How Come There Are Only Three Tents

Bibi Dong watched Lu Chen for a while before finally nodding.

"Fine."

"Since you've made up your mind, I'll let you absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring."

Lu Chen's eyes brightened.

But Bibi Dong continued, "However, you must follow my judgment. If I notice anything go wrong with your condition during the absorption, I'll interrupt it immediately."

Lu Chen paused.

Forcibly interrupting the absorption of a Soul Ring would inevitably injure him, and might even damage his foundation.

But compared to letting the Soul Ring's power spiral completely out of control, interrupting it in time was already the safest course of action.

He understood what Bibi Dong meant.

"I understand, Teacher."

Only then did Bibi Dong continue onward.

Yue Guan and Gui Mei walked on either side.

As the four of them ventured deeper, the auras of the two Titled Douluo gradually began to spread.

They kept the presence of their Titled Douluo power within a certain range.

Even so, after sensing it, most of the soul beasts along the way immediately fled far away.

In the forest, soul beasts were often far more sensitive to danger than humans.

Especially soul beasts with a certain number of years behind them—they would never approach two Titled Douluo lightly.

The surroundings were unusually quiet the whole way.

Now and then, a few soul beasts with little intelligence or exceptionally fierce temperaments would blunder into the vicinity. Before they could truly get close, Yue Guan and Gui Mei had already made their move.

Yue Guan casually raised a hand, and Soul Power sent a charging soul beast flying.

Gui Mei's figure flashed through the shadows of the trees. By the time he returned to his original spot, the soul beast that had tried to pounce from the side was already sprawled in the distance.

Neither of them had struck hard.

These soul beasts were unsuitable for Lu Chen, and there was no need to hunt them, so driving them away was enough.

Watching the Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo dispatch them with such ease gave Lu Chen a much clearer sense of a Titled Douluo's strength.

In the eyes of an ordinary Soul Master, the Star Dou Forest was exceptionally dangerous. But before a true Titled Douluo, most areas were hardly perilous at all.

Of course, that didn't mean this place was truly safe.

It was simply that their party was too strong.

Bibi Dong walked beside Lu Chen, occasionally examining the traces left nearby and judging whether any dragon-type soul beasts had been active in the area.

Yue Guan knew a great deal about both plants and soul beasts, while Gui Mei was better at sensing auras hidden in the darkness.

Yet a whole day passed, and they still hadn't found a suitable target.

They had encountered plenty of thousand-year soul beasts, including some powerful varieties, but none that had an appropriate age and possessed dragon blood.

Lu Chen was a little disappointed, but he didn't show any impatience.

Finding a Soul Ring was always a matter of luck.

If they only needed one of the right age, they might find a target quickly.

But once they had requirements for the soul beast's type, attributes, and bloodline, the search became far more difficult.

Some Soul Masters were lucky enough to find the soul beast best suited to them on their first day in the forest.

Others searched the forest for a month and still came away empty-handed.

Bibi Dong had told Lu Chen this long ago.

So when dusk began to fall, the group stopped traveling and chose a relatively open spot to settle down.

Yue Guan and Gui Mei quickly set up camp.

They put up three tents.

Yue Guan and Gui Mei each took one, leaving the last for Bibi Dong, naturally.

Lu Chen stood in front of the tents, puzzled by the clearly insufficient number.

He counted them once.

There were indeed only three.

Yue Guan and Gui Mei clearly had no intention of explaining. One turned to check the surroundings, while the other began preparing for the night watch.

Lu Chen had no choice but to look up at Bibi Dong.

Bibi Dong noticed his gaze. Her expression didn't change at all, as if the arrangement before them were perfectly ordinary.

"The nights in the Star Dou Forest are dangerous."

She spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. "Many soul beasts are good at concealing their auras, and some are active at night. To prevent you from being attacked without warning, you should stay with me tonight."

Lu Chen blinked.

With two Titled Douluo, Yue Guan and Gui Mei, taking turns on watch, and Bibi Dong herself keeping guard nearby, what soul beast could sneak into the tent and attack him without a sound?

The excuse sounded reasonable enough, but on closer thought, it didn't hold up.

But Bibi Dong had already turned and entered the tent, clearly with no intention of explaining further.

Lu Chen could only follow her inside.

"Understood, Teacher."

With her back to him, Bibi Dong's lips curved up ever so slightly.

Protecting Lu Chen was, of course, just a convenient excuse.

Over the past few days on the road, she had further confirmed how effectively Lu Chen suppressed the Rakshasa Evil Thought.

As long as Lu Chen stayed near her, the Rakshasa Evil Thought in her mind weakened noticeably.

The closer he was, the stronger the suppression. When she held Lu Chen close, those evil thoughts that had tormented her for years would even fall silent for a time.

That allowed Bibi Dong to truly relax and enjoy a peaceful night's sleep—the likes of which she hadn't known for a long time.

Now that she had discovered the most effective method, she naturally didn't want to put Lu Chen in another tent at night.

In her eyes, Lu Chen was her disciple, and he was still young. There was nothing wrong with his teacher personally looking after him in the dangerous Star Dou Forest.

As for whether Lu Chen might realize how flimsy her excuse was, Bibi Dong didn't care.

The little guy wouldn't object anyway.

The night grew deeper.

The campfire gradually settled into a steady glow. The occasional distant growl of a soul beast drifted through the forest, but none came anywhere near the camp.

Yue Guan went to rest first.

Gui Mei sat outside the camp to keep watch.

He concealed himself in the darkness so completely that, without a close look, it was almost impossible to tell someone was sitting there.

Inside the tent, Bibi Dong had already closed her eyes.

Lu Chen lay beside her. His body was stiff at first, but soon the exhaustion from a full day of travel lulled him to sleep.

Bibi Dong, too, enjoyed a rare night of peaceful rest.

With the Rakshasa Evil Thought suppressed, her dreams were no longer as chaotic and gloomy as before.

It had been a long time since she had experienced sleep so free of burdens.

But in the dead of night, Gui Mei suddenly opened his eyes outside the camp.

The aura of a soul beast was rapidly approaching.

At first, it was still some distance away, but within a few breaths, it had drawn much closer.

Gui Mei's gaze sharpened, and he immediately rose to his feet.

He released the full force of his Titled Douluo aura, sending a powerful pressure toward the approaching soul beast.

Normally, even a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast would instinctively stop upon sensing such pressure, or even turn and flee.

But this time, the soul beast not only showed no fear, it drew closer even faster.

The sound of branches being buffeted by a powerful current of air swiftly swept through the forest.