Chance Encounter in the Star Dou Forest

Fortunately, He keenly sensed at this moment that someone was rushing toward this location.

He believed that even if they encountered others in the Star Dou Great Forest, Qian Yuhan would surely be able to suppress his inner annoyance and respond normally.

Sure enough, a few breaths later, Qian Yuhan, having realized that outsiders were approaching, quickly stowed away the spirit bone he had been polishing until it shone, then stood up and poked his head out of the tent.

"What is it?" the Rakshasa phantom asked, knowing full well the answer.

"Someone is coming."

"Someone?"

"Mm." Qian Yuhan narrowed his eyes, using a secret technique to overlay his own spiritual power with that of the Rakshasa phantom to scout in the direction of the arrivals.

Hmm, five people. One man and four women. The man and woman at the very front and the very back have the highest cultivation; both have at least the strength of a seven-ring Spirit Saint or higher.

The two on the flanks are between the fourth and fifth rings, but their foundations are unstable and their cultivation is quite inflated. The weakest one is the little girl surrounded in the center, whose cultivation is somewhere between the second and third rings.

Yuhan, should we stay or go? If we leave, I can activate my spirit skill to take you away directly; they won't be able to catch us.

The Rakshasa phantom, connected to Qian Yuhan via spiritual power, fed his thoughts directly to him.

There is no need for that. Qian Yuhan pondered for a moment, shook his head, and said, "I don't sense any malice or evil energy from them. To flee in a panic before we've even met would make it seem as if we have something to hide."

"Fine, as long as you know what you're doing. In any case, I trust in your ability to run away."

Having said that, the Rakshasa phantom instantly vanished into the darkness outside the tent, as if He had never existed at all.

"Eh, is that a tent?"

Not long after the Rakshasa phantom left, a figure appeared within Qian Yuhan's line of sight.

It was a burly man with an extremely rugged and overbearing appearance, standing over nine feet tall with dark skin and a face full of thick, bristly whiskers.

What surprised Qian Yuhan the most was that on this rugged, fierce man's square, blocky face, there grew a pair of very amusing peach-blossom eyes.

Placing such a pair of delicate, dainty peach-blossom eyes on the face of such a hulking brute was truly... incongruous.

The burly man was extremely fast; the moment he appeared, his gaze immediately fell upon Qian Yuhan, who was standing at the tent entrance.

Undoubtedly, this tall and sturdy brute, being the second most powerful person in the group, was responsible for scouting ahead. Upon seeing that Qian Yuhan was merely a child of ten or eleven years old, he immediately relaxed his combat stance.

"Who are you?" Qian Yuhan asked expressionlessly while standing in front of the tent, without stepping forward.

Seeing this, the nine-foot-tall brute laughed heartily and said, "We are just a few spirit masters passing through. We happened to see a tent here, so we came to investigate. Why haven't your elders come out? Are they just leaving you alone to answer questions outside the tent?"

Although there was a smile on the brute's face, it was tinged with a hint of arrogance.

Qian Yuhan frowned and said displeasedly, "There are no elders. I came to the Star Dou Great Forest by myself to hunt spirit beasts and obtain a spirit ring."

"Oh? You came to hunt spirit beasts? All by yourself?" The gaze the nine-foot-tall brute cast toward Qian Yuhan inevitably carried some doubt. Qian Yuhan tilted his head and said, "What? Is that not allowed?"

"Hahaha~"

The brute shook his head in amusement, a look of intrigue clearly appearing on his face. Just then, several figures appeared beside him one after another.

Just as Qian Yuhan had previously noted, counting this muscular man, there were five people in their group: four women and one man.

The middle-aged woman walking at the very back stepped up to the brute's side and said in a deep voice, "Xu Yan, what's the situation?"

Xu Yan immediately said respectfully, "Sister, it's nothing. Just a half-grown kid telling me he came to the Star Dou Great Forest by himself to obtain a spirit ring. However... I really haven't seen any elders accompanying him."

"Oh! Is that so?" The middle-aged woman's gaze immediately fell upon Qian Yuhan, and Qian Yuhan took the opportunity to carefully observe these people.

Among the five, the leader was clearly this middle-aged woman in simple attire, devoid of any ornaments. Her aura was restrained, with not a shred of spirit power leaking out; her cultivation was certainly no lower than the eighth ring.

As for the burly man who had scouted ahead, although his cultivation was slightly lower than the middle-aged woman's, judging by the vigorous fluctuations of spirit power on him, he was likely another eight-ring Spirit Douluo.

Besides these two eight-ring Spirit Douluos, the two women standing on the left and right who remained silent were of the fourth and fifth ring cultivation levels, respectively.

They were of the type with ordinary features and average builds, the kind of people who wouldn't be easily recognized in a crowd.

What caught Qian Yuhan's attention more was the young girl surrounded in the center, who was about the same age as his current self, roughly eleven or twelve years old.

She was not particularly tall, with a head of purple-black hair neatly draped behind her, and her delicate little face still held a hint of baby fat.

If Qian Yuhan's judgment was correct, this girl, who could only be described as pretty and cute, actually possessed a cultivation level close to the third ring.

Eleven or twelve years old and at the third ring? That talent is quite decent!

How did that saying go again?

Right, this little friend might have... the potential of a Titled Douluo!

Looking at the cultivation speed of the new generation, then lowering his head to recall the more common cultivation speeds of his own era, the veteran Qian Yuhan sighed with emotion, as if lamenting that the younger generation was truly formidable.

"Little friend, I wonder if you could come over and have a chat with us?" The middle-aged woman beckoned to Qian Yuhan.

"I can." Qian Yuhan stepped forward, arrived in front of the group, and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "I wonder what you have to say to me?"

The middle-aged woman looked Qian Yuhan up and down for a long time before slowly opening her mouth to say, "Little brother, you ventured deep into the Star Dou Great Forest's mixed zone to hunt for a spirit ring?"

"That is indeed the case." Qian Yuhan nodded and said, "I think there probably isn't anyone who would live in a gathering place for spirit beasts just to seek thrills for no reason!"

"Hahahaha, little brother, you are quite humorous."

The middle-aged woman's laughter was very penetrating and even carried a touch of wild, uninhibited flavor. After a while, she stopped laughing and introduced herself:

"My name is Xu Yu, and these are all my companions. Like you, we are also entering the mixed zone to hunt for spirit rings. Now that it is late, if you don't mind, we intend to rest here for the night."

Qian Yuhan saw that these people indeed had fatigue written on their faces and no obvious hostility, so he straightforwardly nodded and said, "Fine."

After getting Qian Yuhan's consent, these people exchanged glances and quickly dispersed. The muscular man lit a campfire that wasn't very vigorous but exceptionally warm, then swiftly vanished into the nearby night.

From the look of him, he seemed to be checking whether the surroundings were safe.

Meanwhile the two women at the fourth and fifth rings swiftly set up tents nearby.

They pitched three large tents and one small one in total. The one closest to the campfire was a delicate, compact white tent clearly made from the carefully worked hide of some soul beast.

Once that tent was ready, the two women quickly moved on to set up the others.

The middle-aged woman led the black-haired girl to sit beside the campfire. The flash of concern and inquiry in her eyes, paired with the girl's casual, almost lazy expression that said she was used to others handling such trifles for her, made one thing clear.

This girl's background was probably anything but ordinary.

Several minutes later the two women finished the tents and sat down on the black-haired girl's other side. While adding wood to the fire they spoke with her in low voices, their gazes occasionally flicking over Qian Yuhan.

Seeing that Qian Yuhan did not seem to notice their covert glances, they simply began watching him openly.

Their complete lack of restraint made the middle-aged woman press a hand to her forehead, yet even so she had to admit Qian Yuhan's looks were truly excellent.

Golden hair falling past his shoulders, features just beginning to sharpen, bright golden eyes, and an aura of rich light radiating from his entire body—Qian Yuhan was not only strikingly handsome, he also possessed a certain... indescribable quality.

That quality was hard to put into simple words, yet it was enough to seize anyone's attention the moment they laid eyes on him.

Most importantly, his cultivation level was completely unreadable.

At eleven or twelve years old, hunting a soul ring alone, his power restrained, his bearing exceptional.

Xu Yu pondered for a long time before finally, at the black-haired girl's urging, acting as her mouthpiece. Smiling, she asked, "Little friend, I haven't had the chance to ask your name yet."

"Qian Yuhan."

"A fine name." Xu Yu nodded. "Your soul power fluctuations are quite strong for your age, but... venturing into the Star Dou Forest alone is still rather dangerous! Did you really not consider bringing your elders along?"

At this point, she's still probing me.

Qian Yuhan gave a helpless smile and shrugged. "I won't go near the core zone. What's the danger in wandering around the mixed region?"

Xu Yu pressed on. "How old are you this year? Are you from a sect or an academy?"

"Eleven. No sect, no academy—just a loose cultivator."

Eleven, a loose cultivator with no backing?

Surprise flashed across Xu Yu's face at the claim.

After all, while loose cultivators without powerful backing were usually lacking in equipment and experience compared with those from great factions, their lack of support made growth extremely difficult. The "wild soul masters" forged through such harsh conditions often possessed combat strength that defied common sense.

The strong were absurdly strong; the weak were absurdly weak.

This boy had the nerve to enter the mixed region of the Star Dou Forest alone at eleven—clear proof that both his talent and courage were extraordinary.

If they could...

While she was still thinking, Xu Yan, who had been scouting the area, descended from the sky in a carefree manner. He gestured a few times toward Xu Yu with empty hands, apparently communicating in some kind of code.

Once she had the information she wanted, Xu Yu nodded repeatedly. After a simple meal of dry rations and a few casual remarks, she found an excuse to return to her own tent.

The others did the same.

Of the five, the two Soul Douluo each took a tent, the fourth- and fifth-ring women shared one, and the black-haired girl entered the white soul-beast-hide tent nearest the fire.

Qian Yuhan sat by the campfire a while longer. Only when the surroundings finally fell silent, leaving only the occasional crackle of burning wood, did he return to his own tent.

After Qian Yuhan entered his tent, Xu Yu quietly stepped out of hers. She glanced at the sky, then walked to the black-haired girl's tent and sent a low voice transmission. "Your Highness... Young Miss, may I come in?"

"Come in," the girl's voice answered from inside.

Xu Yu ducked inside and sat cross-legged at the entrance rather than moving deeper in.

"Aunt Xu, can you tell where that young man comes from?"

"..."

Xu Yu paused. The dark-red bracelet on her right wrist instantly released an eggshell-shaped red barrier that enveloped the tent's interior and sealed off their voices.

"Honestly, I can't quite tell," Xu Yu said, shaking her head and frowning as she analyzed the situation before her cousin. "His clothes are ordinary and carry no insignia of any famous faction. Judging by appearance alone, his claim of being a loose cultivator with no sect seems very likely, but..."

"But what?" the girl asked.

"But from the bearing he carries, I find it hard to believe he's truly a loose cultivator without any backing."

"Bearing, is it? It really is unusual." The black-haired girl thought for a moment, clearly agreeing, then asked, "Roughly what level is his cultivation?"

"He should have four rings. A four-ring cultivator at eleven—his talent wouldn't lose to those two from the Hongchen Hall Master's family."

"Eleven, four rings, no sect or faction..." The black-haired girl narrowed her eyes in thought while Xu Yu simply waited in silence.

After a few minutes the girl looked up and said gravely, "Since he's going to hunt a soul ring tomorrow, we might as well ask if he wants our help."

"If he agrees and truly has no backing, we can use the opportunity to try pulling him into our Sun Moon Empire. If not, lending a hand to form a good relationship with a future powerhouse won't hurt us either."

"As expected of Your Highness."

The black-haired girl nodded slightly. "Aunt Xu, go rest. Remember to wake me in the morning."

"Yes, Your Highness. This subject takes her leave."

With that, Xu Yu quietly exited the tent. The dark-red eggshell barrier faded away at her touch.

In the other tent, Qian Yuhan reclined against a large, soft pillow and read by the light of a cheap illumination soul tool he had picked up at a stall.

For someone as practical as him—an ancient from tens of thousands of years ago—soul tools were genuinely both good-looking and convenient.

It was truly hard to imagine that present-day soul masters could be more old-fashioned than he was.