The whole process went smoothly and was over in less than fifteen minutes.
From entering the Star Dou Great Forest to killing a Soul Beast and obtaining its Soul Ring, the whole process took less than half an hour. It had gone about as smoothly as it possibly could.
Two hours later.
Su Chen slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air.
The berserk energy of the sixty-thousand-year Soul Ring had been suppressed by his powerful physique. Absorbing it had been completely uneventful, as easy as drinking a glass of water.
"This feels pretty good."
With a thought, Su Chen summoned his ink-black Pluto Sword Martial Soul into his palm. It radiated a chilling aura from the underworld.
At the same time, light shimmered beneath his feet, and four deep-black Soul Rings slowly rose, revolving around him.
Black, black, black, black!
Every single one was a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring!
Even Du Busi and Zhang Lexuan had seen it countless times before, but they still couldn't help marveling.
No matter how many times they saw this sight, it was enough to leave any Soul Master breathless.
Starting out with Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings—how many Soul Masters could even dream of such a lineup?
But what made Du Busi's eyelid twitch even more was the fluctuation of Su Chen's Soul Power!
Level 50!
After absorbing this Soul Ring, Su Chen's Soul Power had actually reached the bottleneck at Level 50!
That meant that all he had to do was hunt one more Soul Beast, and Su Chen would become a bona fide Soul King!
Seeing the two of them staring at him as if they'd seen a ghost, Su Chen scratched his head and offered an "earnest" explanation:
"Teacher, Sis, don't look at me like that. I ate a few Immortal Herbs before, remember? There was still a lot of their medicinal power left in my body, so my Soul Power went up a little faster than usual."
A little... faster?
The air suddenly fell silent.
Du Busi: "..."
Zhang Lexuan: "..."
They exchanged glances, both of them speechless.
Ten levels in just three months!
This wasn't just riding a rocket. He'd ascended straight to the heavens!
If he tried just a "little" harder, would there be any room left for the other Soul Masters? He was practically rewriting the record books of the Douluo Continent!
"Ahem..."
Zhang Lexuan was the first to break the silence. She looked up at the sky, forcing down her shock.
"It's getting late. The mixed zone of the Star Dou Great Forest is full of danger at night. We should rest for the evening and get ourselves ready. Tomorrow morning, we can help Xiao Chen obtain his fifth Soul Ring."
"Mm, that makes sense."
Du Busi rarely nodded in agreement.
With his strength, he could sweep through the outer reaches of the Star Dou Great Forest as easily as playing a game.
But even if there were only one chance in ten million that he might hurt his precious disciple, he wasn't willing to take that gamble.
Besides, the Soul Beasts weren't going anywhere. Better safe than sorry!
Su Chen nodded in agreement and put away his Martial Soul.
"Fine. In that case, let's—"
But before he could finish speaking—
A streak of golden light suddenly shot out from the depths of the previously peaceful forest!
It was a strange little beast, its entire body gleaming gold, as if it had been formed from the purest Light Element.
A golden eye stood upright in the middle of its forehead, radiating a chilling aura of fate!
The Emperor Auspicious Beast—the Three-Eyed Golden Lion!
Behind it, a massive scarlet hound with three heads panted as it chased after her.
The eighth-ranked of the Ten Great Beast Kings—the Scarlet King!
"Watch out!"
At the sight of the two Ferocious Beasts appearing out of nowhere, Zhang Lexuan reacted almost instinctively.
She flashed forward and put herself in front of you. Her eight Soul Rings blazed as she warily watched the unexpected guests.
Although she knew Su Chen was powerful enough to take care of himself, in Zhang Lexuan's eyes, he would always be the little brother who needed his big sister's protection.
Du Busi, on the other hand, stood with his arms crossed, watching the scene calmly.
There was even an amused smile on his lips.
He recognized the little golden creature from his memories.
It was the heart of the Star Dou Great Forest's fortune, and it had quite a connection with his disciple.
Since they were on the same side—same species, even—there was nothing to worry about.
The Scarlet King, however, was anything but calm.
When he saw the group of humans before him, his three heads nearly went into a panic!
Damn it! Human Soul Masters?!
And that old man with green hair... that terrifying aura... He was definitely a Level 98 Super Douluo!
The Body Sect's leader, Du Busi?!
The Scarlet King was suffering so much, he might as well have swallowed bitter gall.
My little ancestor! Why do you always run straight toward danger?!
Running wild in the core zone was one thing, but why come right in front of this group of killers today? Were you trying to get yourself killed?!
He was already preparing to fight to the death.
But the Auspicious Beast paid no attention to the Scarlet King's panic.
Her bright, lively eyes were fixed on Su Chen, whom Zhang Lexuan was shielding behind her.
The pull from deep within her soul made her tremble with excitement!
Found him! At last!
The human connected to her by countless threads in the River of Fate!
"Su Chen!"
The Auspicious Beast's clear, melodious voice rang out, brimming with joy.
Ignoring Zhang Lexuan's wary gaze, she leaped right in front of Su Chen, raised her little head, and asked eagerly:
"Are you Su Chen?!"
After what he'd been through with Zhang Lexuan and Du Busi, Su Chen was already completely unfazed.
It was only the Emperor Auspicious Beast of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Nothing out of the ordinary. No need to make a fuss.
Looking at the Three-Eyed Golden Lion before him, its golden body seeming to be made of golden crystal, Su Chen showed not the slightest surprise. He merely curled his lips into a meaningful smile.
Yet that seemingly ordinary smile made the golden light in the Auspicious Beast's eyes flare!
It was the resonance of fate!
In her perception, the power of fate radiating from Su Chen was so dense it might as well have been dripping from him. It drew her in irresistibly, like a cat that hadn't eaten for three days catching the scent of premium catnip!
"Hey, human!"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion raised her proud head, her clear, melodious voice ringing directly in Su Chen's mind.
"I'm a woman of my word, and I don't hide my name! I'm Di Qiu'er! Well, surprised? Shocked? Never thought I'd grace you with my presence, did you?"
As she spoke, she deliberately shook her smooth golden fur.
As for why she didn't transform into human form?
Di Qiu'er's little plan was already clattering away in her mind:
Hmph. Human men are all pigs. If I transform right now, what if you can't control yourself, you lecher?
For Su Chen's "safety," I'd better keep this mighty, imposing form for now!
(Though she had no idea that showing up and throwing herself at him like this practically amounted to giving herself away.)
"How dare you bewitch the Auspicious Beast! Die!"
Before you continue