Light White Tiger, Tang San Bathes.

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, another two years and seven months had passed.

During these years, Xia Yan had not joined any academy, choosing instead to wander the continent alone. From the Extreme North Snow Plains to the Blazing Volcano, through deserts, plains, and rainforests, he had traveled to many places.

He had truly been hunted down as well. Once, intelligence reports claimed there were eleven Wolf Bandits, but when he arrived, he found over fifty of them, a vast, swarming sea of enemies.

It was fortunate he possessed the Demon Suppressing Pagoda; otherwise, a real disaster might have occurred.

He had also cultivated to level thirty.

Star Dou Great Forest, outer perimeter.

Xia Yan sat atop the canopy of an ancient tree. The deep green foliage surging with the wind before his eyes was no different from how it had been two years ago.

As the cool morning breeze blew, Xia Yan retrieved a map from his storage Soul Tool.

Yes, he finally possessed a storage Soul Tool—a silver bracelet with ninety cubic meters of internal space, valued at ninety-six thousand Gold Soul Coins.

It was something those friendly Wolf Bandits had traded their lives to provide him.

Unfolding the map, the flexible yellow paper displayed the shape of the Star Dou Great Forest, with thin black lines marking the primary power-type Soul Beasts in different regions, mostly in the outer and middle areas. The closer one moved toward the interior of the Star Dou Great Forest, the less information there was.

The middle layer and beyond were entirely blank.

Xia Yan looked at a corner on the east side of the map, where the Soul Beasts one might encounter were labeled: White Tiger.

This was the third Soul Beast Xia Yan intended to contract: the Light White Tiger.

It had to be a Light-attribute White Tiger; Wind Tigers or Fire Tigers would not suffice.

Because, a White Tiger could evolve into another powerful Soul Beast: the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.

Legend had it that the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger was born when the power of the God of Evil descended upon a Light-attribute White Tiger, causing an extreme mutation.

It possessed six top-tier attributes: evil, darkness, wind, thunder, time, and space. It could not cultivate and could only grow by devouring life. Its strength was immense; at sixty thousand years of age, it could fight the Titan Giant Ape and the Sky Azure Bull Python to a standstill even when they joined forces.

The fact that it could retreat unscathed in the end was a testament to its formidable power.

Therefore, Xia Yan had come to the Star Dou Great Forest to contract a White Tiger.

As for how to make the White Tiger evolve into a Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, he certainly could not make the power of the God of Evil descend again, but right now, on the outskirts of the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest, there existed the only Dark Demon Evil God Tiger on the continent.

It possessed the Evil God Pearl.

By refining it, the White Tiger could evolve into a Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, and its strength would skyrocket.

Determining his direction, Xia Yan set off immediately.

Now, in the outer perimeter of the Star Dou Great Forest, there were few Soul Beasts left that could threaten him, so there was no need to be as cautious as he had been two years ago.

Six days later.

"Roar!"

In the lush forest, Xia Yan heard a tiger's roar from afar.

Following the sound, about half a kilometer away in the forest, he saw a snow-white, gold-striped tiger at least four meters in length.

Its sharp, golden tiger claws swiped across an ancient tree, easily carving a conspicuous mark.

Its thick tail swayed gently as it wandered about in a leisurely and carefree manner.

From time to time, it let out a low roar, causing the tree crowns in the forest to tremble.

Over these past few days, Xia Yan had encountered at least ten tiger-type Soul Beasts, but none were Light White Tigers. This one, however, was definitely a Light White Tiger!

Moreover, it appeared to be over three thousand years old.

This was far beyond the two-thousand-year absorption limit for a third Soul Ring.

However, it did not matter; Xia Yan's physique could fully withstand the extra thousand years.

Xia Yan summoned the Demon Suppressing Pagoda, which hovered in mid-air. The White Tiger naturally noticed it immediately.

But before the White Tiger could make a move, the Demon Suppressing Pagoda erupted with a massive suction force, pulling it directly into the tower.

The space within the third level of the tower was subsequently opened.

At the same time, Xia Yan's own soul power began to climb, breaking through the level thirty bottleneck: level thirty-one, level thirty-two... level thirty-four!

A direct surge of four levels!

Even more surging soul power flowed through his meridians!

He had obtained a new soul skill: Light Slash.

By condensing light-attribute soul power into his arms and hands, he could unleash a powerful slash with a range of up to thirty meters, or choose not to release it, instead continuously strengthening his arms for close-quarters combat.

Finally, he had a single-target attack skill.

At the same time, the age of both the Datura Snake and the Jade Green Bird had increased.

The Datura Snake's age rose to 2,800 years.

The Jade Green Bird rose to 2,500 years.

The power of the soul skills they provided increased accordingly.

The Datura Snake's Snake Shadow Binding saw an increase in range, and the strength of the summoned snake shadows grew, now roughly equivalent to a soul beast of fifty to seventy years.

In battle, releasing dozens, or even hundreds, of snake-like soul beasts with fifty years of cultivation and carrying Datura Snake venom—

The thought alone was terrifying.

The Jade Green Bird's Jade Shadow Flowing Light saw its speed-boosting effect upgrade from fifty percent to sixty percent.

As a group skill, it could be applied to soul beasts like the Datura Snake and the Jade Green Bird.

When the time came, with nine Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts by his side, the power boost alone would be enough to drop the jaws of the entire world!

Notting City, forest outside the city, By a clear little river, Tang San, having stripped off his clothes, soaked in the river water before standing on the bank, dark and slick. He applied soap three times and scrubbed vigorously with a white towel.

He had been training too hard lately and sweating too much; if he didn't bathe for a few days, he would reek of sweat.

Xiao Wu's attitude was already cold, and now she was even less willing to get near him. His master, who cared for him and looked after him more than anyone else in the world, had also tactfully advised him to bathe more often.

Even the blacksmith at the forge had mentioned that he smelled of sour sweat.

It was fine, a couple more baths would fix it.

As he scrubbed, Tang San looked down to admire the well-defined abdominal muscles, chest muscles, and the clear lines on his arms and waist beneath his darkened, soapy skin.

He thought of his level twenty-six strength, which topped Notting Academy, as well as his invincible Tang Sect hidden weapons, Mysterious Jade Hand, and Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track...

Hmph, it's only because Xia Yan runs fast; otherwise, he would have been trampled under my feet long ago!

The moment he thought of his teacher's reaction—both happy and worried—upon hearing that Xia Yan had left, and the way Xiao Wu looked lost and helpless after Xia Yan's departure, his anger flared up.

That detestable Xia Yan, leaving was one thing, but to intentionally depart without saying goodbye—

It had caused his teacher and Xiao Wu to lose their appetites!

Ten months later, Five years had passed since Xia Yan left Notting Academy, and now it was the sixth year. By this time next year, Tang San would have graduated from Notting Academy and traveled thousands of miles to join Shrek Academy.

To ensure he wouldn't miss the Shrek enrollment when he eventually headed to Holy Soul Village, And to secure a stable and safe environment for cultivation, Xia Yan prepared to join Shrek Academy a year early, intending to withdraw later.

Suotuo City was one of the two major cities in the Balak Kingdom.

It was also the closest major city to the border of the Star Luo Empire within the Heaven Dou Empire—the closest, without exception.

Xia Yan walked along the paved blue-brick road.

Pedestrians came and went.

Shops lined both sides; the aroma of food from restaurants, the clanging of hammers from blacksmith shops, and the shouts of children created an atmosphere of daily life. Compared to the prosperous but relatively cold Heaven Dou City, he preferred cities like Suotuo City.

It felt more human.