Star Dou Great Forest

At noon.

Shen Tianchen, Ning Rongrong, and Ghost Leopard Douluo, who was hidden in the shadows, arrived at the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

The Star Dou Great Forest lay southeast of Suotuo City, roughly half a day's journey away.

According to the original plot, the teachers and students of Shrek Academy had walked there on foot, claiming it would help strengthen Soul Masters' physical fitness.

But for Shen Tianchen, if he had money to rent a carriage, why walk all the way there? Wasn't that just asking for trouble? He did not have any masochistic tendencies.

After finding a hidden cave in the outer region, Shen Tianchen immediately decided with Ning Rongrong to use it as a temporary resting place.

Ever since arriving here, Ning Rongrong's eyes had constantly roamed over their surroundings, as if she found everything around her fascinating.

"Rongrong, haven't you ever stopped to rest in the Star Dou Great Forest before?" Shen Tianchen could not help asking.

Ning Rongrong shook her head. "No. When I went to obtain my first and second Soul Rings before, someone from the sect had already scouted the area ahead of time. Grandpa Sword or Grandpa Bone would just take me there directly."

"Once I obtained the Soul Ring, we came straight back. We never stayed in a place like this."

Shen Tianchen nodded, then took out some dry rations from his Soul Tool. Only then did the two of them have lunch.

Meanwhile, in Suotuo City.

Flender had secretly searched the city for an entire day, yet he had found no news of Ning Rongrong. Shen Tianchen was nowhere to be found as well.

After coming up empty-handed, he returned to the academy with an ugly expression.

Shrek Academy had only just begun its term. Whenever students greeted him, he forced a smile onto his face.

Originally, he had planned to ask Tang San about Yu Xiaogang, but now he had no interest in doing so at all.

He called Dai Mubai into his office and told him what had happened over the past two days.

Dai Mubai said in surprise, "Dean, two living people can't just vanish for no reason. Could something have happened to them?"

What Dai Mubai said was precisely what worried him most.

One was the daughter of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Sect Master and the sect's future successor. The other was a genius with monstrous talent.

If anything happened to either of them, it would break his heart.

If things were truly as Dai Mubai said and Ning Rongrong had met with misfortune, then those people had far too much nerve.

What was he supposed to do?

After a pause, Flender continued, "I don't think so. We should think positively."

Ning Fengzhi's handwritten letter had not specifically explained how Ning Rongrong was supposed to reach Shrek Academy.

It was possible that she had changed her mind midway and never came here.

As for Shen Tianchen, his background was even more mysterious.

"Mubai, later, you and Ma Hongjun should go into the city again and see if there's any news. Then notify everyone to gather at the Great Soul Arena this evening and begin Soul Fighting training ahead of schedule."

Dai Mubai looked utterly bewildered. "Dean, the students barely know each other yet. Won't it be a problem to start Soul Fighting training this early?"

Having endured Zhao Wuji's nearly sadistic training methods for so long, he had developed an aversion to training.

But Flender did not consider that at all.

"Shen Tianchen isn't even a student, yet he still trains at the Great Soul Arena all the time."

"Now look at you. What have you become? Don't you understand where the gap between you lies?"

Flender's words slowly lowered Dai Mubai's head, leaving him deeply ashamed.

He did not know Shen Tianchen's exact Soul Power Level, but if Shen Tianchen could defeat him so cleanly and decisively, his Soul Power Level surely was not lower than his own.

Thinking about it now, Dai Mubai still felt a lingering fear. Someone two or three years younger than him had a higher Soul Power Level than he did. Where the hell was the justice in that?

He was supposed to be the leader of Shrek Academy's students, yet this record was truly pathetic.

On the other side.

After taking out a map of the Star Dou Great Forest from his Soul Tool, Shen Tianchen led Ning Rongrong deeper inside step by step.

To avoid being targeted by people with ill intentions, the two of them wandered around the forest's outer region for quite a while.

Only after confirming that no one was following them did they enter with ease.

"Remember, aside from the especially dangerous powerful Soul Beasts in the forest, humans are the most dangerous. You never know what someone else is thinking."

"Don't ever let your compassion get the better of you here. Otherwise, you won't even know how you died later."

The Spirit Beast Forest was not bound by the empire's laws. Desperadoes often roamed this place, and the so-called morality of the human world was useless here.

"Rongrong will remember." Ning Rongrong nodded seriously.

After walking for a while, Shen Tianchen yawned. "We can't let down our guard, but we also can't be too tense."

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Tianchen suddenly noticed something and stopped.

"What is it, Brother Tianchen? Is there a problem?"

Seeing Shen Tianchen suddenly stop, Ning Rongrong asked in confusion.

Shen Tianchen pointed at the ground beneath his feet. "Besides having many types of Soul Beasts, the Star Dou Great Forest also produces all kinds of medicinal herbs. For example, this Water Hibiscus, famed for healing wounds."

Fortunately, Chrysanthemum Douluo's research notes were practically an encyclopedia of flowers and herbs. After studying them, he recognized most medicinal herbs.

Ning Rongrong said casually, "Water Hibiscus does have good healing effects, but there's no need to deliberately gather it, right? You can buy plenty of this kind of herb from medicine shops in Heaven Dou City for a hundred Gold Soul Coins."

Shen Tianchen did not take that seriously.

You think everyone spends money as recklessly as you do? A hundred Gold Soul Coins was no small amount.

Sure, one could buy plenty in the city, but how could anything bought from someone else compare to gathering it personally?

Besides, they were in the Star Dou Great Forest now. If they encountered a powerful Soul Beast, getting injured would be the least of their problems.

They had not brought much healing medicine to begin with. Since they had come across it, shouldn't they gather more?

If they ran out of healing medicine here, they would not be able to buy medicinal herbs no matter how much money they had.

They should gather as much as they could, just in case.

The two of them were unfamiliar with the Star Dou Great Forest. Although they had a map, it did not mark the territories of Soul Beasts.

To avoid accidentally entering a Soul Beast's territory, Shen Tianchen led them at a slow pace.

They walked and stopped along the way. Before they knew it, they had reached a relatively high slope.

After surveying the surroundings, Shen Tianchen immediately decided to make camp there.

Ning Rongrong asked in confusion, "Brother Tianchen, if we camp on a slope like this, won't we become sitting ducks for those nocturnal Flying Type Soul Beasts?"

Even some land-based Soul Beasts would not choose to camp on a slope like this, lest they be spotted by other Soul Beasts.

The place where they stood resembled a massive protruding rock.

No plants grew there at all, so any nocturnal Flying Type Soul Beast would notice it at a glance.

Shen Tianchen explained, "It would be fine if there were many of us. Then we could camp on the ground and take turns keeping watch."

"But there are only two of us now. If we camp on the ground, we'll have to guard against threats from all around us and from the trees. Here, we only need to watch out for threats from the sky."

They had not yet approached the inner region. Low-age Soul Beasts were generally afraid of fire.

Once they lit a campfire, they could ward off most threats.