Qing Zhengyue glanced at him and nodded slightly.
"The wind attribute of the Wind Wood Dragon, combined with its wood attribute, happens to grant it the ability to fly. Its flight speed is also fast, and it is highly maneuverable."
Qing Hongyuan paused before adding, "More importantly, we just fought a Wind Wood Dragon. We now have firsthand knowledge of its attack methods, defensive measures, and behavioral habits."
He looked at his son, a trace of approval in his eyes.
"The five-thousand-nine-hundred-year Wind Wood Dragon Feng'er fought allowed us to understand this kind of soul beast thoroughly. If we encounter a higher-aged Wind Wood Dragon again, we won't be starting from scratch. We'll be prepared."
Qing Mufeng nodded slightly at his father's words.
His father was right. Although Grandpa had been the main force in that battle, he had participated from beginning to end. His understanding of the Wind Wood Dragon was far deeper than anything recorded in books.
"What age should we choose for the Wind Wood Dragon?" Qing Zhengyue asked.
"Between twenty thousand and thirty thousand years," Qing Hongyuan said. "I'm at level fifty now, and my physique has far surpassed what it once was after being tempered by the Azure Dragon Method. I should be able to withstand a soul ring of around thirty thousand years."
Qing Zhengyue pondered for a moment.
Wind Wood Dragons between twenty thousand and thirty thousand years old should be found deep within the Hurricane Wood Mountain Range, in the southern and northern regions of Star Dou Forest.
When they had previously hunted Feng'er's third soul ring, he had paid attention to the surrounding terrain.
The depths of the Hurricane Wood Mountain Range had steeper terrain and denser vegetation. It was the habitat of higher-aged Wind Wood Dragons.
And that battle just now had given them a direct understanding of the Wind Wood Dragon's habits.
This was experience that could not be learned from books—valuable information earned through real combat.
"That will do."
The old man nodded. "But the principle remains unchanged: safety first. If we can't find a suitable Wind Wood Dragon, we'll use another flying wood-attributed dragon instead. The age can be lowered somewhat, but twenty thousand years is the minimum."
"Thank you, Father." Qing Hongyuan nodded solemnly.
Liu Yunlan looked at her son's serious face and suddenly smiled.
"You always wanted to fly when you were little."
The old woman said, "You were only five or six then. You climbed trees every day, saying you wanted to fly up and see the sky. Once, you climbed onto the roof and jumped down. You broke your arm, and your father nearly beat you to death."
When his mother brought up that old story, Qing Hongyuan could not quite keep his dignity, though the corners of his mouth still rose.
"Wasn't that just because I didn't know any better as a child?" he muttered.
Sitting nearby and listening to his grandmother recount his father's embarrassing childhood stories, Qing Mufeng could not help laughing aloud.
He looked at his father and suddenly felt that this usually quiet, taciturn man had a childlike side as well.
Dragon Transformation.
Flight.
This was his father's dream.
It was also the dream of everyone in the Qing Clan.
The night gradually deepened.
Liu Yunlan added several dry branches to the campfire. Flames licked at the wood, crackling and popping.
The firelight illuminated a small area around the camp, stretching the five figures' shadows long.
Qing Mufeng was not sleepy. Leaning against a boulder, he looked up at the night sky.
At night, the stars in Star Dou Forest shone exceptionally brightly.
There was no light pollution from cities, no haze blocking the view. The stars filling the sky were like crushed diamonds scattered across black cloth, dense and glittering.
He recalled the earlier battle.
The Wind Wood Dragon's scales, claws, fangs, Wind Blades, tail sweeps... every detail was etched into his mind.
A five-thousand-nine-hundred-year Wind Wood Dragon had already possessed such strength. How powerful would one between twenty thousand and thirty thousand years be?
He did not know.
But he knew his father had made the right choice.
Choosing the Wind Wood Dragon was not merely because its attributes matched. It was also because—
They had just fought a Wind Wood Dragon.
They were familiar with every move it made.
This experience was more precious than any knowledge from books.
Qing Mufeng closed his eyes and began circulating the Azure Dragon Method.
Soul Power flowed through his meridians, all four pathways open. His newly acquired third soul ring—
A deep purple soul ring.
It slowly revolved within his dantian, resonating with the other two soul rings.
The power of the third divine ability, Azure Dragon Wind Control, continued flowing through his body.
With a slight movement of his thoughts, his body grew a little lighter, as though an invisible force were supporting him.
But he did not fly. He merely felt that power, familiarizing himself with it and gaining control over it.
Flight was instinct.
But even instinct required practice to be brought to its fullest potential.
The next day, dawn had only just begun to break.
Five figures departed from the camp and continued toward the depths of the forest.
Qing Zhengyue walked at the front, his saber drawn three inches from its sheath. His gaze swept across the forest ahead like that of a hawk.
The deeper they went, the denser the trees became, the dimmer the light grew, and the heavier the scent of decay in the air became.
Qing Hongyuan followed close behind, his gaze resolute and his steps steady.
His right hand occasionally tightened around the hilt of the sword at his waist before loosening again, repeating this several times as though adjusting his state.
He knew this hunt was not for his son, but for himself.
He was the head of this generation of the Qing Clan, and Qing Mufeng's father.
He could not remain hidden behind his father and son forever.
He had to grow stronger too.
Not to prove anything, but to—
Be worthy of the words "Dragon Transformation."
And besides, they had experience.
They knew how Wind Wood Dragons fought.
That experience would make this hunt a little less uncertain and give them a little more confidence.
The night passed without incident.
The campfire burned through most of the night. Liu Yunlan got up twice to add wood, and the flames licked at the logs with faint crackles, driving away the night's cold and dampness.
Within the camp, the five figures slept peacefully, their breathing even and unhurried.
Qing Zhengyue sat leaning against the outermost boulder, his saber laid across his knees as he rested with his eyes closed.
His spiritual power remained like an invisible net, covering an area of one hundred zhang around them.
Any creature that entered this range, no matter how large or small, would be detected by his senses.
Several low-ranked soul beasts had approached during the night.
A Shadow Cat around a hundred years old watched from the bushes for a while, but Qing Zhengyue's spiritual pressure intimidated it into turning around and vanishing into the darkness.
A three-hundred-year Black-Striped Snake poked its head out from between the rocks. Sensing the aura of a Soul Emperor, it was so frightened that it withdrew into its hole and never emerged again.
There was also a group of unknown small soul beasts that made rustling noises in the distance, never daring to approach.
Other than that, nothing else happened.
With a peak Soul Emperor holding the line and two Soul Kings supporting him, such a lineup was already at the top of the food chain in the outer regions of Star Dou Forest.
Those ten-year and hundred-year low-ranked soul beasts scattered in terror at the mere scent of that aura.
Thousand-year soul beasts would keep their distance and would not provoke them on their own.
Unless they were truly tired of living.
Although soul beasts of this level had yet to develop human-like intelligence like ten-thousand-year soul beasts, their instinct for danger told them that approaching this place meant death.
Naturally, none of them came closer.
Thus, the night passed peacefully.
Before you continue