Battle in the Forest

After entering the Star Dou Great Forest, Lin Feng and Han Ping headed toward the Mixed Zone. The spirit beasts in the Outer Zone could no longer threaten Lin Feng, and fighting them would be little more than bullying the weak. Yes, Lin Feng, a mere Soul Grandmaster, was already starting to show off.

They crossed the Outer Zone, encountering many spirit beasts along the way, but none could truly temper Lin Feng in battle. Thus, no fights broke out, and the two soon arrived at the Mixed Zone.

Just after entering the Mixed Zone, they encountered a 1,500-year Striped Tiger. Lin Feng was tempted and said to Han Ping, "Uncle Han, this tiger may not be that old, but it's the first Thousand-year spirit beast we've encountered. It's also a high-level spirit beast like a Striped Tiger. I'll use it to kick things off with a fight. Please watch my back."

Han Ping said, "Alright, go ahead. Leave the surroundings to me."

Without releasing his martial spirit, Lin Feng raised a hand and attacked the Striped Tiger. The tiger reacted swiftly, dodging Lin Feng's palm strike before whipping its tail at him. Lin Feng countered with Dragon Tail Sweep, knocking the tiger's tail aside. The Striped Tiger opened its jaws and bit toward Lin Feng. Lin Feng leaped into the air and struck at its head from above with Dragon Soaring in the Heavens. The tiger fired a Light Wave from its mouth, colliding with Lin Feng's palm force. Lin Feng used the impact to fly backward and land, while the Striped Tiger also sprang away. After one exchange, neither side had gained an advantage.

The Striped Tiger did not pause. It shot toward Lin Feng in a pounce, its claws radiating sharp energy as they slashed at him. Lin Feng curled his right hand into a claw and met it with Nine Yin White Bone Claw. His claw force was fierce, carrying an unstoppable momentum. When the claws collided, the tiger's claws were overwhelmed and blasted away. The Striped Tiger flew backward as swiftly as it had charged in. Seizing the advantage, Lin Feng followed up with Regretful Dragon Strike at its abdomen. The tiger took another palm strike, collapsed in injury, and blood gushed from its mouth. It no longer had the strength to fight.

With a flick of his finger, Lin Feng sent a medicinal pill into the tiger's mouth, then darted back to Han Ping's side. "Uncle Han, let's go." Han Ping nodded. "Young Master, did you just give it a healing pill?"

"Yes. I came to the Star Dou Great Forest to temper myself, not to slaughter spirit beasts for no reason. This Striped Tiger's age is highly suitable as a Third Soul Ring for many Beast Spirit soul masters. Let's see which destined person it meets. Still, this battle has given me a clearer understanding of my own strength. I originally thought I was comparable to an ordinary 3,000-year spirit beast, but it seems that I should have no trouble against spirit beasts within 5,000 years. Against soul masters, I could probably handle a four-ring Soul Ancestor."

Han Ping said, "Young Master truly is the son of the master and madam. You have perfectly inherited both their talents. Such talent is truly rare."

"Uncle Han, you're not suited for such polite flattery!"

"Hahaha! Let's get moving. Otherwise, the smell of blood will attract other spirit beasts soon enough. Who knows how many will come? We should keep looking for suitable opponents to fight."

After traveling another hundred li, the two encountered a 4,000-year Gale Eagle that was hunting. Gale Eagles were known for their speed. Their wings and talons were both weapons, while their signature move was the Wind Blade released from their wings—fast and powerful.

Lin Feng released the Heavenly Sword and charged in with it. The Gale Eagle dodged the incoming Heavenly Sword, and the Lightning Rabbit beneath its claws took the chance to teleport away. If the Gale Eagle could speak, it would have cursed Lin Feng on the spot. Are you sick? I finally caught that rabbit! Do you know how hard Lightning Rabbits are to catch? It hadn't even reached my mouth, and you let it get away! Furious, the Gale Eagle swept its right wing toward Lin Feng's neck. Lin Feng twisted aside and thrust the Heavenly Sword straight ahead, stabbing toward the base of its right wing. The Gale Eagle retracted its wing and blocked the Heavenly Sword with both talons before shooting into the sky like lightning. However, it did not know how sharp the Heavenly Sword was, and one of its claw tips was severed.

Lin Feng pressed his advantage, flying after it with Seven Stars in a Row. His sword tip targeted the Gale Eagle's eyes, throat, wing roots, and talon roots. The eagle rapidly beat its wings, releasing two Wind Blades to intercept the Heavenly Sword. The slender Wind Blades blocked six of Lin Feng's attacks, but it was still wounded by one strike at the root of its right talon, around its abdomen. Injured once again, the Gale Eagle grew even angrier. It beat its wings again and sent two more Wind Blades at Lin Feng. At the same time, it followed behind them in a dive, its beak stabbing down at him. If Lin Feng cut through the Wind Blades, he would be met directly by the eagle's beak. If he dodged, the speed and range of the Wind Blades would still make injury unavoidable. Yet Lin Feng did not evade. He charged forward head-on, swinging the Heavenly Sword with the move Milky Way Pouring Down. In an instant, sword energy crisscrossed like countless stars shooting across the heavens, magnificent and boundless. The attack shattered the Wind Blades and then collided with the eagle's beak. The beak's force was concentrated at a single point, allowing it to break through the sword force and continue forward, though its body was wounded by the surrounding sword energy. Lin Feng aimed the tip of the Heavenly Sword directly forward and clashed with the eagle's beak. The Gale Eagle was already stronger than Lin Feng, and it also had the momentum of its dive. Though Lin Feng's sword move intercepted it, he could not withstand its force head-on. He was blasted backward by the recoil and suffered internal injuries, while the Gale Eagle's beak was broken by the Heavenly Sword.

Lin Feng had the cultivation of the Nine Yin Manual protecting his body, so his injuries were not severe. As he flew backward, he flipped through the air, kicked off a tree trunk, and charged at the Gale Eagle again. Seeing this, the eagle flung two Wind Blades toward Lin Feng, spread its wings, and flew high into the sky. Lin Feng cut apart the Wind Blades, landed on the ground, and recalled his martial spirit without pursuing it.

Han Ping appeared, and the two left the battlefield to find a safe place. Lin Feng sat down to regulate his breathing and heal, while Han Ping stood guard. Han Ping had accompanied Lin Feng this time to protect him while he healed after battles, and to save his life and take him away if danger arose. As for the battles themselves, Han Ping would not interfere unless Lin Feng faced mortal danger. He would not help Lin Feng chase fleeing spirit beasts either. Everything depended on Lin Feng himself.

Thus began Lin Feng's journey of battle through the Star Dou Great Forest. His main opponents were spirit beasts between 3,000 and 5,000 years old. His plan was to fight three or four battles a day, but a plan was only a plan. Suitable spirit beasts were not everywhere, so he generally managed around two battles per day. When luck favored him, he could fight three, and on one unlucky day, he did not encounter a single suitable spirit beast. Once, he came across a ten-thousand-year Blazing Lion and foolishly went up to provoke it. He could barely withstand two exchanges, but fortunately, the Lightness Skill from the Nine Yin Manual was excellent enough for him to run fast.

Lin Feng rarely seriously injured spirit beasts during battle, and after every fight, he fed them a healing pill. He had not come to hunt soul rings. In essence, he was asking them to serve as sparring partners. It was like suddenly jumping out, drawing a sword, and fighting someone for no reason. They had suffered an undeserved disaster, and at the end of it, they would still have to lose their lives. Lin Feng felt somewhat guilty about that. It was not that he was overflowing with saintly compassion. On one hand, he felt that indiscriminately slaughtering spirit beasts was bad for the development of the Soul Master World. On the other, he did not actually like people who went around challenging others just to become stronger. Yet that was precisely what he was doing now, except his opponents were not people. Since he was already doing something so annoying, killing them afterward would truly be shameless.

In the blink of an eye, Lin Feng had spent ten months in the Star Dou Great Forest. Over those ten months, his abilities had been thoroughly tempered. He had learned quite a lot. Aside from the Seven Star Sword Technique taught by Hua Jieyu, he had cultivated the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms and the martial arts of the Nine Yin Manual, including Nine Yin White Bone Claw, Heartbreak Palm, and several basic martial arts from the True Scripture. Together with the Light Body Art, he had learned them all, but when it came to using them, he often found himself overwhelmed. Knowing too much was not necessarily a good thing. Huang Rong knew many techniques, yet she had never been a top-tier master. But her father was different. He knew even more, yet he was one of the greatest masters in the martial world. Hong Qigong had become one of the greatest masters with nothing but the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms. Thus, knowing more or less was not what mattered. What mattered was integrating everything one knew. This was also Lin Feng's greatest gain over the past ten months.

After ten months of fighting, Lin Feng gradually realized something else: his path of the sword was different from his mother's. Her sword path carried the meaning of attacking all under heaven, of being invincible with a single sword sweeping across the heavens. As for him, he practiced the sword because he liked it. He liked swords and sword techniques. He enjoyed the feeling of winning battles, and he also liked the feeling of growing stronger. But he did not particularly enjoy fighting itself. What he wanted was to end a battle as quickly as possible, no matter what techniques he used. Whatever worked, he would use it. He decided that once he returned home, he would properly seek his mother's guidance about what path he should take in the future.