At the edge of the Outer Zone of Star Dou Forest!
Carrying his pack, Lu Chen walked through the forest with wary eyes, constantly on guard against any danger that might appear around him.
In his right hand, he held a black iron sickle. It was his second martial soul, the Black Iron Sickle.
Its handle was about two feet long and two fingers thick. At its tip was a crescent-shaped blade, about a foot long and three fingers wide, sharpened on one edge. It glinted with a chilling light.
Compared with his first martial soul, Blue Silver Grass, his second martial soul, the Black Iron Sickle, had some offensive capability, even if it was only a farming tool.
Above all, this was Lu Chen's martial soul, capable of bearing his immense soul power. Infused with that immense soul power, the Black Iron Sickle could become far sharper than weapons forged from refined iron or steel.
In Star Dou Forest, the Black Iron Sickle had even more uses. Not only could it defend him, but it could also clear a path.
In a primeval forest like this, thickets and vines blocking the way were plentiful. Snakes, insects, rats, and ants could also hide within them, making caution all the more necessary.
Lu Chen's Black Iron Sickle was originally meant for harvesting wheat and rice, but cutting through thickets and vines posed no problem at all.
Just then, a rustling sounded, and a dark shape darted from a nearby tree, lunging straight at Lu Chen.
Before Lu Chen could see what kind of creature it was, his body reacted instinctively. He swiftly swung the Black Iron Sickle and slashed at it.
A sharp, cold gleam flashed through the air, and the dark shape was instantly cut in two.
Thud, thud!
The creature Lu Chen had cut in half fell to the ground, its head and body landing separately. Blood swiftly spilled out, staining the ground crimson.
Only then did Lu Chen get a clear look at the creature. It was a Brocade-Bellied Snake, a highly venomous snake spirit beast.
If it bit him, he feared he would struggle to make it out of Star Dou Forest.
Lu Chen could not help remarking:
"Danger really does lurk on every side in Star Dou Forest. Even here at the edge of the Outer Zone, there are spirit beasts like Brocade-Bellied Snakes."
The next instant, rays of yellow light emerged from the Brocade-Bellied Snake's corpse. After several transformations, they gradually condensed into a yellow soul ring.
This Brocade-Bellied Snake was actually a hundred-year spirit beast.
Lu Chen glanced at the yellow soul ring, but soon withdrew his gaze. He had no intention of absorbing it.
He raised his foot and stepped on the Brocade-Bellied Snake's head, then bent down and put away its body, planning to roast it later and have it with his dry rations for lunch.
Once that was done, Lu Chen continued forward without looking back. He was looking for a plant spirit beast, specifically one with support effects.
With a clear goal, there was naturally no room for hesitation!
Before he knew it, Lu Chen had spent more than ten days in Star Dou Forest, and both his mind and body had been put through tremendous trials.
Almost every day, Lu Chen encountered several spirit beast attacks. Though his vigilance allowed him to turn danger into safety each time, it kept his nerves taut, and he had barely enjoyed a decent night's sleep.
Hunting spirit beasts really was dangerous work!
That day, Lu Chen swung his Black Iron Sickle, cutting through the thickets and vines blocking his way. After spending some time, he finally hacked out a path.
The view before him suddenly opened up. Ahead lay a valley, and within it grew swathes of red plants.
Lu Chen's pupils contracted, and delighted surprise appeared on his face:
"Red Blood Grass!"
Red blood grass, also known as recovery grass, released juice as red as fresh blood when crushed, and was extremely effective at healing external wounds.
At the sight of this vast expanse of red blood grass, Lu Chen first felt a surge of delight, then swiftly grew wary.
Plant spirit beasts like red blood grass, which could heal injuries, generally had animal spirit beasts living alongside them.
The world of spirit beasts was extremely cruel. Once they were wounded in a fight and weakened by blood loss, other predators would set their sights on them.
Red blood grass could heal injuries, making it easy for it to form symbiotic relationships with powerful spirit beasts.
Thus, upon seeing the red blood grass, Lu Chen immediately grew vigilant. His gaze flashed like lightning, his eyes blazed like torches, and he scanned the expanse of red blood grass.
Sure enough, a striped tiger slowly emerged from the valley. It had also spotted Lu Chen, and its beastly eyes, gleaming with bloodlust, stared at him without blinking.
Lu Chen's heart sank. This was a Great King Tiger. Its name was imposing, but it certainly deserved it.
The Great King Tiger, the King of the Forest, possessed terrifying strength and endurance. It was a born hunter, and a single roar could kill some weaker spirit beasts outright.
Lu Chen drew a deep breath, then approached without fear. For the sake of his first spirit ring, he would never back down, even against a Great King Tiger.
"Roar!"
Seeing that Lu Chen actually dared to approach it, the Great King Tiger opened its mouth and roared. Then a blazing white energy ball shot from its mouth, blasting toward Lu Chen.
Lu Chen's eyes widened at the sight. Fortunately, he reacted quickly enough, immediately dropping to the ground and rolling once to dodge the energy ball.
The Great King Tiger seized the opportunity to launch a ferocious attack. Fast as lightning, it lunged toward Lu Chen. As it drew close, it leaped up, opened its bloody maw, and bit toward his head.
Half-kneeling on the ground, Lu Chen saw the enormous tiger's maw right before him, and his heartbeat quickened. Unexpectedly, he felt not the slightest fear, only vigorous, surging fighting spirit and killing intent.
Lu Chen gritted his teeth, every muscle tensing. Pushing hard against the ground, he slid toward the Great King Tiger's belly and swung the Black Iron Sickle in his right hand. Soul power poured into it without cease, making its edge gleam as never before.
Rip!
With the sound of flesh tearing, Lu Chen's Black Iron Sickle, which did not have a single spirit ring, actually ripped open the Great King Tiger's belly as he swung it with all his strength.
Drip, drip!
Blood streamed out, and the great tiger let out a cry of pain. The pain roused its ferocity, and its beastly eyes filled with a man-eating glare.
But Lu Chen was utterly unafraid. He rose from the ground, turned toward the Great King Tiger, and let out an angry roar. His eyes widened as he stared straight into the tiger's eyes, taking a stance that promised no end until one of them was dead.
"Whimper!"
With spirit beasts, the more afraid you were, the more overbearing they became. If you became more overbearing, they would instead grow afraid.
Facing Lu Chen, who wanted to fight to the death, the Great King Tiger whimpered. Unwilling to fight him to the bitter end, it finally tucked its tail between its legs, turned, and fled.
Seeing this, Lu Chen also breathed a sigh of relief. After all, he did not have a single spirit ring yet. Relying solely on his immensely strong body, he had no absolute confidence that he could deal with the Great King Tiger.
Now that the Great King Tiger had fled, it was time for Lu Chen to inspect his gains.
He turned and walked into the valley, looking at the swathes of red blood grass.
Ten-year red blood grass!
Hundred-year red blood grass!
Thousand-year red blood grass!
Deep within this valley, there was actually a stalk of thousand-year red blood grass. Lu Chen's pupils contracted sharply, and a trace of indecision appeared on his face...