."

"Luo-ge!" "Luo-ge!"

Tang San and Xiao Wu immediately protested when they heard that, hurriedly explaining with flushed faces.

Yuan Luo smiled knowingly. That expression of his was as lewd as could be.

Before long, the three arrived at Holy Soul Village. Xiao Wu followed Tang San to his home, while Yuan Luo naturally went to see Grandpa Jack.

Before getting out of the carriage, Yuan Luo glanced at Xiao San and said, "Xiao San, invite Uncle Hao to my place for dinner. Today, I'll make something delicious you've never had before."

At the mention of delicious food, Xiao Wu's eyes lit up. "Okay, okay!"

Tang San looked at Xiao Wu dotingly and nodded as well.

Yuan Luo merely shook his head. If nothing unexpected had happened, Tang Hao had probably already left. There were barely any ingredients in Xiao San's home, so they might as well come eat here.

"Old Jack, your grandson's back!"

Before he even entered, Yuan Luo shouted toward the front door.

The next moment, a delighted voice came from inside. "You little brat, so you still remember you have a grandfather? You finally decided to come back."

Old Jack looked much healthier than before. It seemed Widow Wang had taken good care of him.

"Come in, come in. Tell Grandpa how school has been."

Yuan Luo was happy as well. Whether in his previous world or this one, the feeling family gave him was always the best.

The two talked for a long time.

From Tang San having a teacher when they enrolled, to that Li Bapo in class, and then all sorts of amusing things, Old Jack listened with a constant smile.

"Grandpa, I'll make you something tasty tonight. I guarantee you've never eaten it before."

After saying that, Yuan Luo took out all kinds of meat he had bought at the market a few days earlier, sliced it, and marinated it.

That evening, the four sat around a small stove. Tang San's expression was clearly somewhat dejected, and a faint tear track still lingered on his face.

"Xiao San, successful people aren't held back by family ties. Uncle Hao left because he wanted you to succeed. If you can't pull yourself together, wouldn't all of Uncle Hao's painstaking efforts be wasted?"

Yuan Luo took a bite of rabbit meat and comforted Tang San, who had yet to touch his chopsticks.

Tang San nodded and took a deep breath.

"I understand, Luo-ge. I'll work hard and let Father see my success."

"That's more like it! Come, have some rabbit meat!"

With that, Yuan Luo picked up a chopstickful of rabbit meat for Tang San.

"Yuan Luo! Rabbits are so cute, how can you eat rabbits? Xiao San, you can't eat rabbits either!"

Xiao Wu puffed out her cheeks and glared angrily at Yuan Luo and Tang San.

"Eh? Xiao Wu, rabbits are so cute. See? Didn't I sprinkle my most precious seasoning all over them? Smells amazing!"

"Ahhh!"

In the end, Tang San and Yuan Luo happily ate rabbit meat, while Xiao Wu did not eat a single bite of meat. Even so, she ate the vegetables until her mouth was slick with oil.

"Luo-ge, you're not being fair. You only brought out something this delicious now. I've known you for a whole year for nothing."

Yuan Luo rolled his eyes at Xiao Wu. Haven't you already eaten plenty of my cooking?

A hot pot meal washed away Tang San's gloom and restored his confidence.

Tang San and Xiao Wu returned to school the next day, while Yuan Luo hunted plenty of game for Old Jack and stored some meat for him—enough to last Old Jack a long time.

Yuan Luo truly did not want to go back. Every time he attended those classes teaching knowledge that any transmigrator knew, aside from Tang San, he became sleepy to death.

He would rather play at home.

In the end, on the day before school resumed, Old Jack drove Yuan Luo out of the house.

While Yuan Luo had been home, Old Jack had not even gone to see Widow Wang. He must have been itching for her these days.

Helpless, Yuan Luo could only go back to sleep in class.

And he slept through nearly another year.

Yuan Luo was now eight years old, standing somewhere between 1.5 and 1.6 meters tall.

It had to be said that people on Douluo Continent matured early. Yuan Luo now looked like a twelve- or thirteen-year-old boy from Blue Star.

A few months after returning from Holy Soul Village, Yuan Luo had broken through, but he had never had the chance to hunt for a Soul Ring.

After all, if a boy not yet eight years old had already broken through to Level 20, he would be finished if Spirit Hall took notice of him.

He did not dare ask for leave either. If he claimed that Grandpa Jack was sick or something, the school would definitely send people to investigate.

Now that vacation had finally arrived, he could use the break to hunt for a Soul Ring.

This time, he planned to hunt a plant-type Soul Beast, preferably at least a Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

Since he did not know exactly what kind of Soul Ring he could absorb, Yuan Luo did not dare take risks.

Compared to animal-type Soul Rings, plant-type Soul Rings were easier to absorb. That way, he should be able to absorb a Soul Ring close to two thousand years old.

Xiao San and Xiao Wu also stayed at school during the break. After all, Xiao San's father had left home as well, and aside from Old Jack and Yuan Luo, the villagers all looked down on him. He did not want to return.

After packing the necessities for the next few days, Yuan Luo hired a carriage and prepared to head for the Star Dou Great Forest.

The Soul Beast Forest was maintained by the Empire. There were too few types of Soul Beasts there, and their ages were too low, making it completely unsuitable for Yuan Luo.

Especially plant-type Soul Beasts. Could one really expect Soul Masters to transplant plant-type Soul Beasts?

A week later, Yuan Luo finally reached his destination.

A week of carriage travel had nearly shaken him sick.

Once they reached the outer edge of the Star Dou Great Forest, the carriage would go no farther and could only stop there.

At the outermost edge, just like at the Soul Beast Forest, there were many people who had formed groups to hunt Soul Beasts.

Back at school, Yuan Luo occasionally joined in hunting Soul Beasts, though most of the time he went to sell grilled meat for money.

Yu Yue, however, had greatly surprised him. She had actually awakened the Bamboo Skewer Martial Soul, but her Soul Power was only half a level. She probably would never become a Soul Master in her life.

That happened to let her pursue grilling as a profession, and her future life could be quite fulfilling.

Yuan Luo took a deep breath, his eyes bright.

Time to prepare!

The Star Dou Great Forest was permeated with danger everywhere. One careless step, and he might meet an untimely death.

However, Yuan Luo would only be active around the outskirts. He could not possibly encounter a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, could he?

As long as it was a Thousand-Year Soul Beast, even if he could not defeat it, he would still have a chance to escape.

The last time he had been sleeping, Xiao Wu and Tang San came looking for him. Half-asleep, he had actually touched Xiao Wu's head.

That was not the problem. The problem was that it had triggered the system's hidden quest.

The system rewarded him with a Swiftwind Card, which increased his speed fivefold after use.

When he broke through to Level 20, the system had rewarded him with a Teleportation Card, allowing him to teleport freely within twenty kilometers.

Only with these two items did Yuan Luo dare come to the Star Dou Great Forest.

Since you brothers love my novel so much, I'll work a little harder too. If I can't get a contract, then so be it—I'll treat it as a hobby. There's still one month until school starts, so I'll grind for a while.