Journey to the Star Dou Great Forest!

"Alright! For the sake of that determination, I'm definitely helping you! Isn't it just a ten-thousand-year soul ring? Come on, let's find Teacher right now! Have him take us to the Star Dou Great Forest. Whatever soul ring you want, we'll hunt it!"

Dai Tu grimaced from the pat, but still nodded. "Thank you, Senior Brother."

"What are you thanking me for?" Long Aotian laughed heartily and pulled Dai Tu outside. "We're family. No need for formalities!"

The two had just reached the inn's entrance when Long Aotian suddenly stopped. He turned to look at Dai Tu with a somewhat strange expression.

"Oh, right, Junior Brother. There's something I forgot to tell you."

"What?"

"I... also broke through to Rank 60 yesterday." Long Aotian grinned, flashing two rows of white teeth. His smile carried undisguised pride.

"Perfect timing. I need to obtain my sixth soul ring too. The two of us can go together, with Teacher leading us. It'll save us some trouble."

Dai Tu: "..."

He stared at Long Aotian for three seconds, confirming that he was not joking, then silently swallowed.

A Soul Emperor this young?

He knew Long Aotian was talented. He knew he was the number one of the younger generation in the Body Sect. He knew he was strong.

But a fifteen-year-old Soul Emperor... this could no longer be described as merely "genius." He was a monster, a freak, an unparalleled prodigy that came once in a thousand years—someone Shrek Academy would worship like an ancestor.

"Senior Brother..." Dai Tu said stiffly, "How old... are you, exactly?"

"Fifteen." Long Aotian answered naturally, then scratched his head.

"But Teacher says I matured early and look eighteen or nineteen. Can't be helped. Cultivating a Body Martial Soul makes your body develop faster, so I look more mature than people my age."

Dai Tu fell silent.

This was a true top-tier genius! So long as he did not fall, he would inevitably become a Super Douluo, perhaps even a Limit Douluo.

Unfortunately... Dai Tu vaguely remembered that Long Aotian had fallen around the age of twenty, dying in the Sun Moon Empire...

Later, Du Busi would also self-destruct, and the Body Sect would begin its decline.

But with him in this life, there was no way he would let the Body Sect follow its old path.

"Alright, stop spacing out." Long Aotian took a jade talisman from his robe and crushed it.

The jade talisman transformed into a streak of emerald light that shot into the sky. It exploded in the night air, becoming the image of a dark green lotus that slowly faded away.

"This is the Emergency Message Talisman Teacher gave me. Once he sees it, he'll come immediately." Long Aotian's smile vanished as he spoke seriously.

"Junior Brother, have you really thought this through? You want to challenge a ten-thousand-year soul ring?"

Dai Tu nodded heavily. "I have."

"No regrets?"

"No regrets."

"Alright." Long Aotian did not ask further. He merely patted Dai Tu's shoulder. "When Teacher gets here, tell him yourself. He may spoil you, but he won't easily agree to something this important. You'll have to convince him."

Dai Tu nodded to show that he understood.

The two waited at the inn entrance for the time it took an incense stick to burn.

Then, the sky suddenly darkened.

It was not because night had fallen. Something had blocked the moonlight.

Dai Tu raised his head and saw a dark green figure plummeting straight down from the night sky like a meteor. It moved at terrifying speed, carrying a howling wind and an overwhelmingly domineering aura that made it hard to breathe.

Boom!

The figure slammed into the open space before the inn, smashing out a crater three zhang wide.

Dust flew everywhere, stones scattered in all directions, and cracks spread across the ground like a spiderweb.

As the dust settled, Du Busi walked out of the crater.

He was not wearing his open-fronted short shirt today. Instead, he had changed into a fitted dark green outfit, with a black belt at his waist and long boots on his feet, making him look far more sharp and capable.

His dark green hair was casually tied into a ponytail behind his head. There was little expression on his face, but his emerald eyes glimmered like those of a beast in the night. They swept over Long Aotian before finally settling on Dai Tu.

"You two brats, why are you sending message talismans in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"

Du Busi's voice was deep and clearly displeased. "I was playing chess with the First Elder and was just about to win. Then you two interrupted me and ruined everything."

Long Aotian chuckled and stepped forward. "Teacher, this is important."

"Important?" Du Busi raised an eyebrow. "What could be so important that it can't wait until tomorrow?"

"It can't." Long Aotian pointed at Dai Tu. "Junior Brother broke through to Rank 30 and needs his third soul ring. I also reached Rank 60 and need my sixth soul ring. We both want to challenge higher-age soul rings, so we need you to keep us safe."

Du Busi froze, then looked at Dai Tu. "Rank 30 already? That fast?"

Dai Tu nodded. "I just broke through."

Du Busi looked at Long Aotian again. "You reached Rank 60? Weren't you only Rank 58 last month?"

"I broke through yesterday." Long Aotian looked as though it were only natural. "I killed a few ten-thousand-year soul beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest, and I broke through while fighting."

Du Busi stared at them for several seconds before suddenly grinning.

"Well, well. Both of you are quite good at causing trouble."

He walked up to Dai Tu and examined him from head to toe. A hint of approval flashed through his eyes.

"Your Soul Power is very stable, and your foundation is solid. Looks like those pills weren't wasted. Fine, Rank 30 is indeed the time to obtain your third soul ring. What type do you want? An eye-type or plant-type?"

Dai Tu took a deep breath, raised his head, and looked at Du Busi. Enunciating each word, he said, "Teacher, I want to add a second soul ring to the Tree of Life first. Then, for my third soul ring, I want to challenge a ten-thousand-year soul ring."

The air instantly fell silent.

The smile on Du Busi's face slowly faded. He stared at Dai Tu, and the casual amusement in his emerald eyes disappeared, replaced by a rare seriousness that was almost grave.

"What did you say?" Du Busi's voice was soft, but every word struck Dai Tu's heart like a heavy hammer. "A ten-thousand-year soul ring? At Rank 30, you want to absorb a ten-thousand-year soul ring?"

"Yes." Dai Tu did not retreat. Meeting Du Busi's gaze, he repeated, "I want to challenge a ten-thousand-year soul ring."

Du Busi fell silent.

With his hands behind his back, he paced back and forth before Dai Tu. His brows were tightly furrowed, as if he were considering something of the utmost importance. The night wind stirred his dark green hair, making it glint faintly beneath the moonlight.

Long Aotian stood to the side, barely daring to breathe. He knew Teacher was serious now—serious enough that he might explode in anger at any moment.

After a long while, Du Busi stopped and looked at Dai Tu again.

"Give me a reason." His voice was calm, but beneath that calm lay suppressed fury. "A reason that can convince me. Otherwise, I'll break your legs right now and lock you in the sect. You won't be allowed outside for ten years."

Dai Tu did not panic. He repeated the reasons he had just given Long Aotian.

Du Busi considered it, then ultimately agreed. After all, with him watching over Dai Tu, any problems that arose could be dealt with.