"Uncle Jian, Uncle Bone." Ning Fengzhi called out, shaking his head at the two of them before rising on his own initiative and nodding respectfully to Ao Tian.
"Fellow Daoist, since you have come to our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, you are a guest. Please, take a seat."
After speaking, Ning Fengzhi glanced again at the composed Chen Chu beside him. Turbulent waves rose in his heart. Wasn't this boy still a commoner three months ago? How had he suddenly gained such a powerful protector?
Could he be from some major power? A mutated Mantis Martial Soul... I've never heard of one. Could he be the descendant of some reclusive family?
In just a few minutes, Ning Fengzhi had analyzed several of the more likely possibilities.
"Young friend, could this senior be the expert you mentioned inviting?"
"I did not expect you to have such a background, young friend. You have truly surprised this sect."
Chen Chu nodded slightly and replied calmly, "Sect Master Ning has sharp eyes. This is indeed an elder of my family. Now that he is here, does Sword Douluo have the courage to accompany us and hunt that forest overlord?"
Hearing the mockery in his words, Sword Douluo frowned. He knew Chen Chu was provoking him, but the words were truly grating. "Boy, there is nothing under heaven that I, Chen Xin, fear. If we are going to kill it, we can leave now."
When Ning Rongrong, who had been playing nearby, heard that they were going to hunt a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, her eyes spun. She skipped over to Chen Xin, wrapped herself around his arm, and looked up at him with sparkling eyes. "Grandpa Sword~, Rongrong wants to go too! I've never seen a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast before. Can I come too~?"
"Rongrong, don't be unruly." Ning Fengzhi frowned and looked sternly at his young daughter. "Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts are extremely dangerous. Even I would have to avoid their edge if I encountered one, let alone the Star Dou Great Forest, which is filled with poisonous insects and wild beasts. You are still too young. You cannot go."
Upon hearing this, Ning Rongrong immediately resorted to her usual tricks. With tearful eyes, she looked at her Grandpa Sword. "No, I want to go! Nothing will happen with Grandpa Sword there. And besides, isn't this big brother and this old grandpa here too? Just let me go."
As she spoke, she began to cry, pointing at the expressionless Chen Chu beside her as she declared with complete certainty.
"No." Chen Chu frowned slightly, looking displeasedly at the troublesome little devil. "The Star Dou Great Forest is extremely dangerous. I will not have the energy to look after a child like you on this trip. If anything happens to you, won't Sect Master Ning come looking to fight me to the death?"
Ning Rongrong choked on Chen Chu's retort, and her tears immediately stopped. Puffing out her cheeks, she glared at him and shouted, "Why are you so fierce! I don't need you to take care of me. Grandpa Sword will protect me!"
Chen Xin's expression softened as he looked at the sulking Rongrong, but he still shook his head. "Rongrong, this is no trivial matter. The ferocity of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast is far beyond that of ordinary Soul Beasts. If I have to divide my attention to protect you, I may not be able to look after everyone else."
Gu Rong also spoke up then, his tone gently coaxing. "Little Rongrong, when you grow a little older, hmm... when your Soul Power breaks through level forty, Grandpa Bone will take you to the Star Dou Great Forest for a trip, all right? This time is simply too dangerous."
Ning Rongrong bit her lip, her gaze sweeping over everyone in the hall before finally settling on Ning Fengzhi, full of pleading. "Daddy..."
Ning Fengzhi closed his eyes, his tone leaving no room for argument. "There is no discussion. Stay obediently in the sect and finish the schoolwork your teacher assigned today."
Seeing that no one would relent, Ning Rongrong's spirit finally deflated. It was the first time she had encountered a situation where everyone rejected her. Helpless, she stomped her foot, turned, and ran out of the hall, muttering, "You're all bullying me. None of you like Rongrong anymore. I'll never speak to any of you again!"
After she left, the atmosphere in the hall eased somewhat. Ning Fengzhi looked at Chen Chu and Ao Tian apologetically. "My daughter is mischievous. Please forgive the amusement she has caused you both."
Ao Tian waved a hand indifferently. "No matter. Since there are no more issues, let us depart."
Ning Fengzhi added, "I will send five Soul Sages with you to clear obstacles in the outer regions. The three of you can focus on the situation in the core area. If you encounter danger, there are signal flares in the Soul Tool. The sect disciples on the outskirts will immediately send reinforcements."
Chen Chu suddenly spoke. "There is no need to bring so many Soul Sages. Three will be enough. Too many people may instead alert the Soul Beasts deeper within."
Ao Tian nodded. "The boy is right. The depths of the Star Dou Great Forest are full of uncertainties. A smaller team will be better able to deal with unexpected situations."
Ning Fengzhi pondered for a moment. "All right, we will do as you say. The three Soul Sages are all veterans of the sect, with abundant experience. They will be of considerable help."
With that, the group immediately set out, hurrying all the way toward the Star Dou Great Forest.
At the same time, at Spirit Hall.
"Nana, Xie Yue, Yan, this time, you must go to the Star Dou Great Forest and hunt your third Soul Ring on your own. I will have Elder Ju protect you in secret."
After giving a few instructions from the Palace of the Pope, the dignified and noble Pope, whose skin was whiter than snow, vanished from atop the throne, leaving only the few people below to bow and acknowledge her orders.
Several days later, in the Star Dou Great Forest, ancient trees filled the land, while shrubs and vines grew everywhere. Combined with the poor visibility, travel was quite difficult.
"So this is the largest Soul Beast habitat on the mainland? It is indeed somewhat different. No wonder they all hide here."
It was also Ao Tian's first time here. He had previously lived in the deep sea, and now that he had come inland, he found it rather interesting.
"Oh? Could Fellow Daoist Ao Tian not be from the continent? Might you be from some overseas land?"
Ao Tian's casual remark allowed Chen Xin to catch a useful piece of information. This powerful expert was not native to the Douluo Continent. Could Chen Chu also be from an overseas family?
"Sword Douluo, let us not be distracted by other matters. We should focus on traveling and enter the core area as quickly as possible. After all, every additional day we remain here brings another day of risk."
Chen Chu interrupted Chen Xin's questioning and quickened his pace toward the core area.
After an unknown amount of time, the sky gradually darkened, yet Chen Chu's group was still in the mixed zone. There was no other reason—they had searched all day without finding those two Soul Beasts.
Chen Chu felt some regret at this moment. If he had brought that rabbit along beforehand, they would not have needed to trouble themselves searching at all. The other side would have taken the bait on their own.
"It is already dark. There are many poisonous insects and wild beasts nearby, and visibility is poor. Why don't we rest for the night, recover our strength, and continue searching tomorrow?"
Hunting a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in this forest at night was not a wise choice.
Chen Chu nodded, lit a fire, and took out some insect-repelling powder from his bag, scattering it around them. "Then we will rest for the night and continue searching at first light tomorrow."
Not far from them, Hu Liena and the others, who had come from Spirit Hall for training, followed the route they had cleared and also arrived there without obstruction.
"Nana, there is firelight ahead. Someone is there. They are probably the group that cleared the way during the day. Let's find another place to make camp."
Before you continue