[Completed the mission of taking new students on their first Soul Fighting task. Reward: 1000 Star Jade.]
Late at night, at Omphalos Academy.
Ye Qiong sat on the sofa, looking at the system notification that said the mission was complete. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
This system really was generous.
Not only were its missions fairly easy, it had also rewarded him with 1000 Star Jade all at once.
"Just four thousand more Star Jade, and I can draw again. I wonder what the next mission will be."
With that thought, Ye Qiong opened the mission interface.
But when he saw the missions listed there, he froze.
[Mission One: Take your disciples to the Star Dou Great Forest, participate in the main storyline, and seize an opportunity.] [Mission Two: Break through to Soul Saint.] [Mission Three: Obtain a Soul Ring for a disciple who is about to break through.] [Complete all three missions to receive the reward: 4000 Star Jade and one special card.]
The system had suddenly assigned three missions at once, which surprised Ye Qiong.
"What a coincidence. Bai E and I both happen to need a Soul Ring to break through."
Even without the mission, Ye Qiong had planned to take Bai E to the Star Dou Great Forest tomorrow to obtain a Soul Ring.
But seeing the mission details, his mind immediately began racing.
He rubbed his chin.
"If I remember right, next comes the part where Tang San gets the Eight Spider Lances."
Seizing someone else's opportunity might have sounded a little underhanded,
but the person in question was Tang San.
Ye Qiong didn't feel the slightest bit guilty.
If anything, he was faintly excited.
"The Eight Spider Lances? No, no. That opportunity is too small. If I'm going to take one, I'll go for something big."
As he thought, Ye Qiong summoned his baseball bat Martial Soul.
He looked at the empty Soul Ring slot and smiled.
The next morning,
Ye Qiong had Jiang Zhu notify everyone to gather in the plaza.
Wang Sheng stumbled out of the dormitory building with a yawn and arrived at the plaza last, looking as though he hadn't woken up yet.
Jiang Zhu glared at him.
"Hurry up. The teacher's waiting."
At her words, Wang Sheng shook his head hard, then hurried into the lineup at a jog.
Ye Qiong swept his gaze over everyone and announced that they were going to the Star Dou Great Forest today.
Bai Chenxiang's eyes lit up at once.
"Teacher, are you going to help Bai E get a Soul Ring?"
Ye Qiong nodded.
"Exactly. Bai E is right at level thirty, so he needs his third Soul Ring."
Hearing that, a look of anticipation appeared on Bai E's face.
Ye Qiong drew Tribbie over from the side and continued,
"This time, your task isn't just to watch. You'll be taking part in the training as well."
"Teacher, are there a lot of Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest?"
"A lot, and they're all dangerous."
Everyone looked a little nervous at that.
They'd all heard that the Star Dou Great Forest was extremely dangerous—a forbidden zone for humans.
Jiang Zhu clenched her fist.
"Teacher, we'll do our best."
Ye Qiong said no more. Instead, he raised a hand to signal Tribbie.
Tribbie nodded and lifted her hand, summoning a golden triangular door.
Everyone's eyes widened at the sight.
"W-What is that?"
Tribbie smiled gently.
"It's the Soul Skill of my Martial Soul, the Gate of Ten Thousand Paths. It can take you straight to the Star Dou Great Forest."
Bai Chenxiang stared at the golden triangular door, curiosity filling her eyes. She muttered under her breath,
"Straight there? If I used it to skip class, I'd be home in the blink of an eye, wouldn't I?"
Tribbie had sharp ears. She smiled at Bai Chenxiang,
and Bai Chenxiang immediately lowered her head, pretending she hadn't said anything.
Bai E stared at the door too. For some reason, it seemed familiar, but he didn't dwell on it.
Ye Qiong stepped forward first.
"Follow me. Don't fall behind."
The moment they passed through the portal, the scenery around them changed.
Dense woods stretched beneath a canopy that blocked out the sky, and the ground was thick with dead branches and fallen leaves.
Every so often, the roar of a beast echoed in the distance.
Wang Sheng looked around.
"We're here already? That was fast."
Jiang Zhu gazed at Tribbie with stars in her eyes.
"Teacher Tribbie, you're incredible!"
Tribbie saw their reactions and smiled warmly, saying nothing.
That was simply how her Martial Soul worked. She could open a door anywhere on the Douluo Continent and travel through it.
Seeing this, Ye Qiong clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention back to him.
"From now on, you'll explore this forest on your own."
Wang Sheng froze.
"Explore on our own? Teacher, aren't you coming with us?"
Ye Qiong shook his head. "I have something important to do. Your teacher Tribbie will watch you from the shadows, but unless you face danger you can't handle, she won't intervene."
"But, Teacher, we're not familiar with this place."
Ye Qiong looked at Jiang Zhu, who had spoken.
"That's why you need to figure things out for yourselves. Hunting Soul Beasts and finding targets suited to you—those are things you'll have to handle yourselves. You'll need to cooperate and make use of each person's Martial Soul strengths."
Bai E looked at Ye Qiong.
"Principal, let me lead the team."
Ye Qiong glanced at him and nodded.
"Good. From now on, you're the captain."
Everyone agreed that Bai E should be captain.
They'd all seen his strength for themselves.
They trusted him to lead them.
Seeing that everyone had reached an agreement, Ye Qiong turned to Tribbie.
Tribbie nodded to him, then followed him a little way off.
"Principal, where are you going?"
Ye Qiong answered quietly,
"To the core area. I need a new Soul Ring."
Tribbie froze.
"The core area? The Soul Beasts there are at least ten thousand years old."
Ye Qiong smiled.
"That's why I'm going."
Tribbie was about to say something, but Ye Qiong raised a hand to stop her.
"I'm leaving the children here in your care. Just keep an eye on them and make sure nothing happens to them."
Tribbie looked into his eyes, then finally nodded.
"Okay. I'll take good care of them. Principal, please be careful on your way."
"Don't worry. I'll be back."
As the two teachers left, Bai E took a deep breath,
then began assigning everyone their positions and tasks.
Everyone followed his instructions.
Bai Chenxiang spread her Sharp-Tailed Swift wings and flew above the canopy to scout.
Jing Ling moved quickly between the trees along the flank, while Wang Sheng and Huang Yuan took the lead to clear the way. Jiang Zhu stayed in the middle, and Bai E brought up the rear.
The group slowly made their way deeper into the Star Dou Great Forest.
They had been walking for about half an hour when Bai Chenxiang suddenly swooped down from the sky.
Her face was pale. "There are signs of a fight up ahead. There's blood on the ground, and the bodies of Soul Beasts."
Bai E frowned.
"Take me to see."
Bai Chenxiang led the way, and the group soon arrived at a clearing.
Three Soul Beast corpses lay on the ground, each killed with a single blow.
Their wounds were neat, as if something sharp had sliced them open.
Wang Sheng crouched down to examine them. "These wounds... They don't look like a Soul Beast did this."
Jing Ling quickly inspected the ground nearby.
"There are claw marks. They were left by a large Soul Beast—at least two or three of them."
Bai E stared at the corpses, his frown deepening.
"A powerful Soul Beast was here, and it wasn't weak."
Jiang Zhu looked worried.
"What should we do?"
Bai E fell silent for a moment, then slowly stood and looked ahead.
"Keep going, but be more careful. If we encounter that Soul Beast, don't provoke it. Go around."
Before you continue