Is this the divine beast of your Douluo Three Kingdoms?

"Although the Evil Demon Forest is not as vast as the Star Dou Great Forest, it is not far behind when it comes to soul beast resources.

Furthermore, there are many soul beasts here that are unique to the Sun Moon Empire and cannot be found anywhere else."

As they walked deeper inside, the old man introduced the situation of the Evil Demon Forest to Ye Luochen.

"Do you have any thoughts or preferences regarding your fourth soul ring?"

Hearing the old man's words, Ye Luochen pondered for a moment before replying:

"The first three soul rings I added to my Dark Iron Blade all share similar attributes, focusing on the path of sharpness.

Therefore, for this fourth soul ring, I would like to continue choosing this attribute."

Upon hearing this, the old man nodded.

"In the path of martial souls, the greatest taboo is greed—wanting to possess every attribute and every direction.

Little do people know that biting off more than one can chew often leads to ending up with nothing at all."

"Choosing an attribute that fits your martial soul and developing a single attribute is indeed a wise choice.

The only drawback is that your methods might be somewhat limited."

Listening to the old man's analysis, Ye Luochen felt deeply convinced.

Although the other party was a soul engineer who specialized in soul guidance technology, being a Level 9 soul engineer meant that his soul power level was at the Title Douluo rank.

At this level, even if he were only a newly promoted Level 91 Title Douluo, his understanding of martial souls was absolutely not to be underestimated.

As the group continued to venture deeper, various sounds began to emerge from the surroundings.

Gaze after gaze began to fixate on them from within the thickets.

"Although I am leading this mission, I will not intervene unless it is an emergency.

In most situations, you will have to rely on yourselves."

The old man spoke slowly.

"Doing this again? Are you going to call it a 'trial'?"

Meng Hongchen whispered as she walked.

Although her voice was soft, it did not escape the old man's ears, so he explained:

"This time, it really isn't. Since the Hall Master gave the orders, if this were any other place, I would naturally take action myself to search.

But have you forgotten where this is?"

"The Evil Demon Forest is ruled by the Evil Eye Tyrant Sovereign, whose spiritual power has reached the pinnacle. It is rumored that the entire Evil Demon Forest is within its perception."

"If I were to take action personally, I would likely attract its attention very quickly, and that would be a huge problem."

Hearing this, the expressions of the group changed slightly.

After all, the name of the Evil Eye Tyrant Sovereign carried far too much pressure.

It was ranked second on the continent's Fierce Beast Ranking;

It was a terrifying existence rumored to have once traveled to the Star Dou Great Forest to challenge the Beast God Di Tian, only to retreat unscathed.

If they were unlucky enough to be targeted by this being, even with a Level 9 soul engineer leading the way, their chances of survival would be slim.

"However, there is no need to worry too much. Although this forest is named after the Evil Eye Tyrant Sovereign, this continent ultimately belongs to the Sun Moon Empire.

There are certain rules that even the second-ranked existence on the Fierce Beast Ranking must abide by.

As long as no powerful experts intervene to disrupt the ecosystem, it is naturally fine for you juniors to come in and hunt soul beasts normally."

The old man continued to explain.

The group continued deeper, walking for about another quarter of an hour before coming to a halt.

Not far ahead, a giant snake as thick as a bowl was coiled up.

Its scales were a pale pink, its triangular head held high, and a pair of ruby-like eyes were fixed intently on the group.

"This is... a Mandala Snake?"

Ye Luochen raised an eyebrow slightly.

"I never expected to find a Mandala Snake inhabiting this place.

Judging by the color of its scales and its size, this Mandala Snake's cultivation is likely around three thousand years."

Hearing this, Meng Hongchen looked at Ye Luochen with curiosity.

"That impressive? You can identify not only the species but also the age just by looking at it?"

Ye Luochen nodded.

"After all, I previously focused on martial soul studies, and identifying soul beasts was one of the courses.

Moreover, the characteristics of a Mandala Snake are very distinct; as long as you have some knowledge of them, they are easy to identify."

"So that's the reason? I thought it was..."

Meng Hongchen muttered to herself again, though her voice was soft, it still reached Ye Luochen's ears.

"What did you think it was?"

"Hehe, you're from the Douluo Three Kingdoms, aren't you? I remember that God King Tang San from ten thousand years ago in your lands—wasn't his first soul ring a Mandala Snake? I just assumed that was the reason you were able to recognize the Mandala Snake at a glance."

Meng Hongchen said with a giggle.

"Tell me, is the Mandala Snake considered something like a totem or a divine beast over there? Are there many people who imitate him and choose the Mandala Snake as their own soul ring?"

Listening to Meng Hongchen's nonsensical remarks, Xiao Hongchen, standing to the side, couldn't help but roll his eyes.

What kind of logic was this? What kind of train of thought was that?

Even with his toes, he could tell that was impossible.

However, to his surprise, Ye Luochen actually nodded.

"It might sound absurd, but things are indeed as you described. Because of that person's example, countless copycats go out every year to hunt Mandala Snakes to use as their own soul rings."

"The Mandala Snake was even driven to the brink of extinction because of it. If it weren't for the various academies and the royal families stepping in, the Mandala Snake would likely have been wiped out in the original three kingdoms."

Hearing Ye Luochen's words, Xiao Hongchen couldn't hold back:

"No way, it's really that ridiculous? Has anyone actually succeeded in replicating it?"

Ye Luochen shook his head.

"As far as I know, no. The Mandala Snake is of the poison attribute, and there are very few martial souls that are compatible with it. Most people blindly follow the trend regardless of whether their martial soul attribute matches."

"In such cases, let alone replicating the path to godhood, even reaching the level their martial soul was originally capable of becomes a problem."

Just as they were talking, perhaps feeling ignored and provoked, or perhaps seeing the group as a meal delivered to its doorstep, the Mandala Snake not far away moved.

Hiss!

It flicked its tongue, and a faint, cloying scent instantly permeated the surroundings.

At the same time, the snake lashed its tail with great force, and its massive body surged forward, charging toward the group at high speed.

Facing the Mandala Snake's sudden attack, the old man did not take any action. Unless it was a critical moment, he would not intervene.

As for Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, they didn't move either; after exchanging a glance, they turned their attention to Ye Luochen.

The siblings reached a silent understanding in an instant.

They would hold their ground and leave it to Ye Luochen to handle.

After all, they had never truly seen Ye Luochen in action.

They were incredibly curious about the true strength of this new classmate who had joined Mingde Hall out of nowhere and was held in such high regard by their grandfather.

Seeing that everyone around him remained still, Ye Luochen didn't mind.

This mission was intended for him to obtain his own soul ring, after all.

As for the things encountered along the way, if he could solve them himself, he naturally wouldn't bother others.