Flender was also puzzled. "Xiao Feng, Xiao Ao, what happened to the Star Dou Forest? Why is it so, so..."
"Clean," Zhao Wuji said.
Flender nodded. "Right, right, clean. It's just too clean. There's nothing here but trees."
Shen Feng smiled faintly. "Well, Soul Hunting Town is too close to the Star Dou Forest. Soul Beasts often come out and bother us, so we simply cleared all the weeds and shrubs within a twenty-li radius."
"Wouldn't you know it, once the shrubs and weeds were gone, all the Soul Beasts left too. Nowadays, you can hardly even find any bugs."
Flender was taken aback. "A twenty-li radius? In one year? How is that even possible?"
Oscar chuckled softly. "We used poison."
"Poison?" Zhao Wuji said in surprise.
Oscar nodded. "Right. It's a toxin Xiao Feng developed specifically to target plants."
"Just add it to water in the right proportions and spray it three to five times. The weaker weeds and shrubs will naturally die off completely."
"When the plants die, the herbivores and herbivorous Soul Beasts dwindle, and the carnivorous Soul Beasts naturally migrate away too."
"By now, the Soul Beasts around here think there's some great terror lurking in this place. It's practically become a Soul Beast Forbidden Zone."
The widespread death of plants was caused by a special herbicide Shen Feng had concocted based on what he'd learned in his previous life: Paraquat.
First, as Oscar had said, fewer plants meant fewer Soul Beasts, which could ensure the safety of Soul Hunting Town.
Second, Shen Feng also wanted to use this unusual man-made toxin to catch the attention of Dugu Bo, who was thousands of kilometers away.
Of course, Shen Feng knew full well that the death of shrubs and weeds within a mere twenty-li radius was unlikely to draw Dugu Bo's attention.
But Shen Feng wasn't the sort to sit around waiting for rabbits to run into a tree stump, nor was he so stingy that he'd refuse to bait a hook when fishing.
As soon as Paraquat was developed, he'd already arranged for some people to take it to Heaven Dou City. By now, they should have opened a shop.
Don't forget, Paraquat was not only highly lethal to plants; to humans, it was also a deadly poison with no known cure.
With this up his sleeve, Shen Feng had no need to worry about failing to attract Dugu Bo, the poison expert.
And if that didn't work, Shen Feng could still make even more powerful Biochemical Weapons. He refused to believe that so many unheard-of, terrifying poisons wouldn't pique Dugu Bo's curiosity.
As long as Dugu Bo was willing to come, Shen Feng could use a discussion about the art of poison as an excuse to exchange for a chance to enter the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
As for whether Shen Feng was qualified to discuss the art of poison with Dugu Bo, that question was completely unnecessary.
Shen Feng might not know much about the natural poisons found in the world, but he understood chemistry.
Wouldn't colorless, odorless chemical toxins that targeted cells—or even destroyed things at the genetic level—be more powerful than that fellow Tang San's Tang Sect poisons?
A low-martial ancient world thought it could compete with modern science, the culmination of countless generations of human wisdom from his previous life? What a joke.
Once they understood what Shen Feng had used, Flender and the others lost their curiosity.
After all, in their view, there were so many kinds of toxins in the world that a poison capable of targeting plants was nothing unusual.
There was even a tree-like Soul Beast in the Star Dou Forest called Antiaris. The poison it secreted left the area around it completely barren.
Shen Feng's poison simply covered a larger area and worked faster. It wasn't anything difficult to understand.
After another twenty li, they finally entered the depths of the Star Dou Forest.
To look out for one another inside the Star Dou Forest, Shen Feng's group of six took up the most basic Soul Hunting Formation and entered the woods.
Dai Mubai was strong and tall, and his claws were especially sharp after Martial Soul Possession. He was the best choice for manual labor—no, the best choice to lead the way.
So he walked at the front.
His tiger claws, more than twenty centimeters long, were like short blades. As he swung both hands fiercely, vines, shrubs, and brambles were sliced apart.
Vines snapped, broken branches flew, and leaves scattered to the ground. A strange sense of satisfaction rose in Dai Mubai's heart.
It was as if he wasn't destroying the obstacles in their path at all, but the inner demon Shen Feng who stood in his way and kept him from moving forward.
Shen Feng walked just behind him on the left. He had to keep an eye on everything happening to the left of the group while also directing Dai Mubai on which way to clear.
It was exhausting.
Ma Hongjun and Oscar walked side by side to Shen Feng's right, in the safest position at the center of the group.
Flender walked on the far right, using his strength as an agility-type Soul Saint to support the entire group.
Zhao Wuji was tough as nails, so he walked at the rear to guard everyone's backs.
After entering the Star Dou Forest, Ma Hongjun was the most excited of them all.
Just like Shen Feng on his first trip into the Star Dou Forest, he was curious about everything he saw.
Of course, just like Shen Feng back then, he was also treated to a loving scolding from his elders—and loving fists, which Shen Feng hadn't experienced.
The Star Dou Forest lay in the tropical region of the Douluo Continent. It was truly a vast primeval forest that contained every kind of life.
The trees were so dense that calling them towering and sun-blocking wasn't an exaggeration. It was even hard to see a patch of sunlight inside the forest.
The stuffy air and damp surroundings made it extremely unpleasant to walk through.
The clearest sign was that Ma Hongjun had lost all the energy he'd had when they first entered the forest.
Head hanging, feet dragging, he could only plod forward mechanically. To be honest, he looked hardly any different from a mindless zombie.
The group had been traveling for about two shichen, and it was now noon.
During those two shichen, they had encountered quite a few Soul Beasts, but most were ten-year Soul Beasts. Even Hundred-Year Soul Beasts were extremely rare.
But that made sense. The Star Dou Forest covered nearly a million square kilometers, with a radius of five hundred kilometers.
In two shichen, they had walked at most forty or fifty li. They were still a long way from the areas where high-level Soul Beasts roamed.
They'd have to wait until at least tomorrow to encounter a Millennium Soul Beast.
After estimating the time, Shen Feng waved for everyone to stop. "Everyone, we've been walking for quite a while. Let's take a break."
"At our current pace, we'll definitely reach the Volcano Cluster within a week at the latest. There's no need to rush."
At the word "break," Ma Hongjun's eyes lit up, and he plopped down on the ground.
"Good grief, I'm exhausted! I've never had to suffer like this in my life."
Flender shot him an exasperated look. "How about I snip it off for you? Then you won't have to suffer anymore."
Ma Hongjun jolted and waved his hands frantically. "No, no, suffering's good! Suffering's good! I love suffering!"
Zhao Wuji glanced at Ma Hongjun and chuckled. "Xiao Ao, make some sausages for us to try."
"Your sausages fill you up, restore your stamina, and ease fatigue. They're perfect for eating on a long march."
Oscar nodded. "I was going to make some even if Teacher Zhao hadn't asked."
"I have a big sausage!"
As he shouted the Soul Incantation, a pink mist gushed from Oscar's right palm, and six Big Sausages appeared one after another.
Zhao Wuji was startled. "Whoa, Xiao Ao, that's impressive! You can make six sausages with one Soul Skill now?"
Oscar scratched his head modestly. "It just takes practice. Do it enough and you get the hang of it. Nothing worth mentioning, nothing worth mentioning. Besides, it hasn't reduced the Soul Power it takes one bit."
"It's just a little trick. Nothing to talk about. Come on, have a sausage. Everyone, have one."
Since it involved the Heart Separation Control Shen Feng had taught him, Oscar didn't want to explain too much.
Even if it was just a little trick, Shen Feng had poured his heart and soul into developing it. How could he casually tell other people?
Seeing that Oscar didn't want to say more, Zhao Wuji understood and didn't ask again.
Normally, a Soul Master could only possess nine Soul Skills in their entire life, and every one of them was tied to their very survival.
If information about a Soul Skill leaked, others might find a way to exploit its weaknesses.
So in most cases, asking about another Soul Master's Martial Soul abilities and Soul Skill effects was extremely rude.
If someone didn't know better and kept prying, they could easily make an enemy—and in serious cases, the conflict could even end with one side dead.
Everyone took a sausage. Shen Feng, Zhao Wuji, and Flender ate theirs without hesitation.
Only Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun looked a little uncomfortable. Perhaps they'd thought of something.
Flender's face darkened. "Hongjun, Mubai, why aren't you eating?"
Ma Hongjun said stiffly, "Teacher, Oscar's Soul Incantation is just... I just can't bring myself to eat it."
Having been a regular at brothels from a young age, Ma Hongjun knew all too well what else "big sausage" could mean.
If Oscar hadn't shouted his Soul Incantation, Ma Hongjun might have eaten one anyway. But now his thoughts had gone astray, and he no longer knew how he could bring himself to swallow it.
Dai Mubai looked at the sausage in his hand. It seemed to stir up some unpleasant memories, and his expression darkened.
"I can't eat this sausage either."
"Neither of you can?" Flender laughed. "Fine, then you don't have to eat them. Give me the sausages in your hands."
Relieved that they wouldn't have to eat Oscar's Big Sausages, Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai eagerly handed theirs to Flender.
Flender took them, stuffed one into his mouth, and casually handed another to Zhao Wuji.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you two. When we entered the Star Dou Forest this time, I figured we had Xiao Ao, a Food-Type Soul Master, with us, so I didn't pack any rations."
"If you didn't bring extra food yourselves, you'll have to figure something out."
Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai froze. They immediately began checking their Storage Soul Tools.
A moment later, Ma Hongjun looked up. "I'm done for. I'm out of food."
Dai Mubai looked just as horrified. "I... I'm out too."
Flender chuckled. "No need to wonder. I did it."
"I just wanted you to understand one thing: which matters more, your life or your pride?"
"If you can only choose one, which will you pick?"
"I don't know if it's because things are too comfortable now or you've gotten too full of yourselves, but you two troublemakers actually looked down on the premium food made by an Innate Full Soul Power Food System user."
"With an attitude like yours, I wouldn't be surprised if some accident befell you in the future and you died in some unknown corner."
"Since ancient times, the survival of the fittest and the elimination of the weak have been unchanging laws of nature."
"Remember, a dead genius is worth nothing."
"To survive in the cruel world of Soul Masters, you have to endure humiliation and do whatever it takes."
"When your life is on the line, don't think you'll only have to eat a sausage. You'll have to eat rats, cockroaches, earthworms, and even more disgusting things."
"Don't think I don't know what you're really up to. And let me make this clear: the weak have no right to mock the strong."
"Besides, Oscar's sausages have never had anything wrong with them. The problem lies only in certain people's minds."
This was the first time Ma Hongjun had ever seen Flender get so angry, and he immediately backed down.
"T-Teacher, I was wrong. I won't do it again."
Dai Mubai frowned slightly. Though reluctant, he knew Flender was right.
"Dean, I know I was wrong too."
Seeing the two rebellious boys brought back into line by his scolding once again, Flender's mood improved considerably.
The satisfaction of being a teacher was a wonderful feeling he had never experienced with Shen Feng and Oscar.
Flender's lips curled into a slight smile, and his tone softened. "Admitting your mistakes and correcting them is the greatest virtue."
"Remember, you can have pride, but never arrogance. Pride can make you fearless, but arrogance will only hurt others and yourself."
"That's all I have to say. The rest is for you to figure out yourselves."
Suddenly, Flender stopped lecturing. His sharp gaze snapped toward the depths of the forest.
Zhao Wuji did the same, keeping his eyes fixed on the direction Flender was watching.
Seeing this, Shen Feng and Oscar immediately sensed something was wrong and took up fighting stances.
Shen Feng gripped the long saber on his back with his right hand and drew his Handgun with his left, aiming at the source of the danger.
The situation was unclear. Summoning his Martial Soul was nowhere near as fast as using a firearm.
Besides, his Soul Power reserves at level twenty-nine weren't large. His Soul Rings were more than a realm higher than those of other Soul Masters, so although they made his attacks powerful, they also consumed an enormous amount of Soul Power. He was better off saving it for emergencies than using it to fight.
Before you continue