Time flew by, and before long, more than two years had passed.
After spending a few months at the Lake of Life, Su Ze returned to Heaven Dou Imperial City and let Dugu Bo and the others know he was safe.
Then he began training in earnest.
At last, when he was twelve, his Soul Power broke through to level 50.
He was only one Soul Ring away from becoming a Soul King.
This time, Su Ze didn't ask Dugu Bo to help him find his Fifth Soul Ring as he had before.
After all, his Fourth Soul Ring had already reached forty thousand years.
He hoped to find a Soul Beast with a lifespan of at least fifty thousand years for his Fifth Soul Ring.
Soul Beasts of that age were difficult to find even for a Titled Douluo, and Su Ze already had Gu Yuena in his corner.
Why make things difficult for himself when he could simply ask Di Tian for help?
So, after saying goodbye to Dugu Bo and the others,
Su Ze returned to the Star Dou Great Forest.
The moment he stepped into the forest, he sensed the bloodthirsty gleam in the eyes of the surrounding Soul Beasts.
Soul Power surged through him. With a flash of lightning, a powerful Dragon Might burst from his body.
The nearby thousand-year Soul Beasts scattered in terror.
After driving them off, Su Ze planned to channel Soul Power into Di Tian's Inverse Scale and wait for him to come.
But just then, a commotion sounded in the distance.
Curious, Su Ze used Gale Rush. His figure flickered, and he arrived at the source of the noise.
A group of men in black were chasing a girl in a black dress.
But the chase seemed very strange.
Whenever the men in black were about to catch the girl, they would clumsily leave an opening, allowing her to escape.
Su Ze, whose Soul Power had reached level 49, could clearly sense that the leader's Soul Power had reached Soul Ancestor level.
A Soul Ancestor leading more than a dozen Soul Elders couldn't even catch a mere Soul Grandmaster girl.
What was going on?
Was this some rich young lady's custom-made hunting game?
Just then, the men in black spoke.
"Second Young Lady, come back with us."
"The Third Prince is in Suotuo City. You'll never find him. You'd better come with us quietly."
Second Young Lady. Third Prince.
Su Ze looked toward the girl they were chasing.
She had a beautiful face.
She was in a state of Martial Soul Possession, and the most striking thing about her was that one eye was green and the other blue.
Her long ink-green hair was topped with a pair of cat ears.
With her looks and Martial Soul, combined with what the men in black had said,
a name came to Su Ze's mind.
Zhu Qingzhu!
Once he recognized her,
Su Ze quickly figured out what was happening. The men in black had probably been sent by Zhu Qingzhu's older sister, Zhu Zhuyun.
They were pretending to chase her, but were actually escorting her.
After all, they had pursued her all the way from the Star Luo Empire to the Star Dou Great Forest.
If they hadn't deliberately held back over such a long journey, Zhu Qingzhu would have been beheaded long ago.
With so many of her older sister's subordinates chasing her, Zhu Qingzhu was filled with despair.
She wanted to live. She absolutely couldn't let herself be taken back to the Star Luo Empire.
Spotting an opening, Zhu Qingzhu gathered a great deal of Soul Power and leapt into the air.
Su Ze, who had been preparing to leave from the bushes, suddenly noticed movement behind him.
He spun around.
The next moment, a soft body landed in his arms.
Su Ze looked down. Zhu Qingzhu's breathtaking face was tilted up toward him, her peach-blossom eyes pleading. "Please, save me!"
Looking at Zhu Qingzhu in his arms, Su Ze's lips curled slightly. For a moment, he couldn't quite describe what he was feeling.
Trouble really did find him.
The men in black in the distance had also noticed Su Ze's arrival. They froze in place.
"Boss, what do we do? Why's there another strange young man here?"
"What should we do?"
The men chasing Zhu Qingzhu looked troubled.
Su Ze could see their predicament. After thinking it over,
he decided that since Zhu Qingzhu had asked him for help,
he might as well play the good guy and go along with it.
As he spoke, Su Ze tossed out the token belonging to his master, Ye Qingxian.
"My master is Ye Qingxian, the Ye Family Patriarch. Who are you, and why are you chasing an innocent girl here?"
As he spoke, Su Ze also displayed his Soul Power.
His Soul Power, which was nearly at level 50, was on full display.
At Su Ze's words, everyone looked toward their leader.
The leader looked at the token on the ground bearing the Ye Family emblem, then at the Soul Power of the young man before him.
His eyes widened in shock.
The boy looked young, yet he was even stronger than him.
The Ye Family of the Nine Hearts Begonia had taken in such a talented disciple?
Still shocked, the leader of the men in black quickly realized this was a perfect opportunity.
His objective was to drive the Second Young Lady into the Heaven Dou Empire, where she would meet the Third Prince.
Now a member of the Heaven Dou Ye Family had appeared to save her.
That fit his mission perfectly. The leader immediately gave the others a signal.
"Let's go."
At his command, the men in black withdrew like a receding tide.
Soon, only Su Ze and Zhu Qingzhu remained in the forest.
"Miss, the bad men chasing you have left."
"You can get up now, right?"
Su Ze was holding Zhu Qingzhu in his arms, princess-style, and could clearly feel her softness against his hands.
But he wasn't having any improper thoughts.
After all, over the past two years, his junior senior sister and Senior Sister Dugu had given him plenty of opportunities to get used to this.
Su Ze had learned to keep his composure.
"Thank you for saving my life, young master."
"I'll get up now."
Hearing Su Ze, Zhu Qingzhu looked up at the handsome young man holding her, visibly relieved.
Her voice was full of gratitude.
"You're welcome. It was nothing."
"Now that you're safe, I'll take my leave."
After setting Zhu Qingzhu down, Su Ze stood and picked up the Ye Family token before preparing to leave.
He had no intention of getting involved in the Zhu Sisters' conflict.
Getting his Fifth Soul Ring as soon as possible was what mattered.
"Wait, young master. Could you escort me for a while? I'm willing to pay you ten thousand Gold Soul Coins."
As she spoke, Zhu Qingzhu hurriedly took a golden card from her waist.
She had fled home in a rush after being chased, and hadn't brought much of her wealth.
These ten thousand Gold Soul Coins were already most of what she owned.
Still, it was worth it for her safety.
Su Ze glanced at the Gold Soul Coins in front of him and raised an eyebrow.
Hmm!
He knew the men in black wouldn't actually harm her.
So, all he had to do was stay nearby and escort her.
Ten thousand Gold Soul Coins for a job with no danger at all.
That was a deal he could take.
"All right!"
Su Ze took the ten thousand Gold Soul Coins from Zhu Qingzhu.
"And you don't have to call me young master. Just call me Su Ze."
Zhu Qingzhu's face lit up with joy when he agreed.
With Su Ze escorting her, she would finally be safe.
"Thank you, Young Master Su Ze. My name is Zhu Qingzhu!"
After giving her name, Zhu Qingzhu sat cross-legged on the ground. Panting, she began restoring her Soul Power.
A quarter of an hour passed. Just as Zhu Qingzhu had recovered her Soul Power, the aroma of grilled fish reached her.
"You've recovered. I just grilled a fish, so have some."
"You've been traveling for a long time, so a little fish will help restore your strength."
"Once you've regained your strength, change into some clean clothes, and I'll escort you out of the Star Dou Great Forest."
"Don't worry, I bought these clothes and have never worn them."
As he spoke, Su Ze handed Zhu Qingzhu the grilled fish and a clean set of clothes.
Once he had done that, Su Ze walked a good distance away.
He left her some privacy.
Taking the fish and clean clothes, Zhu Qingzhu's cool expression showed a hint of curiosity.
The young man named Su Ze looked about her age.
Yet his strength had already reached level 50 or higher.
From what he had said earlier, he seemed to be a disciple of the Ye Family, the one with the Nine Hearts Begonia Martial Soul.
Even Zhu Qingzhu, who was used to seeing talented people, couldn't help being amazed by his ability.
And from his gentlemanly behavior when they met, he seemed to have a good character, too.
Su Ze?
Zhu Qingzhu silently memorized the name.
A short while later, after finishing the grilled fish and wiping herself down, Zhu Qingzhu changed into the men's clothes Su Ze had given her.
When Zhu Qingzhu stepped out in men's clothes, Su Ze turned around.
There was no doubt that Zhu Qingzhu was one of the main characters.
Even in men's clothes, she had a distinct charm.
Even Su Ze couldn't help taking a few extra looks.
"Miss, I've already checked the area. The men in black who were chasing you have left."
"I'll escort you out of the Star Dou Great Forest, and then I'll be on my way."
"Perhaps we'll meet again someday."
Su Ze didn't have any particular dislike for Zhu Qingzhu, one of the Shrek Seven Devils.
With Su Ze escorting her, the two soon reached the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.
"Su Ze, thank you for saving me."
"I'll repay you someday."
Hearing Su Ze, Zhu Qingzhu nodded and spoke with complete sincerity.
Su Ze had already accepted the ten thousand Gold Soul Coins, so he just smiled.
"Miss Zhu, there's really no need to thank me."
"Before you met me, did those people chasing you ever actually try to kill you?"
"A Soul Grandmaster escaping from several Soul Elders and a Soul Ancestor? That's the sort of thing you hear and forget."
"Miss Zhu, think it over."
As soon as he finished speaking, Su Ze's body turned into a bolt of lightning. He vanished from where he stood, leaving only a fading afterimage.
Watching Su Ze disappear, Zhu Qingzhu thought about what he had said and fell silent.
Could she really have escaped from a Soul Ancestor and several Soul Elders, when she was only a Soul Grandmaster?
Could it be that her older sister hadn't actually wanted to kill her?
Meanwhile, in the Mixed Zone of the Star Dou Great Forest,
Su Ze channeled his Soul Power into Di Tian's Mimicry.
A short while later, the air suddenly grew hot.
A ball of fire in the distance rushed toward him.
Only when it came crashing down in front of him did Su Zhe see who was at the center of the flames.
The Three-Headed Crimson Demon Mastiff, Scarlet King, was a Ferocious Beast with over 200,000 years of cultivation.
"Lord Su Ze, Di Tian sent me to fetch you!"
"It's only been two years, and you've already become a Soul King, my lord."
Scarlet King landed and glanced at Su Ze before him, speaking with some surprise.
As a Ferocious Beast, time was of no value to him. Two years passed in the blink of an eye.
"For the sake of our Lord, of course I have to work hard at cultivation."
"Everything is for the revival of the Soul Clan."
While interacting with the group of Ferocious Beasts at Lake of Life, Su Ze had discovered that as long as he steered the conversation toward the revival of the Soul Beasts,
the Ferocious Beasts would immediately nod in agreement.
They would also treat him with greater warmth.
After all, although Gu Yuena had called him the Soul Beasts' second-in-command, his strength still lagged far behind that of these Ferocious Beasts.
So Su Ze made a point of getting along with them.
It only took a few words, after all.
Sure enough, as soon as Su Ze finished speaking, Scarlet King happily lowered his massive body.
He signaled that Su Ze could climb onto his back.
Su Ze didn't stand on ceremony. He climbed onto Scarlet King's back, and the man and beast sped toward Lake of Life.
When Su Ze arrived at Lake of Life, Di Tian was the first to appear.
"Lord Su Ze!"
Feeling Su Ze's cultivation level, Di Tian's eyes lit up.
In just two years, this human had already reached level 49.
Even Di Tian couldn't help but be amazed by such talent.
At the same time, he understood once again why their Lord had recruited Su Ze.
A genius like this was certainly someone the humans would want to recruit.
After all, the Soul Beast Clan was suppressed by the Douluo Continent, and Di Tian himself had no chance of becoming a god.
When their Lord attacked the Divine Realm in the future, she would need allies.
And a human like Su Ze was undoubtedly a good choice.
"Senior Di Tian, my Fifth Soul Ring needs to come from a Soul Beast with at least 70,000 years of cultivation."
Although Su Ze's Storm Dragon King could evolve his Soul Rings as his strength increased,
his goal was to eventually have ten Soul Rings that were all 100,000 years old.
So the higher the cultivation level of the Soul Beast he obtained a ring from, the better his chances of achieving that goal.
Hearing Su Ze's words, Di Tian nodded and vanished in an instant.
It wasn't long before Di Tian returned.
He had brought back a massive Flood Dragon with him.
It was a Thousand Fiend Instant Cloud Dragon, the same kind Su Zhe had hunted before.
This one, however, was nearly 70,000 years old. It was gravely wounded and on the verge of death.
"It's a Thousand Fiend Instant Cloud Dragon! He's willing to become your Fifth Soul Ring."
"A hundred years ago, this dragon fought a Titled Douluo from your human race. I saved him afterward."
"But he was also fatally wounded. To repay me for saving his life, he's willing to become your Soul Ring."
"Lord Su Ze, don't let down the Soul Beasts' goodwill."
As he spoke, Di Tian gave Su Ze a long look.
Su Ze understood what Di Tian was worried about and immediately gave him his assurance.
"Don't worry, Senior Di Tian. For the revival of the Soul Beasts, I'll do everything in my power in the future."
Su Ze promptly promised him.
After all, the Soul Beasts were a useful faction for him, too.
If he really became a god in the future,
they'd be ready-made subordinates.
He'd just have to replace their leader then.
Before you continue