At that moment, Zhao Wuji finally noticed the constant beastly roars coming from behind them.
He turned around, and his expression immediately changed.
"Damn! A beast tide!"
Zhao Wuji instinctively cursed again.
This was a beast tide—the disaster Spirit Masters least wanted to encounter in a Spirit Beast forest.
There was no exception!
Zhao Wuji immediately picked up his pace and caught up to Wang Chuan, completely devoid of the joy of obtaining a new soul skill.
It seemed that only staying by Wang Chuan's side gave him even a little more sense of security.
And so, the two sprinted for their lives, occasionally using Shave to widen the distance between themselves and the beast tide. Only after nearly half a day did the beast tide, like a parasite clinging to their bones, gradually subside behind them.
Even with the physique of a Soul Emperor, Zhao Wuji was exhausted by such intense running.
Not caring about the dirt, Zhao Wuji found a massive rock and sat down, panting heavily.
In stark contrast stood Wang Chuan.
Though Wang Chuan was breathing slightly harder, he did not appear tired. Instead, he stared thoughtfully in the direction of the beast tide.
This beast tide reminded him of the time he had encountered Dugu Bo.
And thinking of Dugu Bo naturally made him think of...
After resting for a while, Zhao Wuji noticed something unusual about Wang Chuan.
"Boss, what are you looking at?"
In response to Zhao Wuji's question, Wang Chuan glanced back before withdrawing his gaze and asking instead.
"Old Zhao, what's your current cultivation level?"
Zhao Wuji did not suspect anything. He took out a Spirit Power Crystal, tested himself, and replied.
"Forty-one. I'm almost level forty-two, Boss."
Wang Chuan nodded slightly upon hearing that. Zhao Wuji's absorption had gone better than he had expected.
For Zhao Wuji to reach this level at twenty-two, he would not be considered weak even in the Spirit Master Tournament. He could even compare himself to the future Blue Lightning Twin Stars.
But it still was not enough.
Wang Chuan thought silently, and a parody video surfaced in his mind.
When all the younger Spirit Masters were boasting about being Soul Ancestors and Spirit Kings, Tang San suddenly stepped forward.
"Tang San, twenty-four years old, cultivation level one hundred."
Wang Chuan found it pretty hilarious.
And although his cultivation speed had gradually improved as Golden Scale's appearance continued to change,
even so, if he maintained the current pace, then by the time he reached Zhao Wuji's age, he would at most be barely past the Soul Elder rank.
For a moment, Wang Chuan suddenly felt that cultivating Soul Power was rather meaningless.
Then Wang Chuan clenched his fists again, feeling the explosive strength within his body before looking into the distance once more.
"Right now, I am enough to rival a Soul Douluo, and one specialized in battle at that. I should not even be considered weak among Soul Douluo.
What strength does the guardian of that treasure ground possess?
It cannot even defeat Dugu Bo, the weakest Title Douluo, without soul rings.
It seems... I might not be unable to give it a try..."
That was what Wang Chuan thought, but he did not tell Zhao Wuji his plan. Otherwise, that big fool would definitely insist on following him.
So Wang Chuan considered it for a moment and said,
"Old Zhao, I'm getting a little tired of staying in the forest. We have enough supplies on us too, so let's take a break for now."
In an instant, Zhao Wuji's expression changed dramatically as he stared at Wang Chuan in disbelief.
Could those words really have come from his incomparably hardworking boss?!
Four years! This was the first time he had ever heard Wang Chuan say the words "take a break"!
But just as Zhao Wuji felt that something was off yet could not put his finger on it,
Wang Chuan took the lead and ran toward Soul Hunting Town, completely cutting off any chance of Zhao Wuji seeing through his intentions.
After returning to Soul Hunting Town, Wang Chuan discussed matters with Zhao Wuji in detail.
The break would last half a year, and their next meeting place would no longer be Sunset Forest but the farther Star Dou Forest.
As for why they were changing it to Star Dou Forest,
the reason was simple. Wang Chuan was dissatisfied with the types of Sub-Dragon Spirit Beasts in Sunset Forest. Just obtaining his second Spirit Ring had been such a hassle—what was he supposed to do about his remaining seven Spirit Ring slots? Naturally, he had to make a strategic relocation.
After fooling Zhao Wuji, Wang Chuan naturally did not return to his clan grounds. Instead, he bought several jade boxes and plunged straight back into Sunset Forest.
His target: the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
However, although Wang Chuan had a clear goal, there was no scent of Dugu Bo in this era for Golden Scale to track.
So Wang Chuan could only enter the Mixed Zone and rely on luck.
Still, based on his memories, Wang Chuan was certain that the Ice and Fire Flames should be located near the center of Sunset Forest.
After all, in the original plot, it had taken less than a day after Tang San was captured by Dugu Bo for Yu Xiaogang and the other two to find the outskirts of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Flender, who had led the way, must have played an enormous role. And since he was an agility-attack Spirit Master, he was certainly faster than Wang Chuan's grandfather had been back then.
After some completely baseless calculations, Wang Chuan identified a central area within a relatively western Mixed Zone of Sunset Forest.
Of course, because the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well lay within a basin, Wang Chuan's workload was greatly reduced.
He only needed to keep an eye out for mountains.
Therefore, Wang Chuan was fully confident that he could investigate the entire area within a month.
Even if he failed, he would still have several chances to correct his mistake and could easily head to Star Dou Forest before the half-year deadline.
Thus, after traveling for five days and reaching the target area, Wang Chuan began his broad search.
In just half a month, Wang Chuan searched hundreds of mountains.
And the result was obvious—if Wang Chuan had found it, he would not still be searching.
Another half month passed. Just when Wang Chuan thought he had guessed the location wrong, the earth began to tremble.
His Observation Haki had not warned Wang Chuan of danger, which meant that the source of the tremors lay far beyond his perception.
Wang Chuan narrowed his eyes slightly and carefully sensed the source of the vibrations.
After all, when he had first thought of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, he had thought of the guardian Spirit Beast trope.
The creature causing these tremors was clearly a powerful Spirit Beast. If he found it, perhaps he might stumble upon the answer by sheer luck.
Very quickly, relying on the sharp senses of Life Return, Wang Chuan locked onto the direction and sped away.
A short while later, Wang Chuan found the source of the tremors.
They were two enormous giant Spirit Beasts engaged in battle!
One side was an azure cobra over seventy meters long. Wang Chuan recognized this Spirit Beast. Though it was not a Serpent-Dragon Species, it was still a top-tier snake Spirit Beast with exceedingly terrifying venom: the Evil Poison Cobra King.
Judging by its traits, it should have had more than seventy thousand years of cultivation. With its racial gifts, it was enough to rival a Title Douluo.
Its opponent was a giant toad entirely crimson in color, with golden eyes and a body over twenty meters tall.
This was likewise a top-tier Spirit Beast, called the Golden-Eyed Toad King. Wang Chuan judged it to have around seventy thousand years of cultivation as well, and with its racial gifts, it too was enough to rival a Title Douluo.
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