Star Dou Great Forest

Dai Mubai's concern was also Flender's concern.

Someone was secretly hunting geniuses. They even dared to target Ning Rongrong of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect—those people were utterly insane.

And in Suotuo City, the place with the most geniuses was undoubtedly Shrek Academy.

If this was true, those people would inevitably turn their claws toward them in the future.

What were they supposed to do?

After a pause, Flender squeezed his brows together. "No, no, no. We should stay optimistic."

In the letter, Ning Fengzhi had not explicitly explained how Ning Rongrong had ended up at Shrek Academy.

It was possible that Ning Rongrong had changed her mind midway and decided not to come.

As for Wu Qi and Qian Gu Changkong, since they had voluntarily gone out to gain experience, they would naturally spend their time cultivating whenever nothing was happening.

Of course, they would not be in the city at night or early in the morning.

"Mubai, take Hongjun into the city this afternoon. At dusk, have everyone gather at the Great Soul Arena."

Dai Mubai was shocked and quickly said, "Headmaster, are we starting the new students' soul battle training this soon?"

Having been disciplined by Zhao Wuji for so long, he had instinctively developed an aversion to practical combat training.

And Flender clearly failed to realize that.

"Wu Qi isn't even a student, yet isn't he undergoing soul battle training too?"

"Look at how lazy you've become. You lost to him in the Soul Arena, and you still haven't figured out why?"

Dai Mubai was momentarily too ashamed to show his face.

Wu Qi's Soul Power Level was far below his, yet he had defeated him with exceptionally swift and clean methods.

As the big brother of Shrek Academy, that record was truly not something to be proud of.

With a route map in hand, Wu Qi and the other two entered the Star Dou Great Forest.

To avoid being watched by anyone with ill intentions, they deliberately wandered around the forest's outermost region for quite a while.

Only after confirming that no one was following them did they finally feel at ease enough to venture deeper into the forest.

"In the forest, humans are the most dangerous. Here, you cannot afford even the slightest kindness, or it will become the talisman that summons your death!"

Wu Qi and Azure Luan Douluo had entered Soul Beast Forest three times. For some reason, every time, they had encountered attacks from human Soul Masters.

Whether it had been deliberately arranged by Azure Luan Douluo or not, Wu Qi had gradually become wary.

Soul Beast Forest was a lawless place. The morals of the human world were practically meaningless here.

"Rongrong will remember that." Ning Rongrong nodded seriously.

Qian Gu Changkong gave a casual laugh. "We can't let down our guard, but there's no need to be overly tense either. We definitely can't panic at every little thing."

Before he could finish, Wu Qi grabbed his arm.

"What is it?"

Wu Qi pointed at his feet. "The Star Dou Great Forest is also rich in medicinal herbs. This Water Caltrop Flower is a medicinal herb for treating injuries."

Thanks to the information Chrysanthemum Douluo had given him, Wu Qi recognized most common medicinal herbs after studying it.

Ning Rongrong did not think much of it. "The Water Caltrop Flower's healing effect is indeed very good, but is there really any need to gather it specifically? You can buy plenty of it for a hundred Gold Soul Coins at the medicinal herb market in Heaven Dou City."

There were farmers across the continent who specialized in growing medicinal herbs, but how could buying them compare to gathering them yourself?

Besides, they were currently in the Star Dou Great Forest. If someone was injured, money would not necessarily be enough to buy medicinal herbs.

If they collected some now, they might come in handy later.

The three of them were unfamiliar with the terrain inside the Star Dou Great Forest. Although they had a map, they did not know the distribution of Soul Beasts, so in order to avoid accidentally entering a Soul Beast's territory, they traveled slowly.

When they reached a patch of high ground, the sky was already growing dark. Seeing that they would not be able to reach the next high ground, the three simply set up camp there.

Ning Rongrong voiced her doubts. "Brother Wu Qi, if we camp on high ground, won't we be exposed to the eyes of Flying Soul Beasts?"

Most Soul Beasts would not come to high ground, lest they be noticed by other predators, so it could spare them a great deal of trouble.

The high ground they occupied resembled a massive protruding rock. Aside from moss, there were no plants at all, and Flying Soul Beasts could spot it at a glance.

Wu Qi smiled. "When camping in a forest, we need to watch beneath our feet, our surroundings, and threats from the sky. Here, we only need to pay attention to the sky."

"As the saying goes, the higher you stand, the farther you see. If Soul Masters on the ground want to ambush us, we'll spot them quickly too."

This was the outer region. There were no low-age Flying Soul Beasts that were not afraid of fire.

Once they lit a bonfire, those Soul Beasts would not dare approach easily.

If they truly encountered a high-age Soul Beast that was not afraid of fire, it would be the most suitable Soul Ring for Qian Gu Changkong.

Besides absorbing Soul Rings from traditional strength-type Soul Beasts, his Coiling Dragon Staff could also use fire-attribute Soul Beasts as candidates for his Soul Rings.

After the tents were set up and they finished dinner, Qian Gu Changkong immediately crawled inside to rest, preparing to take shifts with Wu Qi and keep watch during the latter half of the night.

By the bonfire, Wu Qi took several sweet potatoes from his Soul Tool, wrapped them in mud, and tossed them into the flames to roast.

Before long, Ning Rongrong came over, and he could not help asking, "Rongrong, you're not going to sleep?"

A Support-Type Spirit Master's stamina was certainly no match for that of a Battle Spirit Master. After walking all day, Ning Rongrong was already exhausted.

But there had always been a question in her heart, and she wanted to hear the answer from Wu Qi himself.

"Brother Wu Qi, was that little boy in Heaven Dou City back then you?"

"What makes you think so?" Wu Qi asked in return.

Ning Rongrong fell silent for a moment before saying, "I don't know. It's just a feeling. Brother Wu Qi, was it you or not?"

Wu Qi shook his head without saying a word.

Back then, Azure Luan Douluo had taken him away right in front of Chen Xin. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect must have investigated the matter afterward.

If he admitted it now, would that not confirm that he came from Spirit Hall?

With someone from Spirit Hall lurking at Crown Prince Xue Qinghe's side, if the truth were exposed, either the two of them would suffer, or Xue Qinghe would.

Before the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect sided with the Worship Hall, Ning Rongrong would never get the answer from him.

"Alright." Ning Rongrong did not press him further.

Now that she had Wu Qi, the identity of that little boy from back then no longer seemed important.

Suotuo City.

At Flender's request, the Shrek Six Monsters arrived at the Great Soul Arena.

Upon hearing that there was a place where she could fight to her heart's content, Xiao Wu was brimming with excitement.

Tang San was also looking forward to such a place. After all, back in Notting City, he could not find any worthy opponents at all.

Yu Xiaogang had said that if a Spirit Master wanted to transform into an expert, real combat sparring against opponents of the same rank was indispensable.

The older students' attitudes stood in stark contrast to those of the newcomers.

Ma Hongjun looked utterly dejected. "Master, we have to participate in Spirit Battles right after school starts?"

Flender shot him a glance. "You don't have to if you don't want to. Go back and run thirty laps around the village. No resting until you finish."

Ma Hongjun shut his mouth resentfully.

Even ten laps around the village would take an entire afternoon to finish, let alone thirty.

"Tang San, I have something to ask you. Come with me."

With that, Flender entered the Great Soul Arena.

Tang San said a few words to Xiao Wu, then quickly followed after him.

Flender had recognized the Soul Tool at his waist and used it to ask about Yu Xiaogang.

Learning that Yu Xiaogang would soon arrive at Shrek Academy, Flender could not help feeling excited.

Unfortunately, he was destined not to find any trace of Wu Qi or Qian Gu Changkong in the Great Soul Arena that night.