Star Dou

Star Dou Forest was nothing like Soul Hunting Forest.

Soul Hunting Forest was small and managed by people. A section of road had been cleared through the part they entered.

Star Dou Forest, on the other hand, was much wilder. There were no roads, so they had to make their own.

That made Dai Mubai the unlucky one. His tiger claws weren't being used to fight; they were dedicated to hacking through the brambles—in the most literal sense.

Fortunately, once they'd gone a little farther in, they started seeing signs of wild animals. The plants here had been stunted or outright destroyed, leaving natural paths that made their way forward much easier.

But at the same time, signs of Soul Beast activity meant danger. Anyone walking here had a very good chance of being attacked.

Still, this was only the outermost area. Even in Star Dou Forest, they wouldn't run into Soul Beasts over ten thousand years old here. In fact, the area was mostly home to Ten-Year and Hundred-Year Soul Beasts, with even more Ten-Year ones.

And because the Soul Beasts they'd encountered so far weren't strong, Flender had just watched from the sidelines, letting Jiang Jiu and the others get in a little training and build up their teamwork.

The only regret was that Xiao Wu couldn't come. But when Oscar, Zhu Zhuqing, and the others reached level thirty, they'd have another chance. Flender quietly turned the thought over in his mind.

"Brother Jiu, I've noticed you seem really familiar with all those Soul Beasts?"

Ning Rongrong was in the middle of the group, yet she still had time to watch Jiang Jiu.

"I know a bit."

The trip had also served to reaffirm what Jiang Jiu had learned.

Star Dou Forest had far more kinds of Soul Beasts than Soul Hunting Forest. Even among the Ten-Year and Hundred-Year Soul Beasts they'd encountered on the outer edge, there were several kinds he'd never seen in Soul Hunting Forest.

But just because he hadn't seen them there didn't mean Xiao Wu hadn't drawn them for him.

Xiao Wu had taught him about Soul Beasts based mainly on the species found in Star Dou Forest. With her lively, expressive drawing style, Jiang Jiu could now identify them at a glance, and knew their general ages as well.

Only with this knowledge could someone enter Star Dou Forest without being "blind."

If they'd been like Dragon Duke and Snake Matriarch and picked a two-thousand-year-old Man Faced Demon Spider as their granddaughter's Third Soul Ring, they'd have been left with nothing but fireworks.

That was the pain of having no legacy to draw on.

Jiang Jiu had taken a huge shortcut himself.

No one here knew more about Soul Beasts than he did. In fact, across the entire Douluo Continent, it was hard to say whether anyone knew more than him—more broadly, more deeply, or in greater detail.

The knowledge Yu Xiaogang had taught Tang San about Soul Beasts was already quite good, but compared with Xiao Wu's, it was far behind.

Xiao Wu had even told Jiang Jiu how the Titan Giant Ape and Sky Azure Bull Python changed with each passing ten thousand years.

Who else could compare?

Unfortunately, knowledge was just knowledge. When it came down to it, everything depended on your fists, and no matter how much he knew, he still needed Flender's help to hunt Soul Beasts.

And Soul Beast hunting was a matter of luck above all else.

After searching all day, Jiang Jiu and Tang San exchanged a glance.

Well, neither of them had seen hide nor hair of the thousand-year Soul Beasts they wanted.

Tang San was a little better off. Several of his targets were fairly common, and although they hadn't seen any thousand-year ones today, they had spotted some hundred-year ones.

Whether they'd be suitable was another matter, but at least they'd seen a glimmer of hope.

Jiang Jiu hadn't seen half a rabbit—not a Lightning Rabbit, nor a Soft Bone Rabbit.

He really had no idea how Xiao Wu's mother had managed to survive until she reached fifty thousand years. Xiao Wu herself was a beast-born second generation, so she was no help as a point of reference.

"That's enough for today."

At Flender's word, Tang San and Jiang Jiu naturally found a place to pitch their tents. They'd brought plenty of food, and the processed jerky tasted pretty good too.

"You two seem to have a lot of wilderness experience," Flender remarked as he ate some jerky.

At a time like this, no one worried about whether it was fair. The dean would be the one standing watch tonight.

"We've been to Soul Hunting Forest several times," Jiang Jiu replied. Tang San was still spreading snake-repellent powder.

"Did Xiaogang take you?"

Jiang Jiu nodded.

But then Flender shook his head. "That doesn't sound right. Xiaogang wouldn't have helped you hunt your Second Soul Ring."

"It was one of Teacher's friends." Tang San had returned by then and answered for him.

Flender suddenly found the meat in his mouth less appetizing. That was true—he had a few old friends himself, so of course Xiaogang would have new friends too.

"Tell me about it?" Flender asked. It wasn't as if they had anything else to do right now.

Ning Rongrong and the others gathered around too, eating as they listened to the story and relaxed their tense nerves.

For someone like Ning Rongrong, hunting her first two Soul Rings had practically been a picnic.

Zhu Zhuqing hadn't had it so easy, but in the end, her family had taken care of everything for her.

For them, cautiously exploring their way forward as a group like this was a first. Zhu Zhuqing in particular had been given an important task, making her something like a half-fledged scout.

"Brother Jiu, your Second Soul Skill is Charm? I've never seen you use it."

Everyone had their own focus. Flender was more interested in Yu Xiaogang, while Ning Rongrong naturally paid more attention to Jiang Jiu.

Only now, hearing about Jiang Jiu's Second Soul Skill, did she realize she didn't even know what his two Soul Skills were.

"I haven't had a chance to use it."

Jiang Jiu's combat strength was made up of several different parts.

In ordinary situations, his physical strength was more than enough. With Soul Power behind it, he could beat other people at his level to a pulp, and he didn't even need to use any of the killing moves from his Soft Technique. A little skill in applying force was all it took.

Against opponents at his level, Charm was even more like using a butcher's knife to kill a chicken. Never mind Soul Grandmasters—even Soul Ancestors would be left in a daze if Jiang Jiu used Charm on them. The mental strength of Soul Masters in Douluo I was pretty poor across the board.

With this setup, Jiang Jiu was perfectly suited to fighting opponents above his level. The trouble was, the opponent he'd fought above his level before was Zhao Wuji. There was no point making trouble for himself.

The gap was too great. None of his Soft Technique or Charm could find any use.

"By the way, Rongrong, why have you been calling him 'Brother Jiu' since yesterday?" Oscar tried desperately to find a way into the conversation.

"Because Brother Jiu is Brother Jiu." Ning Rongrong smiled, her eyes narrowing slightly. She was starting to understand Xiao Wu's happiness.

Oscar was completely baffled. What was Ning Rongrong supposed to mean by that vague answer?

"Some people just like calling him that." Dai Mubai patted Oscar's shoulder with the air of an experienced man who knew a thing or two.

Does he like being called that?

Dai Mubai hadn't meant anything by it, but Zhu Zhuqing took his words to heart and committed them to memory.

Meanwhile, Flender and Tang San had just about finished talking.

"You all go back to your tents. I'll keep watch tonight."

Flender picked a tree at random, sprang up, and settled on one of its branches.

Only then did Jiang Jiu remember that Flender's Martial Soul was some kind of Owl. He really was perfectly suited to keeping watch.