"Xiaogang, I'll take Lin Mo with me now."
Before leaving Yu Xiaogang's dormitory, Flender turned back and waved to Yu Xiaogang in farewell.
"Go ahead. But even if he's only hunting a Thousand-Year Soul Ring, you must be careful while taking Lin Mo along. Don't be careless."
Yu Xiaogang reminded him, "Star Dou Great Forest is unlike other places. Danger lurks everywhere."
"Don't worry." Flender waved over his shoulder.
With Flender leading the way, Lin Mo followed behind him as they left Notting Academy.
After they walked out of Notting Academy's gates, Flender's steps grew noticeably lighter. Lin Mo followed quietly behind him.
It was still early. The shops along both sides of the street had just opened, and the breakfast vendors' stalls were still steaming.
Flender casually bought two sesame flatbreads and handed one to Lin Mo.
"Have a bite to tide you over. We need to get moving." Flender spoke as he chewed his flatbread.
Lin Mo took the flatbread and bit into it. It was filled with sesame.
Following behind Flender, he soon walked out through the gates of Notting City.
A short while later, on the outskirts of Notting City.
Lin Mo surveyed the barren surroundings and couldn't help asking, "Dean Flender, how are we getting to Star Dou Great Forest?"
"Will we take a carriage, like when Grandmaster took us to Soul Hunting Forest?"
Hearing Lin Mo's question, Flender smiled. "A carriage? How long would that take? I'll just carry you there. It'll be much faster than riding in a carriage."
As he spoke, Flender completed his Martial Soul Possession in an instant. Two yellow, two purple, and three black Soul Rings slowly appeared beneath his feet.
"Let me introduce myself properly. My Martial Soul is called Cat Eagle. I'm a rare flying-type agility Battle Soul Saint, and I excel at speed.
"You're the only one coming with me this time, so I'll take you straight to Star Dou Great Forest. Otherwise, just the time spent on the road would be considerable." Flender's tone carried a hint of pride.
Flying Soul Saints were still rare in this era.
This was the first time Lin Mo had observed Flender's Martial Soul Possession from up close.
The wings granted by his Cat Eagle Martial Soul unfurled behind Flender, their span reaching four or five meters. The feathers were grayish-brown.
"Sorry for the trouble, Dean."
Lin Mo nodded slightly, then completed his own Martial Soul Possession and entered the Innate Life State.
Flender stepped forward and slipped both hands under Lin Mo's arms.
Lin Mo felt a great force lift him from beneath his arms. The next moment, his body grew light, and he was hoisted into the air.
Flender beat his wings, drove off powerfully with his legs, and shot skyward with Lin Mo.
Feeling the howling wind rush past his ears, Lin Mo couldn't help marveling.
The ability to fly... He wondered when he'd be able to master it himself.
Lin Mo was deeply tempted by the ability to fly.
Whether it was the speed of traveling without regard for terrain or its potential as a life-saving skill when needed, it was all incredibly appealing to him.
Unfortunately, his Body Martial Soul had no wings, so he couldn't fly for the time being.
And if he remembered correctly, Soul Masters in this era couldn't soar through the air with Soul Power after breaking through to the Soul Saint level, as they could in later generations.
Flight remained a privilege enjoyed by only a few Soul Masters. Only those with flying-type Martial Souls, like Flender, could fly.
Still, it wasn't as if he truly couldn't fly. Once his Inversion of Three reached the third stage, he'd definitely be able to.
But that was still a long way off.
He was still nowhere near breaking through to the second stage. Though he'd touched the threshold, when he'd make the breakthrough remained uncertain; he'd have to keep refining his skills slowly.
Before then, though, it wasn't as if he couldn't fly at all. If he came across a special opportunity, he might be able to master flight ahead of time.
Besides certain special Soul Skills, he could also rely on a teammate's support Soul Skill.
If he remembered correctly, Oscar would eventually have a Flying Mushroom Sausage among his Soul Skills.
Aside from those options, there were Soul Bones.
One of the two Soul Skills attached to the Soul Bone Ah Yin left Tang San was flight.
And certain special External Soul Bones, such as wing-type External Soul Bones, could also grant their owners the ability to fly.
Flying skills were still rare in this era.
A layer of pale blue Soul Power condensed around Lin Mo, shielding him from the howling wind.
The noise immediately died down, and Flender's voice came through clearly. Even while flying at high speed, Flender managed to multitask, explaining some things about Star Dou Great Forest to Lin Mo.
"Star Dou Great Forest is one of the three most famous gathering places for Soul Beasts on Douluo Continent. It's enormous, and the variety of Soul Beasts living inside is vast.
"The closer you get to the center of the forest, the stronger the Soul Beasts become. They say there are even Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts in there."
As he said this, a hint of reverence crept into Flender's voice.
Lin Mo listened quietly beside him without interrupting Flender's explanation.
Soul Masters in this era hadn't yet thoroughly explored Star Dou Great Forest.
Ten thousand years later, Star Dou Great Forest would be divided into several different zones according to the strength of the Soul Beasts found there.
The outermost area was the Outer Zone. Generally, only ten-year, hundred-year, and thousand-year Soul Beasts roamed there. Ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts were extremely rare.
Next came the Mixed Zone, home to the greatest variety of Soul Beasts in the entire Star Dou Great Forest.
It was populated mainly by hundred-year, thousand-year, and ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts.
Deeper in lay the Core Zone, where far fewer Soul Beasts lived than in the Mixed Zone.
But without exception, any Soul Beast strong enough to live there was exceptionally powerful.
Last came the innermost Land of Great Ominousness.
Of course, in this era, the heart of the Land of Great Ominousness was Lake of Life.
At present, Lake of Life should be occupied by the two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, the Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape.
And they were Xiao Wu's two younger brothers.
After briefly explaining the situation in Star Dou Great Forest, Flender grew increasingly animated.
"Lin Mo, you must always treat Star Dou Great Forest with respect. It's a place you'll have to visit often in the future.
"You're only going there now to obtain your Second Soul Ring. You'll need to obtain at least seven more Soul Rings after this, and Star Dou Great Forest is undoubtedly the best place to get them!"
Lin Mo nodded, showing that he agreed with Flender.
Before long, amid Flender's enthusiastic chatter, he brought Lin Mo to a small town close to Star Dou Great Forest.
Flender descended and landed behind a stand of trees.
Lin Mo also ended his Innate Life State and rolled his somewhat numb shoulders.
Once they arrived, Flender stopped carrying Lin Mo through the air so brazenly. Instead, he chose to continue on foot, keeping a very low profile.