Vigorous Fire Attribute

The Third Elder stood to one side, stroking his beard as he said slowly, "It's not a bad way to save one's life, but the requirements are rather harsh."

Over several months of training, Nan Li and Dan Hong occasionally tested it on some Soul Rings, but the results had not been particularly satisfactory.

Dan Hong's control over fire was exceptionally strong, but her flames were not hot or explosive enough. They were perfect for refining medicine in ordinary times, and when refining became difficult, she could borrow the aid of a cauldron.

Nan Li's flames were hot enough, but she lacked a fire-control soul skill like Dan Hong's. She could only rely on her own command of the flames to refine them.

With Nan Li and Dan Hong working together, they could barely refine Millennium Soul Rings. But if Nan Li worked alone, she could currently only refine Century Soul Rings.

"Once Nan Li's cultivation improves, she may not be unable to refine higher-level Soul Rings on her own," Dan Hong said thoughtfully from the side. If they went up against Spirit Hall in the future, they could not let so many Soul Rings go to waste.

Nan Li, however, felt little joy.

As the guardian Soul Beast of Sun Island, what she considered was this: if the young ones in her clan were captured, would they also be seized and refined into Soul Rings?

"What you do not desire for yourself, do not impose upon others." She did not want such things to happen to her Clan Members, so naturally, she would not use such methods on a large scale for her own benefit in the future.

***

All things flourished, and spring had come once more.

With his hands behind his back, the Third Elder watched Nan Li as she finished a battle and said, "Nan Li, your training has nearly reached a full year. Once you leave the Star Dou Great Forest, I must return to Sun Island as well."

Though Dan Hong did not have many attack-type soul skills, her cultivation was genuinely at the Soul King Realm. Aside from the first few months, when she trained alongside Nan Li, she spent the rest of her time searching for Immortal Grass and spiritual materials, occasionally refining a few batches of pills under the Third Elder's protection.

By now, Nan Li handled most of the battles alone.

Their previous style of training, where each side took what it needed, was no longer suitable. The Soul Beasts were mindful of the spiritual herbs and materials they had yet to obtain, so they would not strike to kill.

Of course, that excluded the Mane Lion Lizard that had suddenly gone berserk before.

Dan Hong had now come up with a new method—search for rare medicinal herbs, then have Nan Li fight the guardian Soul Beast nearby or other Soul Beasts that had also set their sights on the herbs.

Dan Hong gathered herbs while Nan Li fought. If the gap in strength was too great, the Third Elder would pull someone out of danger. Dan Hong happily patted her Soul Tool, feeling that their division of labor was excellent.

Nan Li wiped the sweat from her face and nodded. "It's about time for me to go to Shrek Academy. Although that academy isn't exactly a proper school, it has plenty of rules. If I miss this round of enrollment, I'll probably have to wait another year."

"It doesn't matter. If you miss it, just go to Four Elements Academy," the Third Elder said indifferently.

"Please don't casually alter an elder's wishes!" Nan Li put one hand on her hip and huffed at the Third Elder.

The Third Elder stroked his beard and said smugly, "With your current strength, you're just a little chick I could squash with one hand."

The Third Elder was no longer the Third Elder who was bad with words!

Dan Hong watched the show from the side and laughed herself silly.

A few days later, the three parted ways. Nan Li and Dan Hong set off for Shrek Academy.

Sun Island and Shrek Academy lay in completely opposite directions. A small Flame Feather Sparrow arrived to deliver a message, and the Third Elder left in a hurry. After escorting the two out of the inner region of the Star Dou Great Forest, he rushed back to Sun Island.

"Hiss—"

As they passed through a Stone Forest piled high with crimson rocks, Nan Li saw that Mane Lion Lizard again. However, the giant lizard no longer seemed as imposing as it had during their previous encounter. It curled up in its cave and merely raised its head to hiss twice when it saw the two of them.

Nan Li and Dan Hong paid it little attention, assuming only that it was in poor spirits.

Night was approaching, and they needed to find a place to rest as soon as possible. This Stone Forest was bare and exposed; staying here at night would make them easy targets.

"Once we pass through this Stone Forest, we'll reach the outer region of the Star Dou Great Forest. We need to hurry. Otherwise, we may not fly out of the Stone Forest before night falls," Dan Hong told Nan Li as she turned her head.

The two flew above the Stone Forest and looked down. Nan Li discovered that pits of varying sizes were hidden among the stone pillars. The red rocks inside the pits were sandy in texture, slightly different from the rocks that formed the Stone Forest.

Strangely, several or even dozens of wutong trees grew atop the barren sandstone.

Dark brown trunks stretched into bluish-green branches, with clusters of crimson flower buds swelling at their tips.

"Ever since leaving Sun Island, I've rarely seen Danxia Wutong Wood," Dan Hong said with a sigh. "When Danxia Wutong Wood blooms, it shines like rosy clouds at sunset, breathtakingly beautiful and vivid. Unfortunately, there are too few wutong trees here. It cannot compare to the spectacle of vast stretches of wutong trees blooming together on Sun Island."

At the mention of Sun Island, Nan Li could not help feeling that the fire attribute in this Stone Forest was exceptionally vigorous. The sandstone pits at its center in particular nearly rivaled the place she had found when healing her soul, where the fire attribute had been abundant.

As the two ventured deeper, the feeling became increasingly clear.

"What's going on? When I first entered the Star Dou Great Forest, I searched this place, yet the fire attribute wasn't nearly this vigorous," Dan Hong said, sensing that something was very wrong. The two stopped advancing and flew higher into the sky instead.

Nan Li looked into the distance and found the Stone Forest astonishingly vast. Even from nearly a hundred meters in the air, she could not see its edges.

Feeling the fire attribute in the air, Nan Li said slowly, "If the fire attribute of an area suddenly changes, it may mean that a powerful fire-attribute Soul Beast has appeared—or perhaps..."

"Rare medicinal herbs!" Dan Hong suddenly lifted her eyes, her gaze blazing.

For Dan Hong, who excelled at refining medicine and was deeply devoted to the craft, medicinal herbs held no less appeal than Soul Rings and Soul Bones did for Soul Masters.

Dan Hong was as daring and decisive as Nan Li. Otherwise, as a fire-attribute Soul Master, she would never have ventured alone to the Extreme North.

Nan Li reminded her, "Leaving other matters aside, it isn't hard to tell from that Mane Lion Lizard's condition that something here frightens it—frightens it enough to abandon a medicinal herb capable of greatly replenishing its strength."

Dan Hong had taken Humanoid Form earlier than Nan Li. Over the years, she had encountered many situations while searching everywhere for medicinal ingredients. After careful consideration, she still could not bear to miss this opportunity. Dan Hong looked around, then gazed seriously at Nan Li. "I want to take a look."

Thinking again of Nan Li's safety and travel plans, Dan Hong hesitated. "How about this? You go to Shrek Academy first. Once I'm done here, I'll come find you."

Nan Li glanced at her, unsurprised by Dan Hong's decision. "It's fine. I'll go with you. You don't have many attack-type soul skills. As your elder, I should at least look after you a little."

Dan Hong shot her an irritated look but did not refuse.

Dan Hong released her Soul Rings. She had intended to use Blazing Fire Tracking, but considering the interference from the Danxia Wutong Wood in the sandstone pits, she pondered briefly before releasing another soul skill instead.

The second update will come later.

"Danxia Wutong Wood" is based on "Danxia Wutong."