Setting Off! Star Dou Forest

The next morning, just as the sky began to brighten, a thin layer of mist still shrouded the outside of the windows, leaving Spirit City in total silence.

A crisp knocking sound broke the tranquility.

Because of his anticipation, Lin Ze'an had been sleeping lightly; he woke the moment he heard the knocking and quickly dressed himself.

He walked out and opened the courtyard gate.

Yue Guan was already standing outside, looking spirited and energetic, dressed in his usual magnificent golden chrysanthemum-patterned robes with a smile on his face.

"Good disciple, are you ready? It is time to set off."

"Good morning, Master. I am ready, let's go." Lin Ze'an nodded, took a deep breath of the cool morning air, and turned to close the courtyard gate.

However, in light of yesterday's events, Yue Guan first took Lin Ze'an to have breakfast before they prepared to depart.

Yet, as they stepped out of the restaurant, a figure was already waiting silently outside.

It was none other than Ghost Douluo, Gui Mei. The black mist surrounding his body appeared slightly thinner in the morning sunlight, yet he still exuded a chilling aura that warned others to keep their distance.

Yue Guan did not seem surprised, merely raising an eyebrow. "Old Ghost? Why have you come as well?"

Gui Mei spoke concisely, "To ensure this trip is foolproof."

Upon hearing this, a look of realization crossed Yue Guan's face, and he chuckled, "Very well. With you, Old Ghost, tagging along, it will save us from any complications."

With that, the two of them took Lin Ze'an and headed toward the Star Dou Forest.

Although the Soul Hunting Forest or the Sunset Forest would have been closer and safer, considering Lin Ze'an's martial soul, the Star Dou Forest held a greater variety of soul beasts.

After only a few days of travel, that vast, boundless forest exuding a primitive aura appeared before their eyes.

Towering ancient trees stretched on endlessly, and the air was thick with the scents of various powerful soul beasts, enough to make one's heart tremble.

Even the expressions of Yue Guan and Gui Mei grew a bit more solemn; after all, even though they were only on the outskirts, who could say if a hundred-thousand-year soul beast might suddenly spring out?

"The Star Dou Forest is the largest soul beast forest; there may be hundred-thousand-year soul beasts here, so be sure to stay close to us," Yue Guan whispered a warning.

Lin Ze'an nodded and obediently followed behind the two of them.

This was the Star Dou Forest, after all, and he wasn't exactly the protagonist of a power fantasy.

With his current soul power level, let alone a hundred-thousand-year beast, he wouldn't even be able to defeat a ten-thousand-year soul beast if one appeared.

Gui Mei turned to look at him, his thoughts shifting, and the black mist around his body spread slightly, quietly concealing the presence of all three of them.

Yue Guan's spiritual power constantly scanned the surroundings, searching for the most suitable soul beast for Lin Ze'an.

However, just as they passed through a damp marshland filled with giant ferns, a sudden change occurred!

"ROAR--!!!"

A deafening roar erupted from the side, so loud that the surrounding leaves came fluttering down.

Immediately following, a massive black shadow lunged out from the dense forest like a small mountain, accompanied by a foul-smelling gale.

It was a giant bear, over five meters tall, its entire body covered in dark gold scales.

Its eyes were blood-red, thick saliva dripped from its jaws, and as it stood on its hind legs, its massive bear paw swiped directly toward Yue Guan, who was in the lead.

Judging by the violent aura it emitted, this was clearly a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear with a cultivation of nearly thirty thousand years, renowned for its defense and attack power.

"Careful!" Yue Guan's expression changed; he pushed Lin Ze'an behind him to a safe spot while his nine soul rings instantly lit up.

"Hmph!" With a cold snort, a massive phantom of a golden chrysanthemum bloomed before him. The layers of petals hardened instantly, forming an impenetrable shield.

"BOOM!!!"

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's terrifying giant paw slammed heavily against the shield, producing a thunderous roar.

A violent shockwave of energy instantly spread outward, snapping the surrounding ancient trees in half and causing the ground to crack.

Almost at the same time Yue Guan made his move, Gui Mei's figure vanished without a sound.

The next second, the shadow beneath the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear instantly turned into a pitch-black swamp, and countless black ghost hands lunged out, binding its limbs and torso tightly.

The powerful restraint and chilling aura instantly invaded its body, causing its movements to stiffen, followed by a roar of rage and pain.

The two worked with seamless coordination; one defending and one controlling, they instantly suppressed the sudden ten-thousand-year soul beast, leaving it unable to move.

Yue Guan turned to Lin Ze'an, who was watching in a daze, and said quickly, "Good disciple, watch closely!"

Gui Mei said indifferently, "Finish it quickly. Too much noise will attract other soul beasts."

As he spoke, the black mist around Gui Mei suddenly thickened, and the countless ghost hands reaching from the shadows seemed to come alive, wrapping even tighter around their target.

"Fifth Soul Skill—Gathering of Cold Blossoms!"

Yue Guan no longer hesitated, directly unleashing his strongest single-target soul skill.

Massive petal blades condensed in his hands, spinning at high speed as they slashed toward the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear.

"Shhh-shhh-shhh-shhh!"

A dense sound of cutting echoed out, and those sturdy dark gold scales were torn apart like paper before the razor-sharp blades.

In the span of a single breath, the storm subsided.

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear was almost completely dismembered, a mass of mangled flesh and blood, its breath already gone.

A moment later, a ten-thousand-year spirit ring shimmering with black light slowly emerged from the corpse.

With the battle over, Yue Guan flashed to Lin Ze'an's side immediately, looking him over carefully and breathing a sigh of relief only after seeing that Lin Ze'an was unharmed.

He then looked at the ten-thousand-year spirit ring floating above the giant bear's carcass. "Tsk tsk, a thirty-thousand-year Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear spirit ring—the quality is quite excellent."

"The power it contains is violent and tenacious, suitable for an assault-type spirit master, but unfortunately, the attribute doesn't match yours, nor is it something you can absorb right now."

As he spoke, he raised his hand, and a gentle stream of spirit power wrapped around the black ring, drawing it toward him.

"Disciple, watch closely," Yue Guan said, pointing at the spirit ring and explaining patiently, "After a spirit beast is killed, the essence of its lifelong cultivation condenses into a spirit ring like this."

"The one who dealt the killing blow can use their spirit power to draw it over."

He demonstrated, letting the spirit ring hover in front of Lin Ze'an. "Then, you can enter meditation and circulate your spirit power to absorb it, drawing it into your body."

"Once successfully absorbed, the spirit ring becomes a part of the spirit master's power and provides a corresponding spirit skill."

"However, my spirit ring slots are already full, so I cannot absorb it."

As he spoke, Yue Guan suddenly remembered something and added, "Remember, it will only last for about an hour at most; if no one absorbs it, the spirit ring will dissipate."

He waved his hand, dispersing the spirit power that had been wrapping the ring. Deprived of its tether, the spirit ring slowly rotated in place, waiting for its inevitably futile dissipation.

"Let's go," Gui Mei's hoarse voice rang out. "There are no spirit rings suitable for him in this vicinity; let's look elsewhere."