First Steps into the Star Dou Great Forest

"Come on, you three little ones. Let's go!"

"This time, I'll personally help the three of you obtain your soul rings."

That was right. Besides Qiangu Qitian and Beibei, Zhang Lexuan also needed to obtain a soul ring.

That was right. Just last night, Zhang Lexuan had broken through to rank sixty. With only one soul ring left to acquire, she would become a Spirit Emperor.

Zhang Lexuan was only seventeen or eighteen years old. A Spirit Emperor at that age possessed terrifying talent!

Even if Qiangu Qitian cultivated diligently, he could not guarantee that he would definitely cultivate faster than Zhang Lexuan in the future.

It could only be said that she truly possessed the talent worthy of a successor to the Sea God Pavilion Master a generation apart.

The place they were heading to acquire soul rings was the Star Dou Great Forest.

As Mu En's descendant, Beibei had naturally inherited the bloodline of Mu En's Bright Sacred Dragon martial soul. However, that bloodline was not pure and needed the power of a soul ring to awaken it.

Soul beasts with the Bright Sacred Dragon bloodline could only possibly be found in the Star Dou Great Forest. Shrek Academy had searched for a long time before finding a roughly five-hundred-year-old draconic subspecies with that bloodline.

As for Zhang Lexuan, the soul ring she needed might be even harder to find than Beibei's. It had to come from a special soul beast capable of drawing upon moonlight, and it had to be over fifty thousand years old.

Qiangu Qitian was instead the easiest of the three to satisfy. His Coiling Dragon Staff martial soul followed a path of strength and explosive power, so he only needed to hunt a soul beast with high burst potential.

After considering it carefully, the only place capable of meeting all three of their requirements was the Star Dou Great Forest.

Led by Xuan Zi, the three of them soon arrived at the Star Dou Great Forest.

Compared with the Star Dou Great Forest that had once spanned the two great empires of Heaven Dou and Star Luo ten thousand years ago, it was clearly somewhat smaller now.

Over ten thousand years, there had been more and more Soul Scholars on the continent, and naturally, the demand for soul beasts had grown more frequent as well.

Under Xuan Zi's lead, Qiangu Qitian entered the Star Dou Great Forest for the first time. The moment he stepped into its outer region, the sight before him left him stunned.

This was a paradise for hundred-year and thousand-year soul beasts. Towering ancient trees, lush and verdant, filled his vision. Their dense shade blotted out the sun, allowing only scattered rays of light to filter through the branches and bring a trace of brightness to the dim Star Dou Great Forest.

But the Star Dou Great Forest truly deserved its reputation as a forbidden land for humans. The ground was damp, moss grew everywhere, and the environment was harsh beyond compare. Waves of earth mixed with the scent of decaying leaves rushed toward them!

In such an environment, Qiangu Qitian unconsciously edged closer to Zhang Lexuan. Having a gentle yet powerful older sister at his side put him far more at ease.

Although this was only the outer region, where hundred-year and thousand-year soul beasts roamed, danger could still strike at any time. After all, next door, an inconspicuous poisonous insect had once directly killed an Immortal Emperor.

Within the Star Dou Great Forest, caution was the foundation of survival.

Noticing Qiangu Qitian's small movement, a trace of approval flashed through Zhang Lexuan's beautiful eyes. Knowing one's own strength and having an accurate understanding of oneself were extremely important qualities for a Soul Scholar.

Perhaps because he was taking Qiangu Qitian and Beibei's status as rank-ten Soul Scholars into account, Xuan Zi was unusually restrained this time. Rather than simply letting them fend for themselves, he led the three of them swiftly through the Star Dou Great Forest in search of their targets.

Before long, under Xuan Zi's guidance, the group of four arrived near the nest of the draconic subspecies with the Bright Sacred Dragon bloodline that Shrek Academy had found long ago.

Before Xuan Zi, a peak rank-ninety-eight Super Douluo, a mere five-hundred-year soul beast could not put up even the slightest resistance. With a single slap, the soul beast collapsed to the ground and peacefully drifted into sleep.

"Beibei, come over and kill it. Then absorb its soul ring!"

After doing all that, Xuan Zi immediately looked toward Beibei at the side and beckoned for him to come kill the soul beast suited to him.

Ordinary Soul Scholars might initially be afraid to kill, hesitating to strike at a soul beast lying before them. But Beibei's composure was genuinely impressive. He pulled out a dagger from his Soul Tool and, without another word, slit the Bright Scaled Dragon's throat!

After blood sprayed everywhere, the Bright Scaled Dragon convulsed and whimpered for a while. At last, a yellow soul ring appeared before them.

After adjusting his condition, Beibei immediately began absorbing the soul ring.

After spending half a day on it, the boy's aura suddenly trembled. The illusory yellow soul ring completely vanished, proving that he had successfully absorbed it.

"Thunder Dragon Claw!"

Beibei suddenly opened his eyes and sprang up from the ground. Lightning wildly danced over his right hand, gathering and condensing. In the blink of an eye, it formed a Thunder Dragon Claw a full foot long, crackling with electricity and exuding an imposing aura.

The dragon claw formed from lightning was extraordinarily powerful. Beibei raised his hand and slashed down, directly smashing a small tree beside him. A charred mark remained on the ground, and the faint scent of scorched grass and wood hung in the air.

"Hahaha! In the end, I'm still ahead of you. Aren't you jealous? I've already become a Soul Scholar before you!"

Looking at what he had done, Beibei immediately beamed and turned to Qiangu Qitian, speaking with a hint of provocation.

"I'm jealous, I'm jealous. Your Thunder Dragon Claw is indeed very impressive."

To be honest, Beibei's first soul skill, Thunder Dragon Claw, was truly formidable. Not only did it possess powerful physical cutting force, it also carried lightning's paralytic and burning effects.

During the early stages of cultivation, this soul skill would undoubtedly provide Beibei with tremendous support and significantly increase his strength.

"You..."

Beibei's eyes widened. He had not expected Qiangu Qitian to praise him. His provocation felt like a punch landing on cotton, leaving only himself frustrated.

"Enough, Beibei. Quiet down. If you want to fight, wait until Qiangu Qitian gets his soul ring. You can fight back at the academy in front of Mu En."

"This is the Star Dou Great Forest. No more fooling around."

Seeing Beibei suffer a setback, Xuan Zi was speechless. Qiangu Qitian had clearly suppressed the boy at every turn, yet he still kept throwing himself at him. Wasn't he just asking for it...?

That was right. In less than two days, Xuan Zi had already forgotten that he had been the one to provoke Beibei first and make him pester Qiangu Qitian for a match.

With Beibei's soul ring settled, it was time to search for a soul ring suitable for Qiangu Qitian.

"Kid, what do you think of this Diamond Tiger?"

The Coiling Dragon Staff followed a fierce, explosive path. Soul beasts like this were everywhere in the Star Dou Great Forest, so Xuan Zi casually grabbed one, knocked it unconscious, and tossed it before them.

"Elder Xuan, this soul beast is too low-level. If possible, I want a thousand-year soul beast, preferably something like a Thousand-Jun Ant or a Great Strength Diamond Bear. That way, my talent won't be wasted!"

Qiangu Qitian shook his head. The Diamond Tiger was merely an ordinary soul beast, and the quality of soul skills it produced was average. It could not be considered an especially good choice.

Thousand-Jun Ants and Great Strength Diamond Bears were pure strength-type soul beasts, making them the most suitable for increasing the explosive power of his Coiling Dragon Staff.