The three of them didn't head straight into the Star Dou Forest. Instead, they stopped to rest in a small town more than a hundred miles away.
Inside a tavern, Lei Wuya ordered a table full of food and invited Tang Yin and Xiao Wu to sit down and eat with him.
"After we finish eating, find yourselves a room and get a good night's rest. Meet me here tomorrow morning."
"Remember, don't wander around tonight."
"This isn't the academy. You could run into danger or bad people at any moment."
"Also, don't cause trouble."
"If something does happen, focus on protecting yourselves. Don't act rashly."
Lei Wuya looked back and forth between Tang Yin and Xiao Wu as he spoke in a stern voice.
"Yes!" Tang Yin and Xiao Wu exchanged a glance, then answered in unison.
The tavern's food wasn't bad.
After dinner, Lei Wuya went upstairs first, and Tang Yin got a room for himself and Xiao Wu.
Their rooms were next to each other, which was very convenient.
The night passed without incident.
The next day.
Once they entered the Star Dou Forest, the atmosphere grew tense all at once.
Towering ancient trees blotted out the sky, and the damp air carried the scent of rotting leaves and an unknown danger.
"Tang Yin, watch the left."
"Xiao Wu, watch the right."
"I'll lead the way."
"Remember, be careful of Soul Beasts sneaking up on you."
Lei Wuya walked at the front and sternly reminded them.
Tang Yin and Xiao Wu were both precious talents of the academy. He didn't want anything to happen to them during an ordinary Soul Hunting trip.
"Yes!" Tang Yin and Xiao Wu answered in unison.
Tang Yin was indeed on guard, but Xiao Wu didn't seem concerned at all. She was as lively as if she'd returned home.
The three of them searched aimlessly through the mixed zone.
Three days passed.
The Plant-type Soul Beasts they found either had too few years of cultivation, were too weak in vitality, or had unsuitable attributes.
None of them met Tang Yin's requirements.
On the afternoon of the fourth day, the three of them passed through a dense rainforest.
The terrain ahead suddenly turned strange.
The fertile soil, trees, and lush undergrowth gave way to a desolate valley full of jagged rocks.
The sky above the valley was no longer bright and clear. It had turned gloomy. Lei Wuya's Martial Soul was the Thunder Light Beast, making him highly sensitive to lightning-element energy. He immediately sensed the faint but volatile lightning energy drifting through the air.
"Tang Yin, this place... feels so strange..." Xiao Wu wrinkled her nose.
Tang Yin released his Blue Silver Domain to investigate.
The dean's expression turned grave as well. "Be careful. Places this abnormal are often home to unusual Soul Beasts."
"Dean, there shouldn't be any Plant-type Soul Beasts here, right?" Xiao Wu asked in surprise.
Lei Wuya shook his head. "Not necessarily. Plant-type Soul Beasts that grow in an environment like this tend to have extremely strong vitality. If there really is one, and its cultivation is suitable for Tang Yin, that would be great."
At his words, Tang Yin raised his eyes to the sky and studied their surroundings, lost in thought.
The three of them cautiously entered the valley.
As they went deeper, the number of plants they could see dwindled.
Before long, not a single plant remained—not even moss.
The farther they went, the more active the lightning energy in the air became. Now and then, tiny arcs of electricity leaped between the rocks with a faint crackle.
Suddenly.
Lei Wuya stopped in his tracks and fixed his sharp gaze on a shaded cliff deeper in the valley.
There, a strange plant came into view—the only plant in the entire valley!
It was dark purple from top to bottom. A fist-sized object, like an energy core, sat in its main stalk, its surface flashing with lightning.
Its shape was unlike any ordinary tree or vine. Instead, it looked like a twisted bolt of lightning that had burst out of the rock. Golden lightning patterns streaked across its surface, making it truly unusual.
Even more astonishing to Lei Wuya was the way the lightning energy in the surrounding air was constantly drawn toward the plant.
"This is..." Xiao Wu's pupils contracted slightly, her voice full of disbelief and astonishment. "The Thunder Hell Vine?! A legendary Soul Beast like this... in a barren valley on the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest?"
"The Thunder Hell Vine?!" Tang Yin's eyes lit up. He knew of Soul Beasts like the Thunder Hell Vine. Absorbing its Soul Ring would be a great choice.
Lei Wuya stared at Xiao Wu in astonishment.
Even he didn't recognize the Plant-type Soul Beast before them, yet Xiao Wu—a ten-year-old girl who had only just advanced from a junior Soul Master Academy—knew what it was.
"Xiao Wu, how much do you know about the Thunder Hell Vine?" Lei Wuya asked without hesitation. He didn't think there was anything shameful about asking.
"Dean, this is an extremely rare Plant-type Soul Beast with very demanding growth conditions!" Xiao Wu explained slowly. "It doesn't grow by relying on fertile soil. It feeds on the power of lightning in the world around it!"
"That's exactly why there usually aren't any other plants where it grows. They've all been blasted to death by lightning!"
"Judging by its color and energy fluctuations, this Thunder Hell Vine is probably around two thousand years old... A two-thousand-year-old Thunder Hell Vine would have such powerful attacks and lightning energy that it could rival a Soul Beast of around seven thousand years!"
"If a Thunder Hell Vine reaches ten thousand years, it can even change the weather and summon thunderbolts! But it's rare for one to reach ten thousand years!"
The more Lei Wuya heard, the more astonished he became.
First, there was the Thunder Hell Vine's immense strength. Then there was Xiao Wu's wealth of knowledge.
Tang Yin also gave Xiao Wu a strange look.
Seeing their reactions, Xiao Wu realized she'd said a little too much. She scratched her head awkwardly, looked away, and pretended nothing had happened.
"If what you said is true, then I can deal with this Thunder Hell Vine!"
"But... a two-thousand-year Soul Ring is far beyond the usual limit for a third Soul Ring!"
Lei Wuya furrowed his brows.
"Dean, please let me try!"
Tang Yin's heart pounded wildly, and his face was alight with excitement. He longed for the Thunder Hell Vine.
Legend said that the Thunder Hell Vine possessed the bloodline of the Thunder God!
And it grew by absorbing the power of thunder. Didn't that mean its vitality was formidable?
It also possessed incredible strength!
It would surely take his power to another level!
Lei Wuya said in a deep voice, "No. I'm responsible for your safety. We should leave and look for another Plant-type Soul Beast."
"Please, Dean. Let me try. I'm sure I can absorb it successfully!" Tang Yin bowed and pleaded.
"Tang Yin, this really is dangerous," Xiao Wu urged him as well.
Tang Yin remained unmoved.
Lei Wuya drew a deep breath, his expression turning utterly grave. "Tang Yin, are you sure you want this one?"
"I'm sure!" Tang Yin said firmly, without the slightest hesitation. Opportunity and danger went hand in hand—that was a lesson he had learned long ago.