Depart! Sunset Forest! (Testing the waters, please comment and urge for updates!)

Lin Ze'an had a handful of herbs forcibly stuffed into his mouth by Little Sprout. As he coughed, he still managed to mumble incoherently, "Y-you... are trying to k-kill me..."

But soon, the bitter herbs dissolved in his mouth, and the soul power within his body rapidly replenished.

"Cough, cough... Little Sprout..." Lin Ze'an finally swallowed the last of the herbs and looked at Little Sprout in surprise.

Although he had nearly choked, the herbs Little Sprout had just fed him were all meant for replenishing soul power. Was it really that smart?

Little Sprout patted its chest, then pointed at Lin Ze'an, looking at him triumphantly.

Lin Ze'an smiled helplessly and reached out to ruffle Little Sprout's head.

Afterward, Little Sprout hopped and skipped over to the pile of herbs nearby and began to munch away with a crunching sound.

"Alright, alright, you're the best, go ahead and eat." Lin Ze'an muttered softly, stood up, and stretched.

Refreshed by Little Sprout and the herbs, he felt completely revitalized.

The soul power in his body was full and stable, and even his mind, which had been sluggish from exhaustion, had become clear.

Lin Ze'an happily turned to take a bath, taking the opportunity to tidy up his frizzy, exploded-looking hair.

By the time he changed into clean clothes, combed his hair until it was neat and tidy, and stood in the courtyard looking brand new, Little Sprout had just finished its meal and was contentedly licking its leaf-shaped hands.

However, it was already evening, and it was just about time to meet Yan.

"Come here, Little Sprout." He crouched down and held out his hand: "We're leaving."

Little Sprout nodded, leaped up, and vanished into the necklace.

Lin Ze'an smiled. Just as he stepped out of the courtyard gate, he bumped into three familiar figures.

Hu Liena, Yan, and Xie Yue were walking toward him side by side.

"Senior Yan, Senior Xie Yue, Senior Hu Liena!" Lin Ze'an's eyes lit up, and he immediately beamed a bright smile, greeting them obediently.

Hu Liena had rarely worn a light-colored, form-fitting outfit today, which made her skin look like snow and made her appear stunningly beautiful.

Seeing Lin Ze'an, a flash of surprise crossed her charming eyes, and then she smiled: "Our little junior is quite punctual."

Yan patted Lin Ze'an on the shoulder and said: "We plan to grab a bite to eat in the city first, then set off for our training."

"There are fewer people out at night, so leaving Spirit City won't be too conspicuous, which will save us from being followed by some blind fools."

One had to know that their enemies wouldn't be intimidated just because they were the Golden Generation; on the contrary, they would try every possible way to nip these budding geniuses in the bud.

Only by having sufficient strength of one's own could one make others fear.

Lin Ze'an nodded: "Understood. This is my first time going out for training, so I will follow the lead of you seniors."

Afterward, the group gave Lin Ze'an a few reminders, and once they were sure he hadn't forgotten anything, they headed toward the restaurant.

The four of them entered the restaurant, and Yan, familiar with the place, led them to a private room on the third floor.

Before long, a table full of dishes was served.

"Seniors." Lin Ze'an held a steaming bowl of mushroom soup and asked in a low voice: "What exactly are we going to do when we get to the Sunset Forest?"

Hu Liena stirred the soup in her bowl and said thoughtfully: "It's mainly for training. Teacher hopes we can coordinate to hunt for my fourth soul ring on our own."

"Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo will also be following us in secret, but they won't intervene unless there is a life-threatening situation."

"We'll try it first. After all, it's easy to run into soul beasts over ten thousand years old in the Sunset Forest, so if it really doesn't work out, we'll ask them to step in."

However, why did Teacher want Lin Ze'an to go along with them for this training?

Admittedly, his talent was indeed strong, but he was only six years old after all.

Even if they needed to hone their rapport and coordination, shouldn't they start by practicing at the Soul Arena?

Xie Yue nodded and looked at Lin Ze'an: "The priority is safety. Lin Ze'an, you just need to focus on supporting us from the back; don't try to force yourself."

Yan generously poured a glass of fruit juice for everyone: "Come on, let's have a toast! To our success!"

After three rounds of juice, Hu Liena suddenly tilted her head and asked belatedly: "Little junior, what are the abilities of your martial soul?"

Lin Ze'an was busy shoveling rice into his mouth. Hearing this question, he pondered for a moment before saying: "My martial soul is Mo Ruier, a plant type, though you probably haven't heard of it."

"As for the effects it can have on you, it's mainly buffs and dispelling negative status effects."

However, abilities like his first soul skill, which had a life-steal effect, could only be used on himself and couldn't be applied to others.

The group nodded without thinking too much about it; since they hadn't heard of it, they simply assumed it was a martial soul similar to the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda.

Soon, the sky outside the window had turned completely dark.

Hu Liena looked outside: "It's about time, let's go."

After leaving, the group quickly arrived at a carriage that had been prepared in advance.

Yan strode to the front and leaped into the driver's seat.

Hu Liena, standing to the side, pulled open the carriage door and winked at Lin Ze'an: "Get in, little junior."

Not long after, the carriage slowly pulled away from Spirit City, heading in the direction of the Sunset Forest.

Lin Ze'an leaned against the soft wall of the carriage, his small hand gently stroking the necklace around his neck as he listened to the sound of the wheels crunching over gravel outside.

Suddenly, he looked up, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Senior Sister, after we finish hunting for the spirit ring, could we stop by my home?"

He had been away for quite some time now, and he had no idea how his father was faring on his own.

The carriage fell silent for a moment.

Hu Liena, who had been flipping through a book documenting spirit beasts, paused slightly at his words. She turned to look at Lin Ze'an, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.

She chuckled softly and teased, "Our little junior has been in Spirit City for a while now; are you feeling homesick?"

Lin Ze'an scratched his head, admitting with some embarrassment, "Yes."

Although his master treated him very well, he could never forget his father.

He wondered if it was the influence of his reincarnation after crossing over; even though he had lived two lifetimes, his temperament seemed to be subtly conforming to his current age.

Xie Yue, who had been sitting in the corner with his eyes closed to rest, opened them upon hearing this.

He glanced at Lin Ze'an and said calmly, "We can go after we finish. First, we must complete the trial mission assigned by Her Majesty the Pope."

Behind the carriage, two figures followed silently in the shadows.

They were none other than Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo Gui Mei, who were escorting them in secret.

Yue Guan's gaze swept over several furtive figures in the distance, a cold sneer curling his lips.

"It seems there are quite a few tails," Yue Guan said to the shadow beside him. "Old Ghost, take care of the ones with high spirit power levels, and leave a few that are close to the children's strength."

At these words, Gui Mei let out a cold snort, his figure instantly dissolving into a mass of black mist and vanishing silently into the night.