After a while, Luo Mo was the first to break the silence.
"Next, only the two of you, Luo Mo and Xiao Wu, will be left without soul rings. You'll both need thousand-year soul rings. After that, we'll have to venture deeper into the Soul Beast Forest."
Seeing that the teacher had firmly decided to help Luo Mo obtain a thousand-year soul ring, Xiao Wu looked troubled.
"Luo Mo, are you really not going to reconsider? You know, absorbing a thousand-year soul ring is dangerous. If you're not careful, your soul might explode, and you could die..."
Despite Xiao Wu's earnest warnings, Luo Mo repeatedly assured her that he was confident.
Seeing how determined he was, Xiao Wu had no choice but to give up.
She could only hope that when they found a suitable soul beast, they'd be able to get a thousand-year ring from it.
He wasn't wrong to be so insistent. His determination was for Luo Mo's sake.
Dawn broke.
Luo Mo and the others had already woken up. After packing their things, they set off.
On the way, the teacher asked Luo Mo, "What kind of soul beast do you want?"
"Plant-type."
Luo Mo's answer left the teacher startled. He remembered that Luo Mo's dormitory mate had once said that Luo Mo liked ice-type things, so he'd thought Luo Mo might choose an ice-type soul beast.
He turned to Xiao Wu. "What about you?"
"A spirit-type," Xiao Wu answered without hesitation.
She was a transformed soul beast and didn't need a soul ring.
The teacher stroked his beard. "Then what kind of beast do you want? A strength-type or an agility-type?"
"I'll leave it to you."
The teacher fell silent.
Fine. He'd asked for trouble. Why had he even asked the kids?
As the five of them ventured deeper into the forest, most of the soul beasts they came across were at least a thousand years old. Occasionally, they even encountered ones close to a thousand years old.
But three days passed without them finding anything suitable.
The thousand-year soul beasts they came across were either too old or didn't suit their needs.
On the fifth day after entering the Soul Beast Forest,
dark clouds blotted out the sky. Though it was midday, the forest was as dim as dusk.
A heavy rain poured down. The group grew anxious as their clothes clung to them, soaked through, and they could hardly see through the downpour.
"Awhoo—"
"Awhoo—awhoo—"
In the distance, wolf howls rang out. Luo Mo's senses sharpened, and he spotted a pack of wolves charging toward them from the front.
Their paws thudded against the ground, snapping twigs and crushing dry leaves.
As the pack drew closer, the group saw more than a dozen ghostly green eyes.
"Those are Netherworld Wolves."
Yu Xiaogang recognized the soul beasts. He didn't seem worried at all; the wolves weren't particularly strong.
But the Netherworld Wolves were charging straight at them with terrifying speed.
Some of them even seemed to be staring at Luo Mo.
The pack suddenly veered away from him and fled.
"What's going on?" Tang San asked, confused.
The teacher and Yu Xiaogang had no time to answer. Their expressions turned grave as they looked behind Tang San.
They had to be Netherworld Wolves, bloodthirsty predators. There was only one reason they'd flee like that: something even more terrifying was chasing them.
"Roar!"
A deafening roar exploded through the forest.
A moment later, they saw a creature that looked almost human, moving between the trees. Its body was covered in black fur, and it had powerful muscles. Its arms were especially thick and long.
"It's a Great Ape!" Yu Xiaogang exclaimed.
As the five of them watched the Great Ape, Xiao Wu noticed them too.
"Roar!"
As if it had spotted something interesting, the Great Ape suddenly charged toward them, driving the pack of Netherworld Wolves away. It stopped in front of the group of five.
"Oh no! It's coming for us!" the teacher exclaimed, his face going pale.
The Great Ape had only been giving them a friendly greeting.
A towering tree blocked the way. Yu Xiaogang leapt aside, revealing the Great Ape's age.
"Sixteen hundred years!" Yu Xiaogang's eyes lit up.
The Great Ape was a perfect match for Tang San's third soul ring.
He immediately summoned his martial soul and readied himself for battle.
The teacher was about to stop him, wanting to help his disciple.
Over the past few days, Yu Xiaogang had watched Tang San use his martial soul several times. The teacher had seen it too, but his reaction had been no less astonished.
He understood the Great Ape's martial soul and soul ring. There was no way he could take it lightly.
When it came down to it, he had learned not to interfere with his disciple's battles unless necessary.
But before he could speak, Tang San had already summoned his martial soul.
It wasn't the Clear Sky Hammer he'd expected.
It was a small hammer.
The teacher was stunned. What was that?
Wasn't Tang San's martial soul a Blue Silver Grass?
And judging by its appearance, that hammer looked like the Clear Sky Hammer.
Could it really be?
"Xiaogang, could that be a twin martial soul? Does that mean Tang San has the Clear Sky Sect's bloodline?" the teacher asked, unable to hold back his curiosity.
Tang San stared at the hammer, his expression complicated.
That was mine! Mine!
But I hadn't even used it once!
Luo Mo saw Yu Xiaogang summon the Clear Sky Hammer. His eyes flickered, and his senses swept toward the trees to the right.
A man in black stood on a branch.
The black-clad man was none other than Tang Chen. The instant he saw the Clear Sky Hammer, a strange, compelling energy rippled faintly around him.
"How could he have the Clear Sky Hammer?"
"Could he be a twin martial soul? Could he be a descendant of the Clear Sky Sect?"
Tang Chen could think whatever he liked. By then, the battle had already begun.
The teacher confronted the Great Ape.
Yu Xiaogang took a step forward and closed his eyes, calling forth his soul ring.
"Eat my fart! Feel the power of the Clear Sky Hammer!"
Then he hurled the Clear Sky Hammer at the Great Ape.
The teacher jumped in alarm. He was so frantic that he cursed eighteen generations of Yu Xiaogang's ancestors in his heart.
Rumble—
A thunderous crash exploded through the forest.
Along with the crash, a pale-yellow fog began to spread.
"Damn it!"
Luo Mo's face darkened. He hurriedly pulled Xiao Wu away.
The teacher and Tang San also wanted to leave.
But one of them was the master, and the other was the disciple. It was awkward to run off, so they could only cover their noses with a piece of cloth.
Luo Mo led Xiao Wu nearly three hundred meters away before stopping. From there, their spiritual senses could still reach the scene.
Cough! Cough! Cough!
Suddenly, Luo Mo felt the ground shake.
The sound was strangely rhythmic, as if some giant creature were stomping across the earth.
They looked into the distance. The teacher and Yu Xiaogang had already stopped fighting, and the three of them looked toward the forest.
The source of the disturbance was just outside their field of vision.
Yu Xiaogang's lips moved. He seemed to be saying, "Titan, Titan..."
The Great Ape was so strong that it left them speechless. Luo Mo grew curious about what Yu Xiaogang was trying to say.
"Titan what? Titan...?"
Before long, a gigantic creature emerged from the forest.
It was as tall as a mountain. At first glance, it looked like an enormous version of the Great Ape, but it was even more muscular and powerful. Its black fur gleamed, and the energy it gave off was terrifying.
"Damn! It's the Titan Giant Ape!"
Luo Mo picked Xiao Wu up and ran.
Good heavens!
Why had the Forest King of the Star Dou Forest come all the way out here?
Before you continue