"Those are the few thunder-attributed Soul Beasts you chose? Not bad, though finding them will take some effort."
Yu Yuanzhen looked at the types of Soul Beasts Yu Hengqing had chosen on the paper and nodded in agreement.
When he made his choices, Yu Hengqing had already known it would take time to find those Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Forest.
"Anyway, I don't know how long I'll be staying in Thunder Valley, so spending a little extra time won't hurt. But, Dad, have you found someone to go with me to Thunder Valley?"
Seeing how eager Yu Hengqing was, Yu Yuanzhen didn't hold anything back. He told him outright who would accompany him.
"Your second great-uncle, Yu Hezai. He's an eighty-second-rank Soul Douluo with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul. With him there, your safety will be assured."
The Star Dou Forest hadn't yet reached the era of Douluo II and beyond, when Di Tian had awakened. As long as they didn't venture to the Life Lake, having a Soul Douluo with him meant they'd basically be in no danger.
"Second great-uncle? All right. He's a pretty decent fellow, so I'm sure I'll be safe during my stay in Thunder Valley."
Hearing that his companion would be his second great-uncle, Yu Hengqing quickly pictured the honest, straightforward, burly man.
"I've already taken care of things with the academy. If you want to go back later, just go. As for Dugu Bo, I've arranged with him to bring Dugu Yan to Thunder Valley each week to fight you."
Yu Yuanzhen picked up his teacup and took a sip, calmly explaining what he'd already arranged for Yu Hengqing.
Wait, I'm going to train in the Star Dou Forest, and Dugu Bo still plans to bring Dugu Yan here! Could fighting me really make her Martial Soul evolve?
Yu Hengqing didn't pay much attention to the academy. As far as he was concerned, anywhere he could learn was an academy.
But Dugu Bo's actions were what gave him a headache. He'd already eaten the Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma, and now he'd suddenly announced that he was leaving for a while. Who wouldn't be unhappy about that?
Still, bringing his granddaughter to the Star Dou Forest so often wasn't a good idea, either. There were plenty of dangers in the forest.
But if he angered that old poisoner, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect would definitely find Dugu Bo doing all sorts of things just to make their lives miserable.
"Understood. I'll do my best."
Early the next morning, Yu Hengqing and Yu Hezai climbed into a carriage and set off for the Star Dou Forest.
"Xiao Qing, are you sure you don't want a candied hawthorn skewer? I just bought them. One for each of us!"
Yu Hezai held a candied hawthorn skewer in each hand and asked Yu Hengqing in puzzlement. He remembered Yu Hengqing had loved eating them as a child.
"No, thanks. I just finished breakfast, and I can't fit a candied hawthorn skewer in right now."
Looking at the skewer Yu Hezai was offering him, Yu Hengqing flatly refused.
The candied hawthorns here were just too awful. The sugar coating was so sweet it seemed laced with something artificial, while the hawthorns inside were so sour they tasted like highly refined aged vinegar.
Only his younger, less discerning self would have eaten something like this. As for the man before him, who was nearly done with both skewers, Yu Hengqing could only say he had unusual tastes.
A day later, Yu Hengqing arrived at the Star Dou Forest once more.
The top priority for the two of them on this trip was to get Yu Hengqing his Second Soul Ring, so they chose the entrance closest to the Thunder-Clap Birds' nesting grounds.
A group of sect disciples who had come to the Star Dou Forest to hunt for Soul Rings had discovered the Thunder-Clap Birds' nesting grounds a month earlier.
According to their description, there were twenty or thirty Thunder-Clap Birds in the flock. With that many, there had to be a thousand-year Soul Beast leading them.
As long as the Soul Beast was no older than twelve hundred years, Yu Hengqing's body could withstand its Soul Ring.
To reach their destination and set up an ambush as quickly as possible, Yu Hezai didn't point out the Soul Beasts along the way. The two of them kept their heads down and hurried onward.
"All right, we're here!"
Yu Hezai abruptly stopped and pointed at the sheer cliff, hundreds of meters high, in the distance.
Outside the Life Lake.
Bi Ji was focused on treating an injured Soul Beast when Di Tian suddenly appeared beside her.
"Bi Ji, the Dragon Scale is glowing again. The Thunder God's successor must have come to the Star Dou Forest to hunt Soul Beasts once more!"
Bi Ji took the Dragon Scale from Di Tian and glanced at his grave expression.
"All right. I'll go find him once I've finished treating this Soul Beast."
"Mm. Be careful on the way. Don't let them see you going to meet the successor."
After warning her, Di Tian turned and returned to the Life Lake to continue healing and improving his strength.
Bi Ji knew exactly who Di Tian meant by "them." Recently, many Soul Masters had died mysteriously in the depths of the Star Dou Forest, and those people were undoubtedly involved.
"Sigh... If only there were a way to solve the problem of Soul Masters having to obtain Soul Rings to advance."
As Bi Ji left the Life Lake, several pairs of eyes opened and watched her go.
"Bi Ji's left, and Di Tian's gone back to heal. Are you going to make a move?"
"I'm staying out of it. I've killed enough Soul Masters over the past few days to vent my anger, and my injuries haven't healed yet. There's no benefit in offending Bi Ji."
"Tch, you're still such a coward. I'm going, anyway. I want to see what this successor is made of."
"You can go if you want, but remember the Silver Dragon King's orders. Don't do anything excessive."
At those words, the other eager Soul Beasts fell silent. Di Tian had already shown them the Silver Dragon King's orders.
"Ugh, why bring that up now? Anyone who wants to come with me, come along. Those who don't can go wander somewhere else. Just don't let Di Tian find us."
Guided by the Dragon Scale, Bi Ji soon reached the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest and spotted the sheer cliff.
"Have they come to hunt thunder-attributed Soul Beasts again? So that child with just one Soul Ring was the Thunder God's successor after all."
Since waking from her slumber, Bi Ji had explored the Star Dou Forest whenever she had time, searching for injured people or Soul Beasts to treat.
As someone who knew the Star Dou Forest exceptionally well, she naturally knew which Soul Beasts lived around this cliff.
"But that child only got his First Soul Ring a short while ago, didn't he? Has he already reached level twenty?"
Bi Ji had long worked to ease the conflict between humans and Soul Beasts, and she knew a great deal about the human world. Naturally, she understood how quickly an ordinary Soul Master could cultivate.
That was precisely why she was astonished by Yu Hengqing's speed. For a normal Soul Master, reaching level twenty usually took two or three years.
But when she remembered that Yu Hengqing was the Thunder God's successor, it suddenly seemed reasonable. If his talent weren't outstanding, why would the Thunder God have chosen him?
Bi Ji once more used the Dragon Scale to cast a detection spell and pinpointed Yu Hengqing's location.
"That Titled Douluo hasn't come with him this time? Still, on the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest, a Soul Douluo should be enough to keep the child safe."
After murmuring to herself, Bi Ji and her aura suddenly vanished, throwing the tail that had been following her into disarray.
"Did Bi Ji notice us?"
"No. If she had, she wouldn't have merely hidden her aura."
The Ferocious Beast leading the group quickly calmed down. Having worked alongside Bi Ji for many years, it knew her character well.
"But now that we've lost Bi Ji's trail, we probably won't find the successor, will we?"
"Hmph. We've already confirmed that the successor is somewhere on the outskirts of the forest. At worst, we can split up and search in different directions, little by little!"
"Fine. It's not as if I have anything else to do."
Yu Hengqing had just finished setting up his tent. He had no idea that, not long after entering the Star Dou Forest, he'd already caught the attention of the Soul Beasts from the Life Lake.
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