Star Dou Soul Hunt! The First Ring in Eight Hundred Years!

Three days later.

Before dawn, while the sky was still dark.

At the back gate of the Qing Family Manor, three figures slipped silently into the mountain forest.

Qing Zhengyue led the way, dressed in a tight-fitting grey outfit, his white hair tied up, a narrow-bladed long saber hanging at his waist.

His face, usually so amiable, was now set like stone. There was no trace of old age in his eyes, only a sharpness as keen as a hawk's.

Liu Yunlan followed closely behind, having changed into a dark green short-sleeved tunic, her silver hair coiled atop her head, her sleeves tightly bound.

The cloth bag at the old lady's waist clinked and clattered; it was filled with the vials and jars she never parted with, though only she knew what they contained.

Qing Mufeng walked at the rear, his steps light and his breathing steady.

A six-year-old child, dragged from his bed in the middle of the night and forced to hike for an hour, yet he had not uttered a single complaint of fatigue.

Qing Zhengyue observed this, nodding to himself.

At the manor gate, Qing Hongyuan and Shen Wanqing stood side by side, watching the three figures vanish into the morning mist.

"Can Father and Mother... really do this?" Shen Wanqing asked in a low voice, unable to hide her worry.

Qing Hongyuan was silent for a moment, then gently took his wife's hand.

"When Father was young, he slaughtered enemies on the frontier; there is no scene he has not witnessed. Mother once poisoned a Spirit Saint on the battlefield."

His voice was soft, as if comforting his wife, or perhaps convincing himself.

"They are far stronger than we imagine."

Shen Wanqing said nothing more, merely gazing at the mountain path where the figures had long since disappeared, unable to look away for a long time.

Star Dou Forest.

The most famous habitat for spirit beasts on the continent, spanning the borders of the Heaven Dou and Star Luo empires, vast and stretching for thousands of miles.

The outer perimeter was home to spirit beasts ranging from ten to a thousand years in age, while further in lay the territory of ten-thousand-year spirit beasts.

Qing Zhengyue's target was the deep outer perimeter.

He had not chosen the Soul Hunting Forest nearest to Nuoding City, for it only contained century-level beasts; he would never find an eight-hundred-year-old Vine Dragon there.

The three had hired an inconspicuous carriage outside Nuoding City and traveled east for two full days before reaching the edge of Star Dou Forest.

As they disembarked, Qing Zhengyue tossed a Gold Soul Coin to the driver.

"Wait here. If we aren't back in three days, go home."

The driver caught the Gold Soul Coin, his eyes widening, and he nodded repeatedly.

Before entering the forest, Qing Zhengyue stopped and turned to look at his grandson.

"Mufeng, remember," he said, his voice low and grave.

"Once we are in the woods, stay close to your grandmother. I will clear the path ahead. No matter what happens, do not make a sound, and do not run off."

Qing Mufeng nodded.

Liu Yunlan crouched down, pulled a small porcelain bottle from her bag, poured out a jade-green pill, and placed it in her grandson's mouth.

"Hold it, don't swallow," the old lady whispered.

"This is a Poison-Avoiding Pill. The miasma and venomous insects in this forest will not come near you."

Qing Mufeng held the pill in his mouth, a cool, herbal fragrance spreading across his tongue.

Qing Zhengyue checked his gear one last time and drew the long saber from his waist.

The blade was bright as snow, reflecting his eyes, which were as still as an ancient well.

"Let's go."

The outer perimeter of Star Dou Forest was not as romantic as its name suggested.

Towering trees blotted out the sky, and the ground was covered in layers of rotting leaves; it felt soft and spongy underfoot, hiding unknown dangers beneath.

The air was thick with the scent of damp decay, and occasionally, the screech of some unknown spirit beast echoed from the depths of the dense woods.

Qing Zhengyue led the way, his long saber hacking through the vines that blocked their path, his footsteps steady as if walking on flat ground.

Liu Yunlan held her grandson's hand in the middle. The hands that usually held needles and thread now gripped a short dagger, its blade shimmering with a faint, poisonous blue light.

Qing Mufeng followed beside his grandmother, observing his surroundings as he walked.

In his past life, he had read about Star Dou Forest in books and knew it was one of the most dangerous places on the Douluo Continent.

But only by walking into it did he realize that the oppressive weight could not be described by mere words.

Every tree, every bush, and perhaps even every fallen leaf here could hide a lethal threat.

Yet, he felt no fear.

It was not because he was unafraid, but because he knew that fear was useless.

About two hours into the forest, Qing Zhengyue suddenly stopped.

He raised his left hand, signaling those behind him to halt.

Qing Mufeng held his breath and pricked up his ears.

Thirty paces ahead, at the base of a massive ancient tree, a green behemoth was coiled.

Its body was as thick as an adult's arm and over two meters long, its scales shimmering with a faint green light under the dappled sunlight filtering through the canopy.

Vine Dragon.

A wood-attribute dragon-type soul beast, fierce by nature, and adept at constriction and life-force attacks.

Qing Zhengyue observed it carefully for a moment, a flash of disappointment crossing his eyes.

"Too young," he whispered. "Three hundred years at most. Let's go."

The three of them bypassed the Vine Dragon and continued deeper into the forest.

They first discovered a target during the second hour after entering the forest.

It was a Vine Dragon of about seven hundred years, a size larger than the previous one, coiled inside the hollow of a dead tree with only its dragon head visible.

Qing Zhengyue took a few looks and shook his head.

"Not enough. Keep moving."

Liu Yunlan had no objections, holding her grandson's hand as she followed behind him.

Qing Mufeng did not speak either.

He knew his grandfather's standard was eight hundred years. Seven hundred was a hundred years short of the mark, and his grandfather was not interested.

The second time they found a target was at high noon.

It was a true behemoth.

The dragon's body was as thick as a water bucket and over five meters long, coiled at the edge of a wetland, currently devouring an unknown beast.

The scales on its body were deep cyan, each the size of an infant's palm, gleaming with a metallic luster in the sunlight.

Qing Zhengyue's eyes lit up.

He carefully observed the giant dragon's size, the color of its scales, and the fluctuations of soul power radiating from its body.

"Around eight hundred and fifty years," he whispered. "This is the one."

Liu Yunlan let go of her grandson's hand and gripped the short dagger in her own.

"How do we fight it?"

Qing Zhengyue did not answer immediately, instead observing the surrounding terrain.

The Vine Dragon was coiled at the edge of the wetland, where the surroundings were open with little cover.

Its size was too great; a head-on clash was possible, but it might create too much noise and attract other soul beasts.

"I will draw its attention from the front," Qing Zhengyue decided quickly.

"You circle around to the side and find an opportunity to strike it. Use the poison."

"Understood."

Liu Yunlan asked no further questions, bending down to slip into the nearby shrubbery, disappearing into the greenery as silently and skillfully as a seasoned leopard.

Qing Zhengyue drew his long blade and strode toward the Vine Dragon.

He made no attempt to hide his intentions.

The aura of a Soul Emperor erupted from him, pressing down on the giant dragon like a towering mountain.

The Vine Dragon became alert in an instant, its head rearing high as its golden dragon eyes locked onto the human who had suddenly appeared.

It sensed danger; the pressure emanating from the high-level soul master made it instinctively want to flee.

But it was already too late.

Qing Zhengyue's figure flashed, his long blade whistling through the air as he slashed toward the dragon's body.

The Vine Dragon whipped its tail violently, lashing out at Qing Zhengyue.

A flash of steel left a deep, bloody gash on the dragon's tail.

The giant dragon, stung by the pain, let out a sharp hiss and opened its blood-red maw to snap at Qing Zhengyue.

At that exact moment, Liu Yunlan lunged out from the side of the shrubbery.

Her short dagger pierced precisely into the Vine Dragon's vital spot, injecting the deep blue toxin instantly.

The giant dragon's body stiffened violently.

Qing Zhengyue gave his opponent no chance to catch its breath, sweeping his long blade horizontally to sever the dragon's neck.

The Vine Dragon's head rolled to the ground, and its body twitched a few times before finally falling still.

From the first strike to the end, it had taken less than thirty seconds.

Qing Zhengyue sheathed his blade, his expression unchanged, his breathing not even ruffled.

Liu Yunlan stood up from beside the dragon's corpse, wiped the blood from her dagger, and looked toward her grandson.

"Feng'er, come here."

Qing Mufeng took a deep breath and walked over.

This was the first time he had witnessed a soul beast being killed with his own eyes.

It would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous.

But he did not shrink back.

Qing Zhengyue stood beside the dragon corpse, watching his grandson with a hint of scrutiny in his eyes.

"Mufeng." His voice was calm. "Before you absorb the soul ring, Grandfather will ask you one more time."

"Are you afraid?"

Qing Mufeng raised his head, meeting his grandfather's gaze.

There was no hesitation or retreat in his eyes.

"I am not."

Qing Zhengyue stared at him for two breaths, then nodded.

"Good. Sit down, focus your mind, and Grandfather will guard you."

Qing Mufeng sat cross-legged beside the dragon corpse and closed his eyes.

A deep yellow soul ring rose slowly from the body of the Vine Dragon, drifting toward him.

The moment the soul ring entered his body, he felt as if a venomous dragon had burrowed into his meridians, tearing at them frantically.

Excruciating pain surged from every limb and bone, as if his entire body were being torn apart.

But at this moment, his Azure Dragon Martial Soul awakened.

The phantom of his martial soul appeared behind him, its golden dragon eyes staring coldly at the soul ring, as if to say: Submit, or perish.

The turbulence of the soul ring quickly subsided under the pressure of the Azure Dragon, obediently merging into Qing Mufeng's body.

Qing Zhengyue watched all of this, his eyes filled with shock.

An eight-hundred-year soul ring.

He had absorbed it even more easily than the four-hundred-year soul ring he had absorbed back in his day.

The old man took a deep breath, suppressing the raging waves in his heart, and silently gripped the long blade in his hand.

This was only the first ring.

There was still a second ring.

And a much longer road ahead.