Beast Canyon, Dragon Duke Meng Po

The Beast Canyon isn't well-known on the continent, far less famous than Death Canyon, which is directly controlled by the Martial Soul Hall. However, it truly is a dangerous place, and many rare Soul Beasts originate from here.

It's just that the location is too remote. Unless there's a special need, like Chen Chu's, no Soul Master would waste time coming here.

His presence here also reduced the risk of exposure, but things often happen coincidentally; the more you fear something, the more likely it is to occur.

He was just tired from traveling and casually found a relatively clean little shop to rest, only to encounter his old dean, the founder of the Exotic Beast Family, Dragon Duke Meng Shu, Snake Dowager Zhao Tianxiang, and their little granddaughter, Meng Yiran.

"Old man, that kid looks so familiar, like I've seen him somewhere before," Snake Dowager Zhao Tianxiang said, her senses extremely sharp due to her Martial Soul.

Especially since Chen Chu was someone she had paid attention to. After just a brief encounter, she had a slight impression.

"Hmm, familiar?" Dragon Duke frowned slightly, glanced back at the man in black at a distant small table, and mused, "That's odd. No disciples from the family have been out hunting souls recently. If it were from the academy, there should be a teacher accompanying them."

"Never mind that. We don't have much time on this trip. After we find a Soul Beast for Little Yiran, we need to head back quickly."

There's a lot going on within the Exotic Beast Family. If it weren't for his most beloved granddaughter needing to hunt for a Soul Ring, he wouldn't have come out at all. With that, he reached out and dotingly stroked the young girl's hair beside him.

The young girl was very fair-skinned. Feeling her grandfather's touch, she comfortably narrowed her eyes, her gaze full of excitement, and happily asked, "Grandpa, what kind of Soul Beast are we catching this time...?"

"Haha, this time, Grandpa specifically brought you here to catch an Azure Blade Dragon Snake. It's a unique Soul Beast of the Beast Forest, and it will definitely satisfy you, little girl..."

Dragon Duke lowered his head, smiling as he explained to his granddaughter. The Snake Dowager beside him also smiled. She looked back again, and the man at the small table earlier had vanished.

In the darkness of night, Chen Chu, clad in black, weaved through the forest.

"This is insane. How can I run into acquaintances everywhere?"

If it were anyone else, Chen Chu wouldn't have cared, but he had to avoid Dragon Duke Meng Po.

The place he had forged his identity to attend was the little-known Exotic Beast Academy on the continent. Because of his special insect-type Beast Martial Soul, he could receive good training there. Moreover, it was far from the continent's conflicts, making the probability of him getting involved much lower in the future.

He originally had Innate Full Soul Power, but to avoid drawing attention, he spent money to get a fake certificate, which was what he submitted to the Exotic Beast Academy.

However, he hadn't expected that his Innate Level Seven Soul Power would still attract significant attention from the academy. They were all extremely optimistic about Chen Chu and his powerful Mantis Martial Soul, which had never appeared before.

This led to the Exotic Beast Family, the backing of the Exotic Beast Academy and its influential figure, Dragon Duke, also having some understanding of him and having shown him some favor.

Yet, after staying for a few years, he left without a word. If they had recognized him just now, and that old man had decided to pursue the matter, wouldn't he be finished?

"I need to hurry. Once I obtain my sixth Soul Ring, and if Sagros can successfully evolve into the King Series, I'll be able to escape even if I can't defeat a Soul Sage or Soul Douluo."

Chen Chu went directly to the outskirts of the Beast Canyon, found a dry cave, and began to meditate.

It was late at night, and the canyon was too dark to search for Dragon Mantises. Plus, the mist in the forest at night was thick, severely limiting visibility. It was better to rest for the night, recover his strength, and fight again tomorrow morning.

The wind in the cave was gentle, carrying the damp scent of plants unique to the canyon. Chen Chu leaned against the stone wall, his fingertips unconsciously touching the storage Soul Tool on his wrist.

Inside, besides a few packs of compressed rations and a water skin, the most conspicuous item was a crystal-clear Soul Bone. This Soul Bone was taken from the third Soul Beast he hunted, a four-thousand-year-old Sabertooth Red Mantis's Left Arm Bone. Its attributes matched his well, but it was a pity the year was too low; he felt integrating it was more of a loss than a gain.

Sagros's phantom flashed and disappeared from his body. Sagros had been with him for nearly ten years, evolving from its initial juvenile form to now being on the verge of breaking through to the King Series. Each evolution was more difficult than for ordinary Beast Martial Souls, and he had to hide it, only daring to spar with others at 30% strength even at the Exotic Beast Academy, which was very frustrating.

"That old fox, Dragon Duke, his eyes were like he was staring at prey when he gave me that Body Tempering Potion back then," Chen Chu muttered to himself, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth as he recalled the past.

He still remembered that Dragon Duke had tried more than once to pair him with members of their Exotic Beast Family to pass on the bloodline, but he had always quietly refused, using cultivation as an excuse.

The moonlight outside filtered through the cracks in the stone, illuminating the cave. Chen Chu closed his eyes but didn't immediately meditate. He listened carefully to the sounds outside. The nights in Beast Canyon were not peaceful. Although most of the Soul Beasts on the outskirts were ten or hundred-year-old, their sheer numbers were a problem. He was also afraid of encountering pack Soul Beasts like the Azure Blade Dragon Snake; once entangled, it would be troublesome to escape.

After an unknown amount of time, a few short beast roars came from outside the cave, followed by the sound of flapping wings. It was likely a Night Owl-type Soul Beast hunting.

Chen Chu slowly exhaled, circulated his Soul Power, and cultivated according to the methods of the Exotic Beast Basic Cultivation Method. This basic cultivation method taught by the Exotic Beast Academy wasn't top-tier, but it was steady and suitable. It didn't cause large Soul Power fluctuations during cultivation like some Assault Type Cultivation Methods, which was perfect for his current situation of hiding his identity.

Furthermore, he had made minor modifications to this cultivation method based on Sagros's characteristics and his development path. The process wasn't difficult, and the effect was quite good. After all, the cultivation system in Douluo was terrifyingly simple; even the Mysterious Heaven Skill from a low-martial world could dominate this realm.

In the latter half of the night, after meditating for the whole night, he vaguely heard footsteps in the distance, accompanied by the light clinking of metal, like the movement of Soul Tools on a Soul Master's waist. Sagros was extremely sensitive to these small sounds.

The footsteps grew closer, along with the conversation of an old man and a young girl. Chen Chu immediately stopped his cultivation, concealed his aura, and ran towards the back of the cave, hiding himself.

"Grandpa, are there snakes in these caves?" It was Meng Yiran's voice, with a hint of timidity. She was a completely different person now compared to her lively demeanor in the shop earlier that day.

"With Grandpa here, what are you afraid of? The Azure Blade Dragon Snake's nest isn't far from here. We'll find a place to rest before dawn and act once the mist clears," Dragon Duke's voice was kept very low as he comforted his granddaughter, who was looking around nervously.

Then, Snake Dowager Zhao Tianxiang's voice came from behind, "Old man, I think I smelled that familiar scent again just now, and it's nearby. Could it be that kid from earlier?"

"Don't be so jumpy. If that kid dared to follow us, I would have noticed him already. This isn't like outside; don't cause any trouble." Dragon Duke's footsteps stopped not far from the cave entrance. "This will do. This cave is dry, perfect for a short rest."