Returning to the Star Dou Great Forest

In the end, only Dai Mubai and Tang San engaged in the fight.

Ma Hongjun and Oscar hesitated, but ultimately chose not to intervene.

Ning Rongrong asked with great interest, "Hey, Fatty, why aren't you going up to help?"

Ma Hongjun scratched his hair with his chubby little hand, looking troubled:

"Because Brother Xia Yan said that when walking the Spirit Master world, one should not look for trouble, but not fear it either. If you don't dare to cause trouble, you're a mediocrity. If you only pick fights with those stronger than you, that's courage, but if you only pick on those weaker than you, that's just bullying the weak."

Ning Rongrong immediately cast a look of admiration toward Xia Yan, and even Xiao Wu couldn't help but glance over.

Oscar sat to the side, his eyes flickering.

If not for Xia Yan's reminder, he truly didn't know what his fate would have been.

Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun were both Power Attack types, and Ma Hongjun might even be able to fly in the future; if they provoked someone, they could just run away, so they had nothing to fear.

But for him, causing trouble was equivalent to seeking death.

As a Support type with no offensive capabilities, one must uphold a friendly way of conducting oneself.

Otherwise, if you really provoked someone, where would you run? Who could you outrun?

Did he only want to stay in this small village of Shrek Academy for his whole life, never wanting to travel the continent?

After hearing this, Oscar suddenly realized the truth.

That's right, I'm a Support type!

He had been so scared at the time that he broke into a cold sweat, nearly being led down the wrong path.

Now, he would practice Xia Yan's words: do not fear trouble, but never actively seek it.

Ma Hongjun had also thought about it, though not as deeply. These words came from Xia Yan, and since Xia Yan was stronger than Dai Mubai, he would listen to Xia Yan. It was that simple.

On the other side, Tang San and Dai Mubai were completely unable to withstand the simultaneous assault of the seven opponents.

They truly hadn't expected that out of the six people, not a single one would come to help them!

Not one!

Dai Mubai glared fiercely at Ma Hongjun and Oscar, only to be interrupted by an attack from the Canghui Academy students.

Just as Tang San was preparing to use a Hidden Weapon, Zhao Wuji suddenly appeared.

Without even using his Martial Spirit or spirit power, he sent the forty-year-old Water-Spitting Turtle flying with a single punch, causing the remaining Canghui Academy students to stop immediately.

Zhao Wuji turned back and cursed at Dai Mubai:

"If you're bored, go cultivate! Stop causing trouble for me all day and making me clean up your mess!"

"Pay the damages!"

After saying this, he turned and headed upstairs.

In the past, the first thing he would have done upon coming downstairs was to lecture everyone for keeping their butts glued to the benches while their companions were in trouble.

But now, he tacitly allowed Xia Yan and the others to watch from the sidelines because of the "do not seek trouble, do not fear trouble" philosophy. He had also heard Xia Yan say this in front of Flender.

He believed that Flender's words must have their merits, but Xia Yan's words weren't wrong either; at the very least, he couldn't find any fault in them.

If both were correct, yet Xia Yan negated Flender's words, then who was wrong?

That could only be left to time. Whoever achieved greater success in the future, Xia Yan or Dai Mubai, would be the one who was right.

As for now, it would be temporarily set aside.

Seeing how powerful Zhao Wuji was, the people from Canghui Academy had no choice but to leave.

After paying the shopkeeper for the damages, Dai Mubai looked grim.

They didn't help in the fight, and he got scolded after losing...

He didn't even eat, heading upstairs with a dark face, his footsteps thumping heavily on the stairs.

Tang San, however, didn't mind.

They weren't in the right anyway, so a fight was a fight; winning or losing didn't matter. He felt he was nearing the level thirty bottleneck, and his top priority was to break through as soon as possible.

To give Xiao Wu and the others a shock!

After dinner, everyone went to their respective rooms. Now that the weakest among them was at least a Soul Grand Master, receiving a monthly subsidy of ten Gold Soul Coins, staying in a small individual room was completely fine.

Xia Yan went out alone. This was the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, where spirit beast materials were relatively cheaper. In the past, he would occasionally travel over four hundred li to this small town to buy spirit beast meat and spirit fruits, and now he had come again.

He happened to need to replenish his supplies.

As it turned out, just outside the hotel, he ran into Zhu Zhuqing who was heading out. After exchanging greetings, the two of them strolled around together.

The streets were brightly lit. If viewed from the sky, this small town was the only point of light for a radius of ten li.

Lonely yet striking.

Xia Yan asked, "We're heading to the Star Dou Great Forest tomorrow, shouldn't you be getting some good rest now?"

Zhu Zhuqing countered, "Aren't you not resting either?"

Xia Yan said:

"The outer perimeter and parts of the middle layer of the Star Dou Great Forest pose absolutely no danger to me."

Zhu Zhuqing sighed silently as if resigning herself to fate, which, combined with her cold and aloof temperament, was inexplicably cute:

"I was just looking to see if there was any spirit beast meat, spirit fruits, or similar food that could improve my physique."

They were not the only ones in the town at night. Pedestrians on the street who saw the two of them would unconsciously step aside.

Just watching them from afar made it feel as if a new scene had appeared in the town, and even the lights seemed brighter.

Xia Yan replied:

"I have experience with this. Follow me, I know what to buy."

Subsequently, he took Zhu Zhuqing all over the town, buying quite a few things: food, spirit fruits, medicinal herbs for medicinal baths...

He even wrote a list specifically for Zhu Zhuqing, recording the effects and usage of each item.

As a result, they were caught red-handed by Ning Rongrong upon returning, who pinned them to chairs and interrogated them about where they had been.

Early the next morning, the group traveled less than a hundred li before arriving at the outer edge of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Even at the outer edge, the Star Dou Great Forest remained densely packed, blocking out the sky. Only wisps of sunlight could filter down, landing on the layered tree shadows in the extremely crowded forest where there were no paths.

The air was filled with the dampness and slight scent of decay unique to primeval forests.

To Xia Yan, the Star Dou Great Forest was no longer a novelty, but for the others, the sense of oppression here was at its peak.

Zhao Wuji looked serious: "The Star Dou Great Forest is extremely dangerous. Listen well: from now on, no one is allowed to leave a twenty-meter radius of me. Oscar, Ning Rongrong, you two must stay close to me and be alert to danger at all times."

"Is that clear?"

Everyone said: "Clear."

Finally, they changed their formation and set off.

When moving through the Star Dou Great Forest, guarding the rear was more important than clearing the path.

Zhao Wuji stayed at the very back of the team to protect everyone. In front of him were the two support-type soul masters, Ning Rongrong and Oscar. In the middle were Tang San and Ma Hongjun. On the flanks were the agility-attack types, Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu, responsible for checking the left and right. Further ahead was Xia Yan.

Dai Mubai took the lead to clear the path, as he was the most suitable for it; his tiger claws, sharp as daggers, could tear through obstacles.

Everyone looked tense, but only Xiao Wu looked relaxed as she surveyed everything around her, as if this place were not dangerous at all, but rather familiar and safe.

It was a long-lost feeling.

The speed of travel in the Star Dou Great Forest could not be compared to ordinary forests or flat ground.

After slowly advancing for over a hundred li, just as the group was resting, Zhao Wuji suddenly sensed something unusual in the distance:

"Something is approaching."

Everyone immediately became alert.

Zhu Zhuqing leaped into the canopy to observe: "It's a snake!"