Star Dou Town

This was both a crisis and an opportunity, a necessary path he had to tread to reach the pinnacle...

The carriage slowed to a crawl.

The clamor of a bustling crowd drifted in from outside the windows.

Star Dou Town had arrived.

This was the closest settlement to the Star Dou Great Forest, and the only place in the vicinity where travelers could restock supplies, trade, and find lodging before venturing into the wilderness.

Qian Renxue pulled back the curtain, her eyes lighting up as she took in the throngs of people weaving between the various stalls. "Wow, so many people! It's so lively!"

"Anyone looking to form a party to hunt soul beasts? Our group has support and healing soul masters..."

"Fine, century-old ginseng for sale..."

"Fresh velvet antlers taken straight from a hundred-ten-year-old Blazing Sun Deer! Good for a woman's vitality and a man's vigor, come and get it!"

The main thoroughfare of Star Dou Town was packed with shadows, the cries of vendors ringing out incessantly.

Lie Xu followed the sound, and the scene before him caught him off guard. It was just as lively as the country fairs he used to attend in the north during his previous life.

Many mountain foragers sat on the ground with their wares spread out on mats, shouting their prices to the passersby.

Lie Xu watched Qian Renxue, who was pressed against the window with a face full of curiosity and excitement, and couldn't help but chuckle. So, this was what it was like for a child to experience a bustling market for the first time.

The carriage pulled up in front of an inn and stopped. A moment later, a steady voice drifted in from outside.

"The Patriarch has made the arrangements. We shall rest here for the night."

"Understood."

Qian Daoliu replied.

Lie Xu stood up and pulled Qian Renxue away from the window.

"Come on, let's go down and take a look."

"Who knows? We might just stumble upon a treasure."

With that, he pushed open the carriage door and hopped down.

The others inside the carriage couldn't help but shake their heads with a smile as they watched the two run off.

"Grandfather, Great Elder, I'll go keep an eye on them."

Chi Yuan bowed slightly before chasing after the two children.

"Big Brother, should I follow them quietly and watch from the shadows?"

Lion Douluo asked, looking somewhat uneasy.

"No need. With Chi Yuan there, and the soul masters following in secret, there won't be any major issues. Even if there were, they could hold them off long enough for us to arrive."

Lion Douluo glanced out the window and said nothing more.

The main street of Star Dou Town was crowded, lined with stalls and filled with the constant din of hawking.

Although the vendors offered a wide variety of goods—medicinal herbs, ores, soul beast meat, and even beast cubs—to someone like Lie Xu or Qian Renxue, who had been born at the very pinnacle of the continent, there was little that caught their eye.

Only Qian Renxue, a "city girl" who had never seen the world, could be so curious. To her, this was a novel experience, and she remained keen on holding Xiao Jiu while looking around, stopping to peer at every single stall.

Lie Xu followed quietly behind. While he appeared to be merely strolling, his soul power perception had already quietly spread out.

After all, who didn't like the thrill of finding a hidden gem? It was better to be safe than sorry; it didn't cost much soul power, and if he happened to find something, it would be a massive profit.

Lie Xu had been wandering for a long time without finding anything of note. Just as he was about to call Qian Renxue to head back, the moment he turned, a peculiar fluctuation from a stall to his front-left rippled into his perception.

Suddenly, a faint but intensely scorching energy signature pierced his senses.

It was coming from the stall of a disheveled merchant nearby.

"Xiao Xue, wait for me a moment."

Lie Xu walked quickly to the stall and crouched down.

The stall was cluttered with a chaotic assortment of items, mostly scavenged from soul beasts: antlers, hides, teeth, claws, a few herbs, and some raw ores.

Among the many stalls, it looked entirely unremarkable, the kind of place no one would spare a second glance.

Lie Xu carefully sifted through the items, trying to pinpoint the source of the strange fluctuation that had triggered his martial soul.

The disheveled man grew impatient at the sight of a child. "Little brat, don't touch if you aren't buying! These are all fine goods, very precious—if you break them, you can't afford to pay!"

Lie Xu ignored him, keeping his head down as he continued to sense the items on the stall.

"Hey! I'm talking to you, can you not hear—"

Just as the man was about to scold Lie Xu, a commotion nearby drew the attention of the crowd.

"I already told you, I'm not selling! Why do you keep pestering me?"

Qian Renxue, clutching Xiao Jiu, glared at the group of men surrounding her.

"Little girl, I really do like this little lion beast. Name your price."

The leader stepped forward, leaning in close to Qian Renxue as his voice dropped. "Little girl, I suggest you be smart. Hand over the lion beast, and I might reward you with a few copper coins. Otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?"

Lie Xu rushed over and pulled Qian Renxue, who was clutching Xiao Jiu, behind him. He glared coldly at the burly men before them, let out a cold snort, and turned to leave with Qian Renxue in tow.

"Stop right there! Leave the lion beast in that little girl's arms!"

Several fierce-looking soul masters blocked their path, the leader—a man with a scarred face—staring greedily at Xiao Jiu.

Lie Xu paused, his gaze turning even frostier.

"Brat, hand over that lion beast, and I'll spare your miserable life!" the scarred man sneered.

Qian Renxue shrank back behind Lie Xu in fear.

Xiao Jiu let out a low growl in her arms, its golden fur standing on end.

Lie Xu slowly raised his head, his eyes icy. "What did you just say?"

"What? Are you deaf?" The scarred man scoffed. "Seeing how well-dressed you two are, you must be from some big family. I've changed my mind now—leave the lion beast, and you two have to stay as well..."

Before he could finish—

BOOM!

A scorching wave of soul power descended from the sky, accompanied by a piercing eagle cry!

Chi Yuan stepped forward, her red robes fluttering. Above her, the Flowing Fire Kite Eagle martial soul circled slowly, though her gaze remained locked on the men ahead.

Six soul rings lit up beneath her feet in sequence: Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Purple, Black, Black!

Level 66 Power Attack System Soul Emperor!

"A-a Soul Emperor?!"

The surrounding crowd gasped. While people often came to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt soul beasts, Soul Emperors were the backbone of any major faction and were rarely seen on ordinary days. At least eighty percent of the time, a Soul Emperor was only present because a young master or miss from a noble family required a soul beast.

Chi Yuan walked toward the scarred man and his group, her hands folded over her lower abdomen and her face as cold as a frozen pool.

"Bullying the young? Level 66 Power Attack System Soul Emperor, please, enlighten me!!!"

The faces of the scarred man and his group turned deathly pale in an instant.

"Boss, what do we do?"

"Don't be afraid! She's only one person and can't protect both of them. You and I are both Level 56 Soul Kings, and the third, fourth, and fifth are all peak Soul Sects about to break through to Soul King. We grab it and run..."