Star Dou Great Forest

Inside the hotel, Chu Qing remained oblivious to the conversation between the two, busy answering the girl's questions.

"Which sect are you from? Why haven't I seen you before? How are you so strong?"

The girl looked at him with sparkling eyes, her small mouth firing off questions like a machine gun, while Chu Qing watched her with a helpless expression.

"Before I answer your questions, could you tell me your name first?"

The girl blushed; she had been so focused on questioning him that she hadn't even introduced herself!

"My name is Ning Rongrong. I'm from the Heaven Dou Empire!" the girl replied prettily.

Chu Qing's expression tightened, a strange look flashing across his face. He hadn't expected the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to dare come to the Star Dou Great Forest all by herself.

Then, those two...

He scanned his surroundings vigilantly but found nothing unusual.

"Hey! What are you looking at? You still haven't answered my question!" Ning Rongrong pouted, glaring at Chu Qing with an indignation that was actually quite cute.

Chu Qing blinked and replied, "My name is Chu Qing. I don't have a sect; I'm just an ordinary Lord Soul Master who just graduated from a primary academy."

Ning Rongrong didn't believe him for a second. A Soul Master without a sect reaching level twenty before the age of ten? A top-tier genius like that might not appear once in several hundred years!

Seeing her disbelief, Chu Qing didn't bother explaining, instead asking, "What is a little girl like you doing in the Star Dou Great Forest alone?"

"I'm here to find my first soul ring! My father and the others don't believe I can obtain my first soul ring on my own, but I'm determined to prove them wrong! I see you have decent strength, so how about it? Interested in accompanying this young lady?"

Chu Qing looked at the naive girl and couldn't help but smile. "I'm also here to search for a soul ring, so we might as well go together. I'm bored anyway and could use some company to talk to."

"Hmph, don't you underestimate me! This young lady is no vase! I'm actually very useful," the girl said hurriedly. With that, she activated her martial soul, and a Seven-Colored Pagoda instantly appeared.

"Do you know what this is?"

At that moment, the two figures in the distance were watching the scene, speechless.

It seemed their young mistress was still too young! How could she just reveal her martial soul to someone she had just met? Especially since her martial soul was so unique—if not known by everyone in the world of Soul Masters, it was close enough. If some villain were to notice...

The two felt a lingering fear, yet were relieved they were following her, ensuring no accidents would occur.

Chu Qing quickly urged her to put it away. "Alright, alright, I'll take you with me, but don't just show off that martial soul of yours."

He then pulled a few Gold Soul Coins from his Storage Ring to settle the bill.

The hotel manager, who had been hiding for who knows how long, jumped out and said, "Thanks to this young hero for ridding us of a menace! We are too grateful to even think of taking your money!"

"But I heard you two intend to go to the Star Dou Great Forest to obtain soul rings? Have you heard about the strange incident there recently?"

"Oh? What happened?" Chu Qing asked blankly, and Ning Rongrong pricked up her ears in curiosity.

"The Lord Soul Masters who have come to town recently say there is an extremely rare fire-type soul beast, said to be several thousand years old. Normally, such a beast wouldn't easily emerge, but lately, it has been active on the outskirts of the forest, injuring many people. You must be very careful if you go!"

"Oh? What is this soul beast called?" Chu Qing became interested; he happened to need a fire-type soul beast for his second soul ring.

The most troublesome aspect of the Douluo World was that to continue strengthening oneself, one had to have soul rings; otherwise, one would remain stuck at a certain realm, unable to make any progress.

Otherwise, with his Nihility Devouring Flame, his cultivation speed would have reached an even higher level.

"Young hero, I don't know the name, only that it is entirely crimson, has two wings on its ribs, and a body like a tiger."

Chu Qing's heart stirred. This seemed to match a soul beast he had seen in the soul beast encyclopedia, and he secretly noted it down.

"Right, thank you for your hospitality, Manager. I will be careful." After replying, Chu Qing packed his things and headed toward his room.

"Hey! Don't forget, you're coming with me tomorrow!" a spoiled voice called out from behind him.

"Alright, I know! See you tomorrow." Chu Qing nodded helplessly.

Soon, both returned to their rooms to rest, and the night passed without incident.

"Are you sure there's really the soul beast I want here?" Ning Rongrong pouted.

"Let's keep looking." Chu Qing pushed aside the vines in front of him and continued walking deeper into the Star Dou Great Forest.

The two had packed up before dawn and set off from the hotel. Along the way, they encountered many soul beasts, including some hundred-year ones, but none were what they needed. Chu Qing simply defeated them without refining their soul rings.

After passing through the dense thicket of vines, the area ahead suddenly opened up, revealing a large lake.

The surrounding vegetation was lush and green, but in the southeast corner of the lake, there was a black patch about ten meters in diameter. Chu Qing looked closely and saw that most of the surrounding plants had been reduced to charcoal.

These were traces of fire damage.

Chu Qing quickly walked into the area to investigate, sensing a powerful fluctuation of soul power. Based on his estimation, it was likely around three thousand years old.

"Strange, a soul beast of this level shouldn't be here," Chu Qing mused to himself. Could it be the fire-type soul beast the hotel owner mentioned?

"Chu Qing, look, look over there! That's the soul ring I want!" A crisp female voice interrupted his thoughts.

Chu Qing looked over and saw a giant snake coiled on a boulder by the lake. Its body was a full five meters long, and most curiously, its blue scales shimmered with a faint luster.

"An Azure Flowing Light Snake?! To think it would appear here!" Chu Qing exclaimed in surprise.

This was a very rare soul beast, highly useful for support-type martial souls. If absorbed as a first soul ring, it could increase healing effects by 30%, making it a dream soul ring for many support-type Soul Masters.

However, this snake was elusive and rarely seen. Even when it did appear, it was usually a juvenile of a few decades. Adult specimens were rare, and judging by its length, it was likely a full two-hundred-year-old specimen!

"Right, that must be it." Chu Qing channeled his soul power, preparing to strike, but at that moment, a crimson giant beast suddenly lunged from the woods beside the snake.

Although the giant snake was massive, it didn't dare fight the beast, turning instead to flee in the other direction.

Chu Qing looked closely and realized this crimson beast must be the fire-type soul beast the innkeeper had mentioned.