From Douluo to Defy Heaven and Become a God Chapter 48

At noon, Old Jack returned. He had worn his lips thin from talking, but he had finally managed to secure a spot for a work-study student at Nuoding Academy from the neighboring villages.

Jiang Chen felt moved in his heart; from the time he was small until now, Old Jack had truly treated him like his own grandson.

He dared not tell anyone the news of his tribulation. If he failed and died, Old Jack would surely be heartbroken.

Since he could not ask anyone for help, he planned to find a deep, remote forest in two days to undergo his tribulation in secret.

He was not worried about Old Jack's retirement and funeral arrangements, as there was Tang San, but he was worried that after he died, Old Jack would pine for him.

Two more days passed, and by the third day, he knew he had to find a place to undergo his tribulation.

For these two days, he had prepared big fish and meat for every meal for Old Jack, making the old man grin from ear to ear and praise Jiang Chen for his filial piety. However, Old Jack did not know that once Jiang Chen left today, he might never return.

Early in the morning, Jiang Chen met with Tang San and urged him to take good care of Old Jack in the future, leaving Tang San completely bewildered.

Under Tang San's persistent questioning, Jiang Chen did not reveal his own affairs; after all, even if Tang San knew, he would not be able to help.

At noon, after finishing his final meal with Old Jack, he tidied his room, folded his quilt, and took one long, deep look at the room. Not daring to look at Old Jack again, he quietly slipped out of the village.

He had long heard that if one traveled south from the village for half a day, there was a sizable forest. It was sparsely populated, making it the most suitable place to undergo his tribulation.

Jiang Chen moved quickly, reaching the area in two hours and stepping into the forest.

This forest contained no soul beasts, only ordinary wild animals. After all, it was not far from several villages; if there were soul beasts here, they would threaten the safety of those settlements.

Aside from great forests like the Star Dou Great Forest, the Icebound Forest, and the Sunset Forest, the remaining soul beasts were basically kept by the Heaven Dou Empire within various Soul Hunting Forests.

If a soul beast appeared near a village, it was generally reported to the city-state, and the military would handle it by killing or capturing it to be placed in a Soul Hunting Forest.

Although there were no soul beasts, the wild animals in this forest were fierce and terrifying to ordinary people. Except for soul masters or certain hunters, basically no one dared to enter.

Jiang Chen advanced through the mountainous terrain, which consisted of rolling high peaks covered in dense forest.

As Jiang Chen pushed forward, the surrounding trees grew taller, and the traces of human activity gradually vanished.

From time to time, the roar of a tiger could be heard; even hunters rarely reached a place like this.

Jiang Chen stopped, looked at the high mountain ahead, and smiled.

"You're the one."

This mountain appeared to be the center of this forest; even if thunder struck on a clear day, it would not attract anyone's attention.

There were no paths on the mountain, but with his immense strength, it was not difficult for Jiang Chen to climb it.

The thorny vines with sharp spikes tore his clothes, but they could not break his skin.

Ten minutes later, he reached the summit.

The trees on the mountain were much sparser, and there was little soil, revealing large, grey boulders.

Jiang Chen scanned the area, chose a relatively flat and large rock, and sat down cross-legged.

It was two or three in the afternoon, the time when the sun was most intense, and the massive rock beneath him felt scorching to Jiang Chen.

There was no wind, and even birds were rare; all the plants and animals seemed to have wilted under the fierce sun.