Setting Out for the Star Dou Great Forest

Huo Yuhao hurriedly opened the door and invited Bei Bei into his dorm, his excitement plain to see. "Senior Brother, let me tell you, I encountered so many things on this trip to the Far North! Senior brought me..."

Halfway through his sentence, Huo Yuhao caught sight of Bei Bei's face, which looked even more bitter than a bitter melon. He immediately clamped his mouth shut and probed cautiously, "Senior Brother, what's wrong? You don't look very happy."

Bei Bei took a deep breath, squeezed out a smile that looked worse than crying, reached out to pat Huo Yuhao on the shoulder, and said earnestly, "Little Yuhao, Senior Brother is very happy that you've had so many adventures, truly happy."

"It's just..." Bei Bei paused, the resentment in his tone almost solidifying. "Why did it have to be today? I had already promised Xiao Ya that we would go to the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest to gather herbs today. She's been waiting for me for ages, but then Brother Jiang Che issued an order, and I had to scurry over to help you handle the paperwork."

Hearing Bei Bei's words, Huo Yuhao suddenly felt a chill run down his back. He shrank his neck and looked at Bei Bei with an innocent expression. "Senior Brother, this... I didn't know either. It was Senior who said he'd have someone notify me today."

"I know, I know." Bei Bei waved his hand and sighed helplessly. "Don't I know how Brother Jiang Che is? Once he's made up his mind, who dares to say a word against it?"

"Uh... how about you just tell me how to handle it, Senior Brother, and I'll go do it myself..."

"Forget it, forget it." Before Huo Yuhao could finish, Bei Bei interrupted him, putting away his resentment and returning to his usual refined and gentle self. "Since I'm already here, let's go. I'll take you to file the application. The sooner we finish, the sooner it's done. Maybe I can still make it back for dinner with Xiao Ya."

With that, Bei Bei took Huo Yuhao and left, the two of them crossing the main road of the outer courtyard to reach the small building housing the Academic Affairs Office.

Bei Bei pushed open the doors of the office with practiced ease and led Huo Yuhao to the desk responsible for approving off-campus applications. Sitting at the desk was a middle-aged female teacher in her forties wearing round-rimmed glasses; her expression wasn't exactly stern, but it certainly couldn't be called kind.

"Teacher Zhou, I've brought a junior to file an off-campus application." Bei Bei greeted her with a smile, his tone familiar.

Teacher Zhou looked up at Bei Bei, then at Huo Yuhao behind him, and pushed up her glasses. "Where are you applying to go?"

"The Star Dou Great Forest," Bei Bei said.

Teacher Zhou nodded, pulled a form from her drawer, and handed it to Huo Yuhao. "Fill this out. Name, class, reason for leaving, and the estimated age of the Soul Beast you intend to hunt—make sure it's all clear."

Huo Yuhao took the form and leaned over the nearby table to fill it out carefully.

Once it was processed, Bei Bei left in a hurry, leaving Huo Yuhao standing there all by himself.

The next day, Jiang Che emerged from Ma Xiaotao's room once again. The two were currently at the stage where they were deeply enamored with each other, so Jiang Che had snuck over again last night to discuss how Nüwa created humanity.

In the end, Ma Xiaotao was left flushed and speechless by Jiang Che's silver-tongued arguments, so frustrated that she had swatted him several times.

When Jiang Che returned to the small building, he found the Ice Empress sitting by the stone table reading a book.

"Good morning, Bing'er." Jiang Che greeted her casually, intending to go back to his room for another nap.

"Good morning," the Ice Empress replied, but seeing Jiang Che's desire to sleep in, she kindly reminded him, "Did you forget that you promised Huo Yuhao you'd take him to the Star Dou Great Forest today?"

The Ice Empress's words reminded Jiang Che, as he had indeed forgotten. He had been so preoccupied with "eating peaches" these past two days that he had completely forgotten about such matters, which was why he had simply asked Bei Bei to take Huo Yuhao to file the application when he ran into him the day he returned.

"Uh..." Jiang Che stood frozen in place, feeling awkward. After a quick mental scramble, he explained, "No, how could I possibly forget? I was just going back to grab a few things. We're leaving immediately."

Jiang Che hurried back to his room for a quick turn. In truth, there was nothing to grab; the Ring of the Overseer was well-stocked with supplies. He just didn't want the Ice Empress to see that he had truly forgotten.

When he came back out, the Ice Empress had already closed her book on Soul Guidance devices and was looking at him with a faint, knowing smile. "Got everything?"

"Got it." Jiang Che kept his expression neutral. "Let's go."

The two left Sea God Island and followed the path belonging exclusively to Shrek Academy toward the East City Gate. There weren't many students on the road; most had gone home for the holidays, and only a few who remained at the academy to cultivate were still walking the campus.

In the square outside the East City Gate, Huo Yuhao had already been waiting for a while.

He carried a small pack, had changed into a clean set of blue martial attire, and his hair was neatly groomed, making him look much more spirited.

Seeing Jiang Che and the Ice Empress approach, Huo Yuhao hurriedly stepped forward. "Senior, Sister Bing... Bingbing, good morning!"

He was clearly nervous when calling her "Sister Bingbing." After all, he knew that this girl who looked to be twelve or thirteen was actually a forty-thousand-year-old beast from the Far North; anyone would be nervous.

The Ice Empress gave a faint "Mn" in response.

Jiang Che looked Huo Yuhao up and down. "Been waiting long?"

"No, no!" Huo Yuhao waved his hands repeatedly. "I just arrived a little while ago."

Jiang Che shook his head with a smile, not exposing him; there were already a few beads of sweat on Huo Yuhao's forehead from being out in the sun for too long.

"Let's go." Jiang Che stepped toward the city gates. "There aren't many Spirit-type Soul Beasts in the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest that are suitable for you. It might take some time to find one."

Huo Yuhao followed quickly, his steps light and his face full of anticipation and excitement.

The three left Shrek City and headed in a southeasterly direction.

The Star Dou Great Forest is located southeast of Shrek City and is the largest habitat for Soul Beasts on the Douluo Continent. It spans the borders of the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire, stretching thousands of miles deep, and is home to tens of thousands of Soul Beasts ranging from ten years to a million years in age.

There is a saying on the continent: No one truly understands the Star Dou Great Forest, because most of those who have ventured deep into the core area have never walked out again.

Jiang Che was no stranger to the Star Dou Great Forest. Over the years, he had been in and out a dozen times, from initially following the seniors of the Supervision Group to suppress Evil Soul Masters, to later venturing deep alone to hunt for Soul Rings. He was quite familiar with the terrain and the distribution of Soul Beasts in the outer reaches of the forest.

It takes about two days to travel from Shrek City to the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest at a normal pace.

Jiang Che had considered flying there directly, but considering Huo Yuhao's endurance, he chose to walk instead.

He wasn't in a rush anyway. Huo Yuhao only needed a thousand-year Soul Ring for his second ring, and his current second Martial Soul was already enough to make him stand out among the freshmen.

Along the way, Huo Yuhao was noticeably more lively than he had been on the trip to the Far North.

Perhaps it was because he remembered the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm that had changed his fate when he first visited the Star Dou Great Forest, or perhaps the successful fusion of his second Martial Soul had greatly boosted his confidence. He asked questions incessantly—one moment asking what powerful Soul Beasts were in the Star Dou Great Forest, the next asking what a thousand-year Spirit-type Soul Beast looked like.

Jiang Che responded half-heartedly, while the Ice Empress walked on the other side in silence.

Two days later, the three finally arrived at the small town on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

This town, named "Soul Hunting Town," was a place specifically for Soul Masters to resupply and rest while hunting Soul Beasts. It was busy year-round, and even now, during the holidays, there were plenty of people in town.

Jiang Che found the largest inn in town and booked three rooms, preparing to enter the forest the next morning.

That night, Jiang Che sat alone by his window, looking at the night sky in the direction of the Star Dou Great Forest. It was pitch black, with no lights to be seen.

He remembered that in the original story, Huo Yuhao's second Soul Ring was a thousand-year Ice Silkworm that provided the Simulation skill. But there shouldn't be such a thing in the Star Dou Great Forest, and with his own presence to account for Huo Yuhao's second Martial Soul, that Simulation skill was no longer all that important.