Leaving! Free!

Tang San walked to Huang Fei's bed. The bedding was folded neatly, and the pillow was placed perfectly straight, exactly as it had been when he was still here, only missing the person who used to curl up under the covers all day. Tang San sat on the edge of the bed for a while, then stood up, walked to his own bunk, and took out his Mysterious Heaven Skill to begin meditating.

He knew in his heart that Huang Fei's departure was not as simple as "going out for training." Huang Fei must have had his own reasons; if he didn't speak of them, Tang San would not ask. This was the unspoken understanding between them.

At the city gate, Huang Fei exited the north gate of Nuoding City, walked about a mile along the main road, and then turned onto a small path. The rain was still falling; he did not seek shelter, nor did he quicken his pace.

His pack was small, containing everything he needed within the Forty-Eight Moons Embracing the Stars. Ever since this belt had merged with his body, it had become his most important trump card. The items stored within the forty-eight gemstones were enough to last him a very, very long time—gold and silver, dry rations, a few sets of spare clothes, and several books he had copied from the Notting Academy library regarding soul beasts and medicinal herbs.

Huang Fei walked along the small path for about an hour, ensuring no one was following him, before he finally stopped.

He looked back. The distant Nuoding City had turned into a blurry gray shadow, looming in and out of the curtain of rain. Tang San should have returned to Dormitory Seven by now, Yu Xiaogang probably didn't know he had left yet, and Xiao Wu might eat an extra two carrots.

Huang Fei withdrew his gaze, reached out from his sleeve, and watched the rain fall onto his palm.

His plan was simple.

Go to the Star Dou Great Forest.

It was the largest gathering place for soul beasts on the Douluo Continent, with a rich variety of species and a vast span of ages, ranging from ten years to one hundred thousand years. He needed a place where no one knew him, a place where he didn't need to pretend, and a place where he could unleash his full strength. The Star Dou Great Forest was the best choice, perhaps even the only one.

There were many soul beast forests on the continent, but few were as suitable for hunting as the Star Dou Great Forest. The soul beasts in the Soul Hunting Forest were of too low an age, reaching at most a thousand years, which was far from enough for his third soul ring. The Sunset Forest did have ten-thousand-year-level soul beasts, but it was close to Heaven Dou City, where soul masters traveled frequently, making it easy to expose his identity.

The Star Dou Great Forest was different. It was large enough, deep enough, and dangerous enough. Ordinary soul masters only dared to operate in the outer perimeter; those who ventured deep inside were high-level soul masters who wouldn't pay much attention to others. A "six-year-old child" venturing deep into the Star Dou Great Forest sounded preposterous, but Huang Fei knew what he was doing.

He was currently at rank thirty soul power, and with his two soul rings of eight hundred and sixty years and one thousand six hundred and forty years, although on the surface he was only a two-ring Soul Grand Master—or rather, he didn't even appear to have two rings, as others saw him as a child who hadn't even reached one ring—his actual combat power was far beyond that.

Although the bloodline of the Blue Silver Saint Emperor had not yet awakened, it was always there, in every root, in every leaf, and in every corner of his body. It provided not just the suppression of martial soul quality, but also an indescribable "adaptability"—the ability to grow rapidly in any environment.

No matter how harsh the environment of the Star Dou Great Forest was, it could not be worse than a six-year-old child traveling thousands of miles alone.

Huang Fei continued forward, his pace slightly faster than before.

From Nuoding City to the Star Dou Great Forest, the straight-line distance was about eight hundred miles. Taking the main road required a detour, totaling just over a thousand miles. At his pace, he could cover sixty to seventy miles a day under normal walking conditions; with rest and supplies along the way, it would take about half a month.

He was in no rush, as there was no need. The matter of the third soul ring could not be hurried; he needed to find a suitable soul beast, needed time to observe and study, and needed to ensure that the soul ring he chose would be most beneficial for the future awakening of the Blue Silver Saint Emperor.

On Tang San's side, now that he had his second soul ring, he would likely start practicing the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer technique soon, and the foundation of his Clear Sky Hammer would slowly be solidified.

As for Huang Fei, the bloodline of his Sky-Shattering Hammer was also waiting to awaken.

The system's rule was "always ten levels higher than Tang San." This rule would not change because he left Notting Academy; as long as Tang San was cultivating, he would improve in sync.

Therefore, he didn't need to deliberately chase anything. He just needed to find a rhythm that suited him, appear where he needed to be, grow stronger when it was time to grow stronger, and let everything else take its course.

Huang Fei walked along the small path for about two days, and by the evening of the third day, he arrived at a place called Blue Stone Town. The town was not large; a main street ran through it from east to west, with a few inns and restaurants scattered on both sides. There weren't many people in town, mostly traveling merchants and soul hunters.

Huang Fei found the most inconspicuous inn to stay in. The innkeeper was an old man in his fifties who paused when he saw Huang Fei walk in alone, but he didn't ask any questions. Having run a shop in such a place for a long time, he had seen all sorts of strange things; a six-year-old child staying alone, while rare, was not enough to cause a stir.

Dinner was a bowl of hot noodle soup; Huang Fei ate slowly and finished every drop of the broth.

Lying on the bed, he listened to the chirping of insects outside the window, his mind running through many things. The bed at Notting Academy, the big tree in Holy Soul Village, Old Jack's white hair, Tang San's smiling face.

These things, he would see them again, but perhaps not now.

It wasn't that he wouldn't return, but that it wasn't time to return yet. When he was truly strong, strong enough that he didn't need to pretend in front of anyone, he would naturally return. By then, he could stand in the sunlight without caring about the gazes of others.

Huang Fei turned over, pulled the quilt up to his neck, and closed his eyes.

Early the next morning, he replenished some dry rations and water in Blue Stone Town and continued heading south.

Three days later, the fields on both sides of the main road gradually turned into hills, and the hills gradually turned into low mountains. The trees became denser, and the population became sparser. Occasionally, he would encounter a merchant or two on the road; they would nod at each other and pass by, neither asking the other any questions.

On the eighth day, Huang Fei encountered a soul-hunting team by the side of the road. There were five of them, three men and two women, led by a sturdy man in his forties carrying a heavy sword on his back that was taller than himself, walking with a vigorous stride.

Seeing Huang Fei walking alone on the road, they showed the same expression as the innkeeper. The leader hesitated for a moment before asking, "Little brother, are you alone? Where are you going?"

"South," Huang Fei said.

"To the south lies the Star Dou Great Forest," the man frowned. "That is not a place for you."

Huang Fei did not explain. He looked into the man's eyes and smiled.

"I know. I won't go deep; I'll just wander around the outer perimeter."

The man looked at him for a few seconds, as if judging whether he was lying. Finally, he shook his head and led his team on their way. After walking a dozen steps, he turned back and shouted to Huang Fei, "There are military camps stationed on the outer perimeter of the Star Dou Great Forest; if things get tough, go to the camps for help!"