Thunder Hell Vine!

The trio did not head directly into the Star Dou Forest, choosing instead to rest at a small town over a hundred miles away.

Inside a restaurant, Lei Wuya ordered a spread of food and gestured for Tang Yin and Xiao Wu to sit and eat with him.

"After you finish eating, get your own room to rest for the night, and meet me here tomorrow morning."

"Remember, do not wander around at night."

"This isn't the academy; you could encounter danger or bad people at any moment."

"Furthermore, do not go looking for trouble."

"If something does happen, prioritize your own safety and don't act impulsively."

Lei Wuya's gaze shifted between Tang Yin and Xiao Wu as he spoke with a stern expression.

"Understood!" Tang Yin and Xiao Wu exchanged a glance before responding in unison.

The food at the restaurant was not bad.

After dinner, Lei Wuya headed upstairs first, and Tang Yin booked a room for himself and Xiao Wu.

The two rooms were adjacent, which was very convenient.

The night passed in silence.

The next day.

Upon entering the Star Dou Forest, the atmosphere suddenly turned heavy.

Towering ancient trees blotted out the sky, and the humid air was thick with the scent of rotting leaves and the aura of unknown dangers.

"Tang Yin, you take the left."

"Xiao Wu, you take the right."

"I will lead the way."

"Remember, you must be wary of sneak attacks from Soul Beasts."

Lei Wuya reminded them sternly while taking the lead.

Tang Yin and Xiao Wu were the treasures of the academy, and he did not want any accidents to occur during a routine Soul Ring hunt.

"Understood!" Tang Yin and Xiao Wu replied in unison.

Tang Yin remained vigilant of his surroundings, but Xiao Wu was indifferent, acting as if she had returned home and appearing quite lively.

The three searched aimlessly through the mixed zone.

Three days passed.

The plant-type Soul Beasts they found were either too low in age, too weak in vitality, or possessed attributes that were incompatible.

They did not meet Tang Yin's requirements.

On the afternoon of the fourth day, the trio passed through a dense rainforest.

The terrain ahead suddenly turned strange.

The fertile land, forests, and lush shrubbery vanished, replaced by an abrupt, desolate valley filled with jagged rocks.

The sky above the valley was no longer a bright day but overcast. Lei Wuya's Martial Soul was the Thunder Light Beast, making him extremely sensitive to thunder-attribute elements; he instantly sensed the thin yet volatile thunder elements drifting in the air.

"Tang Yin, this place... is so strange..." Xiao Wu wrinkled her nose.

Tang Yin released his Blue Silver Domain to scout the situation.

Dean Lei Wuya also wore a grave expression: "Be careful. Such abnormal places are often inhabited by extraordinary 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 such environments often possess immense vitality. If one truly exists and its age is suitable for Tang Yin to absorb, that would be quite good."

Upon hearing this, Tang Yin looked up at the sky and then surveyed the surrounding environment, lost in thought.

The three stepped cautiously into the valley.

As they ventured deeper, the number of visible plants dwindled.

Gradually, no more plants appeared before them; there wasn't even any moss to be seen.

Moreover, the further they went, the more active the thunder elements in the air became. Occasionally, they could even see faint arcs of electricity leaping between the rocks, emitting soft "crackle" sounds.

Suddenly.

Lei Wuya stopped in his tracks, his sharp gaze fixed on a shaded rock wall deep within the valley.

There, a peculiar plant—the only plant in the entire valley—came into view!

It was dark purple throughout, and its main trunk featured a fist-sized object that resembled an energy core, its surface flickering constantly with lightning.

The plant's form was not that of an ordinary tree or vine; instead, it looked more like a twisted bolt of lightning that had burst forth from the rock, its surface marked with golden thunder patterns, making it quite unique.

What surprised Lei Wuya even more was that the thunder elements in the surrounding air were being continuously drawn toward the plant.

"This is..." Xiao Wu's pupils contracted slightly, her voice filled with incredulous shock: "Thunder Hell Vine?! A legendary Soul Beast like this... to think it would appear in a desolate valley on the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest?"

"Thunder Hell Vine?!" Tang Yin's eyes lit up. He knew of such Soul Beasts, and if he could absorb a Soul Ring from a Thunder Hell Vine, that would be excellent indeed.

Lei Wuya looked at Xiao Wu with a face full of astonishment.

Even he did not recognize the plant-type soul beast before him, yet Xiao Wu, a ten-year-old girl who had just promoted from the junior Soul Master Academy, actually knew what it was.

"Xiao Wu, how much do you know about this Thunder Hell Vine?" Lei Wuya did not stand on ceremony and asked proactively, not feeling that there was anything shameful about it.

"Dean, this is an extremely rare plant-type soul beast with harsh growth conditions!" Xiao Wu explained slowly: "It does not rely on fertile soil to grow, but lives by absorbing the power of thunder and lightning from heaven and earth!"

"Precisely because of this, there are usually no other plants where it resides, because they have all been struck dead by lightning!"

"Judging by the luster and energy fluctuations of this Thunder Hell Vine, I'm afraid it has about two thousand years of cultivation... A two-thousand-year Thunder Hell Vine's attack power and the thunder-attribute energy it contains are likely not inferior to a seven-thousand-year soul beast!"

"If it were a ten-thousand-year level Thunder Hell Vine, it could even change the weather and summon heavenly lightning! However, it is very rare for a Thunder Hell Vine to reach the ten-thousand-year level!"

The more Lei Wuya heard, the more shocked he became.

The first reason was the power of the Thunder Hell Vine, and the second was the depth of Xiao Wu's knowledge.

Tang Yin also gave Xiao Wu a strange look.

Seeing this, Xiao Wu instantly realized she had talked a bit too much. She scratched her head in embarrassment and looked elsewhere, pretending as if nothing had happened.

"If everything you said is true, then I might be able to handle this Thunder Hell Vine!"

"It's just... a two-thousand-year Soul Ring is already far beyond the limits of a normal third soul ring!"

Lei Wuya's brows were tightly locked.

"Dean, please let me try!"

Tang Yin's heart was beating wildly, his face full of excitement; he was extremely eager for the Thunder Hell Vine.

The Thunder Hell Vine was rumored to possess the bloodline of the Thunder God!

Furthermore, it grew by absorbing the power of thunder, which was a testament to its formidable vitality.

It also possessed incredibly powerful strength!

It would surely allow his power to reach a new level!

Lei Wuya said in a deep voice: "No, I must be responsible for your safety. Let us leave here and look for another plant-type soul beast."

"Please grant my request, Dean. I will definitely be able to absorb it successfully!" Tang Yin bowed and pleaded.

"Tang Yin, this is really dangerous." Xiao Wu also tried to persuade him.

Tang Yin remained unmoved.

Lei Wuya took a deep breath, his gaze becoming incredibly serious: "Tang Yin, are you certain you want this one?"

"I am certain!" Tang Yin said decisively, without the slightest hesitation in his eyes. Opportunity and risk coexist; this was a truth he had long understood.