Investment in Star Dou Reaches 20, Bonus Chapter!

Ling Yu was awakened by Hu Liena beside him. When he opened his eyes and lifted the carriage curtain, a lush green forest stretched outside. Towering trees stood tall, brimming with life, while the stars of the night cast a brilliant glow over this vast forest that had existed for hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions, of years.

They were currently in a small town near the Star Dou Great Forest, a gathering place for many Soul Masters who had come to hunt Soul Beasts and obtain Soul Rings.

"Junior Brother, come down!"

Hu Liena waved at Ling Yu. Judging by how familiar she seemed with the place, this was clearly not her first visit.

"We'll be staying here tonight. The Star Dou Great Forest is a forbidden zone for Soul Masters at night. Many ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts come to the outskirts to hunt for food after dark, so we can only enter the forest tomorrow!"

Seeing Ling Yu lost in thought, Hu Liena put on a gentle expression and did her best to hide the natural allure she carried. Yet that only made her seem rather awkward.

Her body was stiff, her arms hung as though she did not know where to put them, and her feet kept rubbing against the ground.

Ling Yu was quite curious whether, if she kept this up, she would dig a hole into the ground carpeted in thick Blue Silver Grass.

"Alright, Senior Sister!"

Ling Yu stepped down from the carriage and followed the other three toward an inn in the town ahead.

Before they even reached the inn, they could hear the sounds of drinking and lively conversation from within. Booming voices rang out, while the waitresses occasionally called out the names of dishes. The scene left Ling Yu somewhat dazed.

As he entered the inn, it felt somewhat like the setting of a martial arts novel from ancient China. The entire inn was made of wood, without any extravagant decorations. It possessed only simplicity and a heartfelt sense of comfort.

Soul Masters from all corners of the land gathered here. Many made their living by hunting Soul Beasts, while many others, men and women alike, had come from across the continent to obtain Soul Rings.

To be honest, ever since arriving in this world, he had never truly taken a good look at it.

Before he turned six, he had remained in the isolated Morning Glow Village. After awakening his martial soul at six, he had stayed on Spirit Soul Mountain, cultivating diligently and only occasionally exchanging letters with Grandpa Village Chief.

He had never explored Spirit City, nor had he gone elsewhere to experience the customs and cultures of different places.

The instant the four of them entered the inn, the chatter and shouting in the hall abruptly fell silent, because everyone saw the emblem on their clothes.

"Spirit Hall!"

This was the symbol unique to Spirit Hall, representing the majesty of the strongest force on the Douluo Continent. Everyone looked at the four of them with uncertain, startled expressions.

People from Spirit Hall had come too!

Many began whispering among themselves. From this alone, Ling Yu could sense Spirit Hall's authority and standing in the hearts of Soul Masters.

Yet at the same time, he saw the respect and awe in the eyes of most Soul Masters. After all, Spirit Hall was unlike the nobles of the two great empires, who oppressed commoners and never regarded ordinary people as worth their notice.

The gap between social classes here was simply too enormous. Ordinary Soul Masters could decide the life and death of commoners; whether those people lived or died depended entirely on a Soul Master's whim.

Having lived in the twenty-first century and grown up in prosperous times, Ling Yu found this difficult to accept when he witnessed it. Although life had been far from satisfactory or fair for many people in his previous life, at least they could live without constant fear. They only needed to worry about their daily income and trivial matters of everyday life.

But this place was different. Without Spirit Hall's restrictions, without rules to restrain Soul Masters, how could the common people of the continent survive? And how would Soul Masters treat them?

This isn't something I can consider right now. Only when I become strong enough to change the rules, strong enough to fear nothing, can I become the one who makes the rules!

Ling Yu could not help murmuring, "Only then will I have the ability to face and deal with these matters!"

The four found a corner table, sat down quietly, ordered a few dishes at random, then returned to the rooms they had already booked.

The night passed without incident.

The next day, the four gathered outside the town. They exchanged glances, and their expressions all became somewhat solemn.

As they entered the ancient forest, an aura far fresher than that of the Sacred Soul Forest rushed toward them. After carefully sensing it, Ling Yu discovered that cultivating here was no worse than cultivating on Spirit Soul Mountain!

He knew that his cultivation speed in Pope's Palace had been so fast most likely because the power of faith in the God of Angels constantly drifted across the mountain. Perhaps he had absorbed a tiny portion of it, or perhaps the divine power of the God of Angels had suffused the place, making Soul Power easier to absorb and purer in nature.

But why did this place have the same effect? Could there also be a divine inheritance here?

As the four advanced, they gradually entered the territory of thousand-year Soul Beasts. Strangely enough, they had not encountered a single Soul Beast that attacked them on its own initiative. Most were mild-tempered Soul Beasts or plant-type Soul Beasts; not one had actively attacked them.

Both Ling Yu and Hu Liena's group found this rather surprising.

"Xie Yue, what kind of Soul Beast are you planning to hunt this time?"

Ling Yu looked at the dense jungle around them and casually asked, "Do you have a specific target?"

Xie Yue glanced at Ling Yu, who was positioned at the rear. Their formation was quite well arranged.

Ling Yu, who possessed the strongest offensive capability and overall strength, stood at the back to guard against sneak attacks from Soul Beasts. Hu Liena, a control-type Soul Master, was in the center, while Xie Yue and Yan stood at the front. The four formed a triangular formation.

"I've selected three targets, each around fifteen hundred years old. My first choice is the Adamantine Saber-toothed Tiger. It can make my Moon Blades sharper while also increasing the attack power and strength of my martial soul. The second is the Shadow Leopard. It can increase my speed and give my martial soul the ability to create clones. The last one, and the one I want most, is the Armor-piercing Rhinoceros. It can give my martial soul stronger penetrating power, allowing it to ignore a Soul Master's defenses to a certain extent. I chose them all based on my first two soul skills!"

Ling Yu could not help nodding after hearing that. All three of Xie Yue's choices were excellent. Before coming here, Hu Liena had told him about Xie Yue's first two soul skills:

First soul skill: Slash!

Second soul skill: Guard!

After all, Xie Yue's martial soul was a tool martial soul, and his Innate Soul Power was rank eight. That was already quite impressive!

His Soul Ring acquisition entirely pursued the fundamental nature of his tool martial soul. The ability of each Soul Ring was singular, but that was precisely why his combat strength was so formidable, even greater than Yan's.

Now that they had targets, things would be much easier. His Sharingan was best suited for observing from afar and seeing through illusions and terrain.

With that thought, Ling Yu summoned his martial soul. The world around him instantly became clearer. As his Spiritual Power increased, he could now even see the patterns on a mosquito's wings within a hundred and fifty meters. It was simply absurd!

"We need to be careful. I've already sensed two Soul Beasts fighting ahead. One of them feels like it could be one of your targets!"

Upon hearing Ling Yu's words, the three immediately assumed combat stances and carefully advanced forward.

Roar!

Following a tiger's roar and a deep, muffled bellow, two enormous beastly figures appeared before them.

Thank you to Wuli Huan Yao Fendou for the 8 recommendation votes!

Thank you to Heibai Yun Qiannian for the 3 recommendation votes!

Thank you to Super Invincible Handsome Handsome Handsome for the 4 recommendation votes!

Thank you to Flowers Bloom Like Today for the 5 recommendation votes!

Thank you to Don't Want to Use Default Name for the 2 recommendation votes!

Thank you for the support!