Over the past year and a half,
because he had failed to fool Tang Yin and Tang San into becoming his disciples,
Yu Xiaogang had unwillingly turned his attention to Xiao Wu.
Unfortunately, Tang Yin, Tang San, Wang Sheng, and Xiao Chenyu had already told her
that Yu Xiaogang was nothing but a clown Grandmaster who lived off others.
So Xiao Wu had planted her hands on her hips and cursed Yu Xiaogang out, telling him not to think he could fool her.
Yu Xiaogang had no choice but to slink away.
After more than a year of cultivation,
and with the cultivation resources they had bought using the Gold Soul Coins earned from Goddess Tears and Dragon Tiger Pills,
Tang San had successfully broken through to level twenty.
Now Tang Yin and Tang San both faced the same problem: they needed to hunt for their Second Soul Rings.
Tang Yin had a very clear goal!
For his Second Soul Ring, he wanted to hunt a Thousand-Year Soul Ring!
With his powerful constitution, gained by fusing the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone, undergoing Thunder Body Tempering, and taking Whale Rubber for a long time,
he could handle far more than just a Thousand-Year Soul Ring.
Even a two-thousand-year or three-thousand-year Soul Ring was well within what his body could bear.
Over the past year and a half, Tang San had followed Tang Yin in taking a large amount of thousand-year-old and even a little ten-thousand-year-old Whale Rubber, so his constitution was also far beyond that of an ordinary level-twenty Soul Master.
With Tang Yin's analysis and encouragement,
Tang San also set his sights on a Thousand-Year Soul Ring.
However, they couldn't explain their goal of a thousand-year Second Soul Ring to Notting Academy.
So Tang Yin felt they couldn't rely on the academy's help.
With that in mind, Tang Yin quickly made a decision.
"Xiao San, let's graduate early and go to the Star Dou Great Forest ourselves to hunt for our Second Soul Rings!"
"With our current strength, the two of us should be able to hunt thousand-year Soul Beasts on the outskirts."
"And we've made quite a few Sand-Shooting Shadows, Zhuge Repeating Crossbows, and Mother-Child Soul-Chasing Life-Takings to protect ourselves."
"Besides, we have those secret weapons. There shouldn't be any surprises!"
In Tang Yin's view,
during the Peerless Tang Sect era ten thousand years later, Huo Yuhao had dared to hunt for a Soul Ring in the Star Dou Great Forest when he was only a level-ten Soul Scholar, and had even successfully killed a Wind Baboon that was several decades old.
He and his little brother Tang San were far stronger than Huo Yuhao, both in strength and in their trump cards.
Hunting a thousand-year Soul Beast shouldn't be a problem!
"Big Brother can decide!"
Over the past year and a half, Big Brother Tang Yin had brought about far too many miracles, whether it was making money or crafting weapons.
By now, Tang San trusted his big brother's decisions without reservation.
He believed Big Brother had surely taken every factor into account and had a good chance of success before making up his mind!
When Tang Yin and Tang San submitted their applications for early graduation,
Director Su was surprised, but even more regretful and reluctant to see them go.
He could tell that the two boys were extraordinary.
Tang Yin especially, with his wisdom and insight far beyond his age, not to mention how persuasive he was.
Director Su was convinced his future would be limitless.
"With your talent, you're more than qualified to study at a better academy."
As he approved their early graduation, Director Su sighed.
"I have some connections at an Intermediate Soul Master Academy in Fanos City. If you're willing, I can write you a letter of recommendation..."
Because he admired Tang Yin and Tang San, Director Su had planned to recommend them to Fanos Intermediate Soul Master Academy in Fanos City.
Unfortunately, Tang Yin politely declined.
"Thank you for the offer, Director Su."
"But we plan to go to Heaven Dou Imperial City and try our luck!"
After they finished hunting for their Second Soul Rings,
Tang San planned to head to Heaven Dou Imperial City.
That was why Tang Yin had said so.
Director Su was a little surprised to hear this.
But people climbed toward higher ground, just as water flowed downhill.
Heaven Dou Imperial City was the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire, and clearly offered better prospects than Fanos City.
Since Tang Yin planned to go to Heaven Dou Imperial City with Tang San, Director Su shook his head with a sigh, wished them both well, and handed the brothers their graduation certificates.
"Heaven Dou Imperial City? Not bad!"
"I wish you both the best!"
After saying goodbye to Director Su,
Tang Yin took Tang San back to Dorm Seven to say goodbye to Xiao Wu.
"Do you really have to leave?"
When she heard that Tang Yin and Tang San were leaving,
Sister Xiao Wu, usually so lively and carefree, rarely let her eyes redden, biting down on her lower lip.
"Can I go with you?"
"I've also reached Soul Master, so I can apply for early graduation too!"
Over the past year and a half, with Tang San helping bring them together,
and with Tang Yin's even more striking looks, eloquence, intelligence, and insight,
Xiao Wu had come to admire him and had fallen for him.
"No! You should stay at Notting Academy for now."
Tang Yin shook his head and rejected her outright.
"Xiao San and I plan to go to Heaven Dou Imperial City."
"Everything there is far too complicated, with all kinds of factions and powerful people."
"There are even Titled Douluo from the legends!"
"It'll take Xiao San and me a long time to establish ourselves there. You should stay at the academy for now."
"We'll definitely come back to see you within three years!"
As he spoke, Tang Yin smiled and patted Xiao Wu on the head.
When she learned that Heaven Dou Imperial City might have Titled Douluo,
Xiao Wu bit her lip and held out her little finger.
"Promise! Pinky swear!"
"Pinky swear."
Tang Yin smiled helplessly and held out his little finger, hooking it around Xiao Wu's.
Nearby, seeing how close Tang Yin and Xiao Wu were,
Tang San imagined Big Brother Tang Yin and Xiao Wu growing up, marrying, and having several children who inherited Big Brother's Mysterious Jade Arm and Purple Demon Eye Martial Souls, each one a perfect match of a boy and a girl.
Just thinking about it filled Tang San with excitement.
He could almost see the Tang Sect ascending to the peak of Douluo Continent, rising to greatness once more and becoming famous across the land!
After saying goodbye to Xiao Wu and the other work-study students,
Tang Yin and Tang San slung their specially made backpacks over their shoulders, hired a carriage in Nuoding City, and headed straight for the Star Dou Great Forest.
After four or five days on the road,
the carriage finally reached the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Once they had paid the fare, the carriage quickly turned around and left this dangerous place.
Standing at the edge of the forest, Tang Yin gazed into the distance.
A boundless sea of emerald-green trees stretched before him. Ancient trees towered into the sky, their dense canopies overlapping and casting broad swathes of shade across the forest.
From far away came the long, unfamiliar howls of Soul Beasts, adding to the desolate, murderous atmosphere.
"Let's go, Xiao San. We're going in!"
Suppressing his excitement and nervousness, Tang Yin instinctively felt the bulging, specially made backpack on his back. It was packed with Hidden Weapons, medicines, and supplies.
The Mysterious Iron Gold-Thread Inner Armor he wore gave him a reassuring sense of weight.
After activating his Martial Soul: Mysterious Jade Arm and Purple Demon Eye,
Tang Yin entered the Star Dou Great Forest and took the lead. He activated both his Purple Demon Eye Martial Soul and the Tang Sect Secret Art, Purple Demon Eye, stacking their effects to maximize his ability to detect danger.
At the same time, both his arms turned a crystalline jade-white, radiating a cool aura. His Mysterious Jade Arms were ready to respond to any sudden threat, and his right hand held a loaded Zhuge Repeating Crossbow steady.
Tang San followed close behind, keeping watch over their rear and flanks. He had already summoned his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.
The first stretch of the journey went fairly smoothly.
They encountered only weak Soul Beasts, ten or several dozen years old.
Now and then, a Nether Wolf or Wind Baboon foolish enough to attack would try to ambush them.
Tang Yin would drop his backpack, use Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and his First Soul Skill: Mysterious Jade Divine Thunder Arm, then dart forward like a streak of light and beat them viciously with his Self-Created Soul Skill, Bullet Fist.
Before long, amid howls and screams,
the Nether Wolves and Wind Baboons would leave behind a few badly wounded or slain companions before turning and fleeing.
As they ventured deeper, the trees grew taller and thicker, and vines coiled around them like horned dragons.
Hundred-Year Soul Beasts began appearing more frequently, but the brothers kept their auras well concealed and moved swiftly.
On top of that, Tang Yin could always spot Soul Beast gathering places ahead of time and avoid them, so they made their way forward without mishap.
On the afternoon of the third day, they entered an even more ancient region.
Many of the trees here had withered away, leaving only bare, moss-covered trunks standing like enormous tombstones.
The claw marks, drag marks, and massive droppings on the ground showed that this was the territory of powerful Soul Beasts.
"Careful. We've entered an area where thousand-year Soul Beasts may roam."
Tang Yin slowed to a stop and spoke in a hushed, wary voice.
Tang San had also noticed how unnaturally quiet their surroundings were. He tightened his grip on the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow.
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