Star Dou Great Forest

Dai Mubai's concern was also Flender's concern.

Someone was secretly hunting geniuses. They even dared to target Ning Rongrong of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Those people were absolutely insane.

And in Suotuo City, the place with the most geniuses was undoubtedly Shrek Academy.

If this was true, those people would inevitably extend their claws toward them in the future.

What were they supposed to do?

After a pause, Flender wiggled his brows. "No, no, no. We should remain optimistic."

In the letter, Ning Fengzhi had not explicitly explained how Ning Rongrong had ended up at Shrek Academy.

Perhaps Ning Rongrong had changed her mind along the way and decided not to come.

As for Wu Qi and Qiangu Changkong, since they were voluntarily undergoing training, they would naturally devote their time to cultivation whenever nothing was happening.

Of course, they would not appear in the city at night or early in the morning.

"Mu Bai, take Hong Jun into the city this afternoon. At dusk, have everyone gather at the Great Soul Arena."

Dai Mubai was shocked and hurriedly said, "Headmaster, are we having the new students begin Soul Fighting training so soon?"

Having been disciplined by Zhao Wuji for so long, he had instinctively developed a resistance to actual combat training.

And Flender clearly failed to realize that.

"Wu Qi isn't even a student, yet isn't he doing Soul Fighting training too?"

"Look at how lazy you've become. You lost to him in the Soul Fighting Arena, and you still haven't figured out why?"

Dai Mubai was instantly too ashamed to show his face.

Wu Qi's Soul Power Level was far lower than his, yet he had defeated him with remarkably clean and decisive methods.

As the big brother of Shrek Academy, that record was truly far from glorious.

With the route map in hand, Wu Qi and the other two entered the Star Dou Great Forest.

To avoid being watched by anyone with ulterior motives, they deliberately wandered around the forest's outermost region for quite some time.

Only after confirming that no one was following them did they feel at ease enough to venture deeper into the forest.

"In the forest, humans are the most dangerous. Here, you cannot show any kindness, or it will become the talisman that summons your death!"

Wu Qi had entered Soul Beast Forests three times with Azure Phoenix Douluo. For some reason, every time, they had encountered attacks from human Soul Masters.

Whether it had been deliberately arranged by Azure Phoenix Douluo or not, Wu Qi had gradually developed a sense of vigilance.

A Soul Beast Forest was a lawless place. The morals of the human world were no more than empty words here.

"Rongrong understands." Ning Rongrong nodded seriously.

Qiangu Changkong laughed it off. "We can't lack the proper vigilance, but there's no need to be overly tense. We certainly can't panic at every rustle of grass."

Before he could finish, Wu Qi grabbed his arm.

"What is it?"

Wu Qi pointed at the ground beneath his feet. "The Star Dou Great Forest also produces plenty of medicinal herbs. This Hanling Flower is a medicinal herb for treating injuries."

Thanks to the materials Chrysanthemum Douluo had given him, Wu Qi recognized most common medicinal herbs after studying them.

Ning Rongrong did not think much of it. "The Hanling Flower's healing effect is certainly good, but there's no need to gather it on purpose, right? You can buy quite a lot for a hundred Gold Soul Coins at the medicinal herb market in Heaven Dou City."

There were herb farmers on the continent who specialized in growing medicinal herbs, but bought herbs could never compare to gathering them yourself.

Besides, they were currently in the Star Dou Great Forest. If someone was injured, money would not necessarily be enough to buy medicinal herbs.

If they gathered some now, they might come in handy later.

The three were unfamiliar with the terrain inside the Star Dou Great Forest. Though they had a map, they did not know the distribution of Soul Beasts. To avoid accidentally entering a Soul Beast's territory, they did not travel quickly.

When they arrived at a stretch of high ground, the sky was already darkening. Seeing that they could not reach the next high ground, the three simply set up camp there.

Ning Rongrong raised a question. "Big Brother Wu Qi, wouldn't camping on high ground expose us to flying Soul Beasts?"

Most Soul Beasts would not come to high ground, lest they draw the attention of other predators, so it could spare them a great deal of trouble.

The high ground they occupied was like an enormous protruding rock. Apart from moss, there were no plants at all. Flying Soul Beasts could spot the place at a glance.

Wu Qi smiled. "When camping in the forest, we need to watch below our feet, around us, and the threats in the sky. Here, we only need to focus on the sky."

"As the saying goes, the higher you stand, the farther you see. If Soul Masters on the ground want to ambush us, we can spot them quickly too."

This was the outer region. There were no low-age flying Soul Beasts that were unafraid of fire.

Once they lit a bonfire, those Soul Beasts would not dare approach easily.

If they truly encountered a high-age Soul Beast unafraid of fire, it would be the most suitable Soul Ring for Qiangu Changkong.

In addition to absorbing Soul Rings from traditional strength-type Soul Beasts, his Coiling Dragon Staff could also use Fire Attribute Soul Beasts as candidates for his Soul Rings.

After setting up the tents and finishing dinner, Qiangu Changkong immediately crawled inside to rest, preparing to switch shifts with Wu Qi and stand watch for the latter half of the night.

Beside the bonfire, Wu Qi took several sweet potatoes from his Soul Tool, wrapped them in mud, and tossed them into the fire to roast.

Shortly afterward, when he saw Ning Rongrong approach, he could not help asking, "Rongrong, aren't you going to sleep?"

A Support-Type Soul Master's stamina certainly could not compare to that of a battle Soul Master. After walking for an entire day, Ning Rongrong was already exhausted.

However, she had always harbored a question and wanted to hear the answer from Wu Qi himself.

"Big Brother Wu Qi, was that little boy in Heaven Dou City back then you?"

"What makes you think so?" Wu Qi asked in return.

Ning Rongrong fell silent for a moment before saying, "I don't know. I just have a feeling. Big Brother Wu Qi, was it really you?"

Wu Qi shook his head without saying a word.

Back then, Azure Phoenix Douluo had taken him away in front of Chen Xin. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect must have investigated the matter afterward.

If he admitted it now, would that not confirm that he came from Spirit Hall?

People from Spirit Hall were lurking beside Crown Prince Xue Qinghe. Once that secret was exposed, either the two of them would suffer, or Xue Qinghe would suffer.

Before the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect sided with the Worship Hall, Ning Rongrong would never get the answer from him.

"Alright." Ning Rongrong did not press further.

Now that Wu Qi was here, the identity of that little boy from back then no longer seemed important.

Suotuo City.

At Flender's request, the Shrek Six Devils arrived at the Great Soul Arena.

Upon hearing that there was a place where she could fight to her heart's content, Xiao Wu was bursting with excitement.

Tang San was also looking forward to such a place. After all, in Notting City, he had been unable to find a worthy opponent at all.

Yu Xiaogang had said that if Soul Masters wanted to transform into powerhouses, actual combat exchanges with opponents of the same level were indispensable.

The older students' attitudes stood in sharp contrast to those of the new students.

Ma Hongjun looked utterly dejected. "Teacher, we have to take part in Soul Fighting as soon as school starts?"

Flender glanced at him. "You don't have to participate. Go back and run thirty laps around the village. You're not allowed to rest until you finish."

Ma Hongjun resentfully shut his mouth.

Running ten laps around the village would take an entire afternoon at the very least, let alone thirty laps.

"Tang San, I have something to ask you. Come with me."

With that, Flender walked into the Great Soul Arena.

Tang San said a few things to Xiao Wu, then quickly followed him.

Flender had recognized the Soul Tool at Tang San's waist and used it to ask about Yu Xiaogang.

Upon learning that Yu Xiaogang would arrive at Shrek Academy before long, Flender could not help feeling excited.

Unfortunately, he was destined not to find any trace of Wu Qi or Qiangu Changkong at the Great Soul Arena tonight.