Sunset Forest

With Chen Xin present, the entry inspection was naturally smooth and unimpeded.

The garrison commander clearly recognized this world-renowned Sword Douluo, his attitude becoming extremely respectful; he even personally escorted them to the post station within the pass.

Inside the pass, it was a completely different scene.

The streets were wide, lined with shops, and crowded with people. Merchants, soul masters, and commoners coming from the north and south gathered here, bringing with them accents and goods from all over. It was bustling, noisy, and full of vibrant vitality.

It was a stark contrast to the solemn, military-heavy atmosphere outside the pass.

They rested in Jialing Pass for one night and continued north the next day. Before long, a primeval forest appeared in front of the carriage, and Ning Rongrong introduced it to Tang Yin.

"This is the Sunset Forest. The types and ages of the soul beasts inside cannot compare to the Star Dou Great Forest, but it is still a hunting ground for many soul masters."

Tang Yin, who had been somewhat indifferent, felt a spark of interest the moment he heard the words "Sunset Forest."

It was actually the famous Sunset Forest!

This was a prime location. It could be said that a large part of the credit for Tang San and the Shrek team becoming gods in the original work came from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, which had been hidden by Dugu Bo's poisonous mist within this very forest.

This place could be called the greatest land of opportunity on the Douluo Continent. That it was occupied by one of the weakest Title Douluos was something Tang Yin simply could not fathom.

"There is soul power fluctuation, and the scale is not small. It seems like soul masters are hunting a soul beast." Chen Xin gazed into the depths of the forest, his tone flat. To a Title Douluo like him, such minor scuffles were insignificant.

However, Chen Xin still stepped out of the carriage to sit with the driver, which left the driver—who had been treated like air until now—flattered and nervous.

After traveling another hundred meters, just as Chen Xin had said, they saw an intense battle unfolding in a forest clearing.

On one side of the battle were seven or eight soul masters wearing uniform outfits, with emblems embroidered on their chests featuring elements like crowns, shields, and swords.

These soul masters were both male and female, and they did not look very old. Their cultivation levels were mostly between Soul Master and Soul Grand Master, with one having reached the level of Soul Elder. They coordinated quite tacitly, advancing and retreating in an orderly fashion.

They were surrounding a giant rhinoceros covered in dark golden scales, with a single horn on its head and a body length of over three meters.

"It's a Golden-Armored Unicorn Rhino. Judging by its size and aura, it's at least fifteen hundred years old." Tang Yin and Ning Rongrong also stepped out of the carriage.

The moment Tang Yin stepped out, he recognized the soul beast they were surrounding.

"Wow, Brother Lan Yin, how can you name the soul beast and its age at a single glance?" Ning Rongrong's eyes sparkled. Although Lan Yin had said he came from a small village, through their interactions over these past days, Ning Rongrong was very impressed by his knowledge of soul beasts.

"Just lucky, I've read a few more books, that's all!" Tang Yin said it was luck, but the slight upward curve of his lips showed he was in a very good mood; after all, who could refuse the flattery of a beautiful girl?

"Hmph!" Chen Xin, standing to the side, let out a cold snort. He couldn't stand the way this brat was showing off or the look in Rongrong's eyes as she gazed at Tang Yin.

However, to salvage his status in Rongrong's heart, he endured it, though he couldn't help but retort: "So, you know a lot about this Golden-Armored Unicorn Rhino, do you?"

"I know a little." Tang Yin had his back to Chen Xin and didn't know what he was thinking, so he subconsciously began to introduce the characteristics of the Golden-Armored Unicorn Rhino.

"The Golden-Armored Unicorn Rhino is a powerful earth-attribute soul beast that combines both defense and offense. It is covered in dark golden scales, making it extremely difficult for soul masters of the same rank to break its defense. Its horn is not just for show, either; it excels in savage charging soul skills and has a violent temperament."

"The older it is, the deeper the color of its scales. A normal adult is nearly two meters long. After that, its body grows ten centimeters for every hundred years of age. This Golden-Armored Unicorn Rhino is nearly three and a half meters long, so I judge it to be nearly fifteen hundred years old."

"Then what are its weaknesses?" Ning Rongrong's eyes shone even brighter as she looked at Tang Yin.

"Its weaknesses are its eyes and abdomen. These two places are obvious; after all, the eyes have no scales, and the abdominal scales are the thinnest. However," Tang Yin paused slightly, "few people know that the junction between the horn and the frontal bone is also a weakness. If one can strike that junction precisely, it can cause the rhino to fall into a short period of dizziness."

"Of course, there's no need to mention that it is bulky and not good at dealing with agile soul masters—that's a common trait of armored soul beasts!"

Tang Yin's long-winded theoretical explanation made Chen Xin feel even more uncomfortable. His unintentional remark had actually allowed this brat to show off in front of Rongrong again. How detestable.

Ignoring Chen Xin's secret jealousy, Ning Rongrong noticed the group's attire and said:

"These people are from the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. It looks like a soul-hunting mission organized by the academy. But why are they all students? Where are the instructors?"

Ning Rongrong was a bit puzzled. According to Ning Fengzhi's arrangements, she would likely enter the Heaven Dou Academy in the future to build connections while studying, so she knew a bit about the academy.

Under normal circumstances, when hunting a thousand-year soul beast, there would usually be at least one Soul Ancestor above level forty leading the team. Yet here, the highest was only a Soul Elder, and they were dressed as students.

Just as Ning Rongrong was wondering, the orderly encirclement on the field suffered an accident.

The Golden-Armored Unicorn Rhino seemed to be enraged by the humans before it. It raised its head and let out a deafening roar, the dark golden light around its body surging. It lowered its head and charged fiercely toward the auxiliary-type soul master at the weakest point of the encirclement, its horn crackling with electricity—a terrifying sight.

Under the leadership of the only senior student who was a Soul Elder, the students immediately changed their formation, unleashing various soul skills in an attempt to slow it down and interfere.

But the impact of the Golden-Armored Unicorn Rhino was terrifying. Seeing the formation about to be scattered, the leading Soul Elder student turned pale; clearly, he hadn't expected this rhino to be so difficult to handle.

"Sword Grandpa, aren't we going to help?" Ning Rongrong asked, pointing to their attire.

The Heaven Dou Royal Academy could almost be considered the Crown Prince's faction, and the Crown Prince was her father Ning Fengzhi's disciple. Seeing this, she subconsciously wanted to help.

"Does a mere fifteen-hundred-year soul beast require me to take action?" Chen Xin crossed his arms, his expression arrogant. But thinking that it was Ning Rongrong's request, he immediately put away his arrogant posture and patiently explained:

"When other soul master teams are hunting, outsiders should not easily intervene. This is an unspoken rule among soul masters. You must also be careful if you encounter such situations in the future. Unless others ask, you must never intervene, otherwise, you might do more harm than good and invite resentment for no reason."

"Besides," Chen Xin said, looking into the depths of the dense forest, "besides, there is already a level fifty-one Soul King watching from the shadows."

As if to verify his words, at the critical moment when the Golden-Armored Unicorn Rhino was about to hit the auxiliary soul master, a figure suddenly appeared, blocking the path between the auxiliary soul master and the charging beast.

"First Soul Skill, Canglang Blazing Flame."

Accompanied by a young, decisive voice, a figure with hands wrapped in crimson flames punched the junction of the Golden-Armored Unicorn Rhino's horn and frontal bone.

Moo~

The Golden-Armored Unicorn Rhino, which had been charging like a truck, came to a sudden halt. It let out a miserable cry, slid a distance, and then collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Instructor Qin Ming, you're here!" The panicked students, as if they had found their backbone, gathered around him.

"Teacher, I'm sorry. I was careless this time." A burly youth walked toward Qin Ming with his head bowed, not daring to face his instructor.

If the instructor hadn't intervened, the auxiliary soul master in the team would have been seriously injured or even faced a life-threatening situation. As the leader of this mission, he was to blame.

Qin Ming shook his head, a trace of disappointment flashing in his eyes: "Shi Mo, I warned you repeatedly when hunting the third soul ring for your brother Shi Mu. I didn't expect you to still make such a mistake. You and your brother are both pure defense soul masters, yet you allowed the auxiliary soul master to be broken through so easily."

"Instructor Qin Ming, it's not my brother's fault. He only broke the formation to protect me." Seeing his brother being scolded, Shi Mu quickly stood up.

"Forget it. Shi Mo, you and your brother go protect your younger brother while he absorbs the soul ring." Qin Ming waved his hand, then turned his gaze toward Tang Yin and his group.